Strongbox

A variety of magic and rare strongboxes

Strongboxes are a special type of chest found throughout Wraeclast. When opened, a strongbox will release groups of monsters to surround and attack the character. Only once all of the ambushing monsters are slain will a strongbox relinquish its loot. The monsters released by a strongbox also drop loot and grant experience when killed. Monsters not directly summoned by the strongbox, such as sand spitters emerging from shield crabs, or raised undead, do not need to be killed to unlock the strongbox.

This encounter is considered Extra Content and has a chance to appear in any map area or most story areas. The specific chance for strongboxes to spawn has never been officially published. This mechanic is also referred to as Ambush (derived from Ambush league).

Variations

Strongboxes come in different base types which determine the kinds of items that can normally be obtained from them. Modifiers can further alter the loot contents, such as granting additional rare items or gems.

A test with a pool of 2218 strongboxes, done via the Monstrous TreasureMonstrous TreasureIn a long lost dream, great foes hide in tiny boxes, but so do great rewards.You will travel to a map where the monsters lie in wait, open the boxes they guard, and slay them all.Right-click to add this prophecy to your character. prophecy in 2016, provided the following distribution. Note that these numbers may have changed. At the time of testing, Cartographer's Strongboxes were unable to spawn in Tier 13+ maps; however, as of version 3.13.0, Cartographer's Strongboxes are able to (rarely) appear in Tier 13+ maps.

Base Type	Contents	Count	Spawn rate
Arcanist's Strongbox	Currency that do not affect quality, The Heroic ShotThe Heroic Shot117x Chromatic OrbTry a thousand times, and eventually you'll have to give up.	96	4.3%
Armourer's Strongbox	Armour, The BodyThe Body4Body ArmourThey say it is the head that leads, but all must flow through the body at some point., Divine JusticeDivine Justice1Grand Spectrum CorruptedMany sought the Goddess' blessing. Few survived the Labyrinth to receive it.	132	6%
Artisan's Strongbox	The Master ArtisanThe Master Artisan520x Quality CurrencyPerfection is the standard, excellence will be handled on a case by case basis., currency that affect quality	155	6.9%
Blacksmith's Strongbox	Weapons	125	5.7%
Cartographer's Strongbox	Maps, The CartographerThe Cartographer110x Cartographer's ChiselMy son, you lost your way before you arrived. To never lose you again, I make a path in my heart., The DreamlandThe Dreamland8Poorjoy's AsylumAll dreams vanish when the dreamers wake.	N/A	N/A
Diviner's Strongbox	Divination cards	42	1.9%
Gemcutter's Strongbox	Gems, The GemcutterThe Gemcutter3Gemcutter's PrismIn the hands of a master craftsman, a worthless pebble can adorn the crown of a king.	74	3.3%
Jeweller's Strongbox	Amulets, rings, belts, jewels, HubrisHubris5Ring"This one? It is NOT for sale. You would sooner pry it from my lifeless hand." - Jonfé Darontos, Ringmaker	167	7.5%
Large Strongbox	Assorted items (increased quantity)	104	4.7%
Ornate Strongbox	Assorted items (increased rarity)	62	2.8%
Strongbox	Assorted items	1247	56.3%
Unique	Special	14	0.6%

Vaal Vessels found in vaal side areas are considered chests, not strongboxes. Special versions of Vaal Vessels, such as Atziri's Vessel (Vaults of AtziriVaults of Atziri
Vaal Pyramid MapMap Level: 71
Map Tier: 4
Guild Character: gChests have (2500-3500)% increased Item Rarity
Area contains no monsters
Chest drop scaling is disabled. (Hidden)
Found Items have (20-40)% chance to drop Corrupted in Area"Should I depart this mortal coil,
so shall all of my treasures."
- Atziri, Queen of the VaalTravel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once.) and Vaal Vessels spawned from Vaal Temple MapVaal Temple MapMap Level: 83
Map Tier: 16
Guild Character: >Area contains 10 additional guarded Vaal VesselsVoices. Visions. Violence.
They will haunt these grounds for all of eternity.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once.'s implicit modifier are considered strongboxes, however, and benefit from modifiers to strongboxes.

