How to reset instances in Path of Exile 2

Except for town hubs, all areas in Path of Exile 2 are instances that present one iteration of that area. Whenever you transition from one area to another, the new area randomizes its overall layout. You get relatively the same amount of enemies and containers to populate it, but the placement of bosses and objectives will differ with each instance.

The instance formula in Path of Exile 2 is the same as in the first game, and you can manually reset the instance to roll the area again.

How to reset a map instance in Path of Exile 2

To reset the instance of an area in Path of Exile 2, you have to find a transition into that area, and Ctrl+Left Click to interact with it. This opens up the instance menu, showing you when the current instance was created, while also offering you the option to create a new instance. Xbox players will have to hit the Y button, whereas PlayStation players must hit Triangle to access the same menu.

To do this via the transition point, you must manually exit the area into the previous or next area, and then turn back to select the instance. For example, to reset the instance for Tomb of The Consort (Act 1), you have to exit to the Cemetery of the Eternals, and then interact with the stairs that act as the transition point.

The other option is, of course, doing it directly through a waypoint. For this, select the waypoint to fast-travel, and once the world map opens, Ctrl+Click (or Hold the button for consoles) the waypoint of the desired area to open up the instance menu.

It's worth noting that each instance in Path of Exile 2 lasts for about 8 to 15 minutes after you leave it. If you don't head back before this timer, it's destroyed and a new instance is created when you come back to the same area (waypoint or transition). This means all progress and dropped items in that instance are gone too.

Why would you want to reroll an instance in Path of Exile 2?

Rerolling an instance in Path of Exile 2 repopulates it with bosses, enemies, and loot. In the first game, this was a way to get back and grind the same area with new enemy spawns. In this game, while enemies respawn automatically once you die and respawn, bosses don't.

Resetting the instance will relocate the boss arena and respawn the boss, letting you farm it again for drops. However, note that one-time drops such as Uncut Gems and power-up items do not drop on repeat fights. You cannot, for example, get a second Gembloom Skull to increase your Spirit reserve by farming King in the Mists.

The objective placement is another component of resetting instances. Even though each instance is a randomized one, the relative direction of objectives and transitions to other areas can roll one of a few patterns. Once these patterns get figured out, one can theoretically speedrun the campaign by cutting travel time.

Path of Exile 2 has a very different combat formula and cadence from the first game, but this element of speedrunning is likely to come back once the playerbase figures out the math.

Check out our other guides on the game:

Path of Exile 2 Beginner tips
Path of Exile 2 Buff Gems guide
Path of Exile 2 class tier list for beginners
Path of Exile 2 Keystone passives