What should I pick up on Day 1 of a new PoE 2 league?

On Day 1 you're still leveling, so bank what drops on the way to maps: currency, Verisium (Ezomyte Remnants appear from Act 1), runes and Soul Cores. The high-item-level crafting bases (spears, bows, gloves) only drop at endgame map tiers: item level equals the map's area level, so ilvl 80 needs a Tier 16 Waystone and ilvl 81-82 needs corrupted waystones beyond it. You farm those once you reach red maps, then sell into the Day 3-5 crafting rush.

When should I sell hoarded bases in a PoE 2 league start?

Day 3 to Day 5 is the window. By then the trade site has stabilised, the meta has formed, and crafters are racing to gear up. Demand peaks while supply is still thin. Selling on Day 1 leaves money on the table; holding past the first week means everyone has farmed their own bases and prices fall.

What item level do crafting bases need to be?

Item level equals the area level the base dropped in. A Tier 16 Waystone (area level 80) drops ilvl 80 bases; ilvl 81-82 needs corrupted or Irradiated waystones pushed beyond Tier 16. Higher item level unlocks more top-tier modifiers, so crafters pay a premium for the highest-ilvl bases, which only come from endgame maps, not while leveling.

Is hoarding worth it if I only play a couple of hours a night?

Yes: hoarding is the most time-efficient way to make currency at league start. You pick items up as you naturally play through the campaign and early maps, then list them in a single session on Day 3-5. It rewards a few well-timed trades rather than hours of grinding, which suits limited play time.

ECONOMY · 0.5 RUNES OF ALDUR

What to hoard in 0.5,
and when to sell

League-start economies follow a predictable curve. Day 1, everything is cheap or free because there's no trade data yet. By Day 3–5, crafters are desperate and prices peak. So the play isn't to grind: it's to grab the right bases early and sell into the spike. Here's exactly what to hoard, why it moves, and when to cash out.

01 Why hoarding beats grinding at league start

The first week has three phases. Hoarders win because they act in phase one and sell in phase three.

D1–2 · Level & bank

No trade site yet. While you level, bank currency, Verisium and runes and blitz the campaign to reach maps fast. (High-ilvl bases come later: they only drop at endgame tiers.)

D2–D3 · Meta forms

Trade prices stabilise, the meta crystallises. Your bases are worth ~3× what they were yesterday. Start watching Verisium + rune prices.

D3–D5 · Sell window

Crafting rush peaks → sell. Demand is highest while supply is still thin. This is the cash-out, not Day 1.

The mistake: vendoring Day-1 bases because "they're worth nothing," or panic-selling everything the moment trade opens. The value is in the spike: hoard early, sell at peak.

02 The hoard list · what & when

Two buckets: what you bank while leveling, and the meta bases you farm once you're in red maps (T15–16), which, since you blitz tiers, is only a few days in, not Day 1. Prices are rough first-week estimates, not live quotes. Check the live market before you list.

Bank while you level (Day 1+) · stuff that drops on the way to maps:

Verisium

The league resource from Ezomyte Remnants, and Remnants appear from Act 1, so you genuinely bank it while leveling. Spent on Runeforging; every crafter needs it. Demand climbs with the runecrafting rush: sell D3–D5.

Runes + Soul Cores

Runeforging fuel that drops as you play. Crafters pay premiums rather than farm them: Perfect-tier runes and named Soul Cores especially. Rough: Ancient ≈ 3 ex · Soul Core ≈ 8 ex, peaking D3–D4.

Farm once you hit red maps (T15–16) · item level = the map's area level, so these only drop at the top: ilvl 80 at T16, 81–82 from corrupted waystones.

High-ilvl Spear bases

Spirit Walker / Huntress made spears the meta phys weapon. Crafters want the highest ilvl they can get for Tier-1 rolls. Bank them as you farm red maps → list 15–25 ex into the rush.

High-ilvl Bow bases

Mirage Snipe Deadeye's core. Top-ilvl bow bases roll the best crit + APS. Fierce demand once the meta forms.

High-ilvl Gloves

Tempest Bell Martial Artist's glove-augment mechanic makes endgame gloves a hard requirement. Crafters pay premium for high-ilvl T1 bases.

New Breach bases

The Breach rework added a new armour base and 14 new jewellery bases (6 ring · 4 amulet · 4 belt). The early market won't know correct prices: hold to D3–D4, then sell into discovery.

03 When to sell · the window

Day 3–5 is the cash-out. Sell into demand, not supply: don't dump your whole stash in one listing spree. Drip the high-value items as buyers appear, and watch the live market so you price against today's reality rather than yesterday's. After the first week, everyone has farmed their own bases and the premium evaporates.

Two-hours-a-night version: bank currency + Verisium while you level, grab the meta bases once you're in red maps, then spend one focused session on D3–D4 listing it all. You don't need to no-life it. You need a few well-timed trades.

04 Where this tool fits

Turn the strategy into tonight's actions:

Hoard List: the live, curated targets with sell windows and current flip flags.
Price Check: live currency prices so you sell into demand at the peak, not the trough.
Stash Valuator: paste your stash, see what it's worth at live prices.
Should I craft?: before you sink currency into a base, check whether the craft is worth it.

▸ OPEN THE HOARD LIST LIVE MARKET

05 Quick FAQ

What's the single best thing to hoard?

Verisium and currency while you level (you'll bank these naturally), then high-ilvl meta-weapon bases (spears, bows) once you're farming red maps. All are consumed constantly by crafters through the first week.

I missed Day 1. Is it too late?

No. The high-ilvl bases come from endgame maps anyway, so what matters is reaching red maps and farming into the D3–D5 peak, not Day-1 timing. League materials (Verisium, runes) you bank while leveling hold value until supply catches up.

Should I sell for Exalted or Divine?

Price in whatever the buyers are using: early league that's mostly Exalted, with Divine appearing as the economy matures. Watch the live market for the current Divine-to-Exalted ratio before pricing big items.

Hoard targets reflect our curated Day-1 list for 0.5 Runes of Aldur; prices are first-week estimates, not live quotes. Always check the live market before listing. PoE 2 evolves fast; if something drifts, tell us and we'll fix it.

What to hoard in 0.5,and when to sell