Does Hillock Quality Corrupt in Path of Exile? An Expert’s Guide
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No, Hillock’s quality bonus does not corrupt the item. This is a crucial distinction in Path of Exile crafting. Hillock, a member of the Immortal Syndicate, can be stationed in a safehouse (Transportation, Fortification, Research, or Intervention). When you interact with him, he offers a crafting service that adds 30% quality to an item without corrupting it. This is significantly different from using a Vaal Orb or the Beastcrafting recipe that corrupts the item while adding quality. The key advantage is that the item remains open to further modification, such as using Divine Orbs or changing crafted modifiers.
Understanding Corruption in Path of Exile
To fully grasp the significance of Hillock’s non-corrupting quality, we need to define what “corrupted” means in Path of Exile. A corrupted item is permanently altered by a Vaal Orb or certain other mechanics. Once corrupted, an item can no longer be modified by most traditional crafting currencies, such as Exalted Orbs, Chaos Orbs, or Scouring Orbs. However, the implicit mod can be changed by using vaal orbs again. The trade off is that the item gets bricked a lot more when doing this. Corrupted items are a gamble but can yield very powerful results or render an item entirely useless.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Corruption
Corruption offers a few potential benefits:
- Vaal implicit mods: Corrupted items can gain special implicit modifiers that are not normally available. These can be incredibly powerful and enhance builds significantly.
- White sockets: Vaal Orbs have a small chance to turn sockets white, allowing them to accept any color gem.
- Rarity bonus: This is an outdated concept. Items that drop corrupted do not inherently have a higher rarity bonus anymore, unlike Vaal skill gems.
However, the drawbacks are substantial:
- Impossibility to modify: As mentioned, most crafting currencies become unusable on corrupted items.
- Unpredictable outcomes: Vaal Orbs can also downgrade an item, change sockets/links in undesirable ways, or do nothing at all.
- Permanent Alteration: Corruption is irreversible (save for using very rare and specific Tainted currency).
Hillock’s Unique Offering: Quality Without the Risk
This is where Hillock’s service shines. By offering 30% quality without corruption, he provides a safe and reliable way to improve an item. Quality directly impacts the stats of gear.
- Armour: Increases Armour rating.
- Evasion: Increases Evasion rating.
- Energy Shield: Increases Energy Shield rating.
- Weapons: Increases Physical Damage.
Why Hillock is So Valuable
- Safe Investment: You gain a significant stat boost without the risk of ruining your item.
- Continued Crafting: You can still use crafting currencies like Divine Orbs to perfect your item’s rolls after obtaining the 30% quality.
- Flexibility: You can change crafted mods and continue to customize the item to your build.
Finding and Utilizing Hillock
Hillock is a member of the Immortal Syndicate, and to utilize his crafting service, you need to:
- Engage in Betrayal encounters: Run maps and look for Jun Ortoi, who leads the Betrayal encounters.
- Interrogate or execute Syndicate members: After defeating Syndicate members, you can interrogate them to gain intelligence or execute them to influence the Syndicate’s relationships.
- Manipulate the Syndicate: Move Hillock to the Transportation, Fortification, Research, or Intervention safehouse, and rank him up to increase the level of item quality he can give when he’s the leader of the syndicate safehouse.
- Run the safehouse: When Hillock is stationed at Transportation, and you are prepared to run a Transportation Safehouse, use the safehouse and interact with Hillock after defeating the Syndicate members inside. He will then add 30% quality to your item without corrupting it. The Syndicate’s mechanics and strategies are complex and take time to learn.
- Level Up: Max level Syndicate members increases the crafting reward, depending on the syndicate’s role.
The Beastcrafting Alternative: A High-Risk, High-Reward Approach
The original article mentioned a Beastcrafting recipe that corrupts an item while granting 30% quality. This recipe involves capturing a specific beast and using it at the Menagerie’s Blood Altar. While it provides the same quality bonus as Hillock, the corruption aspect makes it a risky proposition.
