As you progress through Act 3 of Path of Exile 2, you might encounter some difficulty utilizing the Sacrificial Heart, a quest item you can obtain from defeating various foes. This item is described as “a soul still clinging to dying remnants of life,” granting a long-lasting advantage for your character. However, you will only be able to perform the sacrifice “at the appropriate ritual site,” which might not be immediately clear to you.
Before you can obtain the Sacrificial Heart, you need to advance far enough in the game to reach Act 3. This part of the storyline occurs when you activate the portal in the Ziggurat Encampment to go back in time. The areas and NPCs you will encounter in Path of Exile 2 will be new, including the loot acquired from your enemies.
Sacrificial Heart Location in Path of Exile 2
Defeating Specific Enemies in Certain Areas
The Sacrificial Heart will drop from enemies in the following areas:
Utzaal is the initial zone you’ll visit after entering through the Ziggurat portal, meaning you could potentially collect the Heart after just a few encounters. However, some players might have to take down several groups of enemies before obtaining it. Don’t hesitate to die and respawn in areas where the Sacrificial Heart can drop; this can reset enemy spawn rates and boost the likelihood of finding the desired item.
Farming various enemies in search of the Sacrificial Heart is also an excellent strategy to gather other materials and loot essential for crafting gear in Path of Exile 2 or leveling up your character.
Certain foes, such as Vaal Goliaths and Vaal Overseers, are the most probable sources for the Sacrificial Heart in Utzaal. While Aggorat houses these enemies too, it’s relatively harder to access than Utzaal from the portal. To easily reach Aggorat, defeat the Legion Blockade boss in Utzaal, where chants can be heard, and then navigate behind the large statue to ascend the stairs to your new destination.
If you have difficulty locating the Sacrificial Heart from either area, finding checkpoints to refresh enemies is a wise choice. More checkpoints in Utzaal or Aggorat give you numerous locations to explore or respawn. You might also inadvertently pick up the Sacrificial Heart while eliminating enemies, so using a loot filter in Path of Exile 2 can help you check your inventory for any collected items.
How to Use the Sacrificial Heart
Locate the Correct Altar in Aggorat
Once you’ve obtained a Sacrificial Heart, head back to Aggorat and search for the Blood Sacrifice along the Trail of Sacrifice in that region. This spot is marked with a checkpoint and features numerous corpses bleeding into the stones below. The stairs lead up to a large altar overlooking the land, where you will find the Sacrificial Dagger, which needs to be used alongside the Heart.
To commence the blood ritual, pick up the Sacrificial Dagger and place the Sacrificial Heart on the altar. When you do this, if the Dagger is in your inventory, you’ll have the option to “Stab Sacrificial Heart.” Complete this action to trigger a short cutscene where your character kneels and stabs the Heart, which will then be removed from your inventory.
By destroying the Sacrificial Heart, you receive a permanent stat bonus in Path of Exile 2 that grants your character:
- +2 Passive Skill Points
- +2 Weapon Skill Points
These skill points can be allocated to any abilities of your choosing, allowing you to further refine your character build as you gain strength. Once gained, these points cannot be taken away from you, giving you complete freedom to utilize them in various ways. For instance, you might invest in passive skills aimed at enhancing damage resistance against specific elements for greater survivability in the game’s later Acts.
Additionally, you can obtain another Sacrificial Heart during Cruel difficulty and repeat this process at the same altar in Aggorat. Although performing the sacrifice in Cruel difficulty doesn’t alter the permanent bonus, it allows you to receive another set of bonuses if you’ve already completed the process in the base game.
There’s minimal reason not to collect these skill points, so it’s advisable to attempt this task in every playthrough. Learning how to effectively utilize the Sacrificial Heart in Path of Exile 2 can yield free skill points that don’t require grinding, making the effort to find the Heart worthwhile.