Other Strongboxes

• The Upper Prison in Act 1 contains a Chemist's Strongbox, which contains flasks. This Strongbox is not found anywhere else in the game.
• Vaal Vessels are innately corrupted and Rare and contain a Vaal side area boss. They can contain Vaal skill gems, corrupted jewels, double corrupted Uniques, corrupted maps, Vaal OrbVaal OrbStack Size: 20Corrupts an item, modifying it unpredictablyRight click this item then left click an item to corrupt it. Corrupted items cannot be modified again.s, and Remnant of CorruptionRemnant of CorruptionStack Size: 9Corrupts the Essences trapping a monster, modifying them unpredictably
  Right click this item then left click a monster trapped by Essences to corrupt them. Corrupted Essences cannot be modified again.s. Vaal Vessels can be found in the following:
  • Vaal Temple MapVaal Temple MapMap Level: 83
    Map Tier: 16
    Guild Character: >Area contains 10 additional guarded Vaal VesselsVoices. Visions. Violence.
    They will haunt these grounds for all of eternity.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once. has an implicit modifier that adds 10 Vaal Vessels to the map.
  • Exquisite Vaal Vessels can be found in maps with the Area contains an additional guarded Exquisite Vaal Vessel corrupted implicit or Valdo's Puzzle BoxValdo's Puzzle BoxStack Size: 10Contains a Mysterious Map with a Foil Unique RewardI can find no method of destroying the dangerous contents within...
    perhaps, someday, you will find a way.Right click to open. maps with the Area contains 10 additional guarded Exquisite Vaal Vessels explicit mod; these can roll prefixes that cast a random Vaal skill when opened.

Modifiers

Like items and monsters, strongboxes come in different rarities with various modifiers. Non-normal rarity strongboxes inherently have increased item quantity and item rarity bonuses based on the strongbox's rarity, irrespective of the specific bonuses granted by modifiers. Unidentified strongboxes can be revealed using a Scroll of WisdomScroll of WisdomStack Size: 40Identifies an itemRight click this item then left click an unidentified item to apply it. to show its modifiers. It is also possible to craft strongboxes using currency items. Corrupting a strongbox with a Vaal OrbVaal OrbStack Size: 20Corrupts an item, modifying it unpredictablyRight click this item then left click an item to corrupt it. Corrupted items cannot be modified again. will corrupt some of the loot's contents.

Like chests, increased Item Quantity from gear do not affect the number of items dropped from a strongbox. However, Item Quantity bonuses from area modifiers and the number of players in a party do increase the number of items dropped from most strongboxes. Diviner's and Cartographer's Strongboxes do not drop extra items for additional party members, however.

Prefixes

Main page: List of strongbox prefix mods

Prefixes can make the encounter more dangerous by releasing additional monsters or triggering certain spells. Note that area modifiers that affect monsters (such as of Giants - 15% increased Quantity of Items found in this Area, 8% increased Rarity of Items found in this Area, Monsters have 70% increased Area of Effect (Suffix)) apply to skills used by strongboxes, making modifiers like FrigidFrigid
Prefix
Casts Ice Nova
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden) or PutrifyingPutrifying
Prefix
Detonates nearby corpses
Chest plays warning sound (Hidden) are deadly if underprepared. Some prefixes add a warning sound to a strongbox as well.

Vaalsmithed prefixes can only be found in Valdo's mapsValdo's Puzzle BoxStack Size: 10Contains a Mysterious Map with a Foil Unique RewardI can find no method of destroying the dangerous contents within...
perhaps, someday, you will find a way.Right click to open. that contain "Exquisite Vaal Vessels"; these modifiers cannot be encountered elsewhere.

