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"Vaal Reliquary" redirects here. For the area, see Vaal Reliquary (area).
Strongboxes: Everything you need to know
Strongbox

A strongbox containing armour guarded by a rogue exile

Strongboxes are a special type of loot container found throughout Wraeclast. When opened, a strongbox will release groups of monsters to surround and attack the character. Only once all of the ambushing monsters are slain will a strongbox relinquish its loot. The monsters released by a strongbox also drop loot and grant experience when killed.[1] Monsters not directly summoned by the strongbox, such as Spitters emerging from Shield Crabs, or raised undead, do not need to be killed to unlock the strongbox.

Variations[ | ]

Strongboxes come in different base types which determine the kinds of items that can normally be obtained from them.[2] Modifiers can further alter the loot contents, such as granting additional rare items or gems.

With 2218 strongboxes pool,[3] done via Prophecy inventory iconMonstrous TreasureMonstrous TreasureIn a long lost dream, great foes hide in tiny boxes, but so do great rewards.You will travel to a map where the monsters lie in wait, open the boxes they guard, and slay them all.Right-click to add this prophecy to your character.Prophecy inventory icon prophecy, users expect the following kind of distribution. Note that test was made in Tier-13 and higher maps, where Cartographer's strongboxes cannot spawn at that time. This experiment was done in 2016, which may not reflect the current spawn rate of the game.

Base Type Contents Count Spawn rate
Arcanist's Strongbox Currency that do not affect quality 96 4.3%
Armourer's Strongbox Armour, Divination card inventory iconThe BodyThe Body card artDivination card frameThe Body4Body ArmourThey say it is the head that leads, but all must flow through the body at some point.Divination card inventory icon, Divination card inventory iconThe MayorThe Mayor card artDivination card frameThe Mayor5The Perandus Manor inventory iconThe Perandus ManorThe Perandus Manor inventory icon
Watchstone Count: 4
A ruler is only as powerful as he is wealthy.
Control the coin, control the empire.
Divination card inventory icon
132 6%
Artisan's Strongbox Currency that affect quality 155 6.9%
Blacksmith's Strongbox Weapons 125 5.7%
Cartographer's Strongbox Maps, Divination card inventory iconThe CartographerThe Cartographer card artDivination card frameThe Cartographer110x Cartographer's Chisel inventory iconCartographer's ChiselCartographer's Chisel inventory iconIt's always easier to find your way if you draw a map of the progress you've made.Divination card inventory icon - -
Diviner's Strongbox Divination cards 42 1.9%
Gemcutter's Strongbox Gems, Divination card inventory iconThe GemcutterThe Gemcutter card artDivination card frameThe Gemcutter3Gemcutter's Prism inventory iconGemcutter's PrismGemcutter's Prism inventory iconIn the hands of a master craftsman, a worthless pebble can adorn the crown of a king.Divination card inventory icon 74 3.3%
Jeweller's Strongbox Amulets, rings, belts, jewels, Divination card inventory iconHubrisHubris card artDivination card frameHubris5Ring"This one? It is NOT for sale. You would sooner pry it from my lifeless hand."
- Jonfé Darontos, Ringmaker
Divination card inventory icon
167 7.5%
Large Strongbox Assorted items (increased quantity) 104 4.7%
Ornate Strongbox Assorted items (increased rarity) 62 2.8%
Strongbox Assorted items 1247 56.3%
Vaal Reliquary Assorted corrupted items, Vaal Orb inventory iconVaal OrbsVaal OrbStack Size: 10Corrupts an item, modifying it unpredictablyRight click this item then left click an item to corrupt it. Corrupted items cannot be modified again.
Shift click to unstack.
Vaal Orb inventory icon
? ?
Unique Special 14 0.6%

Like chests, increased Item Quantity from gear does not increase the number of items dropped from a strongbox. However, map quantity and the number of players do increase the number of items dropped from most strongboxes.[4] The only exception is the Cartographer's Strongbox, where the number of players does not increase the amount of map drops.

Modifiers[ | ]

Like items and monsters, strongboxes come in different rarities with various modifiers. A non-normal strongbox inherently has increased item quantity and rarity regardless of other modifiers.[5] It must be identified with a Scroll of Wisdom inventory iconScroll of WisdomScroll of WisdomStack Size: 40Identifies an itemRight click this item then left click an unidentified item to apply it.
Shift click to unstack.
Scroll of Wisdom inventory icon
to reveal its modifiers. It is also possible to craft strongboxes using currency items. Corrupting a strongbox with a Vaal Orb inventory iconVaal OrbVaal OrbStack Size: 10Corrupts an item, modifying it unpredictablyRight click this item then left click an item to corrupt it. Corrupted items cannot be modified again.
Shift click to unstack.
Vaal Orb inventory icon
may corrupt some of the loot contents.[6]

Prefixes[ | ]

Prefixes can make the ambush encounter more dangerous by releasing additional monsters or springing traps. Certain prefixes can benefit from area modifiers (e.g. of Giantsof Giants
Suffix
15% increased Quantity of Items found in this Area
8% increased Rarity of Items found in this Area
Monsters have 70% increased Area of Effect
).[7] It is worth noting that some prefixes add a warning sound to a strongbox as well.

