Path Of Exile How To Capture Beasts

Capturing beasts in Path of Exile is a core mechanic tied to crafting powerful items, completing challenges, and generating income. It initially appears complex, but understanding the steps and applying a few key techniques will streamline the process.
Preparing for the Hunt
First, find Einhar Frey. He's the Beastmaster and introduces the mechanic. He appears in various zones throughout the game. Look for the beast icon on your minimap. He usually has a quest marker above his head.
Gearing Up
Equip gear that makes clearing packs of monsters efficient. Area of Effect (AoE) skills are beneficial. Movement speed is also crucial for getting to beasts quickly after Einhar spawns them. Consider these elements when choosing gear:
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- Area of Effect (AoE): Skills like Blade Vortex, Explosive Arrow, or Fireball are effective for quickly clearing large groups of monsters.
- Movement Speed: Increased movement speed on boots and flasks will help you chase down fleeing beasts.
- Defensive Layers: Don't neglect defenses. Aim for a balance between damage and survivability.
- Gem Levels: Ensure your primary skills are adequately leveled for maximum damage output.
Flasks that grant movement speed, elemental resistance, and life/mana recovery are indispensable. Have a quicksilver flask available for bursts of speed.
Encountering and Capturing Beasts
When you enter a zone where Einhar is present, he will occasionally appear and mark specific beasts for capture. Pay attention to his dialogue and the icons appearing on the minimap.
The Capture Process
Once Einhar spawns beasts, he will throw nets on them. Assist him by killing other monsters in the area. Focus your attacks on the normal monsters attacking Einhar, while he handles throwing nets. Prioritize the monsters attacking Einhar so he doesn't die.
Do not kill the marked beasts yourself! Allow Einhar to throw his nets at them. If you accidentally kill a beast before it is captured, it's gone.

Understanding Nets
Different nets are needed for higher level beasts. Start with basic Iron Nets, obtainable from Einhar. Progress to higher-tier nets as you encounter more challenging beasts. These nets are purchased from Einhar in exchange for bestiary currency.
Higher-level beasts require stronger nets. Upgrade your nets regularly as you progress through the game. Different beast families (e.g., Felines, Avian Retch) have different base capture rates. Adjust your strategy accordingly.
The Menagerie
After capturing beasts, they are stored in your Menagerie. Access it through a portal Einhar provides in towns or your hideout.
Blood Altar Recipes
The Menagerie's primary function is to use the Blood Altar. Here, you sacrifice captured beasts to create unique items, modify existing ones, or open portals to challenging encounters. The recipes available depend on the specific beasts you have captured.
Each recipe requires a specific combination of beasts. The interface will display the requirements. Sacrificing beasts consumes them.

Explore different recipes. Many are valuable for crafting, generating currency, or completing challenges. Check online resources or community guides to discover the most profitable and useful recipes.
Practical Applications
Crafting is the primary application. Use beastcrafting to add powerful mods to your items. Some common uses are:
- Adding Prefixes or Suffixes: Certain beasts allow you to add specific modifiers to your equipment, such as increased attack speed, critical strike chance, or elemental damage.
- Corrupting Items: Some recipes corrupt items, potentially adding powerful but unpredictable modifications.
- Creating Unique Items: Specific beast combinations can create unique items, some of which are highly sought after.
- Opening Portals: Some recipes open portals to challenging areas with valuable rewards.
Trading Beasts
Captured beasts can be traded with other players. Certain beasts with valuable recipes are in high demand. Sell beasts to generate income if you don't need their recipes.
Use trade websites or the in-game trade chat to advertise your beasts. Research current market prices to ensure you are selling them at a fair value.
Optimizing Your Beast Hunting
Efficient beast hunting involves strategic zone selection and minimizing downtime.

Zone Selection
Choose zones with high monster density and layouts that allow for fast movement. Areas with predictable layouts are ideal.
Consider zones that align with your atlas objectives or other farming strategies. Efficiently combine beast hunting with other activities.
Minimizing Downtime
Use portals strategically to quickly return to town to sell items, refill flasks, and purchase new nets. Keep a portal scroll handy.
Maintain a steady supply of nets by purchasing them from Einhar regularly. Don't wait until you run out of nets mid-capture.
Advanced Techniques
Learn to identify valuable beast families. Felines, for instance, can be used for powerful crafting recipes. Focus on capturing these families when possible.

Utilize Sextants and Map Device modifiers to increase monster density and the chance of encountering Einhar. This will significantly increase the number of beasts you can capture.
Consider using scarabs that increase the chance to encounter Einhar. These can dramatically increase your beast spawns.
Practical Tips
- Pay attention to Einhar's dialogue: He provides clues about the location and type of beasts he wants you to capture.
- Prioritize monster clearance: Protect Einhar by quickly killing other monsters in the area.
- Upgrade your nets regularly: Use higher-tier nets for higher-level zones and challenging beasts.
- Experiment with different recipes: Discover the most valuable and useful crafting options.
- Trade beasts strategically: Sell valuable beasts to generate income.
By mastering the art of capturing beasts, you can significantly enhance your Path of Exile experience.
Beast Capture Checklist
Here is a quick checklist to improve your beast capturing efficiency:
- Locate Einhar Frey.
- Gear up with AoE skills and movement speed.
- Purchase nets from Einhar.
- Protect Einhar during captures.
- Store beasts in the Menagerie.
- Utilize the Blood Altar for crafting.
- Trade valuable beasts.
- Select optimal zones.
- Minimize downtime.
- Upgrade nets regularly.
