Each item not only acts as a currency but also has a functional in-game use, such as modifying gear, changing socket colors, improving quality, or rerolling stats. This makes currency management both a trading skill and a crafting strategy.

This guide covers every major orb in PoE, explaining:

• What it does (primary function)
• How to get it (drops, vendor recipes, trades)
• When to use it (early game, mid-game, endgame)
• Approximate trade value in Chaos Orbs for the 2025 meta

1. Common Currency – Beginner Essentials

These are the first items you’ll encounter and trade in bulk.

Scroll of Wisdom

• Function: Identifies magic, rare, or unique items.
• Acquisition: Drops from monsters, or combine 5 Scroll Fragments (by selling white items to vendors).
• Tips: Use only on items that have potential to be upgrades or valuable trades.
• Trade Value: ~300 Scrolls = 1 Chaos Orb.

Portal Scroll

• Function: Creates a portal to town and back.
• Acquisition: Monster drops, destructible containers.
• Tips: Always keep a stack for boss fights and long maps.
• Trade Value: ~80 Portal Scrolls = 1 Chaos Orb.

Armourer’s Scrap

• Function: Improves quality of armor (+5% Normal, +2% Magic, +1% Rare/Unique).
• Acquisition: Drops, vendor recipe (sell armor with total 40% quality).
• Tips: Save for late-game crafting.
• Trade Value: ~160 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Blacksmith’s Whetstone

• Function: Improves weapon quality (same rarity % rules as Armourer’s Scrap).
• Acquisition: Drops, vendor recipe.
• Tips: Save for high-end physical/elemental weapons.
• Trade Value: ~70 = 1 Chaos Orb.

2. Crafting Currency – Building & Modifying Gear

These orbs are the backbone of item crafting.

Orb of Transmutation

• Function: Upgrades a normal item to a magic item (1–2 random mods).
• Best Use: Early game to make magic flasks or starter gear.
• Trade Value: Low – better saved for crafting or vendor trades.

Orb of Augmentation

• Function: Adds a missing mod to a 1-mod magic item.
• Best Use: Flask crafting, early crafting bases.
• Trade Value: ~55–60 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Orb of Alteration

• Function: Rerolls a magic item with new mods.
• Best Use: Endgame crafting bases (belts, jewels, rings).
• Trade Value: ~14 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Chromatic Orb

• Function: Changes socket colors randomly.
• Acquisition: Drops, or vendor recipe (sell any item with R-G-B linked sockets).
• Tips: Crucial for off-color crafting.
• Trade Value: ~11 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Jeweller’s Orb

• Function: Rerolls the number of sockets on an item.
• Best Use: Late-game for 5–6 socket items.
• Trade Value: 2 Alterations = 1 Jeweller’s Orb.

Orb of Fusing

• Function: Rerolls linked sockets.
• Best Use: Attempting 5L/6L on valuable gear.
• Trade Value: ~1–2 = 1 Chaos Orb.

3. High-Value Crafting Currency

Reserved for endgame crafting and high-tier trading.

Orb of Alchemy

• Function: Upgrades a normal item to a rare item (3–6 mods).
• Best Use: High-tier maps, strongboxes, endgame crafting.
• Trade Value: 2–4 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Orb of Chance

• Function: Turns a normal item into a random rarity (can hit uniques).
• Best Use: Chancing rare expensive uniques (e.g., Headhunter).
• Trade Value: 6 = 1 Chaos Orb.

Chaos Orb

• Function: Rerolls a rare item with new random mods.
• Role in Economy: The most common trading currency in PoE.
• Trade Value: Baseline – all other currency values measured in Chaos.

Regal Orb

• Function: Upgrades a magic item to rare, adding 1 mod.
• Best Use: Meta-crafting with high-value bases.
• Trade Value: ~1.5 Chaos Orbs.

Exalted Orb

• Function: Adds a new random mod to a rare item.
• Trade Value: ~70 Chaos Orbs.
• Tip: Only use in late-game on items worth investing in.

Divine Orb

• Function: Rerolls the values of existing mods.
• Trade Value: ~16 Chaos Orbs.
• Tip: Used for min-maxing endgame items.

Mirror of Kalandra

• Function: Creates an exact duplicate of a non-unique item.
• Rarity: The rarest item in PoE.
• Trade Value: 150+ Exalted Orbs.
• Tip: Only mirror items worth more than the mirror itself.

4. Special & Utility Currency

Unique functions for specific crafting paths or niche gameplay.

• Orb of Regret – Grants a passive skill refund point. (1 = 1 Chaos)
• Gemcutter’s Prism – Increases gem quality (+1% per GCP). (2–3 Chaos each)
• Vaal Orb – Corrupts an item or map for extra power and risk. (1 Chaos each)
• Blessed Orb – Rerolls implicit mods. (5 = 1 Chaos)
• Cartographer’s Chisel – Improves map quality. (20 = 12 Chaos from Zana)
• Engineer’s Orb – Improves strongbox quality. (10 = 1 Chaos)
• Orb of Annulment – Removes a random modifier. (~40 Chaos)
• Ancient Orb – Changes base type of a unique. (Gambling for Headhunter)
• Orb of Horizons – Changes map to another of same tier. (3 = 1 Chaos)
• Orb of Binding – Turns item into rare with up to 4 links. (6 = 1 Chaos)
• Harbinger’s Orb – Upgrades a map to a higher tier. (~15 Chaos)
• Silver Coin – Used for Navali’s Prophecies. (11 = 1 Chaos)
• Glassblower’s Bauble – Improves flask quality. (14 = 1 Chaos)

5. Currency Farming Tips

• Vendor Recipes: Learn recipes to convert low-value items into higher currency.
• Map Sustain: Higher-tier maps drop better currency.
• Strongboxes: Use Alchemy & Corruption on Cartographer’s Strongboxes for profit.
• League Mechanics: Harbinger, Expedition, and Delirium are great for currency drops.
• Bulk Trading: Sell in stacks for better trade rates.

Final Thoughts

The Path of Exile currency system is more than just a trading economy — it’s an integral part of crafting, upgrading, and progressing through the game. Whether you’re farming Chaos Orbs in bulk or saving an Exalted Orb for that perfect mod, knowing when to use vs. when to trade each orb is the difference between an average exile and a rich one.