Exalted Orbs and Divine Orbs are two of the most important and valuable currencies in Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2, but they serve very different purposes and carry distinct values in the game’s economy.

Exalted Orbs are primarily used to add a new random modifier to rare items. This makes them highly sought after for crafting powerful gear. Traditionally, they have been considered the “gold standard” currency for high-end trading and crafting because the modifiers they add can greatly increase an item’s value and power. Exalted Orbs also have relatively more accessible farming methods, including vendor recipes and divination cards, making them more common than Divine Orbs in terms of overall supply.

On the other hand, Divine Orbs reroll the numerical values of all existing explicit modifiers on an item without adding new mods. This means they essentially refine how powerful the item is rather than change its fundamental affixes. Divine Orbs are rarer due to limited loot sources: for example, they often come from specific divination cards or from selling six-linked items to vendors. Unlike Exalted Orbs, Divine Orbs do not have associated vendor recipes or shards that can be combined, limiting their abundance.

In recent game updates, the value dynamics between the two orbs have shifted. Divine Orbs have grown more valuable in trade, often commanding significantly higher prices than Exalted Orbs despite comparable drop rates from monsters. This is partly because Divine Orbs influence top-tier crafting and item optimization in ways Exalted Orbs cannot. Conversely, Exalted Orbs have become more common and less expensive, encouraging players to use them more freely for adding new mods or slamming on items. This shift has also been reinforced by changes in crafting recipes and league mechanics that remove some easy farming methods of Divine Orbs, enhancing their rarity.

From a gameplay perspective, the main difference boils down to Exalted Orbs being used to add new mods—a riskier but potentially more rewarding crafting method—while Divine Orbs refine the strength of existing mods and are essential for perfecting gear stats. This also affects market behavior: Exalted Orbs are more frequent in trading and crafting currency, while Divine Orbs are rare, expensive, and essential for high-end item optimization.

Although both orbs have similar drop rates in theory, Divine Orbs are much rarer in practical terms and more expensive due to limited sources and powerful crafting uses. Exalted Orbs are more common and versatile, making them a staple for crafting new mods and trading. For players looking to balance between crafting and trading, understanding this distinction and keeping an eye on poe 2 currency markets can lead to smarter investment and gameplay strategies.