PoE 2 Campaign Bonuses and Buffs: CRUEL

NOTE: With the removal of Cruel Difficulty alongside the addition of Act 4 and the Interlude Acts in Patch 0.3, this Guide is now defunct. Once we have discovered the locations of all Permanent Buffs, a new guide will be added and new locations will also be appended to the Normal Buffs and Bonuses Guide

This guide will help you find all optional and less obvious bonuses throughout the Campaign in Cruel Difficulty, as well as all Permanent Buffs. Many useful items such as Uncut Gems and Jeweller's Orbs can be found as guaranteed drops if you know where to look, and this guide will make sure you find all the most useful ones. Areas that haven't been listed do not have rewards that are worth spending the time to acquire.

If you're looking for the Normal version of this guide, click here: PoE 2 Campaign Bonuses and Buffs: NORMAL

ACT 1 CRUEL

Clearfell

BOSS - Beira of the Rotten Pack

• +10% Cold Resistance

Mud Burrow

BOSS - The Devourer

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 11) (Boss Drop)
• Uncut Spirit Gem (Level 11) (Quest Reward)
• Artificer's Orb

The Grelwood

BOSS - The Brambleghast

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 11)

The Grim Tangle

BOSS - The Rotten Druid:

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 2)

Cemetery of the Eternals

BOSS - Lachlann of Endless Lament

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 2)

Tomb of the Consort

Haunted Treasure (Slay the Eternal Knight)

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 2)

Hunting Grounds

BOSS - The Crowbell

• Reward: Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)

Complete Ritual Altar

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 12)

Ogham Farmlands

Una's Lute (inside Una's Lute Box in her hut)

• Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)

Crop Circle

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 12)

Ogham Village

BOSS - The Executioner

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 2) Boss Drop
• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 12) Quest Reward (Leitis)

An Artificer's Orb and a Blank Rune can also be found inside the house with a Checkpoint at the entrance in which you located Renly's Tools in Normal (hopefully, otherwise collect them now!)

The Manor Ramparts

The Gallows

Click the rope of the noose holding the hanging man

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 2)

Ogham Manor

BOSS - Candlemass, the Living Rite

• +5*% to Maximum Life (*Reduced from 8% in Patch 0.2.0)

ACT 2 CRUEL

Vastiri Outskirts

BOSS - Rathbreaker

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 13) - Quest Reward (Zarka)

Mawdun Quarry

Artificer's Orb - located in the Faridun War Cache beyond a bridge beside a Checkpoint

Keth

BOSS - Kabala, Constrictor Queen

• Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)

The Lost City

Golden Tomb (Environmental Object)

• Uncut Spirit Gem (Level 13)

Buried Shrines

Suspicious Sarcophagus (Environmental Object)

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 13)

"City of the Seven Waters" Quest

Ignite the Goddess with the Everlasting Cinders and take The Essence of Water

• Uncut Support Gem (Level 3)

Valley of the Titans

"Offering to Amrit" Quest

Place the Kabala Clan Relic and Sun Clan Relic

• +30% increased Charm Charges Gained or 15% increased Life Recovery from Flasks

The Titan Grotto

Titan's Sword (Environmental Object)

• Random Greater Rune

Mastodon Badlands

Fossilised Memorial (Environmental Object)

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 13)

The Bone Pits

BOSS - Iktab, the Deathlord and Ekbab, Ancient Steed

• Uncut Spirit Gem (Level 13) (Reward for "A Theft of Ivory" Quest)

Deshar

"Tradition's Toll" Quest Reward

Find the body of the Rhoa rider beside the base of one of the burial towers and collect the Final Letter

• Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)
• Artificer's Orb - Located by clicking The Unremembered (a skeleton) in a small area beyond a Checkpoint

Path of Mourning

Hushed Urn (Environmental Object)

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 13)

The Spires of Deshar

BOSS - Tor Gul, the Deflier

• Uncut Skill Gem (Level 14) Quest Reward

Sisters of Garukhan (Environmental Object)

• +10% to Lightning Resistance

ACT 3 CRUEL

Sandswept Marsh

Orok Campfire (Environmental Event)

• Lesser Jeweller's Orb (there is a chest in this camp that will always drop this item)

Note: This area is named "Orok Campfire" but the actual object you need to click is the "Azak Campfire" and the monsters defending it are called Azakh.

Jungle Ruins

BOSS - Mighty Silverfist

• Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)

The Venom Crypts

This area is found within the Jungle Ruins

Corpse Snake Venom (Quest)

Choose One Permanent Buff

• +10% to Chaos Resistance
• +5 to All Attributes
• +15% reduced Slowing Potency of Debuffs on You

Artificer's Orb - Servi will also give you an Artificer's Orb for completing this quest

The Azak Bog

This area is connected to The Infested Barrens.

BOSS - Ignagduk, the Bog Witch

• +40 to Maximum Spirit

Jiquani's Machinarium

BOSS - Blackjaw, the Remnant

• +10% to Fire Resistance

Paquate's Mechanism (Environmental Object)

• Altar that provides the opportunity to Corrupt a single item in a way that is identical to a Vaal Orb

The Molten Vault

If you unlocked the Reforging Bench in Normal, skip this quest or do it in Normal so that it is easier

BOSS - Mektul, the Forgemaster

"Treasures of Utzaal" Quest Reward

• Reforging Bench (return The Hammer of Kamasa to Oswald) This assumes you didn't do this quest in Normal Difficulty
• Artificer's Orb

Utzaal

Note: The Sacrificial Heart for the "Blood Sacrifice" Quest can drop in this area from Vaal Goliaths

Aggorat

"Blood Sacrifice" Quest Reward

Place the Sacrificial Heart on the Sacrificial Altar and stab it to gain the reward. The Sacrificial Heart can be found as a random drop from Vaal Goliaths in either Utzaal and Aggorat

• Book of Specialisation (+2 Weapon Set Skill Points)

In case you missed it, be sure to check out our guide on PoE 2 Campaign Bonuses and Buffs: NORMAL

For a simplified version of this, you can read our guide that just shows you where to acquire All Permanent Buffs from the Campaign