PoE Sanity

T17's Fulfilling Their Original Goal as Nightmare Maps #podcast #pathofexile #poe #mirage

By DreamcoreWatch videoDuration: PT1M14S

Summary

  • Tier 17 maps have shifted from being primary scarab and cluster jewel farms to being utilized mainly for boss fragments.
  • Boss drops in T17 maps no longer scale with player quantity, changing the incentive structure for running them.
  • Players are utilizing specific scarabs to nullify map prefixes and suffixes, allowing them to run T17s as “white” maps to safely farm and duplicate fragments.
  • “16.5” maps (highly optimized Tier 16s) often provide a better farming experience than T17s due to superior layouts and lower reroll costs.

The Shift in T17 Utility

Tier 17 maps were previously defined by their ability to farm scarabs and cluster jewels. However, the introduction of operative scarabs has moved the bulk of scarab farming elsewhere. What remains in the T17 ecosystem are often unfavorable map layouts and specific boss drops. A significant change to the reward structure is that these boss drops no longer scale with player quantity, reducing the pressure to stack quantity for boss-specific loot.

Fragment Farming Strategies

Current high-level strategies involve stripping the difficulty out of Tier 17 maps while maintaining the rewards of the boss encounters. By using scarabs that nullify both prefixes and suffixes, players can effectively transform “Nightmare” maps into white maps with no modifiers.

This approach is being used by players like Spicy Sushi to repeatedly farm and duplicate fragments with minimal risk. This method highlights a disconnect in the intended difficulty of T17s, as the most efficient way to run them often involves removing the intended challenge entirely.

T17s vs. 16.5 Maps

The current economy makes Tier 16.5 maps a more attractive option for standard farming. Because Chaos Orbs are relatively cheap, rerolling maps to achieve optimal modifiers is more accessible.

When comparing 16.5s to T17s:

  1. Layouts: 16.5 maps generally offer better, more efficient layouts for clearing.
  2. Consistency: The gap between the difficulty of a “Nightmare” map and a heavily juiced T16 is narrowing.
  3. Efficiency: For “normal” farming operations, there is currently very little incentive to choose the difficult layouts of T17s over the optimized experience of a 16.5 map.

Key References