In Path of Exile 2, there is often confusion about how individual mechanics work. This is intentional, as the developers do not want to reveal their cards too clearly. To explain a stat once and for all, a YouTuber delved deep into the subject.
Who is it about? The YouTuber Slipperyjim8 is a well-known YouTuber who often deals with Path of Exile 2 and its predecessor. The content of his videos often involves experiments for which he must first collect a lot of data in the games.
This time he dared an experiment in PoE2. He spent a whole 16 days killing enemies to prove how the often-discussed item rarity stat actually works.
You can see how good your items are with this NPC:
A lot of life spent for little new
What does he want to prove? According to the description, the item rarity stat in Path of Exile 2 ensures that enemies drop more valuable loot. However, this wording is too vague for many players.
In the community, there has been speculation from the beginning about how the stat really works. After all, the stat is important for increasing the chance of valuable items.
To put an end to the guessing game, content creator Slipperyjim8 launched his mission with the goal of discovering how the stat truly operates.
How did the experiment go? On December 23, 2024, Slipperyjim8 began his experiment. His first video on YouTube already contained data from 150 Waystone-clears. However, the results caused confusion rather than providing clarity.
The viewers justifiably criticized the data he collected. It was contradictory and had a significant flaw. In his analysis, he had not counted the “Scrolls of Wisdom”. These are considered currency items and therefore his data was not conclusive.
The comments turned somewhat personal. The YouTuber, known for his experiments, did not want to disappoint his fans, which is why the creator opted for a different approach in the next video. In the second video on YouTube, which was released just a week after the first, he appeared wearing a homemade tinfoil hat.
Under the motto “send good vibes”, he presented new data from over 500 defeated elite enemies. This time he had defeated the foes without increasing the rarity in any form.
He then repeated the process with more items that buffed his stat. Finally, he also played on maps with increased stats.
His experiment spanned 16 days and 1800 defeated elite enemies. For each foe, he noted the name as well as the modifications, since these also increase the stat and the loot that was dropped. In the end, he presented his results in a third video on YouTube.
How does the stat ultimately work? The results of the YouTuber are somewhat unsatisfying. He confirmed what the community believed from the beginning:
- Enemies drop common currency less often, and the currency they do drop is more valuable.
- The chance of finding magical and rare items significantly increases with higher rarity values.
The confusion of players about the stat likely arises because the amount of dropped currency in the game appears to be lower, which seems initially irritating. In reality, however, the quality noticeably improves.
For the YouTuber, the result is satisfactory. He says: “The reason why people say: ‘Oh my God, rarity is so broken, Breach is so broken!’ is that they look over the fence and think: ‘Damn, that guy looks like he’s getting a lot of money’ […] This is not how you should play this game. You should just do what you enjoy.”
That the mechanic works exactly as the community always thought may seem disheartening considering the many hours the creator put into the experiment, but at least there is now certainty about the function. However, one thing does not work in Path of Exile 2 the way one would wish: Players criticize the co-op mode of Path of Exile 2 because too much depends on one person
