Path of Exile: How to Harness Hexward Blades and Conquer the Plague Cathedral

In the ever-expanding universe of Path of Exile, the introduction of Hexward Blades has carved out a unique place for spellblade builds that merge curse mechanics with melee efficiency. Paired with the terrifying new boss dungeon known as the Plague Cathedral, this content represents a significant challenge—and opportunity—for players seeking powerful gear and thrilling gameplay.

This guide will walk you through how to obtain and use Hexward Blades, synergize them with appropriate skills and curses, and finally guide you through the grueling corridors of the Plague Cathedral to its final boss, the Arch-Deacon of Decay.

Part 1: Unlocking and Understanding Hexward Blades

What Are Hexward Blades?

Hexward Blades are a new class of daggers and swords introduced in the Hexbound League. These weapons are notable for:

Scaling bonus damage based on the number of active curses on enemies.

A unique implicit modifier: "Cursed enemies take 8–12% increased damage from your hits."

Certain high-tier versions (like the Eclipse Fang) also apply random hexes on critical strikes.

These blades are tailor-made for curse-centric builds, often revolving around Occultists, Tricksters, or Inquisitors using self-cast curses or Curse-on-Hit setups.

How to Obtain Hexward Blades

There are multiple ways to get Hexward Blades:

1. League Mechanic: Hexbound Incursions

During Hexbound League, specific incursions allow you to fight cultists that drop Cursed Relics. Completing all three rooms in a temple chain tied to the Sanctum of Chains guarantees a drop of at least one Hexward Blade.

2. Blight Maps and Anointed Blight Towers

Certain Blight bosses in tier 10+ Blight Maps have a chance to drop Hexward Blueprints, which can be used in Heist or turned in for prophecy-style encounters.

3. Crafting

Using Essences of Torment and Wailing Essences of Woe on base items like Fiend Daggers or Jewelled Foils can result in pseudo-Hexward mods, especially when combined with veiled chaos crafting and Crucible Tree merges.

4. Trade Market

High-end versions (5-linked or 6-linked Hexward Blades with "Gain x% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos") are in high demand, so expect to pay a premium—typically 3–10 POE Divine Orbs depending on league phase.

Part 2: Best Builds and Skills for Hexward Blades

Hexward Blades perform best in builds that maximize curse uptime and leverage bonus damage against cursed enemies. Here are three standout archetypes:

1. Occultist – Bladed Hexfall Build

Main Skill: Bladefall or Blade Vortex (scales from added chaos)

Curses: Despair, Temporal Chains, Enfeeble (via Blasphemy + Whispers of Doom)

Notables:

Profane Bloom for AoE explosions

Malediction for added curse effectiveness

Synergies:

Curse Effect clusters (Whispers of Doom, Doomsday)

Chaos DoT multipliers

Notes: The build is tanky, with tons of AoE clearspeed thanks to Profane Bloom and a natural synergy with chaos damage.

2. Trickster – Hexweaver's Shiv

Main Skill: Reap or Ethereal Knives (linked with Vile Toxins and Unleash)

Curses: Self-cast Despair, Temporal Chains on hit

Trickster Benefits:

Escape mechanics

Energy Shield recovery on kill

High DoT uptime

Unique Items: Cospri's Will (allows curse application through poison), Witchfire Brew

3. Inquisitor – Judgement Hexblade

Main Skill: Purifying Flame or Wave of Conviction

Combo: Elemental + Curses + Consecrated Ground uptime

Strength:

Ignores enemy resistances (via Inevitable Judgement)

Synergizes with Conductivity and Flammability

Ideal for: Players who prefer elemental damage over chaos or physical.

Part 3: Preparing for the Plague Cathedral

Entry Requirements

To access the Plague Cathedral, you must collect Plague Sigils from maps corrupted by Hexbound Invasions. You'll need:

5 Plague Sigils to open the door.

Level 80+ character recommended.

At least 4,500 HP or ES, strong movement skill, and at least 60% Chaos Resistance.

You can also obtain keys to Plague Cathedral via:

Delirium encounters with Curse-based rewards

Maven Invitations tied to Hexbound bosses

Part 4: Inside the Plague Cathedral – Map Mechanics and Layout

Key Features

Non-linear Design: Multiple branching corridors with sealed gates

Cursed Zones: Standing too long in these areas applies random Hexes

Affliction Totems: Spread stacking debuffs unless destroyed

Mini-bosses:

The Blight-Singer – deals high DoT and applies Vulnerability

The Hexfire Deacon – channels curses that disable flask effects

You'll encounter three waves of mini-bosses before reaching the final sanctum, guarded by the boss: Arch-Deacon of Decay.

Part 5: Boss Guide – Arch-Deacon of Decay

Phase 1: Invocation of Plague

Abilities:

Channels Plague Orbs that explode into Cursed Ground

Casts Withering Chains, reducing movement speed

Strategy:

Keep moving and burst damage during casting windows

Remove curses using flasks or Pantheon powers

Tip: Use Pantheon – Soul of Yugul to reduce curse effect

Phase 2: Summon of the Catacombs

Mechanics:

Spawns Totems of Despair, which must be destroyed or they apply 100% increased curse effect

Deacon gains a Chaos Shield that reflects chaos damage

Avoid:

Chaos DoTs during this phase unless you have 75% Chaos Resistance

Tip: Position minions (if any) to bait totem aggro while you deal with Deacon directly

Phase 3: Doom Ascendant

Final Form: Transforms, gaining wings and casting Doom Nova every 10 seconds

Adds:

Hexwrought Monks, applying Temporal Chains and Elemental Weakness

Survival Strategy:

Use immune-to-curse flasks and Flame Dash through Nova gaps

Time burst windows with Bladefall or Ethereal Knives + Vaal skills

Rewards

Guaranteed Drop: One Hexward Blade (tier depends on fight difficulty)

Rare Drops:

Cathedral Eye Jewel: "Cursed enemies you hit have -15% to all Resistances"

Arch-Deacon's Lash: Unique belt that grants +1 Curse Limit and Culling Strike vs cursed enemies

Part 6: Endgame Optimization and Farming

Best Mods for Hexward Blade Builds

"Enemies you Curse have -X% to Chaos Resistance"

"Gain #% of Physical as Extra Chaos"

"Socketed Gems are Supported by Unleash or Vile Toxins"

Veiled Mod: "Hits against Cursed Enemies have increased Critical Strike Chance"

Map Mods to Avoid

When running maps with this build:

"Hexproof Enemies" = Deadly; skip unless you have ways to bypass it

"Monsters Reflect" = Avoid if you're running high-DoT poison or chaos

"No Regeneration" = Manageable but requires flask micro

Recommended Atlas Strategy

Focus on Blight, Delirium, and Heist nodes.

Stack Increased Map Drops and Cursed Relic modifiers on Watchstones.

Use Sextants to force curse-related mechanics.

Conclusion

Hexward Blades are more than just weapons—they're a playstyle, a philosophy of curse empowerment wrapped in steel and chaos. Whether you're slicing through mobs with Ethereal Knives, melting bosses with Reap, or dominating entire maps with Blade Vortex, mastering Hexward Blades allows for some of the most rewarding gameplay in Path of Exile - a lot of rare POE Items and POE Currency.

Meanwhile, the Plague Cathedral represents a true test of your gear, build knowledge, and mobility. Proper preparation, clever use of curses, and understanding boss mechanics will carry you to victory—and reward you with some of the most potent gear in the game.

MMOexp POE Team