Beastcrafting vs. Hillock: A Comparison
| Feature | Beastcrafting (Corrupting) | Hillock (Non-Corrupting) |
|---|---|---|
| —————- | ————————– | ———————– |
| Corruption | Yes | No |
| Quality Increase | 30% | 30% |
| Risk | High | Low |
| Modification | Limited | Full |
| Accessibility | Requires specific beast | Requires Syndicate setup |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the nuances of quality, corruption, and crafting in Path of Exile.
1. What are the different ways to increase item quality in Path of Exile?
Besides Hillock, there are several methods:
- Armourer’s Scraps (Armour), Blacksmith’s Whetstones (Weapons), Glassblower’s Baubles (Flasks): These currencies increase quality incrementally, capping at 20% normally.
- Perfect Fossils: Used in resonators, they randomize quality between 15-30%.
- Beastcrafting (Corrupting): As discussed, this adds 30% quality while corrupting the item.
- Infused Engineer’s Orb: Adds quality to maps.
2. Can you increase the quality of corrupted items?
No, you cannot use Armourer’s Scraps, Blacksmith’s Whetstones, or Glassblower’s Baubles on corrupted items. Once corrupted, traditional quality-enhancing currencies are ineffective.
3. What happens when you Vaal Orb a unique item?
The result is unpredictable. It might:
- Do nothing.
- Add a Vaal implicit modifier.
- Change sockets or links.
- Turn the item into a rare item with random modifiers. This is the riskiest outcome.
4. Are Vaal skill gems always corrupted?
Yes, Vaal skill gems are inherently corrupted, regardless of how they are obtained (found, crafted, or purchased).
5. Can you anoint corrupted items?
Yes, you can anoint corrupted items, especially Blighted Maps that are corrupted. Tainted Oils are specifically designed for anointing corrupted items.
6. What is the difference between Bleeding and Corrupted Blood?
Bleeding is an ailment that inflicts physical damage over time. Corrupted Blood is a debuff, also inflicting physical damage over time, but typically much more severe and stacks multiple times. They are distinct mechanics.
7. What does a Vaal Orb do to maps?
A Vaal Orb can alter a map in various ways:
- Add or change implicit modifiers.
- Change the map’s tier.
- Add or remove modifiers.
- Corrupt the map (making it unmodifiable with regular currency).
- Add the “All Areas are Fully Revealed” modifier.
8. Can mirrored items be corrupted?
No, mirrored items cannot be corrupted.
9. Why do people corrupt gems?
The primary reason is to attempt to improve the gem’s quality beyond the normal 20% limit. However, this is a risky endeavor.
10. Do corrupted gems still level up?
Yes, corrupted gems still level up like regular gems. The only difference is that you can’t use Gemcutter’s Prisms (GCPs) on them.
11. What are Tainted Oils used for?
Tainted Oils are used to anoint corrupted items, particularly Blighted Maps. This allows you to apply powerful enchantments to items that are otherwise unmodifiable.
12. How does the “Uber” Hillock differ from the normal Hillock?
Uber Hillock is a rare spawn of the normal Hillock in The Twilight Strand. The key difference is that Uber Hillock drops the Oni-Goroshi sword upon defeat, a highly sought-after leveling weapon.
13. Can you Divine Orb a corrupted item?
No, generally, Divine Orbs cannot be used on corrupted items. Divine Orbs reroll the numeric values of modifiers on a piece of equipment.
14. What is the benefit of having white sockets on an item?
White sockets can accept any color gem, providing greater flexibility in build customization. This is particularly useful for builds that require unusual color combinations.
15. Where can I learn more about game design and learning principles?
You can find more information and resources related to game design and learning principles at the Games Learning Society website: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. Games Learning Society is a great resource for understanding the educational aspects of gaming.
Conclusion: Hillock is Your Safe Quality Choice
In conclusion, Hillock provides a safe and reliable way to add 30% quality to your items without corrupting them. This is invaluable for crafting and allows you to continue modifying and perfecting your gear. While the Beastcrafting recipe offers a similar quality bonus, the risk of corruption makes Hillock the preferred choice for most players who want to retain control over their item’s destiny. Mastering the Betrayal mechanics to efficiently utilize Hillock’s service is a worthwhile investment for any serious Path of Exile player.