For a long time, I've felt that Bossing has been one of Path of Exile's strong points. The game offers some of the most interesting content, but farming this content has always been gated by one thing or another. The Currency Exchange has removed this entry barrier and made bossing one of the best options for making currency in the game.
Finding a Build
Typically, there are two choices when finding a build for Bossing:
1. Tanky build that can AFK / Facetank
Pros
● It requires significantly less skill and can mostly ignore mechanics.
● It can probably be used for other content.
Cons
● Most of the time, you will not kill the bosses as quickly, which means less Currency/hour.
● A Tanky build will likely be more expensive than a zero HP build.
Example Build
Firestorm Blood Magic Inquisitor
2. Zero HP build that can One-Shot Ubers
Pros
● It should instantly kill most bosses, which will give more Currency/hour.
● Typically easier to put together than all-rounder builds as they use mostly uniques and don't care about anything but damage.
Cons
● It will require a decent level of skill for any boss you can't pre-load and instant kill, as any boss ability will one-shot you.
● Hyper-specific to bossing and can't do most other content.
Example Build
Zero HP Ice Trap Build
I've played both archetypes a few times, and I significantly prefer the tanky setup as it allows me to farm less popular bosses, and I don't have to think as much while doing it.
Choosing a Boss
There are a few things to consider when choosing a boss:
Profitability
Are the items this boss drops worth anything right now? You can use PoE Ninja to check the prices of items.
How often do the worthwhile items drop, and how much are they worth compared to the entrance fee?
How long, on average, does it take your build to kill this boss?
Difficulty
Can you consistently kill this boss?
How often do you die?
If playing a tanky build, can you mostly afk this boss?
Fun
Do you enjoy running this boss over and over?
Obtaining the Fragments
There is no reason to buy fragments anywhere but the Currency Exchange. Even if you saved some currency by buying in huge bulk, you would lose money in the time it takes to find this person selling them.
● When buying fragments, check both Per/Divine and Per/Chaos; sometimes, there is a discrepancy in which it is cheaper to buy.
● If running one boss long-term puts in buy orders for slightly cheaper than market value, these will fill over time.
Example 1: Price on Exchange for 10 Fragments is 3 Divine. Put an order in for 11 Fragments for 3 Divine (or multiples of this - 22/6, 44/12, etc.) and let it sit while you run your other Fragments.
Example 2: Price on Exchange for 1 Fragment is 27 chaos orbs. Put in an order for 1 Fragment for 25 chaos (or multiples of this - 10/250, 20/500)
● If Cortex is not part of your typical bossing rotation, you will need to spend some time occasionally obtaining gold to buy fragments in Exchange. Running The Feared and clearing out Cortex occasionally is a good way. Or run 2-3 Juiced T17 Maps.
Running the Boss
The way you run the boss will determine your currency/hour:
● The amount of currency you get per map on average will be determined by the entrance fee, the price of the possible loot, and how often each piece of gear drops. You have little to no control over this, but choosing a boss that has a good ratio of cost/profit is still important. This is your base return per boss.
● The speed at which you run the boss determines your actual currency/hour. You have complete control over this. Figuring out how to do the boss faster and improving your build to kill them more quickly or more efficiently will gain you a ton of currency/hour.
● Be careful with your loot filter. I suggest you quickly check the filtered items after killing a boss to see if anything drops. I have found more than once that very expensive items were filtered out.
Selling the Loot
If there is anything that you can sell on the Exchange, do so, but still check the price difference between chaos/div. Sometimes there is a discrepancy.
For everything else, keep note of a few things:
● Rolls-on items matter a lot sometimes. It can be the difference between 5 Div and 20 Div. Awakened PoE Trade can give poor results if you don't tweak the rolls.
● Sometimes, an item is only worth something if the rolls are very good. If the item is a common drop, consider using the 3->1 vendor recipe to fish for better rolls out of the poorly rolled items.
● Synthesized items from Cortex can have wildly different prices depending on the implicit.
● If an item doesn't have some specific crazy roll or synthesized implicit that makes it worth a ton more, it is almost always worth selling it for slightly under the market price to guarantee a quick sale before the price drops. This heavily depends on how late into the league it is, though.
Final Thoughts
The above content is all sourced from 'Big Duck's' YouTube video. If you are interested in this guide, you can watch his video for more details, such as specific strategies for each Boss like The Shaper, Uber Elder, Sirus, Cortex, The Maven, The Eater of Worlds, The Searing Exarch, The Feared, and The King in the Mists.
