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[Uriah]

Learn how to farm and use Orbs of Alchemy in Path of Exile 1 for fast gearing and map sustain, with practical alch-and-go crafting tips, strongbox rolling, and early-to-endgame strategies.

In Path of Exile, Orb of Alchemy is the kind of currency you stop thinking about until you're out of it. Then everything feels worse: your maps are dull, your drops dry up, and your gear is still wearing Act 10 vibes. Alchs are meant to be spent, not worshipped, and that's why they're the real workhorse when you're stepping into early maps. If you're short and don't want to stare at trade all night, some people top up basics through U4GM so they can keep mapping instead of pausing their whole run.

How To Keep Them Flowing

You'll get a steady trickle just by playing, but it gets way smoother once you build around it. Strongboxes help a ton, and Essence can feel weirdly generous too, because both mechanics spit out raw currency and lots of vendorable stuff. Don't sleep on shards. Those "meh" uniques you'd usually ignore are basically alchemy shards wearing a disguise, and it adds up faster than you'd expect over a long session. Heist is still a solid early-league answer as well. Run a handful of contracts, open every locker you can, and you'll come out with enough small currency to keep your stash from hitting zero.

Alch-And-Go Without Bricking Yourself

For maps, the simple routine works because it's consistent: get the map to 20% quality while it's normal, then alch it and move on. More quantity and pack size means more chances at drops, which loops back into more alchs later. The only real headache is rolling something your build can't handle. Reflect is the classic "why did I do this" moment, and no-regen can be just as nasty depending on your setup. Don't be stubborn—reroll it, or toss it in a sell tab and run something else.

Gear Slams That Actually Make Sense

Using alchs on gear is gambling, yeah, but it's the cheap kind. The trick is picking bases that are worth your time: two-toned boots, decent armour/evasion gloves, or anything with a useful influence later on. If it's a bad base, a good roll still won't save it. Item level matters too. A lot of newer players burn alchs on low-level pieces because they're desperate, and you can feel that regret later. Try to hold off until you're working with ilvl 60+ at minimum, and ideally higher when you're chasing better tiers. If a slam is awful, scour and move on—don't marry it.

When To Spend, When To Flip

League economy swings, so keep one eye on prices. Early on, a pile of alchs can turn into chaos for a key upgrade, and that can be the right call if your build's stuck. Most of the time though, the best "profit" is just keeping your maps rolled and your momentum up, because dead time is what really drains you. If you're consistent with boxes, essences, and sensible map rolling, you'll stay comfortable—and if you ever need to fill a specific gap in a hurry, browsing POE 1 iteams can be a straightforward way to sort out missing pieces without derailing your whole session.