List of prefix modifiers that can appear on Strongboxes.

NameFor generated item/monster modifiers the minimum item/monster level respectively. Some generation types may not require this condition to be met, however item level restrictions may be raised to 80% of this value.Stats
Arctic8Freezes you when activated
Contaminated8Spreads Caustic Ground
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Contested12Guarded by a Rogue Exile
Frigid1Casts Ice Nova
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Incandescent1Ignites you when activated
Intimidating10Guarded by a pack of Magic Monsters
Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Menacing35Guarded by 3 Rare Monsters
Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Ossified2Summons Skeletons
Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Putrifying4Detonates nearby corpses
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Rallying35Guarded by a stream of Monsters
Reaper's1Revives nearby dead Monsters with Onslaught
Scorched10Casts Firestorm
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Unstable1Explodes
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vibrating25Casts Lightning Storm
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Whispering15Casts a random Hex Curse Spell when activated

Suffixes[ | ]

For a datamined list of suffixes, see List of strongbox suffix mods.

Suffixes can alter the loot contents in distinct ways, such as granting additional items or increasing the number of sockets on equipment.

Suffix Lvl. Effect Strongbox, Large Strongbox, Ornate Strongbox, Armourer's Strongbox, Blacksmith's Strongbox Jeweller's Strongbox Arcanist's Strongbox, Artisan's Strongbox Gemcutter's Strongbox Cartographer's Strongbox Diviner's Strongbox
of Abundance 1 Contains (3 to 8) additional Items (1)
of Affluence 8 Contains (1 to 3) additional Rare Items (2)
of Ascendance 1 +(1 to 5) Chest level (3)
of Augmentation 12 Only contains Support Gems
of Bounty 1 (30 to 60)% increased Quantity of Contained Items (4)
of Complexity 20 Contained Items have (1 to 2) additional Sockets
of Corruption 1 Contains an extra Vaal Gem
of Curiosities 4 Contains (1 to 5) additional Magic Items (5)
of Facets 40 Contained Gems have Experience
of Kalandra 40 Contains Mirrored Items
of Quality 1 Contained Items have (1 to 20)% Quality
of Singularity 45 Contains an additional Unique Item
of Treasures 4 (1000 to 2000)% increased Rarity of Contained Items
of Unity 40 Contained Items are fully Linked
of Wisdom 1 Contains Identified Items
of Prophecy 1 Contains (2 to 4) additional Silver Coins
of the Vaal 1 Contains additional Divination Cards that give Corrupted Items
of Reward 1 Contains additional Divination Cards that give Currency
of Renown 1 Contains additional Divination Cards that give Unique Items

(1) Contains (1 to 2) additional Items on Cartographer's Strongboxes
(2) Contains 1 additional Rare Item on Cartographer's Strongboxes
(3) +(1 to 3) Chest level on Cartographer's Strongboxes
(4) (30 to 40)% increased Quantity of Contained Items on Cartographer's Strongboxes
(5) Contains 1 additional Magic Item on Cartographer's Strongboxes

Contained Items are fully Linked and Contained Items have (1 to 2) additional Sockets cannot roll together on the same strongbox.[8]

Unique strongboxes[ | ]

Like most other unique items, it is possible to craft a unique strongbox using an Orb of Chance inventory iconOrb of ChanceOrb of ChanceStack Size: 20Upgrades a normal item to a random rarityRight click this item then left click a normal item to apply it.
Shift click to unstack.
Orb of Chance inventory icon
on a normal strongbox with the corresponding base type.

Name Type
Ashes of the Condemned Strongbox
Brinerot Cache Strongbox
Mutewind Cache Strongbox
Redblade Cache Strongbox
Renegades Cache Strongbox
Strange Barrel Strongbox
Weylam's War Chest Arcanist's Strongbox
Kaom's Cache Armourer's Strongbox
Deshret's Storm Blacksmith's Strongbox
Empyrean Apparatus Cartographer's Strongbox
The Maelström Cell Diviner's Strongbox
Perandus Bank Jeweller's Strongbox
Gifts of the Red Queen Vaal Reliquary
Gifts of the Sacrificed Vaal Reliquary

Prophecy-only strongboxes[ | ]

The Plaguemaw IV

Unique Map-only strongboxes[ | ]

There are also unique strongboxes that can only be found at the end of certain unique maps.

