When a Vaal Orb is used to corrupt an item in Path of Exile, a series of unpredictable changes occur that can drastically affect the item’s value, power, and usability. Understanding what really happens when items are corrupted helps dispel myths and clarifies the mechanics underlying this high-risk, high-reward currency.

First and foremost, corruption is permanent. Once an item is corrupted by a Vaal Orb, it cannot be further modified by most conventional crafting or currency items. The item also gains a red "Corrupted" tag, making its altered state visually apparent. This irreversibility makes the decision to use a Vaal Orb a serious gamble.

There are generally four primary outcomes when an equipment item is corrupted by a Vaal Orb, each with roughly equal chances of occurring:

1. The item gains a new corruption implicit modifier—these are unique, powerful implicit stats that can enhance damage, survivability, or other attributes. If the item already had corruption implicits, one might be replaced.

2. One or more sockets on the item turn white, allowing any active skill gem color to be placed there. The chance for each socket to become white is about 10%, so this outcome can range from no change to all sockets turning white, though the latter is exceedingly rare.

3. The item becomes a rare item with six completely new random affixes, rerolling all existing explicit modifiers, sockets, and links. This can "brick" the item by destroying carefully crafted stats, but sometimes yields incredibly strong results by rolling high-tier affixes.

4. Nothing changes to the modifiers or sockets, and the only visible change is the corrupted status itself.

For skill gems, corruption outcomes differ slightly but also carry both potential benefits and risks. A Vaal Orb can add or remove skill levels, add sockets, or change gem quality—effects that directly influence damage and utility. In some cases, skill gems can be corrupted to unlock their Vaal versions, granting powerful burst abilities that last for a limited time. Many players new to corruption mechanics experiment with skill gems first since they are cheaper and easier to replace compared to fully crafted gear, which saves poe 2 currency for more important items later.

Corruption also affects certain special item types in unique ways. For example, jewels can gain new sockets, transform into unique corrupted jewels, or reroll their mods. Maps, flasks, and strongboxes have related but distinct corruption effects.

An important myth to bust is that corruption is uniformly destructive or purely beneficial. Results are highly situational and probabilistic, and may enhance or degrade an item’s performance. For instance, a Vaal Orb can ruin a perfectly crafted weapon by replacing useful stats with lesser ones, or it can add rare and powerful implicit modifiers that push the item’s value far beyond ordinary limits.

Some players use special items called Omens of Corruption to influence Vaal Orb outcomes, increasing the chance of rolling corrupted implicit modifiers or additional sockets, though these effects remain complex and not fully deterministic.

Corrupting items with Vaal Orbs embodies the risk-versus-reward principle of Path of Exile crafting: it can lead to fantastic, game-changing upgrades or complete losses of investment. Because of this, many players prefer to experiment on lower-value gear first, saving their top-tier items until they’ve acquired enough cheap poe 2 currency to offset potential losses. The randomness and permanence of corruption mean players must carefully weigh the gamble before unleashing chaos on their gear.