Name		Stats
Arctic	8	Freezes you when activated
Contaminated	8	Spreads Caustic Ground Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Contested	12	Guarded by a Rogue Exile
Frigid	1	Casts Ice Nova Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Incandescent	1	Ignites you when activated
Intimidating	10	Guarded by a pack of Magic Monsters Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Menacing	35	Guarded by 3 Rare Monsters Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Ossified	2	Summons Skeletons Items will not drop until all Bloodline Daemons are killed. (Hidden)
Putrifying	4	Detonates nearby corpses Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Rallying	35	Guarded by a stream of Monsters
Reaper's	1	Revives nearby dead Monsters with Onslaught
Scorched	10	Casts Firestorm Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Unstable	1	Explodes Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Caustic Arrow Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Firestorm Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Flameblast Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Volcanic Fissure Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Spectral Throw Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vaalsmithed	1	Triggers Vaal Spark Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Vibrating	25	Casts Lightning Storm Chest plays warning sound (Hidden)
Whispering	15	Casts a random Hex Curse Spell when activated

Suffixes

For a datamined list of suffixes, see List of strongbox suffix mods.

Suffixes can improve dropped rewards, such as granting additional items or increasing the number of sockets found on items. Certain modifiers can only be found on specific types of strongboxes.

Suffix	Lvl.	Effect
of Abundance	1	Contains (3 to 8) additional Items (1)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
of Affluence	8	Contains (1 to 3) additional Rare Items (2)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
of Ascendance	1	+1 Chest level	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
of Augmentation	12	Only contains Support Gems	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
of Bounty	1	(30 to 60)% increased Quantity of Contained Items (3)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
of Complexity	20	Contained Items have (1 to 2) additional Sockets	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
of Corruption	1	Contains an extra Vaal Gem	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
of Curiosities	4	Contains (1 to 5) additional Magic Items (4)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
of Facets	40	Contained Gems have Experience	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
of Kalandra	40	Contains Mirrored Items	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
of Quality	1	Contained Items have (1 to 20)% Quality	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
of Singularity	45	Contains an additional Unique Item	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
of Treasures	4	(100 to 250)% more Rarity of Contained Items	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
of Unity	40	Contained Items are fully Linked	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
of Wisdom	1	Contains Identified Items	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
of the Vaal	1	Contains additional Divination Cards that give Corrupted Items	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
of Reward	1	Contains additional Divination Cards that give Currency	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
of Renown	1	Contains additional Divination Cards that give Unique Items	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
of Scarabs	1	Contains (1-3) additional (type) Scarabs	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

⁽¹⁾ Contains (1 to 2) additional Items on Cartographer's Strongboxes
⁽²⁾ Contains 1 additional Rare Item on Cartographer's Strongboxes
⁽³⁾ (30 to 40)% increased Quantity of Contained Items on Cartographer's Strongboxes
⁽⁴⁾ Contains 1 additional Magic Item on Cartographer's Strongboxes

Contained Items are fully Linked and Contained Items have (1 to 2) additional Sockets cannot roll together on the same strongbox.

Contains (1-3) additional (type) Scarabs only rolls on regular, Large, and Ornate Strongboxes, and cannot be rolled in Ruthless mode.

Unique strongboxes

Main page: List of unique strongboxes

Like most other unique items, it is possible to craft a unique strongbox using an Orb of ChanceOrb of ChanceStack Size: 20Upgrades a normal item to a random rarityRight click this item then left click a normal item to apply it. on a normal strongbox with the corresponding base type.

Name	Type
Ashes of the Condemned	Strongbox
Brinerot Cache	Strongbox
Mutewind Cache	Strongbox
Redblade Cache	Strongbox
Renegades Cache	Strongbox
Strange Barrel	Strongbox
Weylam's War Chest	Arcanist's Strongbox
Kaom's Cache	Armourer's Strongbox
Deshret's Storm	Blacksmith's Strongbox
Empyrean Apparatus	Cartographer's Strongbox
The Maelström Cell	Diviner's Strongbox
Perandus Bank	Jeweller's Strongbox

Unique Map-only strongboxes

There are also unique strongboxes that can only be found at the end of certain unique maps.

Vaults of Atziri

• Atziri's Vessel: Contains 8 Sacrifice Map Fragments and/or Vaal Skill Gems.

