Path of Exile 2 is all about the loot. Whether you’re just starting out and looking for the bare essentials or if you’re in the endgame searching for ultra-specific gear, the quest for loot never stops. While you can simply play through the game and hope you get lucky with the right drops, farming bosses is the easiest way to force Path of Exile 2 into giving you extra loot. Farming bosses is a common strategy in ARPGs, but Path of Exile 2 doesn’t simplify the process. In the guide below, we’ll show you how to reset bosses so you can farm them as much as you’d like.
How to farm bosses in Path of Exile 2
The only way to completely reset a boss in Path of Exile 2 is by creating a new instance of the map the boss is located on. Instances are randomly generated versions of the maps you travel to in PoE 2. Whenever you leave an area and 15 minutes have passed, a new instance of the map is created if you go back to it.
While you can wait 15 minutes and reset the map that way, you can also manually create a new instance immediately. This allows you to reset the map as soon as you’re finished killing a boss, giving you the chance to run the map again and kill the boss as much as you want.
To create a new instance of a map in PoE 2, follow the steps below:
- Go to any Waypoint in PoE 2
- Find the map you want to run
- Click its icon on the world map and then find it again on the regional map
- On controller, you need to press “A/X” on the map icon. Then, hold A/X to bring up the Instance Manager
- On keyboard, you need to press “Ctrl + Left Click” on the map icon to bring up the Instance Manager
- At the Instance Manager, select “New” and it will reset the map and every enemy on it
Once a new instance is started, you can run the same map again and find the boss you want to farm.
What happens when you reset a map in Path of Exile 2?
After starting a new instance, the entire map will be wiped clean. This means all the fog you cleared on the mini-map is reset and you have to find your way back to the boss or other areas all over again.
A new instance also means the map is randomized. The boss you’re trying to farm likely won’t be in the same spot as it was the last time you fought it. If you’ve run a map enough times, you’ll start to pick up on how to get to a boss’ arena regardless of how the map is set up.
However, the first few times you farm a boss, finding their arena could take several minutes. You’re more likely to run into dead ends or an area you don’t want to visit more often than not.
When you happen to find the boss again, kill it, loot everything it drops, and then start a new instance. You can repeat this process as often as needed if you’re looking for a specific piece of gear.
To make farming easier and less time-consuming, your best bet is picking a boss you can handily defeat. For example, if you’re in Act 3 of PoE 2, maybe pick a boss that’s easy to reach in Act 2. Balbala, the Traitor is a boss that gets much simpler the more levels you have over her, and she’s not too difficult to find in Traitor’s Passage.
Experiment around with different maps and bosses until you find one that you’re comfortable with farming. From there, the PoE 2 gods will have to be on your side if you want to loot the gear you’re searching for.
