The Problem with Mythic Uniques

Path of Exile has always featured unique items as part of Path of Exile 2 Currency its core identity, but Path of Exile 2 introduced a tiered system: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic Uniques. The latter are the true “chase items” in the game, meant to be the rarest and most desirable drops, often build-defining or power-spiking for specific archetypes.

The issue? These Mythic Uniques were so rare that they were practically unobtainable.

For context: the Mythic-tier amulet Astramentis was found to be 47,000 times rarer than a Divine Orb, one of the game’s top-tier currency items.

Players rightfully pointed out that such a drop rate made the chase feel pointless, especially in a seasonal ARPG model where builds only last a few months.

The Mechanics Behind the Problem

Grinding Gear Games explained that PoE2’s unique drop system rolls for an Item Class first, then picks a unique item from that class. For example, if the system chooses "boots," it only pulls from boots, making it impossible to get a rare amulet, sword, or helmet in that roll.

This item class filtering meant that certain Mythic Uniques became vanishingly rare due to their class being picked so infrequently. 

Combined with Path of Exile 2 having fewer total Uniques than PoE1 (due to the game still being in development), the system unintentionally bottlenecked Mythics into buy POE 2 Exalted Orbs obscurity.