Oba's Cursed Trove

• Oba's Glittering Stash
• Oba's Prized Cache
• Oba's Riches

Hall of Grandmasters

• Grandmaster's Arcanist Cache
• Grandmaster's Cartography Cache
• Grandmaster's Corrupted Cache
• Grandmaster's Gemcutting Cache
• Grandmaster's Large Cache
• Grandmaster's Ornate Cache
• Grandmaster's Treasury
• Grandmaster's Trove

Advice

• It is not generally recommended to spend currency crafting on strongboxes with a few exceptions of Diviners, Cartographers, and Arcanists modifiers.

Gallery

• 

  Strongbox

• 

  Arcanist's Strongbox

• 

  Armourer's Strongbox

• 

  Diviner's Strongbox

• 

  Ornate Strongbox

Related items

Item	Description
Engineer's OrbEngineer's OrbStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a StrongboxRight click this item then left click a Strongbox to apply it. Has greater effect on lower rarity Strongboxes. The maximum quality is 20%.	Improves the quality of a Strongbox

Related Atlas passive skills

Name	Stats
Arcanist's Strongbox Chance	Strongboxes in your Maps have 30% increased chance to be an Arcanist's Strongbox [1] [2]
Cartographer's Strongbox Chance	Strongboxes in your Maps have 30% increased chance to be a Cartographer's Strongbox [1] [2]
Diviner's Strongbox Chance	Strongboxes in your Maps have 30% increased chance to be a Diviner's Strongbox [1] [2]
Strongbox Additional Pack Chance	Strongboxes in your Maps have 15% chance to be guarded by an additional Pack of Monsters [1] [2] [3] [4]
Strongbox Chance to be Reopenable	Strongboxes opened in your Maps have 2% chance to be openable again [1] [2] [3]
Strongbox Item Quantity	10% increased Quantity of Items contained in Strongboxes in your Maps [1]
Backup Cache	Currency Items from Strongboxes in your Maps are Duplicated [1]
Concealed Logistics	Maps from Strongboxes in your Maps are Duplicated [1]
Secret Compartments	Strongboxes opened in your Maps have 10% chance to be openable again [1]
Tamper-Proof	Strongboxes in your Maps are at least Rare Strongboxes in your Maps are Corrupted [1]
Twice Tempted	Your Maps contain an additional Strongbox [1]
Vault of Mysteries	Divination Cards from Strongboxes in your Maps are Duplicated [1]

Related scarabs

Item	Limit	Description
Ambush ScarabAmbush ScarabStack Size: 20 Limit: 3Area contains 5 additional StrongboxesIs it still an ambush if you're expecting it?Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map.	3	Area contains 5 additional Strongboxes
Ambush Scarab of ContainmentAmbush Scarab of ContainmentStack Size: 20 Limit: 1Area contains many additional Strongboxes Area's inhabitants are lying in ambushThe silence belies lurking doom.Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map.	1	Area contains many additional Strongboxes Area's inhabitants are lying in ambush
Ambush Scarab of DiscernmentAmbush Scarab of DiscernmentStack Size: 20 Limit: 1Strongboxes in Area are more likely to be rarer varietiesA keen eye sorts the worthy from the chaff.Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map.	1	Strongboxes in Area are more likely to be rarer varieties
Ambush Scarab of Hidden CompartmentsAmbush Scarab of Hidden CompartmentsStack Size: 20 Limit: 115% Chance for Strongboxes in Area to be openable againBeneath the obvious lies the real treasure...Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map.	1	15% Chance for Strongboxes in Area to be openable again
Ambush Scarab of PotencyAmbush Scarab of PotencyStack Size: 20 Limit: 175% Increased effect of Explicit Modifiers on Strongboxes in AreaThe locksmith dreams of building a better box.Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map.	1	75% Increased effect of Explicit Modifiers on Strongboxes in Area

