In Path of Exile 2, Vaal Orbs present a complex risk-reward system with a variety of unique outcomes beyond the obvious ones you might expect—and they’re a staple for anyone trading poe 2 currency early league to fuel their experimentation. Here are the top five Vaal Orb outcomes that players often overlook but which can significantly affect your gameplay and crafting strategy.

1. Corrupted Modifier Addition: When using a Vaal Orb, it can add a new corrupted affix to your item. This addition is independent of the item’s existing affixes and can even occur if the item is fully rolled. These corrupted modifiers can provide powerful, unique benefits unavailable through normal crafting, giving your gear an edge that can’t be replicated otherwise.

2. Modifier Reroll with Enhanced Ranges on Uniques: Unlike Divine Orbs, which reroll modifiers within fixed ranges, Vaal Orbs on Unique items can push modifier values beyond their normal maximum or minimum limits. This means you can potentially get unparalleled stat boosts—or devastating downgrades—making these rerolls an exciting but risky proposition.

3. Unchanged with Corrupted Tag: Sometimes, Vaal Orbs simply add the corrupted tag without changing any stats or modifiers. While this might seem like a wasted orb, it’s actually a strategic outcome, allowing you to finalize an item’s stats and prevent further modifications. This can be crucial when you have an item perfectly crafted and want to lock it down while still gaining the benefits of being corrupted.

4. Unique Vaal-Specific Enchantments: Some Unique items can receive special Vaal-specific enchantments when corrupted. These enchantments vary by item and can dramatically enhance the item's effectiveness or grant entirely new capabilities. This type of outcome is particularly exciting because it merges thematic lore with impactful gameplay advantages—especially useful if you’ve stocked up on cheap poe 2 currency to fund multiple attempts.

5. Sockets Added to Skill Gems and Spirit Gems: Applying a Vaal Orb to skill gems or support gems can add a socket, boost gem level, or quality. This is one of the few methods to get gems with more sockets than normally possible, making it a valuable tool for customizing and maximizing your build’s power. However, be aware that this also carries a risk of losing sockets or lowering levels, adding tension to every corruption attempt.

These outcomes illustrate how Vaal Orbs bring an unpredictable layer to crafting and upgrading gear in PoE 2, blending high stakes with powerful rewards. Knowing these lesser-considered results can help you make smarter decisions about when and how to use Vaal Orbs, potentially converting risk into game-changing advantages.