Path of Exile differs from traditional Dungeon Crawlers in that it allows you to trade with players. Here's what you need to know about it.
Trading can be a very lucrative and rewarding activity in Path of Exile. With the right approach, players can get powerful items, useful resources, and accumulate great fortunes in their stashes. Unfortunately, the game does not help players much to understand what to trade, how to trade and what it costs.
Chaos Orbs are the closest weapon to a currency.
Path of Exile differs from most RPGs in that it does not have a set currency such as gold, credits, or ISK that other games have. Instead, items are valued in relation to other items in the game. Merchants will trade items for items and the same applies to players.
With that in mind, players have come to agree that Chaos Orbs are the standard by which all items are compared. Chaos Orbs are a useful resource that is highly sought after by players as they randomize item modifiers. In the end game, players literally use hundreds, if not thousands, of these items to craft the perfect gear, flip cards, and more. They are great as a currency, as they can only be obtained through crafting or random drops from monsters, which naturally prevents wild inflation.
Poe.Trade is the meat of the trade
The main tool for players to find out what they are trading is the Poe.trade website. This is where players can post information about the items they are offering or looking for, as well as how much they think a trade is worth. The site will also show which league the trade is offered in, and players can search for items down to specific stats.
All transactions start here, so players should be familiar with how the site works and how to use it. Players interested in taking trading seriously should spend some time learning how to create their own offers and buy orders.
Trading is done manually
There are no in-game mechanics or settings for trading in Path of Exile. The only way to trade with other players is to make direct contact and meet in a hideout to make a deal. Without Poe.trade, you would have to follow the chat like a hawk to see if anyone is talking about subjects you are interested in and try to make contact. It is much better and more efficient to use Poe.trade to find a trader first.
Once a player has found a trader of interest on Poe.trade, they will need to make contact. Players need to press the "whisper" button to copy their in-game information and then paste it into the in-game chat. This allows the player to communicate directly with the player in the game without having to meet him or see his message in the game.
This works much better if the player is online, as encounters can only occur between two active players. If after a few days the player does not receive a response from the player involved in the deal, then it is probably better to look for a new deal.
