Path of Exile Synthesis Guide

The Synthesis League event of Patch 3.6.0 might have come and gone already but some of its features are still relevant today. Synthesized items are some of the strongest ones you can find, however, you rarely see them on the PoE market on account of their peculiarity. Here’s how it all works.

What Was The Synthesis League Event?

The Synthesis League was an end-game event in Path of Exile that ran from March 9th, 2019, to June 3rd, 2019. What was interesting about the event was its strange theme. The entirety of the event was played out in High Templar Venarius’ crumbling psyche, where you played the role of a “salvager” trying to piece together the High Templar’s dissipating memories.

That, however, was not the most interesting part of the event. The most interesting thing was the Synthesizer which allowed players to create new item bases by combining similar items.

In effect, this meant you could now create items with up to three special implicit mods. I.e. from two mediocre items you’d get one super item. Understandably, this feature was a bit too janky to be included in the core game, so the devs scrapped it completely while leaving the synthesized items in.

How do Synthesized Items Work in Path of Exile?

Since synthesizing items isn’t available anymore, you’ll have to rely on the good old method of farming specific instances to get them. There are primarily two types of items you can get from these instances, Fracture items and Synthesized items.

Fractured Items

You can tell a fractured item from a regular item by its light blue glow and the Synthesis influence icon on both sides of its name. Fractured items are unique in that they will always have one affix that is completely locked in and that cannot be altered in any sort of way.

Another quirk of fractured items is that they cannot be upgraded via the Orb of Chance. However, they can still serve as a solid base if you plan on essence spamming while crafting, as you’ll always have one affix that is secure.

Synthesized Items

Synthesized items are special items that can have up to three unique implicit modifiers that cannot be found in any other item. The difference between these and regular items is that their affixes are often locked, meaning they can serve as reliable bases for essence spamming or harvest rerolling.

The problem with them is that you cannot upgrade their rarity with an Orb of Chance, meaning, what you get is what you’ll have forever. Another one of their characteristics is that they only spawn on Synthesized maps and nowhere else.

Are There Any Unique Synthesised Items?

Thankfully, there are a couple of named synthesized items that occasionally drop from the regular Synthesis bosses. These are mostly rings, with the occasional exception here and there.
 These items are:

• Circle of Anguish
• Circle of Fear
• Circle of Guilt
• Circle of Regret
• Circle of Nostalgia
•  Perepiteia
• Mask of the Tribunal
• Storm’s Gift

Cortex, which is the final boss of the event, drops the following items:

• Garb of the Ephemeral
• Nebulis
• Offering to the Serpent
• Bottled Faith

The 5 Synthesis Maps

The five synthesis maps still present in the game are Altered, Augmented, Rewritten, Twisted, and Cortex. Each has a boss encounter at the end and an additional random map. Like many other events in PoE, these come with their own modifier rolls, specifically:

• 25% increased pack sizes
• 100% increased experience gain
• Monster level increases
• The map can gain 3-5 additional random modifiers
• The map can gain 2-4 additional Synthesis global modifiers

To get into a synthesis map you either have to buy them from Zana in Wraeclast or acquire them by farming bosses. Just keep in mind that if you plan on doing it via the second method, it’s advised to have the Vivid Memories, Synaptic Impulses, and Neural Pathways passives unlocked in the Atlas Passive Tree to increase your chances of Synthesis Maps dropping.

How to Beat the Synthesis Bosses in PoE

Each of the 5 Synthesis bosses has their own unique battle mechanics that can seem overwhelming at first but are actually really easy to beat once you get them down.

Generally, it’s recommended to gear up before you attempt these. Buy PoE currency if you’re lacking in the gear department and get the best items you can find. After that, here’s what you need to know about these bosses.

Altered Synthete

Altered Synthete is the first boss you’ll encounter. Most of his attacks are cold-based and can inflict chill, so make sure to have your best cold gear on when facing him.

Throughout the battle, he’ll spawn Frost Cannons that get progressively stronger as the fight goes on, which is why you have to end the battle quickly. Use fire damage-infused items when fighting him, as those are the most effective.

Augmented Synthete

Augmented Synthete is the opposite of Altered Synthete. He uses fast-moving fire attacks to attack you. Similarly to his counterpart, he also spawns Fire Cannons that get progressively stronger.

Use Frostblink to dodge his attacks and try to hit him with cold attacks to defeat him.

Rewritten Synthete

Rewritten Synthete’s whole deal is floating mines and jump attacks. So long as you stay mobile while attacking you should be able to defeat him easily.

Try to use auto-targeting abilities to defeat him, as those will allow you to attack without having to bother with aiming.

Twisted Synthete

Twisted Synthete uses a lot of cone lightning attacks that are tricky to dodge but not impossible.

The trick with him is to move after each auto-attack. This process takes longer than performing combos but is absolutely necessary as you likely won’t be able to out-DPS him if you tried to take him on in a head-on fight.

Cortex

Cortex is the toughest to beat as he has five phases you need to overcome to defeat him. Here’s how you do that.

• Phase 1: Just attack him while dodging.
• Phase 2: Continue attacking while kiting, make sure not to touch the Void Orbs he spawns.
• Phase 3: Use AoE spells to kill the monsters coming out of the portals.
• Phase 4: This phase is a slightly beefier Cortex from Phase 1. Do the same as in Phase 1 while avoiding the special attack he performs at 50% health.
• Phase 5: This phase is just a powered-up Cortex from Phase 2. Do the same as in the previous phase and beware of the special attack at 50% health.