PoE Sanity

POE 1 Shipping Guide In 3.28 Mirage League - Tattoos and Runegrafts Are Huge Now - Path of Exile

By sirgogWatch videoDuration: PT18M31S

Summary

  • Economic Shift: Runegrafts and Tattoos have high “floor” values (minimum ~20-21 chaos) due to the 3-for-1 vendor recipe.
  • Mechanical Changes: Ores and bars now return currency (buffed), while crops now return equipment (nerfed).
  • Port Specialization: Karui ports grant specific tattoos; Kalguuran ports grant specific runegrafts.
  • Strategy 1 (Pondium): Send massive metal shipments (~50M value) to Pondium to hunt for Runegraft of the Warp, Runegraft of the Fortress, and Mirror Shards.
  • Strategy 2 (Ngakanu): Send smaller shipments (under 3.9M value) to Ngakanu to farm high-value Strength-based tattoos.
  • Strategy 3 (Ynda’s Stand): Complete port quotas at Pondium for a chance at the valuable unique belt, rerolling quotas for 15,000 gold when necessary.

The State of Shipping in Patch 3.28

While information from various sources has been analyzed, it is currently impossible to perfectly optimize Kingsmarch shipping. The exact internal formulas used by Grinding Gear Games (GGG) are not public. Any claims of a “flawless” mathematical optimization are likely speculative.

The 3.28 economy is unique. Every runegraft currently sells for at least 21 chaos because of the 3-for-1 vendor recipe. Similarly, many tattoos hold high value because they can also be vendored in a 3-for-1 recipe to chase more desirable outcomes.

Core Mechanical Changes

  1. Ores and Bars: These received a massive buff. Previously, they returned low-value equipment or miscellaneous items like stacked decks. They now return raw currency.
  2. Crops: These were significantly nerfed. They no longer return currency and instead reward equipment items.
  3. Port-Specific Rewards:
    • Karui Ports: Grant specific Tattoos.
    • Kalguuran Ports: Grant specific Runegrafts.
  4. Gold Sinks: Favored resources (port quotas) can now be rerolled for 15,000 gold.

The probability of receiving Mirror Shards appears to have decreased, likely due to a “crowded” loot table rather than a direct nerf. GGG significantly buffed the drop rates of Exalted Orbs (20x more common) and Regal Orbs. Because these now take up more “slots” on the returning boats, there is less room for top-tier rewards like Mirror Shards.

Current data suggests a 50 million value shipment of mixed bars averages approximately one Mirror Shard, though results vary from zero to three. Fracturing Orbs and Sacred Orbs are also possible but rare.

Strategy 1: Large Scale Pondium Fishing

This strategy focuses on the high value of intelligence-aligned runegrafts and Mirror Shards.

  • Target: Runegraft of the Warp (high value, mid-tier rarity) and Runegraft of the Fortress.
  • Port: Pondium (Intelligence-aligned).
  • Shipment Composition:
    1. Send 39.6 million value in metal bars.
    2. Add 10.4 million value in Thaumaturgic Dust to reach the 50 million cap.
  • Mechanics: Every ~400,000 non-dust shipment value returns one runegraft, capped at 99 runegrafts per shipment. Dust does not increase the number of runegrafts but does improve the quality of the currency returned.

Strategy 2: Small Scale Ngakanu Tattoo Farming

Tattoos are highly lucrative in 3.28, particularly the Strength-based (red) tattoos from the Ngakanu tribe.

  • Target: Strength Tattoos such as Valako Shield-bearer, Namahu Warmonger, and Namahu Fire-walker.
  • Port: Ngakanu.
  • Shipment Composition:
    1. Keep the shipment value at or below 3.9 million (excluding dust).
    2. Use any combination of resources (crops are acceptable here as the focus is on tattoos, not the currency).
  • Logic: Smaller, frequent shipments maximize the volume of tattoos. The red tattoo pool has significant “depth,” meaning even the common outcomes are propped up in value by the 3-for-1 vendor recipe.

Strategy 3: Port Quotas and Ynda’s Stand

Ynda’s Stand is a highly valuable unique belt (approx. 38 Divines) that converts base defenses into Ward. It is a potential reward for completing port quotas.

  1. Focus on the Orichalcum bounty at Pondium.
  2. Note that bars count for five units of a bounty, while ores count for one.
  3. If a port requests a resource you cannot provide (e.g., specific crops), right-click the port and pay 15,000 gold to reroll the quota.
  4. While some suggest using a Level 52 character to turn in shipments to narrow the unique item pool, the benefit is marginal and not strictly required.

Key References