Version history

Version	Changes
3.25.0	Fixed a bug where Operative's Strongboxes could still be found in Alva's MemoryAlva's MemoryUnmodifiableRight-click on this, then left click on a completed Map on your Atlas to apply this Memory. of Cascading Fortunes.
3.24.0	Added minimap icons for Strongboxes. Stacked Decks, Diviner's Strongboxes, and Divination Cards obtained as rewards from various content can no longer drop Divination Cards for Boss-exclusive Items. Added a set of modifiers that cause Strongboxes to contain additional Scarabs of a particular type. These modifiers can be found on Strongboxes, Ornate Strongboxes and Large Strongboxes. These modifiers cannot appear in Ruthless. Strongbox modifiers that provide +2-3 and +4-5 Chest Level can no longer roll. Mutewind, Brinerot, Redblade and Renegades Cache Unique Strongboxes now have +1 Chest Level (previously +3-5).
3.18.0	Operative's Strongboxes can no longer drop Polished Scarabs in White Maps, or Gilded and Winged Scarabs in White or Yellow Maps.
3.13.0	Cartographer's Strongboxes can now rarely appear in Tier 13 and higher maps.
2.4.1	Diviner's Strongboxes no longer drop extra items for additional party members in the area.
2.4.0g	Removed the mod "Contains additional Divination Cards from the current Area" from the Diviner's Strongbox.
2.4.0	Added a new type of Strongbox: Diviner's Strongbox.
2.0.2	Jeweller's Strongboxes can now drop Jewels. Fixed a bug where chests and strongboxes were not spawning in The Apex of Sacrifice and The Alluring Abyss.
2.0.0	Strange Barrel has been added. The chance of finding a strongbox has been decreased. The chance of a finding a unique strongbox has been greatly increased. Chemist's Strongboxes can no longer spawn. Quantity Mod Bonuses on Strongboxes are now 30-40% (down from 50-60%) The Additional Magic Items mod on Cartographer's Strongboxes is now always 1 (instead of 1-2). The Additional Normal Items mod on Cartographer's Strongboxes is now 1-2 (instead of 2-3). Cartographer's Strongboxes can no longer mirror items. Cartographer's Strongboxes have become less frequent as you progress up the map tiers. They have not been added to the new level 80+ maps.
1.3.1	Strongboxes now spawn packs of monsters in quick succession, instead of all at once.
1.3.0i	Fixed a bug where exploding Strongboxes would not explode correctly.
1.2.3	We have rebalanced Cartographer's Strongboxes. These chests were incorrectly double-dipping on map bonuses and party bonuses. The number of people in your party no longer increases map drops from these chests. We have also reduced how often they appear, but have significantly boosted their drops. Solo players will notice a substantial boost to drops from these Strongboxes, while parties will no longer receive too many maps.
1.2.0	Strongboxes can now spawn in all leagues, starting from the Submerged Passage in Normal difficulty. The weightings of each Strongbox type has been adjusted with ordinary Strongboxes being much more common than other variants. Mods for these Strongboxes have been adjusted. Cartographer's Boxes now have lower values of some Strongbox mods.
1.1.5	We have increased the spawn speed of the Stream of Monsters mod on ambush chests.
1.1.3	Added three new unique chests that can appear in the Ambush league.
1.1.1	Fixed a bug where the Strongbox mod that drops additional magic or rare items would have no effect on Maps. Fixed a bug that could cause monsters spawned by the Strongbox stream-of-monsters mod to behave strangely. Fixed a bug where Jeweller's Orb would not prevent you rerolling an item that had more sockets than it naturally could have at that itemlevel, due to dropping from a Strongbox with the increased sockets mod.
1.1.0f	Fixed a bug where the Strongbox mod that dropped additional magic or rare items would not always drop the correct number. Fixed a bug where some mod restrictions on Strongboxes would not work (for example, quality mods could erroneously spawn on Jeweler's Strongboxes). Fixed some cases where atypically few or many Strongboxes could spawn in some areas.
1.1.0e	Reduced the number of Maps dropped from Cartographer's Strongboxes.
1.1.0d	Made further improvements to the spawning of Strongboxes in narrow areas like caves. Halved the spawn rate of Gemcutter's Strongboxes in the Ambush league.
1.1.0c	Monsters and Rogue Exiles spawned by Strongboxes in the Ambush league now drop items and grant experience when killed. Fixed several of the cases where Strongboxes could block physical passage through a level.
1.1.0	Strongboxes have been introduced along with the Ambush League.

External links

• How to Roll Strong Boxes