Welcome, Exiles, to a discussion on one of the most powerful yet complex items in Path of Exile - Relic of The Pact. With every new league comes exciting new toys to play with, and the recent addition of the Honored Tattoo of the Hatango has given rise to innovative builds centered around this remarkable wand. In this guide, we will delve into the mechanics of Relic of The Pact, explore its potential, and discuss how the new honored tattoo can change the way you build around this item.

• Understanding Relic of The Pact
• Key Mechanics and Scaling
• Recommended Gear and Setup
• The Role of Honored Tattoo of the Hatango
• Fine-Tuning Your Reservation
• Caution on League Starting
• Conclusion

↖ Understanding Relic of The Pact

Relic of The Pact is a unique wand that grants you access to a skill called Blood Sacrament, which deals incredible damage but comes with intricate mechanics. The skill behaves like charging up a Flame Blast, reserving an increasing portion of your life until you release the charge to unleash a devastating explosion.

↖ Key Mechanics and Scaling

The critical factor for Blood Sacrament's damage is the amount of life it reserves, not the number of stages. For every 10 life reserved by the skill, you gain 40% more damage with ailments and 80% more damage with hits. This scaling makes the skill immensely powerful, especially when reserving a significant portion of your life pool.

↖ Recommended Gear and Setup

To maximize the potential of Relic of The Pact, you'll need specific items in your build. 

The three essential components are:

• Relic of The Pact: The wand itself grants access to the Blood Sacrament skill.
• Rough Pint Globe: Provides increased spell damage and critical strike chance at the cost of reserving 10% of your life when using or triggering a spell skill. This synergizes well with the build.
• Essence Worm: An overlooked item that now shines in this setup, offering 80% reduced reservation efficiency of skills, allowing you to fine-tune the reservation percentage.

↖ The Role of Honored Tattoo of the Hatango

The new Honored Tattoo of the Hatango allows you to override 10 strength or dexterity travel nodes on your passive tree with 1% increased reservation efficiency of skills. This is particularly useful for the life reservation efficiency, which plays a vital role in optimizing Blood Sacrament's damage output.

↖ Fine-Tuning Your Reservation

By strategically using multiple Honored Tattoos, you can achieve a reservation percentage that suits your playstyle. Whether you prefer a safer approach at 46% or want to go all-out at 92%, the flexibility granted by the honored tattoo gives you more control over your build's performance.

↖ Caution on League Starting

While Relic of The Pact can be moderately affordable in the mid-league due to its drop rate, it's essential to be cautious about League Starting with this build. The item only drops from The Trial Master in Ultimatum, which can be challenging to access on day one. Moreover, the honored tattoo's rarity is unknown, making it unpredictable for early league trading.

↖ Conclusion

Relic of The Pact, paired with the Honored Tattoo of the Hatango, opens up exciting possibilities for creating powerful builds in Path of Exile. Whether you choose to go all-in on damage or prefer a more versatile setup, this combination offers a unique and rewarding playstyle. However, be mindful of the challenges associated with acquiring these items early in a league.