Path of Exile Tools Hub — Currency Farming Calculator, EV & GPH Mapping

PoE Currency Calculator — EV per Action, Profit per Map & Gold per Hour (GPH)

The calculator models your run as a series of independent loot events (monsters, chests, packs). You plug in pack size, scarab bonuses, atlas passives, base drop rates, and an average drop value. We return EV per action, EV per map (after costs), and normalized GPH given your map time.

Key inputs for high-accuracy currency farming

• Map time (minutes): the strongest lever; shorter loops drive higher attempts/hour.
• Pack size (%): scales kills per map; interacts with Atlas passives and sextants.
• Scarabs & Atlas passives (%): add density or guarantee mechanics (Legion, Blight, Delirium, etc.).
• Base drop rate (%/monster): your target-item or currency's per-kill chance.
• Average drop value (c): move this with league prices or your own stash tab snapshots.
• Map cost (c): your "juice" spend (sextants, scarabs, compasses) amortized per map.

Outputs you can act on

• EV / action (c): expected value per kill/chest. Guardrailed to 0 when base chance = 0.
• EV / map (c): density × per-action EV minus costs.
• Maps per hour: 60 / time per map.
• GPH: EV/map × maps per hour; our true time-normalized profit.
• P(any) across n attempts: union probability via 1 − (1 − p)^n.

When EV increases but GPH falls (common pitfall)

Chasing higher EV/chest (more "juice") often increases travel, backtracking, and setup time. If your map time rises faster than EV/map improves, your GPH can drop. We visualize this trade-off in the calculator charts and expand on it in EV vs GPH: Optimize Time.

Rule of thumb for profit per hour

If a change adds +5 seconds per loop, your hourly attempts fall by ~8–9%. Your EV/map must rise at least as much just to break even.

Practical sanity checks

• Set Base drop rate to 0 ➜ EV/action = 0, P(any) = 0.
• Toggle Pack/Scarab/Atlas to 0 ➜ EV should decline; if not, recheck inputs.
• Halve time per map ➜ GPH should ~double (minus load screens, boss phases).

Mapping Strategy & Pack Size — Scarabs, Sextants, Atlas Passives

PoE mapping profit hinges on stacking density and speed in a way that your PC and party can sustain. We model pack size scaling on EV and on ΔTime, noting diminishing returns when backtracking grows.

Scarabs & atlas passives that move the needle

• Legion / Breach / Delirium: front-load density; watch for travel penalties on large tilesets.
• Strongbox / Abyss / Harbinger: quick, low-travel procs; great for pack-size multipliers.
• Sextants & compasses: evaluate on a per-map amortized cost; track EV uplift per minute.

Pack size vs EV/map (S-curve)

Our charts treat pack size as an S-curve: early points give outsized EV gain per unit; mid-curve is linear; late-curve saturates as travel and "dead packs" increase. Use this to pick the cheapest scarab tier that lands you in the linear sweet spot.

Atlas passives: targeted vs generalist trees

Targeted trees (e.g., Strongboxes + Shrines) create stable mid-EV loops; generalist "everything juiced" trees swing harder. Stable loops usually win on GPH for solo players; juiced trees win for trade-party rotations.

Sextant shopping list (long-tail keywords)

• "% increased pack size", "Area contains additional Strongboxes", "Map has additional shrines"
• "Legion"/"Breach"/"Harbinger" compasses: price-snapshot weekly and override Map Cost when needed

Divination Cards & Union Probability — At Least One Drop Across Attempts

For target cards and league-specific uniques, we surface union probability: P(any) = 1 − (1 − p)^n. This lets you answer "how many maps for a 50% chance" and "how many for ~75%." Remember: this is expectation under independence, not a guarantee on a single map.

How to use union probability in planning

1. Pick your target's per-attempt drop chance (p).
2. Estimate attempts per hour from your map time and density.
3. Choose a confidence target (50% / 75% / 90%) ➜ compute needed attempts ➜ translate to hours.

Variance vs "dry streaks" in PoE drop math

Short sessions see wide variance; stacked mechanics reduce variance by adding more trials. See variance and dry streak entries for intuition and blog math for binomial CDF/CI visuals.

Practical levers to reduce perceived dryness

• Favor mechanics with many small rolls (Harbinger, Beyond) over single big rolls.
• Use scarabs/passives that spawn density near the main path to cut travel time.

When to accept juiced variance

If trade market pays a premium for one big outcome (e.g., high-stack card), variance can be desirable. Treat it as an options bet—size your session accordingly.

Costs, Time & Routing — From EV per Map to Real GPH

Every "more loot" lever has a time cost. The calculator normalizes all choices into EV/hour: EV/map − costs multiplied by maps/hour. We also show whether you're cinders-limited or travel-limited in similar fashion to our Diablo IV tools.

Two archetypes to benchmark your routes

Fast-Chain Mapping (low travel, minimal backtrack)

• Typical inputs: 4–6 min/map; strongboxes + shrines; low-scope scarabs.
• EV/chest moderate, but maps/hour high ➜ GPH wins for solo speed mapping.

Safe-Cluster Mapping (stable density, forgiving tiles)

• Typical inputs: 7–10 min/map; multiple league mechanics; high pack size.
• EV/map higher, but attempts/hour lower ➜ break-even depends on scarab tier & sextant prices.

Travel time sensitivity (break-even intuition)

+5 seconds per loop ≈ −8–9% attempts/hour; +10s ≈ −16–17%; +15s ≈ −25%.

Party vs Solo considerations

Parties can synchronize compasses and chain density to cut travel variance; solo players should bias to low-backtrack layouts and mechanics that spawn near the optimal line.

Benchmarks & Case Studies — League Start to Fully Juiced

League-start mid-EV baseline

• White/Yellow maps; Strongboxes + Shrines; Rusted Scarabs only.
• Target: minimal cost per map, maximize maps/hour; sell bulk currency for steady GPH.

Mid-league juice (cost-aware)

• Upgrade to Polished/Gilded where price/EV is favorable; buy compasses in bulk.
• Override Map cost in the calculator when prices move; re-check GPH vs time.

Endgame party rotations

• Full compasses + Delirium + Legion; preset routes; role-split for speed.
• Expect higher variance and prep for market swings—monitor the uplift per minute.

Data Sources, Assumptions & Versioning

What we track

• League patch notes that change pack size, monster density, and loot tables.
• Community-verified snapshots for currency/card prices; update seasonally.
• Known exploits/nerfs we exclude to keep EV conservative.

Known limitations

• Independence assumption between packs; events can correlate during shrines/altars.
• Price snapshots are time-bound; override values whenever your server prices move.

How to override values safely

1. Update Average drop value from your stash tab sales.
2. Set Map cost from your last 20 maps including compasses and scarabs.
3. Re-run and compare GPH against your baseline preset.

Changelog & last update

We publish a short note at the bottom of calculators when default tables change. For broader posts, check the Blog. If you see a mismatch, contact us.

Getting Started & Related Tools

• Open the PoE Currency & Profit Calculator — share your setup link.
• Read: EV vs GPH — Optimize Time in Loot Farming
• Glossary: Expected Value (EV) · Union probability · Variance
• Other games: WoW Delves Calculator · OSRS Barrows Calculator

FAQ — Path of Exile Currency Farming & Mapping Efficiency