PoE 3.26 Sanctum Guide – How to Farm Forbidden Sanctum After the Nerf

What Is Sanctum in PoE 3.26?

The Forbidden Sanctum is Path of Exile’s rogue-like dungeon mechanic, and in PoE 3.26, it’s been fully integrated into the core game.

Originally introduced in 3.20, Sanctum quickly became a fan favorite for its unique playstyle: dodging projectiles, planning routes, and collecting Resolve-based damage instead of dying outright. It was also a cash cow, printing Divines early in the league—until GGG nerfed it.

Now, while the Divine Orb faucet has been toned down, Sanctum is still a great source of relics, exclusive loot, and account-wide buffs—if you know how to farm it right. (You could also check SSEgold for cheap divine orbs or other poe currency and items)

How Sanctum Works in 3.26

In the current league:

• You unlock Sanctum one room at a time by completing regular maps.

• Each room appears randomly in maps, like an encounter you can choose to enter.

• You complete 4 floors, each with several rooms, culminating in a final boss (Lycia).

• Each room presents choices: buffs (Boons), debuffs (Afflictions), merchants, or combat.

Key Differences in 3.26:

• Sanctified Relics are now account-bound.

• Invocation Orbs allow you to corrupt relics for powerful effects.

• Divine Orbs and currency drops were nerfed, especially in Floor 3.

That means Sanctum isn’t just “run for loot and repeat” anymore. You’ll want to play for progression, not just payouts.

How to Access Sanctum

1. Unlock it by mapping: You’ll randomly find Sanctum rooms inside maps.

2. Each map grants one new room. You'll fill out the floor over time.

3. Once a floor is full, you enter the Sanctum and start your run.

4. The run persists until you either die (lose all Resolve) or complete all 4 floors.

How Resolve Works

• Resolve is your Sanctum “life bar.”

• You lose resolve from traps, hits, and failing room mechanics.

• Once it hits zero, your run is over—no second chances.

• Unlike standard PoE, gear doesn’t matter much here—movement and awareness are king.

Key Rewards in Sanctum

1. Sanctified Relics

These are permanent, account-wide buffs that stay active even outside Sanctum runs. They can give:

• +1 to Max Resists

• Aura Effect

• Movement Speed

• Life/Mana Regen

You can only use one Sanctified Relic, but it's worth farming the best possible one for your build.

2. Invocation Orbs

Used to corrupt relics, potentially adding insane modifiers… or bricking them. High risk, high reward.

3. Gold Coins

Used to buy powerful Boons or bonuses mid-run.

• Extra Resolve

• Room skips

• Damage buffs

• Bonus rewards

Gold doesn’t persist between runs, so use it or lose it.

4. Boss Rewards

If you reach the end (Floor 4, Lycia), you can:

• Receive relics

• Roll unique loot

• Get coin multipliers and invocations

What Was Nerfed?

Let’s keep it simple:

• Divine Orbs drop far less often

• Stack sizes are reduced (max 1 Divine on Floor 3)

• Room RNG is toned down

• Early tomes are less profitable

That means if you were farming Sanctum purely for currency, you’ll notice the difference. But relics, unique rewards, and progression buffs are still totally intact—and worth it.

What to Farm in Sanctum Post-Nerf

Here’s how to shift your mindset: