How does currency work in Path of Exile 2?
Path of Exile 2 has Gold, but you spend it on vendors and fees, not on trades between players. Trading runs on currency orbs, which do two jobs at once: they're crafting tools that change items, and they're the money players trade with. An orb is worth what it can do and how many other players want it.
Learning what each orb does is the first step. Learning which ones to keep and which to use is the second.
What do the basic orbs do?
These build an item up from scratch:
| Orb | What it does |
|---|---|
| Orb of Transmutation | Turns a normal item into a magic item with one modifier |
| Orb of Augmentation | Adds a modifier to a magic item that has room for one |
| Regal Orb | Turns a magic item into a rare item and adds a modifier |
| Orb of Alchemy | Turns a normal or magic item straight into a rare item with four modifiers |
| Exalted Orb | Adds a new modifier to a rare item that has room for one |
The usual path is Transmutation, then Augmentation, then Regal, then Exalted, checking at each step whether the item is still worth continuing.
What do the advanced orbs do?
These change items that already have modifiers:
| Orb | What it does |
|---|---|
| Chaos Orb | Removes one random modifier from a rare item and adds a new one |
| Orb of Annulment | Removes one random modifier |
| Divine Orb | Rerolls the values of an item's modifiers within their ranges |
| Vaal Orb | Corrupts an item with an unpredictable result; most currency can't change it afterwards |
| Orb of Chance | Either turns a normal item into a unique or destroys it |
Use these carefully. A Chaos or Annulment Orb can improve an item or ruin a good one, and a Vaal Orb's result is permanent.
What about quality and sockets?
Some currency improves an item without touching its modifiers:
- Quality currencies, such as Blacksmith's Whetstones for weapons, Armourer's Scraps for armour, Gemcutter's Prisms for skill gems and Glassblower's Baubles for flasks, raise an item's quality.
- Artificer's Orbs add a socket for runes to armour and weapons.
These are cheap ways to get more out of gear you already have.
Which orbs are used for trading?
Exalted Orbs are the everyday trading currency: most item prices are listed in them. Divine Orbs are worth many times more and are used for expensive items. Chaos Orbs sit between the two, worth many Exalts each, and lower orbs such as Regals and Alchemies trade in bulk.
Because prices move with each league and patch, check the in-game Currency Exchange (Alva, in town or your hideout) or the trade site for what an orb is worth right now rather than relying on a fixed rate.
How should you spend currency while levelling?
- Use low orbs freely on gear you'll wear. Transmutation and Augmentation Orbs on a decent weapon base are well spent during the campaign.
- Keep Exalted and Divine Orbs. They're worth more as trading currency than as gambles on campaign gear.
- Upgrade your weapon first. Damage from your weapon carries most builds through the campaign.
Our Path of Exile 2 leveling guide covers when to upgrade gear on the way to the endgame.
How should you spend currency in the endgame?
- Trade for upgrades rather than crafting blind. Buying an item with the modifiers you need is usually cheaper than rolling dice for it.
- Craft on bases worth it. Only push expensive orbs into items with a high item level and good existing modifiers.
- Divine Orbs for the final touch. Reroll values on an item that already has every modifier you want.
- Sell what you don't use. Bulk lower orbs and unneeded items add up.
Which currency mistakes waste the most?
- Exalting campaign gear you'll replace in an hour.
- Using Chaos or Annulment Orbs on a good item and losing a modifier you needed.
- Vaaling an item you can't afford to brick.
- Hoarding everything instead of trading for the upgrade that would make farming faster.
- Ignoring prices. What an orb is worth changes; check before you trade.
When does help make sense?
If your build is waiting on an upgrade you can't afford yet, a PoE 2 currency boost delivers league currency farmed and traded by hand, traded to your character in-game with no account access needed, so you can buy the gear that makes the next step possible.
FAQ
What is the main currency in PoE 2?
Exalted Orbs are the everyday trading currency, and most item prices are listed in them. Divine Orbs are worth much more and are used for expensive items.
What does a Divine Orb do in PoE 2?
It rerolls the values of an item's modifiers within their ranges, without changing which modifiers the item has.
What does a Chaos Orb do in PoE 2?
It removes one random modifier from a rare item and adds a new one.
Should I use Exalted Orbs while levelling?
Usually not. They're worth more as trading currency than as upgrades to gear you'll replace soon.
What happens when you use a Vaal Orb?
The item is corrupted with an unpredictable result, and a corrupted item can't be changed with most other currency afterwards.
