Unveiling Path of Exile 2's Secrets: The Slithering Dead

This guide covers the Path of Exile 2 side quest, "The Slithering Dead," detailing its walkthrough and offering advice on choosing the optimal rewards.

Quick Links

• The Slithering Dead Quest Walkthrough
• Choosing the Best Venom Draught Reward

The Slithering Dead quest involves assisting Servi in the Ziggurat Encampment to uncover the fate of her son and the secrets of a rival tribe. While the quest itself is straightforward, selecting the right reward presents a challenge. You only get one choice, and it's permanent.

The Slithering Dead Quest Walkthrough

To begin, locate the Venom Crypts entrance within the Jungle Ruins map (Act 3 and Act 3 Cruel). It's situated near the Waypoint. The Venom Crypts are optional; you can revisit them later if missed.

Explore the Venom Crypts until you find a corpse in the Den of the Serpent Priestess (location varies per map generation).

Interact with the corpse to obtain Corpse-Snake Venom. Return to Servi in the Ziggurat Encampment and give her the venom to complete the quest.

Choosing the Best Venom Draught Reward

The Slithering Dead is repeatable (Act 3 and Act 3 Cruel), offering different rewards each time.

Act 3 Rewards:

• Venom Draught of Stone: 25% increased Stun Threshold.
• Venom Draught of the Veil: 30% increased Elemental Ailment Threshold.
• Venom Draught of Clarity: 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate.

The Venom Draught of Clarity is generally the best option, particularly beneficial for mana-intensive melee builds. The Venom Draught of the Veil is a strong alternative for builds less reliant on mana. The Venom Draught of Stone is the least desirable unless specifically addressing stun vulnerabilities.

Act 3 Cruel (Act 6) Rewards:

• Venom Draught of the Lost: +10% to Chaos Resistance.
• Venom Draught of the Sky: +5 to All Attributes.
• Venom Draught of the Marshes: 15% Reduced Slowing Potency of Debuffs.

The Venom Draught of the Lost (+10% Chaos Resistance) is the superior choice in most cases due to the rarity of Chaos Resistance on gear. The Venom Draught of the Sky is only preferable for builds utilizing Chaos Inoculation.