In Path of Exile 3.28: Mirage, there have always been various methods for earning currency, and Boss Rushing stands out as one of the most lucrative farming strategies available. The core concept involves making a beeline straight for the map boss, eliminating them, and immediately exiting the map. This method maximizes returns on boss-exclusive drops, such as Uber Boss Fragments, Maven Invitations, and various other unique spoils, typically yielding a profit of 20 to 25 Divine Orbs per hour.
However, with several distinct Boss Rush strategies currently viable in PoE 3.28, a persistent question remains: which strategy actually offers the highest returns?
Here, POECurrency.com sets out to compare three different types of Nightmare Boss Rush farming strategies: Fortress, Ziggurat, and Abomination. We will compare the specific loot drops generated by each map type during a one-hour farming session, as well as the resulting Divine Orb earnings per hour, to help you determine which farming strategy best suits your specific circumstances!
Atlas Setup
Before we dive into the farming process, let’s take a look at Atlas setup used for this Nightmare Boss Rush experiment. It is actually quite simple: we allocated almost every available Atlas Passive point that boosts map drop rates to ensure a steady supply of additional maps, while also fully investing in all Explicit Modifiers nodes.
It is worth noting that during our Boss Rush runs, we did not utilize any scarabs. However, if you feel the need for extra assistance, you might consider using Scarab of the Sinistral and Scarab of the Dextral. The effect of these two Scarabs is to disable all Nightmare modifiers within Nightmare maps, thereby making your Boss Rush runs significantly smoother and less challenging.
Therefore, if you have a generous PoE currency budget, you can leverage Scarab system to gain a distinct advantage. However, this is not strictly mandatory; during our testing, we achieved substantial profits even without using these two specific scarabs at any point. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure and to further boost our returns, we ensured that every map we ran included affixes that increased the quantity of dropped items.
Nightmare Map Drop Test
Now, join POECurrency as we turn our attention to a Nightmare Boss Rush strategy run.
Before we begin, we must remind you that the current market price for a standard-quality Nightmare map is approximately 25 Chaos Orbs. Therefore, if you wish to maximize your mapping profits, you will need to have some initial capital ready. This is where we can help: POECurrency.com currently has a vast supply of PoE currency for sale, backed by a 24/7 support team ensuring you receive your currency in the shortest possible time so you can start your boss rush immediately!
Fortress
Getting down to business: regarding the first map – Fortress – the clear speed is simply astonishing. Utilizing a highly mobile build, we typically take only about 45 seconds to complete a single Fortress map. Consequently, over the course of a full hour, we cleared a total of 67 Fortress maps, an undeniably impressive figure.
As for loot drops in Fortress, Yoke of Suffering Amulet is an almost guaranteed drop. Currently, the market price for an unidentified version is around 55 Chaos Orbs; however, you can try identifying it to test your luck, you might just roll a version with top-tier attributes, allowing you to sell it for a premium and generate additional profit.
Across our total of 67 mapping runs, we dropped approximately 3 Yoke of Suffering amulets, averaging one drop for every 20 map runs.
In addition to this, during our farming session, we also harvested roughly 60 Decaying Fragments, 43 Synthesising Fragments, 2 Screaming Invitations, and a number of maps. The current market price for these maps sits at around 5 Chaos Orbs each; if sold in bulk, they can fetch as much as 7 Chaos Orbs apiece.
All things considered, after one hour of farming, our total gross revenue amounted to approximately 29 Divine Orbs. Given that we incurred an initial cost of 6 Divine Orbs prior to the run, our net profit falls between 23 and 24 Divine Orbs, a truly substantial return.
Of course, this figure should be treated as a reference point only, as the element of RNG plays a significant role in these results. If luck isn’t entirely on your side, your returns might be slightly lower; however, if you happen to drop a greater number of maps and fragments, your profits could be even higher.
Compared to other maps, Fortress is a rather excellent choice, especially considering that Fortress map itself offers an incredibly fast-paced and highly enjoyable farming experience. The only downside is that Mirage rarely spawns directly next to the boss; given the map’s massive size, you will probably spend the majority of your boss rush time constantly running from one end of the map to the other.
Ziggurat
The next map on our list is Ziggurat. When running a boss rush on this map, the biggest pain point is the boss fight against Catarina itself, which tends to be quite drawn-out. Even if your character possesses extremely high damage output, capable of instantly one-shotting enemies, you are still forced to spend time waiting for Catarina to cycle through her various combat phases.
Consequently, during our one-hour mapping session, we were only able to complete 23 Ziggurat maps. This relatively high completion rate was largely thanks to the fact that Mirage in Ziggurat maps tends to spawn near the boss more frequently, allowing you to immediately challenge Catarina again directly within Mirage instance.
During our Ziggurat runs, we obtained 31 Devouring Fragments and 35 Blazing Fragments. Notably, the current market price for Blazing Fragments sits at approximately 46 Chaos Orbs; this means that, based on these fragments alone, we generated a profit equivalent to 6 Divine Orbs. In addition to this, the various map drops and extra loot we secured yielded a total return of roughly 25 Divine Orbs.
After deducting the cost of the maps themselves, approximately 2 Divine Orbs, we achieved a final net profit of 23 Divine Orbs per hour. However, we believe that in actual gameplay, your returns would likely be slightly higher, as the farming process also yields various forms of basic PoE currency.
Although the final profit figure was slightly lower than that of Fortress map, the latter’s primary profitability relies heavily on the rare drop of a high-value amulet, making it a more RNG-dependent strategy.
In terms of average returns, however, Ziggurat map likely holds the edge, particularly if you are capable of defeating Catarina boss as quickly as possible. Therefore, Ziggurat map represents a more robust and consistent farming strategy, whereas Fortress map leans more toward a strategy involving elements of gambling, after all, the drop of an Amulet is inherently a matter of luck.
Abomination
Finally, the last map we will introduce is Abomination. This map’s greatest advantage lies in its exceptionally high clearing efficiency; its completion speed is only slightly slower than that of Fortress map. With smooth execution, completing a single run takes approximately 50 seconds.
A notable feature of this map is the extremely high probability of a Mirage spawning directly on the map boss. This implies a correspondingly higher chance of obtaining additional drops, such as Blood Barrier. However, the increased likelihood of encountering a Mirage also directly results in a significant reduction in overall operational efficiency; during one hour of mapping, we were only able to complete 31 runs of Abomination map.
Upon completing this entire process, I had accumulated a total of 56 Reality Fragments and approximately 43 Awakening Fragments. Regrettably, Awakening Fragments are currently worth next to nothing, whereas Reality Fragments command a significantly higher market price. Based solely on these fragments, we generated a profit equivalent to roughly 28 Divine Orbs.
In addition to the fragments, there was a substantial quantity of standard map drops. As previously mentioned, if bundled and sold in bulk, these base maps could fetch an estimated 5 to 7 Divine Orbs.
In summary, after deducting all costs, the net hourly profit generated by running this map still stands at an impressive 25 Divine Orbs. This return is exceptionally lucrative, particularly when compared to other mapping strategies.
From our personal perspective, farming Abomination map typically takes the top spot, largely because the market price for Reality Fragments is currently at a premium. However, if you have a penchant for gambling, farming Fortress map remains an excellent choice; the potential for massive returns is always exhilarating. With a bit of luck, you might just manage to roll some truly exceptional affixes! This guide from POECurrency aims to help you identify the most profitable Boss Rush maps available. Good luck!