Path of Exile's currency system is one of the game's most radical changes for the ARPG genre. Instead of obtaining Gold or a standard currency item for killing foes, players instead get various types of currency that have various uses. Obtaining gear from other players or making the best items will require tons of currency.
Thankfully, there is a wide range of activities and strategies players can employ to make additional income. Whether that is utilizing a league mechanic or investing in Maps, players that stick with Path of Exile's breadth of systems will be rewarded with a whole suite of currency items and some of the game's rarest items. Here are ten tips to help players earn currency in Path of Exile.
10 Utilize Vendor Recipes
Image from demi (YouTube)
Most of the community consider vendor recipes to be a complete waste of time. This was arguably true during leagues where Exalts were upwards of 200 Chaos Orbs in value, but Heist league has shifted the price of Exalts to just over 60 Chaos.
Because of this, the Chaos recipe is fantastic for earning currency when players are starting in a league. Players will gain a Chaos Orb from a vendor for selling a full set of rare gear between ilvl 60 to 74. An entire set of gear consists of boots, gloves, belt, two rings, an amulet, chest, helmet, and either two one-handed weapons or one two-handed weapon. Selling an unidentified set of rare gear will grant 2 Chaos Orbs instead of one.
Other recipes include turning Maps into Cartographer's Chisels with a 20-Quality Gavel, selling an ilvl75+ set of rare gear for a Regal Orb, and selling an influenced rare gear set for two or four Exalted Shards. These recipes are especially useful in Solo Self-Found.
9 Juice Maps
Upgrading Maps, otherwise known as "juicing" by the community, is crucial to gaining net returns in Path of Exile's endgame system. Juicing Maps consists of using Cartographer's Chisels on them while they are normal/white rarity, using an Orb of Alchemy to add modifiers to the map, applying Sextants to Atlas Watchstones to grant extra packs of mobs, and using Sacrificial Fragments or Scarabs to further enhance Map item quantity and rarity.
Delirious Orbs are also great for adding tons of pack size to Maps, but players should note that Delirium makes Maps exponentially harder the more that are applied. Using these tactics, Maps will grant significantly more loot.
8 Farm The Eternal Labyrinth
The Path of Exile community unanimously agrees that farming the Eternal Labyrinth is too much of a pain point to go through. Every run is filled with many side rooms players must navigate, traps that can one-shot certain builds, and a boss that can one-shot most players.
All of that said, the community's disdain for this activity makes it a perfect place to make money. Create a build with either as much physical damage reduction or speed as possible. From there, look for players that need an Uber Lab carry and guide them through for a fee. Not only will this grant the player passive income, but every run will also give players the chance to make dozens of Exalted Orbs if they land a good helmet enchantment from the Divine Font. Enchant popular helmets for the current league and carry players to make a large amount of money from Labyrinth runs.
To make Labyrinth runs even faster, considering using PoELab.com to figure out daily Labyrinth layouts and Izaro modifiers.
7 Flip Items
Any player familiar with trading can potentially make thousands of Chaos Orbs in currency by flipping items. This can work in a variety of ways, but the most common tactic is to purchase items that are undervalued and sell them for a higher asking price. Flipping items can also include completing Prophecies that grant higher-value items or purchasing key fragments to run endgame bosses that drop items infinitely more valuable. This tip is mainly dependent on current league trends, so keep an eye out for any strange economy patterns that can be exploited.
6 Delve
Delve is a league mechanic that involves players exploring a procedurally-generated cave that branches forever. To Delve, players must first acquire Sulphite for Niko. Sulphite can be found from Maps, Niko Master missions, and through the use of Sulphite Scarabs on Maps.
When players decide to Delve, try to get as deep into the mine as possible—preferably reaching around Depth 200. Use as much Sulphite as possible heading horizontally through the cave at this depth. Once complete, explore the path by heading into dark passages, looking for any destructible walls and caches to open. These areas can provide currency drops, fossils, as well as valuable resonators that can go for up to 30 Chaos a piece. Once a player sets up their Delve, it is easily one of the most profitable activities in the game.
5 Capture Beasts For Einhar
Einhar is tied to the Bestiary mechanic. Players get to assist the hunter with capturing tough rare creatures with unique modifiers that players can then use to craft or modify items. Viewed as a niche league mechanic to most, Bestiary is arguably the most profitable league mechanic in Path of Exile if done properly.
Complete as many Master missions with Einhar as possible. When the player has a good surplus of beasts, look for any Fenumal Plagued Arachnids and any Aspect related beasts in the Menagerie. All of these creatures are worth an immense amount of currency, the Fenumal Plagued Arachnid being worth 175 Chaos Orbs in Heist league as an example.
4 Heist
Heisting is a great way of generating currency due to the sheer volume of items each Contract and Blueprint provides. All players need to do is open as many chests as possible without sounding the alarm. Upgrade Rogues and their gear to increase how many chests can be opened before the alarm is raised. Note that this league mechanic might not exist in 3.13 or future leagues.
3 Play In A Party
Finding a group of people to play Path of Exile with can dramatically improve currency farming. This is because every member of a party grants 50% multiplicative item quantity and rarity. While enemies will increase in strength as well, the multiplicative nature of these bonuses means juiced Maps can drop double or triple as many items every run for no additional investment. Just be sure to split the loot with the party as Path of Exile does not utilize instanced loot.
2 Craft And Sell Items
Similar to trading, crafting in Path of Exile is one of the most profitable avenues that requires an absurd amount of game knowledge or luck. While sought-after items vary greatly based on a league's meta, the core principle is to create items that meta builds will use since they are in high demand. Examples of items include Chaos damage-over-time bows for Essence Drain builds, +2 minion wands for summoners, and shields that have socketed reduced mana reservation for aura-stacking builds. Check out the top builds on poe.ninja to see what is most popular.
1 Play The Game Consistently
It doesn't matter how efficient a player is if they aren't playing the game consistently. Making currency and earning top-tier items in Path of Exile is a slow-burn grind that can take upwards of weeks for some players. There are certainly ways to speed up how much money a player makes per session, but nothing can top how much money a player will make that consistently plays Path of Exile and enjoys their time with the game. Find an enjoyable build, explore the game's content to see what is the most fun to farm, then begin creating strategies to best make use of every play session.