Path of Exile 3.27: Love is Dead Walkthrough
The Love is Dead quest in Path of Exile is one of the most emotionally charged moments in the game's sprawling storyline. While it's not a mechanically complex quest, it provides important lore connections, solid experience gains, and a Book of Skill reward - making it worth completing even for seasoned players replaying the campaign.
In this guide, we'll take you step-by-step through the Love is Dead quest, covering how to start it, where to find the Ankh of Eternity, how to survive the Tolman fight, and what rewards await you once the dust settles.
How to Start the Love is Dead Quest
1. Once you reach Act 8, head to The Sarn Encampment - your main town hub for this chapter. There, speak to Clarissa, who will give you the quest.
2. Clarissa believes the Ankh, when used in an Azmerian resurrection ritual, can restore Tolman's soul to his body.
3. She pleads with you to retrieve the Ankh from The Quay, a dangerous and corrupted area filled with undead enemies. Agree to help her, and your journey begins.
Quest Summary
·Act: 8
·Starting NPC: Clarissa
·Quest Locations: The Sarn Encampment → The Quay → Resurrection Site → The Sarn Encampment
·Objectives: Retrieve the Ankh of Eternity and assist Clarissa in the resurrection ritual.
·Final Boss: Tolman (resurrected as a zombie)
·Reward: Book of Skill (1 Passive Skill Point and 2 Respec Points)
Step 1: Retrieve the Ankh of Eternity
Travel to The Quay, accessible from the eastern exit of The Sarn Encampment. The area is a maze of decaying docks and flooded pathways filled with undead, corrupted mariners, and imperial spirits.
Tips: It's one of the more dangerous early Act 8 zones, so be prepared with crowd-control skills or defensive flasks. Equipping strong gear early - especially life and resistance-focused Path of Exile Items - can make this part much easier.
You're looking for the Ankh of Eternity, which is always found deep within The Quay. It rests inside a shrine guarded by several packs of enemies, and sometimes mini-bosses or rare monsters can spawn nearby.
Once you pick up the Ankh of Eternity, your quest log will update, instructing you to bring it to Clarissa, who's waiting in a nearby offshoot area called the Resurrection Site.
Step 2: Give the Ankh to Clarissa
After retrieving the Ankh, continue deeper into the Quay to locate Clarissa. Speak to her, and she'll take the Ankh and immediately begin chanting the resurrection spell.
As Clarissa channels her energy into the ritual, it becomes clear that something is going horribly wrong. Instead of reviving Tolman as he was, the dark magic within the Ankh twists his body and soul, turning him into a corrupted zombie.
The ritual collapses, and waves of undead begin pouring into the arena. You must now fight for your life as Clarissa watches in horror.
Step 3: Defeat Zombie Tolman and the Undead
This battle unfolds in two phases.
First, you'll face multiple waves of lesser undead - these are weak but numerous.
Tips: Keep moving, avoid being surrounded, and use AoE attacks or movement skills like Flame Dash, Whirling Blades, or Leap Slam to control space.
If your build feels underpowered here, consider improving your defenses or damage output by buying POE Currency and trading for better Path of Exile Items on the market. Even small upgrades - like adding more resistances or chaos mitigation - make this fight significantly smoother.
Tips for surviving the Tolman fight:
·Maintain distance. Tolman's melee attacks can chunk large portions of your health bar.
·Avoid standing still. Keep circling the arena to prevent getting boxed in by adds.
·Focus on Tolman last. Clear minions first to create breathing room, then concentrate your damage on Tolman.
·Use resistant flasks. While mostly physical, some of his zombie adds deal chaos or elemental damage.
Once Tolman falls, the arena quiets. Clarissa will kneel beside his lifeless form, overcome with grief.
Step 4: Speak with Clarissa
After the battle, talk to Clarissa to continue the quest.
Clarissa vows to destroy the Ankh of Eternity forever so no one else suffers the same fate. She promises to return to The Sarn Encampment and thanks you for your help, though her gratitude is laced with sorrow.
Step 5: Return to The Sarn Encampment
Return to The Sarn Encampment and find Clarissa once more. She will thank you for helping her put Tolman to rest and reward you with:
·Book of Skill - Grants 1 Passive Skill Point and 2 Passive Respec Points.
·Experience for completing the quest.
This concludes the Love is Dead quest.
Why Love is Dead Matters
1. It adds weight to Clarissa's story arc - showing her transformation from hopeful survivor to someone broken by the cruelty of Wraeclast.
2. Beyond the lore, the Book of Skill reward is invaluable for any build, giving you a permanent passive point - something that makes the quest essential for every playthrough.
Final Thoughts
If you're rerunning Path of Exile for the new league or simply experiencing the campaign again, don't skip Love is Dead - it's a haunting reminder that even in the pursuit of power, love and loss still define the human heart.
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