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Direct answers
What are permanent rewards?
Permanent rewards are one-time character bonuses granted by optional bosses and side quests across Acts 1-3: passive skill points, +Spirit, resistances, maximum Life, and Weapon Set Passive Points. They are applied to your character for the rest of the league, not just the session.
Why can't I miss them?
Most are tied to optional bosses or side quests you can skip on the critical path. Once you finish an act and move on, that specific drop or quest reward is gone for the Normal run. The only second chance is Cruel difficulty, which repeats most of them with small variations.
Biggest must-do list
Crowbell and King in the Mists in Act 1; Kabala, Tradition's Toll, and Doryani's Altar in Act 2; Mighty Silverfist, Ignagduk, the Corpse-snake Venom choice, and the Sacrificial Heart ritual in Act 3. These cover all Spirit, Life, and Weapon Set Point sources.
Official 0.5.4 patch notesReward totals at a glance
Permanent reward matrix
Filter by act to see exactly which permanent bonuses you can still secure. 'On Cruel' means the same source repeats in Cruel difficulty if you missed it on Normal.
| Act | Source (boss or quest) | Permanent reward | Type | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | Beira of the Rotten Pack (Red Vale) | +10% Cold Resistance | Resistance | On Cruel |
| Act 1 | The Crowbell (Hunting Grounds, optional boss) | Book of Specialization: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points | Weapon Set | On Cruel |
| Act 1 | King in the Mists (Freythorn, optional boss) | +30 Spirit (unlocks auras) | Spirit | On Cruel |
| Act 1 | The Lost Lute / Una's Lute (Ogham Farmlands side quest) | +2 Passive Skill Points | Points | On Cruel |
| Act 1 | Candlemass (Ogham Manor, optional boss) | +20 Maximum Life | Life | On Cruel (+5% max Life) |
| Act 1 | Ogham Villager Rynsa (Ogham Farmlands) | Unlocks the Ogham Salvage Bench | Utility | On Cruel |
| Act 2 | Kabala, the Constrictor Queen (Keth, optional boss) | Book of Specialization: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points | Weapon Set | On Cruel |
| Act 2 | Sisters of Garukhan (The Spires of Deshar) | +10% Lightning Resistance | Resistance | On Cruel |
| Act 2 | Tradition's Toll (Deshar side quest) | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points | Weapon Set | On Cruel |
| Act 2 | Doryani's Altar of Sacrifice (Keth) | +2 Passive Skill Points | Points | On Cruel |
| Act 2 | Valley of the Titans (Deliver the Relics) | Choice: +30% Charm Charges OR +15% Mana Recovery from Flasks | Choice | On Cruel |
| Act 3 | Mighty Silverfist (Jungle Ruins, optional boss) | Book of Specialization: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points | Weapon Set | On Cruel |
| Act 3 | Ignagduk, the Bog Witch (The Azak Bog) | +30 Spirit | Spirit | On Cruel (+40 Spirit) |
| Act 3 | Corpse-snake Venom (The Venom Crypts) | Choice: 25% Stun Threshold / 30% Ailment Threshold / 25% Mana Regen | Choice | On Cruel (Chaos Resist option) |
| Act 3 | Blackjaw (Jiquani's Machinarium) | +10% Fire Resistance | Resistance | On Cruel |
| Act 3 | Sacrificial Heart (Aggorat ritual site) | +2 Weapon Set Passive Points (ritual, no book) | Weapon Set | On Cruel |
| Cruel | Candlemass (Ogham Manor, Cruel) | +5% increased Maximum Life | Life | Once only |
| Cruel | Ignagduk, the Bog Witch (Cruel) | +40 Spirit | Spirit | Once only |
| Cruel | Corpse-snake Venom (Cruel) | Choice: 10% Chaos Resist / 5 All Attributes / 15% Slowing Potency | Choice | Once only |
Weapon Set Passive Points from Books of Specialization are NOT the same as passive skill points. They only activate for the weapon set you allocate them to, and you can refund them from The Hooded One or Doryani (after Act 3) for gold.
Reward route by act
Follow the tab for your current act. Each lists the detours to make before you complete the act's final boss.
Act 1 is where most players lose their first permanent rewards by rushing the main story.
- Clear Hunting Grounds fully and kill The Crowbell for a Book of Specialization.
- Enter Freythorn and defeat King in the Mists for +30 Spirit before leaving the zone.
- In Ogham Farmlands, accept and finish The Lost Lute (Una's Lute) side quest for +2 skill points, and talk to Rynsa to unlock the Salvage Bench.
- In Ogham Manor, kill Candlemass for +20 Maximum Life.
Which reward did you miss?
Pick the bonus you are short on and the act you are in. The tool points you to the exact source.
Full campaign walkthrough
PoE 2 creator
Full Act 1-6 Campaign Walkthrough (rewards route)
A continuous walkthrough of the entire campaign. Use it to plan which optional bosses and side quests to hit before each act boss.
What to watch for: Detour to optional bosses and accept side quests before finishing an act - most permanent rewards are missable on the critical path.
Open source ↗Frequently asked questions
Can I get these rewards in the endgame?
No. Campaign permanent rewards are granted once per character per difficulty. The endgame Atlas and maps do not re-grant them. If you missed one on Normal, your only recovery window is Cruel difficulty.
Do Weapon Set Passive Points count as passive skill points?
No. A Book of Specialization converts two of your existing points into Weapon Set Points that only activate for the weapon set you allocate them to. They are refunded separately from The Hooded One or Doryani for gold.
What if I skipped an optional boss by accident?
Re-enter the zone before you complete the act's final boss. After the act ends, that zone is locked until Cruel. Cruel repeats almost every source for a second set.
Are Cruel rewards identical to Normal?
Mostly, with three variations: Candlemass gives +5% increased Maximum Life (instead of +20 flat), Ignagduk gives +40 Spirit (instead of +30), and the Corpse-snake Venom choice adds a Chaos Resistance option.
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