Things You Should Not Sell To Merchants

Key Takeaways

• Don’t sell Scrolls of Wisdom, as they help identify loot & make strategic decisions for late-game stockpiling.
• Keep Orbs of Augmentation for added bonuses to magic items, essential for perfecting builds.
• Hoard and use Armorer’s Scrap, as well as other quality improvement items, to survive the brutal end-game.

In Path of Exile 2, the way players handle their items and vendors might have changed from its predecessor. It is only natural that even veterans might feel confused when deciding how to sell out their excess loot. But watch out, because some items shouldn’t be sold to merchants without considering other alternatives.

For these items, it is best to keep them in the Stash, hoard them, or take any other alternative before selling them to vendors. These include useful items that are particularly hard to stock in the late game, and certain items that can improve player’s chances of perfecting their build.

Save Them For Later

Scrolls of Wisdom are among the most common special items players might stumble upon, but don’t take them for granted. It’s true that later in Chapter One, players will unlock a vendor named The Hooded One, and they’ll be able to identify items for free. However, that doesn’t mean Scrolls of Wisdom are useless in the late game.

Since more and more loot will drop, players will have to choose which to take with them. Whether for selling, or for safekeeping in the Stash, magic and rare items will soon flood the player’s inventory. They should always have some Scrolls with them to select what’s worth carrying back to camp.

11 Unidentified Items

Better To Check Them First

This might sound like a no-brainer, but many people grow tired of the process of going back to camp, identifying everything, and selling what’s worth money but is not useful. They might want to rush and sell everything even without identifying it.

This is a huge mistake for multiple reasons. Since Magic and Rare items have randomized stats, players never know when they’re about to hit it big with a powerful bonus. The RNG in this game can be a nightmare, but don’t despair. If players are tired of selling everything, they can ask Una to disenchant items and obtain useful materials like Regal Orbs in return.

10 Orbs Of Augmentation

They’re Quite Useful

Orbs of Augmentation stack on 20 units, and they shouldn’t be sold to vendors for two reasons. First, players will get little money in return. Second, they’re one of the most useful items in the game, basically allowing players to add a new bonus to a magic item.

Instead, hoard them in the stash and use them when there’s an item that is nearly perfect, but needs an extra push to become what players need to complete their build. At the end of the day, these items are some of the best allies to fight the insidious RNG in Path of Exile 2.

9 Exalted Orbs

One Of The Most Important Upgrade Currencies

Similar to the Orbs of Augmentation, the Exalted Orbs allow players to add an extra bonus to a Rare item. In this sense, they’re even more precious than Orbs of Augmentation, and they shouldn’t be sold under any circumstances.

On that note, consider getting as many of these as possible. They will come in handy in the end game, when optimizing the build is essential for survival.

8 Orbs Of Transmutation

Don’t Underestimate Their Usefulness

Orbs Of Transmutation will allow players to turn a Normal Item into a Magic Item. Some new players joining the world of Path of Exile might be asking themselves why they would want this. The answer lies in the ability of certain Normal Items to have Jewel Slots. These items, especially weapons, are coveted by players who want to go for a particular build, and need that extra Jewel Slot. Turning these items into a Magic Item could be quite a power move.

7 Armourer’s Scrap

Stash Them To Improve Armor

Armourer’s Scrap is a currency item that is used to improve the overall quality of a piece of Armor. By spending these, each piece of armor will be upgraded by 5% per use. In a game where item enhancement is the only way to survive the brutal end-game, having these in stock is a must. Avoid selling it at all costs, since there’s a lot of other things to sell if the need for money arises.

6 Regal Shards

Used To Craft One Of The Game’s Best Items

Regal Shards are stackable special items that can be combined into a Regal Orb. This important item will improve the quality of a Magic item into a Rare One. Like the Orbs of Transmutation, having these in the end-game will make things easier.

Instead of selling Regal Shards, try stacking them up, then turn them into Regal Orbs and stash them away until the need to use them arises. Remember, turning a socket-able item into a Magic item is possible. Then, of course, players can use a Regal Orb to turn it into a Rare one.

5 Blacksmith’s Whetstone

Used To Power Up Martial Weapons

This is the same principle as the Armourer’s Scrap, but this item improves the Quality of weapons. Selling them might hinder the character’s progression later on, so the best course of action is to stash them.

To use these valuable items, Right Click (action key on the controller) and then drag it over an item and press again. The maximum quality attainable is 20%, and each Whetstone improves it by 5%.

4 Arcanist’s Etcher

Used To Power Up Magical Weapons

As with other quality improvement items, Arcanist’s Etchers are used for Wands, Staves, and Scepters. Magic-related classes should stash these items instead of selling them to Merchants, as they will considerably improve their chances of making it to the end-game unharmed.

To use these, simply drag and drop them over the Wand, Staff, or Scepter the player wants to improve. It is important to mention that the Arcanist’s Etchers have a relatively low drop rate, making it even more important not to sell them.

3 Runes

Used For Various Enchantment Purposes

Runes are enchantment items that will improve either the Armor, Damage, or Elemental Resistance of a piece of equipment. They come in various colors and shapes, and they’re mostly related to the attribute they will improve by using them on an item. For example, Glacial Runes will improve the Cold Resistance of a piece of armor, while Iron Runes will improve the amount of Armor they offer.

Needless to say, selling these to vendors is a dire mistake. Players should instead keep them safe in their stash, for the moment they see an item worthy of being enhanced.

2 Essences

Another Great Chance To Beat The RNG

Essences are similar to Runes in the way they drop, as they have many different versions and functions. But most of them will improve a regular item into a Magic one, or a Magic one to a Rare one in the case of a Greater Essence. But, there’s a catch: each essence will also guarantee certain bonuses. For example, the Essence of Enhancement will upgrade one Normal item to a Magic one with one Defense modifier.

Greater Essences are used to turn Magic Items into Rare ones, with a designated modifier. In that case, a Greater Essence of Haste can be used to turn the aforementioned Magic Item into a Rare item with a Movement Speed modifier, but it will retain its previous Defense modifier. As players might have guessed, selling these valuable enhancement items is a bad idea.

1 Unique Items

The Gold Might Be Tempting, But Think Twice Before Selling

Selling Unique Items to vendors is one of the worst mistakes players can make in Path of Exile 2. No matter how much gold they earn by doing it, they should always preserve unique Items in the Stash. Tn the worst-case scenario, they can trade these with other players for gold, other Uniques, or similar value in enhancement items.

Unique Items are scarce and valuable, and gold can be obtained in many other ways. Instead, try to pay attention to the Player Trading trends and see how much the unique item’s value is, to get the most out of it.