Path of Exile: Buy and Sell Resources
Did you know that turning in-game assets into real-world money is a $500 million industry?
In the late 1990s, gold farming entered the mainstream vocabulary. Legitimately spending hours in an online game grinding away at experience points to level upholds little appeal to some gamers. Some people will trade actual currency for virtual gold to expedite their progress.
Games like Path of Exile allow and encourage players to accumulate in-game loot. Free barter of assets is part of the gameplay. However, the economy is complex and there is no single currency like "gold."
Keep reading learn more about how this works.
What Is Path of Exile?
The Path of Exile game is a free-to-play online RPG (role-playing game). It is an action-based game set in a dark fantasy world. Path of Exile PC games released in 2013, with Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions released in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Gameplay follows a single character development, with experience points and equipment drawn through individual quests. Players move through battles and NPC interactions to earn in-game currency with free-roaming through a large map.
Individual players in a server can interact in encampments, but other areas are randomly generated to encourage re-playability.
Path of Exile Currency
POE Currency is based on a system barter of various orbs and scrolls. Each item functions as a crafting item or character enhancement. The de facto Path of Exile currency is the Chaos Orb. Player trading determines the value of each item and it is often quoted in Chaos orbs.
The official Path of Exile position is that the game finances are only based on ethical microtransactions. Multiple player accounts and logins are allowed. In-game cosmetic item skins, semi-automated public trading inventories, and additional character slots are paid features. Also gated are private, invite-only leagues, each secluded in its own economy.
Beware! Path of Exile RPG games and similar game economies may ban players who trade in-game currency for real currency. There are several marketplaces that offer this service. Use them at your own risk.
In-Game Trades
There is no infrastructure in Path of Exile like an auction house to facilitate player trades. Instead, players physically find another player and manually start a trade with them. There is a trade window and you and another player drag items from your respective inventories until you agree on a deal.
The tool built-in to the website is Poe.trade. It allows you to post the items you are willing to trade and allows you to search for items others are selling.
Acquiring items in trade is easy (and free). Search Poe.trade for the orb you need, click the "whisper" button to send a message to the seller, agree upon a trade. However, to list the items you are willing to trade, you will need a premium stash tab that can display your inventory for sale.
Orb Values and Fair Trades
The website Poe.ninja maintains an updated currency value table. For example, if you happen to have an Eternal Orb you are willing to give up, there is a buyer willing to give you 91,000 Chaos Orbs (or the equivalent) for the enhancement.
On the other hand, If you are overstocked on the common Orb of Transmutation, you can offload 116 of them to get a Chaos Orb from a seller. As you get into the Path of Exile end game, you will find that you need more scarce items to efficiently complete quests.
Of course, maintaining these trades can be time-consuming, and searching for one-on-one trades is inefficient. There is an in-game premium to semi-automate trades.
Third-Party Trade Sites
There are several trade sites that allow you to arrange handoffs of your excess inventory in a convenient form (like cash). These are OUTSIDE of the Path of Exile RPG game. In-game assets are still traded in the official manner, but instead of you giving up 5 Chaos Orbs for an Exalted Orb, you may give up $5, a small escrow fee, and an hour of time to get the asset you want.
Third-party sites often offer a form of escrow, a payment mechanism, and seller references. Be cautious. Farming and trading assets for real-world cash is against the rules.
It isn't against the rules for you to create several accounts and logins on your own to gain gameplay experience and items in-game. Accumulate and trade your own assets. With the right time zone and online presence, you can make some spectacular asset swaps.
Treasure Hunting for Fun and Profit
Speeding up asset accumulation is a great service. You need to play for many hours and use those hours well. Prepare maps in bulk (20 is a good number).
Keep organized and have tabs set up to accumulate loot. Slay monsters and just run the map to higher levels for better drops. Keep going for 3-4 hours a day.
Flip trade your in-game accumulation. Follow Poe.ninja for updated prices and price your currency for a small profit. Repeat this as fast and as long as you can. Some people skip in-game fun for just brokering exchanges.
Trade upwards to accumulate more powerful items and unique assets. Obviously, you can accumulate lots of Orbs of Fusing but find you need an Exalted Orb. Trade away to get it!
Loot for Fun
Path of Exile loot farming for cash is possible but can get you banned. It is better to just play for a good time and enjoy hours of online monster slaying. However, if you find yourself with lots of time and lots of maps, there are opportunities.
The in-game trade mechanism allows trading of treasure to upgrade abilities and equipment. Many players are willing to trade their items to reduce the grind time to the next level. You can use out-of-game marketplaces to facilitate trades with caution.
Research the marketplace, buyers, and sellers before you commit cash. There are no in-game guarantees for out-of-game transactions. It is best to use the tools in-game to handle transactions and trades.
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