The Orb of Annulment in Path of Exile 2 is a unique and powerful crafting currency designed to remove one random modifier from a magic or rare item. It’s a high-stakes tool that offers both great potential and significant risk, because while it can eliminate an unwanted affix that holds back your build, it can also delete a prized mod you wanted to keep.
How Annulment Works Mechanically
Random Modifier Removal: When applied to a magic or rare item, the orb removes exactly one modifier chosen at random from all the item’s affixes—prefixes and suffixes alike. The player cannot select which modifier is removed, making the outcome unpredictable.
Respects Meta-mods: Certain crafting modifiers, like “Prefix Cannot Be Changed” or “Suffix Cannot Be Changed,” protect those categories of affixes from being removed by the Orb of Annulment. This means you can greatly reduce risks by applying such meta-mods before annulling, effectively limiting what can be removed.
No Downgrade in Rarity: Unlike the Orb of Scouring, annulment never changes an item's rarity. It simply removes a modifier while keeping the item’s magic or rare status intact.
Works Only on Magic and Rare Items: You cannot use an Orb of Annulment on normal or unique items. It targets only items with explicitly generated affixes.
Interaction with Crafting Catalysts and Meta-mods
Crafting Catalysts: While catalysts boost item quality or modify the likelihood of certain affixes, they don’t influence the chance or selection process of which mod the Orb of Annulment removes. The removal remains random regardless of catalysts used.
Meta-mods: These are crucial in controlling what modifiers can be removed. Before using an Orb of Annulment, crafters often apply meta-mods to lock in important prefixes or suffixes, which physically prevents the orb from removing those locked affixes. For example, if you lock prefixes, the orb will only be able to remove suffixes and vice versa, improving your control and reducing risk. Some players, especially those who buy poe 2 currency for sale, use this method to safely finish expensive gear.
Random Rolls and Probability Factors
The orb picks one affix at random to remove from all current mods. The odds depend solely on the number of mods present; for instance, if an item has four affixes, each mod has a 25% chance to be removed.
Because of this, annulment is generally safer to use on items with many affixes, as losing one mod out of several is less devastating than removing one out of two.
The inherent randomness means that each attempt is a gamble. You may remove an undesirable affix and improve your item, or you may lose a critical stat, sometimes forcing you to abandon or restart crafting on that item.
Strategic Use Tips
Use meta-mods to protect at least half of your affixes before applying the Orb of Annulment. This limits the orb’s target pool and makes outcomes more predictable.
Target items with multiple affixes and at least one unwanted mod to maximize the benefit-to-risk ratio.
Avoid using on items with very few affixes or unique items where any change can significantly harm the item’s value or functionality.
When used thoughtfully, the Orb of Annulment can refine near-perfect items by removing a single flawed mod, setting the stage for subsequent crafting steps. Many advanced players stack cheap poe 2 currency to ensure they have enough materials to keep refining.