Varunastra, the legendary Vaal Blade, is one of Path of Exile’s most intriguing and build-enabling unique weapons. Its ability to count as every weapon type simultaneously opens the door to a wide variety of passive nodes, skill interactions, and creative min-maxing. Whether you're a dual-wield enthusiast or a physical damage purist, Varunastra provides a gateway into unique mechanics that no other weapon can match. This article will break down what Varunastra does, how to acquire it, which builds use it effectively, and how to scale its power into endgame content.

What Is Varunastra?

Varunastra is a unique Vaal Blade with several notable properties. Its defining trait is this mod:

"Counts as all One Handed Melee Weapon Types"

This line means that any passive skill, support gem, or effect that applies to a one-handed melee weapon—whether it be a sword, axe, claw, dagger, mace, or staff—will apply to Varunastra. This opens up interactions with many skill nodes on the passive tree and weapon-specific support gems. Dual-wielding two Varunastraras means doubling down on flexibility, unlocking synergy with nodes that usually would never overlap.

Varunastra Stats:

Requires: Level 64, 113 Dex, 113 Int

Physical Damage: 105–195

Critical Strike Chance: 5.5%

Attacks per Second: 1.50

Implicit: +25% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier

Main Mods:

+200–220% increased Physical Damage

10% increased Attack Speed

10% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold

Counts as all One Handed Melee Weapon Types

How to Get Varunastra in Path of Exile

1. Drops and League Availability

Varunastra is not part of the core drop pool anymore, meaning it cannot drop naturally in Path of Exile unless it’s reintroduced in a special league or event. It was originally introduced in the Talisman league and later made available via Vaal-themed rewards. As of 3.24 and likely continuing into Path of Exile 2, Varunastra is a legacy item, but it can still be obtained through several niche methods:

2. Divination Cards – “The Sword King's Salute”

This is the primary method to target-farm Varunastra.

Divination Card: The Sword King's Salute

Stack Size: 5

Reward: Varunastra

Drop Locations:

The Grand Arena (Act 4)

The Coliseum Map (Tier 11+)

The Arena (Foothills Variant)

While The Sword King's Salute is rare, farming it in maps like Coliseum or trading for a full set on the trade site or community trade forums is currently the most reliable method of obtaining Varunastra in 3.24+.

3. Trade with Other Players

Because it is not a core drop, Varunastra is often sold by collectors or legacy item enthusiasts. You can find it in Standard League listings, especially from players selling legacy gear. Check:

Third-party sites like mmoexp.com and community Discords

Prices vary depending on roll quality and league economy.

4. Using a Vaa POE orbs

If you're attempting to corrupt a rare Vaal Blade in hopes of obtaining Varunastra, this will not work. Varunastra is not available as a corruption result. The only way to get it is via divination cards or direct trade.

Is Varunastra Worth It?

Although not meta in the current versions of Path of Exile, Varunastra remains one of the most interesting unique weapons for buildcrafting. It shines in budget physical builds or dual-wield setups that want to capitalize on several weapon-type synergies. While it’s outclassed by rare weapons in pure DPS, its flexibility keeps it alive in niche or meme builds.

Popular Varunastra Builds

Here are a few archetypes that benefit from Varunastra:

1. Dual Wield Slayer or Champion

Capitalize on bleed and physical damage nodes across multiple weapon types.

Dual Varunastra allows you to pick Claw nodes for leech, Axe nodes for AoE, and Sword nodes for crit.

Ideal for builds using Lacerate, Reave, or Cyclone.

2. Gladiator Bleed Build

Gladiators benefit from bleed proliferation and block chance.

With Varunastra, you can scale Bleed with Axe and Sword nodes, increasing damage and utility.

Combine with Crimson Dance for powerful single-target bleed stacks.

3. Ascendant (Scion) Hybrid Builds

Scion benefits from the ability to path into several areas of the tree.

Varunastra’s flexibility synergizes well with hybrid trees that grab Mace stun, Sword crit, and Claw leech nodes all at once.

4. Meme Tier: Weapon Cluster Abuse

Some players use Varunastra to benefit from almost every cluster jewel weapon notable, such as:

Fuel the Fight (Claws)

Smite the Weak (Maces)

Feed the Fury (Axes)

Martial Prowess (Swords)

This opens room for experimentation, especially in off-meta challenge builds.

Tips for Using Varunastra Effectively

Dual-Wield for maximum benefit. The synergies compound significantly when you have two.

Cluster Jewels: Use large cluster jewels with weapon-specific notables. Varunastra will count for all of them.

Support Gems: Weapon-specific support gems like Melee Physical with Claws or Axe-only supports all work.

Corruptions: If you can find a corrupted Varunastra with +1 to Physical Gems or Increased Attack Speed, these are valuable for scaling.

Final Thoughts

While Varunastra may not dominate Path of Exile’s current meta, it remains one of the most versatile and unique weapons ever introduced in the game. Its power lies in the hands of creative players who want to break traditional weapon class boundaries and experiment with hybrid passive trees, cluster jewels, and skill interactions. If you’re looking to build something unconventional or explore passive tree synergies across melee archetypes, Varunastra is still worth chasing—especially for fans of dual-wielding or the glory days of legacy Path of exile Items.

To obtain one, your best path is through The Sword King's Salute divination card, or through trade on Standard. With the upcoming changes in Path of Exile 2 and a renewed focus on melee combat, we might just see Varunastra making a surprising comeback.