Path of Exile 2 keeps finding ways to twist progress into something more like discovery than simple loot grinding, and Heart of the Well is the best example. This Unique Jewel is linked to Abyss encounters, the mysterious Well of Souls, and a new crafting loop that forces you to make tough, permanent choices. Our PoE 2 guide tells where to find Heart of the Well, how to unlock its power, and why you should get it.
Where to Find Heart of the Well in Path of Exile 2
Heart of the Well Jewel is a limited Abyss drop by Rogue Exile enemies during Abyss encounters. These mini-bosses mimic real player characters, which makes them nastier than usual mobs. The drop condition is unusual: you’ll need to kill the same Rogue Exile twice in an Abyss run. That second defeat has a higher chance that the enemy will drop the Heart of the Well.
It isn’t a guaranteed drop, but it’s reliable enough that Abyss farming is your main route. Since the jewel is flagged as a Rise of the Abyssal League item, it also can’t be farmed outside that content loop—so if you want to get one, you can only stick to Abyss runs.
How to Unlock and Use the Well of Souls in PoE 2
Slotting Heart of the Well directly into your passive tree won’t do anything. The Jewel shows empty sockets for modifiers because its slots are sealed. To unlock them, you’ll need to visit the Well of Souls, a secret crafting location in Act II. You can reach the Well of Souls in the Mastodon Badlands during the campaign. Look for a downward-sloping path marked by giant tusks that leads into the Lightless Passage, which leads you to the Well of Souls. The dungeon isn’t complex, but has many monster packs, so it’s best to push through rather than clear every corner.
Once you discover the Well, its waypoint unlocks permanently, and you can then return anytime like you would to your hideout. The first time you interact with the Well, a cutscene triggers where The Hooded One gives you the ability to communicate with the strange creature that dwells there. From then on, the Well of Souls becomes a main crafting station, which can be accessed from across the league.
How the Jewel’s Upgrade System Works
Once there, place the Heart of the Well in its place in the pop-up screen, click “Reveal,” and then confirm the choice. The game offers three random modifiers—you can only select one. Well of Souls can hold up to four modifiers total (two prefixes, two suffixes), so you have to repeat this process until it’s fully unlocked. Keep in mind that the choice is final; once a modifier is picked, you can’t reroll it later with standard crafting currencies.
A fully unlocked Heart of the Well is four powerful passives merged in a single Jewel slot. That’s a massive edge for endgame builds, especially in a game where squeezing efficiency out of every node matters. Since the modifiers come from a wide pool, no two Hearts are likely to be the same. Some players will farm for the “perfect” Jewel, while others will treat it like a flexible bonus piece.
