Path of Exile is a unique action RPG. Unlike other similar games out there, you trade for items in PoE using different currencies, such as Chaos Orbs, Divine Orbs, and Mirrors of Kalandra.
That said, if you are looking for tips on how you can farm currency effectively, then you have come to the right article! In this guide, we will go over some of the tried-and-tested things you can do to get boatloads of currency for trade!
The Currencies Used in Trading
Before we begin, it is important to establish the common currencies used for trading items in Path of Exile. The most widely used currency in the game is the Chaos Orb. This particular orb actually has a distinct function, where you reroll the explicit modifiers on a rare item to get a new random set of mods with each use.
The reason why the Chaos Orb is the main currency used for trading in the game is that it is a lot more common than the other ones mentioned earlier. Not only that but the Chaos Orb is also utilized as a way to avail of the various crafting options you can find in the Crafting Bench.
For example, the “Non-Channeling Skills Have -7 to Total Mana Cost” is a bench-crafted mod that you can put on your rings for several Chaos Orbs.
The next currency used for trading in Path of Exile is the Divine Orb. The Divine Orb has multiple functions. For one, it changes the numeric value of the modifiers that are already on your gear. Moreover, just like the Chaos Orb, the Divine Orb can be used to avail of the more expensive mods in the Crafting Bench, such as:
- Prefixes Cannot Be Changed
- Suffixes Cannot Be Changed
- Cannot Roll Attack/Caster Modifiers
- Can Have Up to 3 Crafted Mods (aka “multimod”)
If the Chaos Orb is more readily available, the Divine Orb is a lot rarer. That is why you often see people putting Divine Orbs up as a PoE currency for sale.
However, the most sought-after currency, and one that is extremely hard to obtain, is the Mirror of Kalandra. It is so rare, in fact, that even those who have played the game for so many years have not gotten their hands on the item yet!
The Mirror of Kalandra is an amazing item simply because it allows you to make a perfect copy of a piece of gear. Of course, since you have a better chance of creating multiple level 100 characters in the game than to get even a single Mirror of Kalandra, you are better off buying this PoE currency instead.
The Best Way to Farm Currency
Now that you know the usual currencies used for trading in Path of Exile, what are the best ways to farm them? Here are some tips:
Multiple Map Runs
Mapping is one of the most popular currency-farming strategies in the game and for good reason! This is the most accessible piece of content in Path of Exile. Just finish the campaign and you will have access to the Map Device.
Now, there are three main tiers of maps. White maps, denoted by the white-colored icons, are the first set of maps that you can run to completion. They are filled with monsters that you can defeat easily, provided that you use a competent league starter.
Then, you have the Yellow maps. These are similar to White maps, except that the monsters that you will encounter are noticeably stronger and more formidable. For the most part, you are going to complete Yellow maps until you get your hands on better gear.
After you have decked out your character with respectable items, you can start tackling the Red maps. The enemies that you will find in these maps are exponentially harder than the ones you have encountered in the White and Yellow maps, so always come prepared!
The increase in difficulty does not go unrewarded, though. You see, the higher the map’s tier is, the more challenging the content becomes. However, this is with the promise of better loot! So, if you complete T16 Red maps, you are always guaranteed to get better items than, say, running a T5 White map.
Essence Farming
Essences are special items in Path of Exile that are used for crafting your own equipment. There are many different kinds of Essences that are divided even further by different tiers. The “Deafening” Essences provide the best values among their counterparts, which is why they are also the most expensive.
At the time of writing, a single Deafening Essence of Loathing costs 20 Chaos Orbs each. Because of the randomness of modifiers that you get by using Essences, you will need plenty of these to get the mods that you want.
That is the reason why farming Essences is never going to go out of style. Crafting is an essential part of PoE and this is especially true if we are talking about endgame items. If you are not going to use Essences yourself, you can trade them to other players.
Having said that, you can find Essences in your maps. They are typically obtained by killing the monsters trapped inside crystallized prisons. To maximize your time, you should allocate certain nodes on your Atlas skill tree. These nodes are:
- Prolific Essence
- Your maps contain an additional Essence
- Crystal Lattice
- Imprisoned monsters in your maps have a 15% chance to contain 3 additional Essences
- Crystal Resonance
- Monsters imprisoned by a Shrieking Essence in your maps will be duplicated when released
- Amplified Energies
- Essences found in your maps are a tier higher
Blight Encounters
During your map runs, you are going to occasionally come across a Fungal Growth. When interacted with, a tower defense minigame will begin. This is called the Blight mechanic in Path of Exile.
Alternatively, you can put “Blighted Maps” on the Map Device. These maps have the same tileset as the regular ones, albeit they replace regular monsters with Blight minions.
Having said that, the main premise of this mechanic is to defeat the Blight minions that come out of the portals. Do this until you have eliminated every single one of them. It is worth noting that these minions will slowly come to the core. Once they are close enough, they will damage the pump, reducing its durability in the process. If you do not defeat the enemies, particularly those that are attacking the pump, then that run will result in a failure.
So, how do you successfully finish a Blight Encounter? This mechanic does not require a high-damaging build. What it does need, however, is a build that can traverse the map quickly. This is so that you can set up towers as fast as possible.
There are multiple towers that you can deploy in a Blight Encounter. Start by creating “stalling towers” like the Seismic Tower. This helps slow down the minions considerably. You then follow the stalling towers up with any of the “damage towers.” Fireball towers are pretty good because they can be upgraded to those that unleash deadly meteors.
When you have put up at least a couple of stalling towers and one damaging tower, you should put an Empowering Tower right beside them to amplify their effects. Establishing these towers in each lane should keep the enemies at bay. Of course, you still have to put up as many towers as you can to finish the run quickly and efficiently.
Do not forget that each tower can be upgraded a couple of times. That is why you should constantly move around to upgrade towers, especially when you have enough resources to do so.
Bossing
If you have scoured the internet for PoE guides, you will notice that the term “bossing” is used a lot. This term refers to simply killing the “pinnacle bosses” in the game, such as Sirus, Shaper, Elder, Searing Exarch, Eater of Worlds, and the Maven.
The reason why killing these bosses is lucrative is that they drop the most expensive items in the game. The “Uber Maven,” for instance, can potentially drop a Progenesis Flask when you defeat her. This unique flask costs 35 Divine Orbs or more depending on its market value.
That said, to truly get the most out of killing bosses in Path of Exile, you need to run a build that has a pretty good set of items. You may have to buy PoE currency to get started, but we promise you that it will all be worth it!
Conclusion
There are many ways to farm currency in the game. You can do multiple mapping runs, finish Blight Encounters, or even slay bosses for lucrative rewards.
No matter which type of content you do, it is worth noting that efficiency is key. You should rate your performance based on how much currency you can earn in an hour.
If you are able to earn 15 Divine Orbs every 60 minutes, then that is already a pretty good result! With that being said, we hope that this guide has helped you get a ton of PoE currency in a short amount of time!
