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Ancient OrbStack Size: 20Reforges a unique item as another of the same item classRight click this item then left click a unique item to apply it.
Shift click to unstack.
Ancient Orb inventory icon
Acquisition
Area level: 1
DROP RESTRICTED
Vendor Offer
1x Scroll Fragment
Metadata
Item class: Stackable Currency
Metadata ID: Metadata/Items/Currency/CurrencyRerollUnique

Ancient Orb is a currency item that can be used to reforge a unique item as another of the same item class in the broader sense of the term, such as "flask" instead of life/mana/hybrid/utility flask.[1] This will also change the sockets (if any) on the item.

Item acquisition
Questionmark

Upgrade paths

This item can be acquired through the following upgrade paths or vendor recipes:

AmountIngredientIngredient
Notes
General
Notes
Type
20Ancient Shard inventory iconAncient ShardAncient ShardStack Size: 20A stack of 20 shards becomes an Ancient Orb.
Shift click to unstack.
Ancient Shard inventory icon
N/AN/AManual
1Foreboding Incubator inventory iconForeboding IncubatorForeboding IncubatorAdds incubated valuable Currency Shards or a Harbinger item to an equippable item
Item drops after killing # monsters
valuable Currency Shards or Harbinger ItemRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters.
Foreboding Incubator inventory icon
Requires ilvl 68 or above Incubatorvaluable Currency Shards or Harbinger Item (random)Manual

Ancient Orb are acquired from combining shards. The orb itself is not league-specific, but the shard is an exclusive drop from Harbinger. Simply a drop-restricted item, Ancient Orb did not drop normally.

There are additional ways to acquire drop-restricted currencies including the Ancient Orb. For example, Harbinger chest in Heist and Grand Heist.

Spending[]

Reforging a unique item means the base item type can change when the orb is applied. Ancient Orbs do not change the inventory size of an item, so 2x4-sized "tower shields" for example stay within that group.[2] Unique cluster jewel are in the same group in other 1x1 jewel as well.[3]

Notably, unique items specific to past temporary leagues, such as Headhunter inventory iconHeadhunterHeadhunter
Leather Belt
Requires Level 40+(25-40) to maximum Life+(40-55) to Strength
+(40-55) to Dexterity
+(50-60) to maximum Life
(20-30)% increased Damage with Hits against Rare monsters
When you Kill a Rare monster, you gain its Modifiers for 20 seconds
"A man's soul rules from a cavern of bone, learns and
judges through flesh-born windows. The heart is meat.
The head is where the Man is."
- Lavianga, Advisor to Kaom
Headhunter inventory icon
can be obtained with an Ancient Orb only while standing in a map to which the appropriate league's mod has been added with Zana's Map Device.[confirmation needed because of 3.14 change]

It is worth noting that using Ancient Orb will remove any influences, as well as remove enchantments from the item. Links and Sockets are re-rolled as well.

Mechanic restrictions[]

Ancient orb cannot roll the following type of items:


Ancient orb is also restricted by the following in order:

  1. Base size of the item
  2. ilvl of the item[speculation?]
  3. Zone you orb the item (e.g. Map Device - Nemesis for chance at getting a Headhunter)

Item level differences, compared to Orb of Chance[]

Orb of Chance inventory iconOrb of ChanceOrb of ChanceStack Size: 20Upgrades a normal item to a random rarityRight click this item then left click a normal item to apply it.
Shift click to unstack.
Orb of Chance inventory icon
, the other currency item that can generate unique items, ignores the drop level of the targeted unique item. For Orb of Chance inventory iconOrb of ChanceOrb of ChanceStack Size: 20Upgrades a normal item to a random rarityRight click this item then left click a normal item to apply it.
Shift click to unstack.
Orb of Chance inventory icon
, the item level of the base does not matter,[4] as long as the item level of the base is greater than the required level to equip that base.[5] Most unique items have a drop level that is equal to the required level to equip that unique, but some unique items have a higher drop level than needed to equip them, such as Skyforth inventory iconSkyforthSkyforth
Sorcerer Boots
Quality: +20%
Energy Shield: 58
Requires Level 67, 123 Int+(60-120) to maximum Mana
30% increased Movement Speed
25% chance to gain a Power Charge on Critical Strike
6% reduced Mana Reserved
You have no Life Regeneration
Stun Threshold is based on 500% of your Mana instead of Life
The quick die young, the brilliant go mad,
and the powerful stand alone in a wasteland of their own creation.
Skyforth inventory icon
.

