New versions of unique items with exclusive modifiers can be obtained in the Path of Exile Keepers of the Flame league. Many items get stronger effects. In this article, let's go through the best way to farm Headhunter and its Foulborn variant in PoE 3.27 with the strategy, passive skill tree, and gear setup. 

PoE 3.27 Foulborn Headhunter Farming Strategy

The Foulborn Headhunter is a new variant of the classic Headhunter unique belt, which has historically been one of the strongest and most sought-after items in Path of Exile due to its powerful "on kill" buffs stolen from rare monsters. The Foulborn Headhunter, introduced in PoE 3.27, comes with some changes to its modifiers.

Effects and Modifiers of Foulborn Headhunter

The Foulborn version replaces one of the original Headhunter’s mods. Specifically, it replaces the "on kill" buff mod with a new effect called “Soul Eater.” This new mod grants a buff that does not expire, unlike the original, which had a limited duration, potentially allowing for longer-lasting benefits.

• (20–30)% increased Damage with Hits against Rare monsters

• Culling Strike (Culling Strike means enemies that are on 10% or lower life after your hit are killed)

• When you kill a rare monster, you gain its modifiers for 60 seconds

• Eat a soul when you hit a rare or unique enemy, no more than once every 0.25 seconds (each soul grants 5% increased attack and cast speed. You lose 1 soul every 0.5 seconds if you have not eaten any souls recently. Maximum of 45 souls consumed.)

PoE 3.27 Headhunter Farming Strategy

To farm the necessary materials for Headhunter, focus primarily on Legion maps, which drop valuable scarabs and Legion fragments. Start with a setup of three Domination scarabs and one Delirium scarab to boost map drops and experience gains. Over time, optimize this by switching to two Domination scarabs, one Delirium, and one Legion scarab, and eventually use four Legion scarabs plus one Legion Scarab of Officers to maximize Legion encounters and rewards. This scarab stacking increases mob density and quality, which is crucial for collecting The Doctor cards and other valuable drops.

Incorporate Inspired Learning jewels to increase experience gained from Legion encounters. Initially, use one Inspired Learning jewel and later add a second to boost leveling speed. Once sufficient currency is accumulated, sell these jewels to purchase the last Doctor cards needed for the Headhunter recipe.

Passive Skill Tree and Leveling

At the time of obtaining Headhunter, the character should be around level 97 to 98, with approximately 98% experience towards the next level. After securing Headhunter and reaching level 98, focus on upgrading the character by improving cluster jewels and other equipment. The next farming goal should be pushing into Tier 7 maps (T7) to farm more efficiently and increase income.

The passive skill tree should focus on Legion-specific nodes with around 127 skill points invested, prioritizing damage and survivability necessary for handling dense Legion encounters efficiently.

Gear 

Use a crafted weapon with the Molten Shell buff and a rare shield with spell damage, life, and attack speed for mapping and boss encounters. For mapping, an Esh's Mirror shield can be used to avoid reflected damage, while a rare shield is preferable for boss fights.

Chest armor should be crafted using dense fossils and a resonator to achieve a high suppression chance of around 92%, combining evasion, energy shield, and life—critical stats for survival. The left ring should prioritize meeting strength requirements, with top-tier life and resistance stats. The right ring should emphasize attack speed, life, resistances, and life regeneration. Use an amulet with strong stats acquired early in the league.

Boots should be bought with movement speed and then crafted with elemental mods to gain Onslaught, increasing attack and movement speed during combat. Gloves should focus on attack speed, life, resistances, and lightning damage on attacks. Multiple attempts may be required to perfect these items, but they are essential for both damage output and survivability.

Flasks

• Endless Jade Flask of the Impala

• Perpetual Silver Flask of Persistence

• Bottomless Quicksilver Flask of the Kakapo

• Effervescent Divine Life Flask of Allaying

Obtaining Headhunter requires a significant amount of currency. The main money-making method is running Legion encounters and selling the resulting items such as scarabs, Legion fragments, essences, and maps. Use Ornate Incubators to boost drops from Legion monsters.  Sell scarabs and other valuable items in bulk on popular trading platforms. Converting all currencies into a single form helps to better track wealth and avoid underestimating profits. Even with some price fluctuations in the league economy, solid currency gains are achievable within a few days.

How to Farm Foulborn Headhunter in PoE 3.27?

1. Unlock the Genesis Tree

To start farming Foulborn Headhunter, you first need to unlock the Genesis Tree by progressing through the league storyline. After encountering Alith in Act 1 and completing the associated quest, the Genesis Tree becomes available. This tree is a special crafting hub tied to the Breach mechanic, where you will grow and mutate unique items like the Foulborn Headhunter.

2. Collect Blood from Breach Monsters

Next, run Breach encounters and especially high-tier Breach hives to collect blood, which is the key resource needed for the Genesis Tree. Your grafts—special Breach skill appendages—harvest blood from slain Breach monsters during these runs. The more blood you gather, the more you can feed the Genesis Tree to unlock crafting options.

3. Feed the Genesis Tree and Unlock Unique Growth Branch

Once you have collected enough blood, invest it into the Genesis Tree to grow its branches, known as limbs. Focus on unlocking the limb dedicated to unique items, as this branch allows you to grow and craft Foulborn Uniques like the Headhunter. Feeding the tree helps it expand and unlocks new mutations and crafting possibilities.

4. Allocate Passives to Boost Foulborn Mutation Chance

Within the Genesis Tree, allocate passive points that increase the chance of Foulborn mutations on your unique items. Passives such as "Birth Defects" increase the likelihood that one or more of the unique’s original modifiers will be swapped out for powerful new Foulborn mods. Investing in these passives is essential for improving your odds of obtaining a Foulborn Headhunter.

5. Target Headhunter Bases in the Tree

Since not all uniques can become Foulborn, use the tree’s passive system to prioritize or bias growth towards Headhunter bases specifically. The game restricts Foulborn mutations to a curated list of over 100 eligible unique bases, and focusing on Headhunter increases your chances of growing the exact item you want.

6. Run High-Tier Breach Hives to Speed Up Farming

To maximize blood collection, run stabilized, endgame-level Breach hives, as these drop blood in larger quantities. High-tier hives accelerate your ability to feed the Genesis Tree, allowing for faster growth and more frequent chances at producing Foulborn uniques. 

7. Grow and Reroll Foulborn Uniques

When you grow a unique item, it may come with a Foulborn mutation (called a defect). If the mutation isn’t desirable, you can reroll or continue growing more uniques until you get the perfect Foulborn Headhunter. Because mutations rely partially on RNG, patience and persistence are important in finding the best possible version.

8. Use Multi-Mutation Passives for Stronger Results

Try to unlock the rare multi-mutation passive in the Genesis Tree, which allows a unique to have two or more Foulborn mods instead of just one. This can transform your Foulborn Headhunter into an exceptionally powerful item with multiple build-enhancing modifiers. Multi-mutations are rare but highly sought after for top-tier gear.

9. Trade or Share Your Foulborn Headhunter

Finally, remember that Foulborn Uniques drop normally and can be traded with other players. When playing in groups, sharing progress on the Genesis Tree can help everyone access better gear faster. You can either keep your Foulborn Headhunter for yourself or trade it to help fund your progress or assist other exiles.