Vaults of Atziri

  • Atziri's Vessel: Contains 8 Sacrifice Map Fragments and/or Vaal Skill Gems.

Oba's Cursed Trove

Hall of Grandmasters

Vaal Reliquary

Advice[ | ]

  • It is not generally recommended to spend currency crafting on strongboxes with a few exceptions of Diviners, Cartographers, and Arcanists modifiers.[9]

Version history[ | ]

Version Changes
3.13.0
  • Cartographer's Strongboxes can now rarely appear in Tier 13 and higher maps.
2.4.0g
  • Removed the mod "Contains additional Divination Cards from the current Area" from the Diviner's Strongbox.
2.4.0
  • Added a new type of Strongbox: Diviner's Strongbox.
2.0.2
  • Jeweller's Strongboxes can now drop Jewels.
  • Fixed a bug where chests and strongboxes were not spawning in The Apex of Sacrifice and The Alluring Abyss.
2.0.0
  • Strange Barrel has been added.
  • The chance of finding a strongbox has been decreased.
  • The chance of a finding a unique strongbox has been greatly increased.
  • Chemist's Strongboxes can no longer spawn.
  • Quantity Mod Bonuses on Strongboxes are now 30-40% (down from 50-60%)
  • The Additional Magic Items mod on Cartographer's Strongboxes is now always 1 (instead of 1-2).
  • The Additional Normal Items mod on Cartographer's Strongboxes is now 1-2 (instead of 2-3).
  • Cartographer's Strongboxes can no longer mirror items.
  • Cartographer's Strongboxes have become less frequent as you progress up the map tiers. They have not been added to the new level 80+ maps.
1.3.1
  • Strongboxes now spawn packs of monsters in quick succession, instead of all at once.
1.3.0i
  • Fixed a bug where exploding Strongboxes would not explode correctly.
1.2.3
  • We have rebalanced Cartographer's Strongboxes. These chests were incorrectly double-dipping on map bonuses and party bonuses. The number of people in your party no longer increases map drops from these chests. We have also reduced how often they appear, but have significantly boosted their drops. Solo players will notice a substantial boost to drops from these Strongboxes, while parties will no longer receive too many maps.
1.2.0
  • Strongboxes can now spawn in all leagues, starting from the Submerged Passage in Normal difficulty. The weightings of each Strongbox type has been adjusted with ordinary Strongboxes being much more common than other variants. Mods for these Strongboxes have been adjusted. Cartographer's Boxes now have lower values of some Strongbox mods.
1.1.5
  • We have increased the spawn speed of the Stream of Monsters mod on ambush chests.
1.1.3
  • Added three new unique chests that can appear in the Ambush league.
1.1.1
  • Fixed a bug where the Strongbox mod that drops additional magic or rare items would have no effect on Maps.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause monsters spawned by the Strongbox stream-of-monsters mod to behave strangely.
  • Fixed a bug where Jeweller's Orb would not prevent you rerolling an item that had more sockets than it naturally could have at that itemlevel, due to dropping from a Strongbox with the increased sockets mod.
1.1.0f
  • Fixed a bug where the Strongbox mod that dropped additional magic or rare items would not always drop the correct number.
  • Fixed a bug where some mod restrictions on Strongboxes would not work (for example, quality mods could erroneously spawn on Jeweler's Strongboxes).
  • Fixed some cases where atypically few or many Strongboxes could spawn in some areas.
1.1.0e
  • Reduced the number of Maps dropped from Cartographer's Strongboxes.
1.1.0d
  • Made further improvements to the spawning of Strongboxes in narrow areas like caves.
  • Halved the spawn rate of Gemcutter's Strongboxes in the Ambush league.
1.1.0c
  • Monsters and Rogue Exiles spawned by Strongboxes in the Ambush league now drop items and grant experience when killed.
  • Fixed several of the cases where Strongboxes could block physical passage through a level.
1.1.0
  • Strongboxes have been introduced along with the Ambush League.

References[ | ]

  1. Chris (March 6, 2014). "1.1.0c Patch Notes (hotfix)". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  2. harrytrumanprimate (March 9, 2014). "Strategies for Strongboxes [Discussion][Ambush]". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  3. Isarill (November 17, 2016). "Strongbox Data from 60 Monstrous Treasure runs". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  4. jddogg (March 10, 2014). "[1MHC] Path of Cartographers...". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  5. Mark (June 9, 2016). "Mechanical Question Thread". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  6. Seerix (March 6, 2014). "[Ambush] Vaal Orb on strongboxes will corrupt all items inside". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  7. Mark_GGG (May 18, 2017). "Mechanical Questions Thread". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  8. Mark_GGG (June 10, 2016). "Mechanical Questions Thread". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  9. Furty (September 7, 2019). "Guide to Strongboxes in Path of Exile (Blight 3.8)". PoE Vault.

External links[ | ]

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