Vaal Orbs in Path of Exile are infamous for their high-risk, high-reward nature. They can turn a decent item into a powerhouse or utter garbage, making them a thrilling gamble for experienced players. Let’s delve into the potential rewards and risks of Vaal Orbing:
Rewards:
6-link sockets: This is the ultimate jackpot! Vaal Orbing a 5-link item has a small chance to transform it into a coveted 6-link, significantly boosting its power and value.
Awakened Support Gems: These powerful Support Gems offer unique modifiers not found on regular versions. Vaal Orbing a Support Gem has a chance to grant it its Awakened form.
Unique implicit modifiers: Some unique items gain special implicit modifiers when Vaal Orbed. These can range from beneficial stat boosts to quirky gameplay changes.
Corrupted mods: Certain Vaal Orbs grant specific corrupted modifiers to items, often with powerful effects like increased critical strike chance or chaos damage.
Risks:
Bricking the item: The most feared outcome is the Vaal Orb simply destroying the item, reducing it to a pile of unusable shards. This can be especially devastating for valuable rares or uniques.
Unfavorable corruptions: Even if the item survives, the resulting corrupted modifiers might be useless or detrimental to your build. This can render the item unusable or significantly less valuable.
Wasted potential: Using a Vaal Orb on an item with good potential for regular crafting can be risky, as you might lose the chance to further improve it through other methods.
High cost: Vaal Orbs themselves are not cheap, and the potential for failure adds to the overall crafting cost.
Before Vaal Orbing:
Consider the item’s value: Is it worth risking a potentially valuable item for the chance of a big upgrade?
Have a backup plan: Do you have another item you can use if the Vaal Orb goes wrong?
Understand the potential outcomes: Research the specific corrupted modifiers that can appear on your item type and assess whether they’re beneficial or detrimental.
Only use on items you’re willing to lose: Remember, Vaal Orbing is a gamble, and there’s no guarantee of success.
Ultimately, Vaal Orbing is a decision for experienced players who understand the risks and are comfortable with the potential for both glory and despair. If you’re feeling lucky and have an item to spare, go for it! But always tread carefully, and remember that sometimes, the greatest rewards come from calculated risks.