Headhunter is one of the most wanted unique items.GGG reduces the drop rate to obtain headhunters, although I think it is only a reaction to balance the growth of possible methods with the recent challenge alliance, and doubt it is not much harder than several Leagues.
In SSF, you can’t expect to get headhunters as reliably as in trade leagues, where you can reduce your goal to “get rich” and buy. The same is true for most “casual” players who “don’t have the currency” to buy headhunters. Of course, you can make the most effective MF build and go all out to make specific maps for the doctor, the fiend or the nurse. You may end up with a headhunter. But it doesn’t really appeal to me. I don’t have the time and energy to complete a whole set of cards, nor the repetitive play of the game. So I’ve made the following list to outline all the possible sources of headhunters, to maximize my chances of getting headhunters, and to choose how much I can come up with to achieve that.
In the following, I list the possible sources and their corresponding activities, which may be what a headhunter needs to do. I understand that dedication is a measure of how much time a person has to spend or how much time can undermine the pursuit of other goals (such as Atlas completion, shaper/elder killing or challenge completion). Through a chance of success, I understand the possibility of having a headhunter with all my strength. So, for example, the more you want to have a headhunter, the more you want to succeed, and the more you want to continue to enjoy all aspects of the game, the less dedication you need.
The following are the farming guides in PoE.
Chance of success: 0 to very high
Dedication: very low to very high
Farm special maps to obtain cards which could yield a Headhunter or cards which could yield cards (which could yield cards which…) which could yield a headhunter
Chance of success: high
Dedication: medium, in SSF low
Have many chance orbs and leather belts or orbs of scouring and be in a “Nemesis” map which you can achieve by adding the zana mod “Nemesis” costing chaos
Buy PoE Currency CheapChance of success: low
Dedication: low
Ancient Orb is a currency item that can be used to reforge a unique item as another of the same item class in the broader sense of the term, such as “flask” instead of life/mana/hybrid/utility flask. This will also change the sockets (if any) on the item.
Notably, unique items specific to past temporary leagues, such as Headhunter can be obtained with an Ancient Orb only while standing in a map to which the appropriate league’s mod has been added with Zana’s Map Device.
Chance of success: low
Dedication: low
There is a room which lets you sacrifice a unique item for another (could be league specific). If tier 3 we can enhance our chances by restricting the pool to belts
Note: You probably do every Incursion anyways. Aiming for the sacrifice room everytime you can would be minimal investment.
Chance of success: very low
Dedication: low
Get a bestiary recipe that yields you a random unique or a random unique belt.
Note: I do not know about strategies to target specific recipes (tell me), but you can target Einhar missions and kill all the red beasts you find.
Chance of success: very low
Dedication: low
Kill special legion mobs/chests that drop league specific uniques
Note: Clearing legions effectively is profitable anyways and the current league goal of most, I guess.
Chance of success: very very low
Dedication: low
You could roll divination card strongboxes and legions are quite a good source for stacked decks
Note: I think this is not worth it without a specific strategy and high dedication. But it may help to keep the possibility in mind
Chance of success: low
Dedication: low
get lucky to drop one from legion.
Chance of success: low
Dedication: low to medium
set up cameria in transportation (higher level=more league specific uniques hence better chances)
Chance of success: very low
Dedication: low
The bosses on those maps can drop league specific items