GGG has not officially clarified whether there is a similar item level restriction for Ancient Orbs. In practice, though, Ancient Orbs apparently are allowed to reroll low item level unique items to into higher drop level items. It is rumoured that this feature of Ancient Orbs can be used to eliminate undesired uniques in order to have a slightly higher chance to roll Headhunter inventory iconHeadhunterHeadhunter
Leather Belt
Requires Level 40+(25-40) to maximum Life+(40-55) to Strength
+(40-55) to Dexterity
+(50-60) to maximum Life
(20-30)% increased Damage with Hits against Rare monsters
When you Kill a Rare monster, you gain its Modifiers for 20 seconds
"A man's soul rules from a cavern of bone, learns and
judges through flesh-born windows. The heart is meat.
The head is where the Man is."
- Lavianga, Advisor to Kaom
Headhunter inventory icon
.

For example, using ilvl 40-43 unique belts, Ancient Orbs can still roll drop level 48-ish unique belts, but not higher. Players have speculated that this ancient orb feature could be used on certain item classes which have fated unique. In this case, the Ancient Orb would function differently than an Orb of Chance:

E.G. The lowest ilvl 2x4 bow is a Storm Cloud inventory iconStorm CloudStorm Cloud
Long Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Elemental Damage: 1-85
Critical Strike Chance: 6.00%
Attacks per Second: (1.77-1.95)
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 9, 38 DexNo Physical Damage
Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage
(36-50)% increased Attack Speed
Centuries of development in steel armoursmithing
turned the armies of the Eternal Empire
into very effective lightning rods.
Storm Cloud inventory icon
(ilvl 9), which has a fated versionStorm Cloud inventory iconThe TempestThe Tempest
Long Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Elemental Damage: 1-85
Critical Strike Chance: 6.00%
Attacks per Second: (1.77-1.95)
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 32, 38 DexNo Physical Damage
100% increased Lightning Damage
Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage
(36-50)% increased Attack Speed
Where steel-grey clouds gather and crash together, a storm is sure to follow.
Storm Cloud inventory icon
(ilvl 32) If you were to use Ancient Orb on any 2x4 ilvl 1 bow, it can roll up to an ilvl 32 bow, but never anything beyond.[6]

This is the result of experimentation by players. There is no official explanation for the actual mechanic.

Examples[]

A unique item that have a low ilvl, can be flipped to item that have higher required level to equip or on a base that have a higher drop level.

For example, an ilvl 2 Prismweave inventory iconPrismweavePrismweave
Rustic Sash
Requires Level 25(12-24)% increased Global Physical DamageAdds (7-8) to (15-16) Fire Damage to Attacks
Adds (5-6) to (12-14) Cold Damage to Attacks
Adds 1 to (30-34) Lightning Damage to Attacks
+(6-8)% to all Elemental Resistances
30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills during any Flask Effect
10% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills
Nothing is as vivid as the rage of battle
Prismweave inventory icon
can be flipped to Belt of the Deceiver inventory iconBelt of the DeceiverBelt of the Deceiver
Heavy Belt
Requires Level 20+(25-35) to Strength(15-25)% increased Global Physical Damage
You take 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes
+(30-40) to maximum Life
+(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances
Nearby Enemies are Intimidated
In battle, virtue matters not.
Only victory.
Belt of the Deceiver inventory icon
(a unique Heavy Belt inventory iconHeavy BeltHeavy BeltRequires Level 8+(25-35) to StrengthHeavy Belt inventory icon, which the base requires lvl 8 to drop)[7]

Another example, an ilvl 1 Storm Cloud inventory iconStorm CloudStorm Cloud
Long Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Elemental Damage: 1-85
Critical Strike Chance: 6.00%
Attacks per Second: (1.77-1.95)
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 9, 38 DexNo Physical Damage
Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage
(36-50)% increased Attack Speed
Centuries of development in steel armoursmithing
turned the armies of the Eternal Empire
into very effective lightning rods.
Storm Cloud inventory icon
can be flipped to Death's Harp inventory iconDeath's HarpDeath's Harp
Death Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Physical Damage: (44-49) to (116.6-129.85)
Critical Strike Chance: (6.50%-7.50%)
Attacks per Second: 1.32
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 32, 107 Dex(30-50)% increased Critical Strike Chance(100-125)% increased Physical Damage
10% increased Attack Speed
+50% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier
Bow Attacks fire an additional Arrow
The mournful music of the strings,
The creaking arch, the arrow sings.
A choking cry, a rattled breath,
The Reaper's Song, the Harp of Death.
Death's Harp inventory icon
(on a bow base that requires lvl 32 to drop) by using Ancient Orb (skipping lower required level 2x4 sized bows Roth's Reach inventory iconRoth's ReachRoth's Reach
Recurve Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Physical Damage: (19.8-22) to (61.2-68)
Critical Strike Chance: 6.70%
Attacks per Second: (1.30-1.35)
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 18, 65 Dex+(15-25)% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier(60-80)% increased Physical Damage
(4-8)% increased Attack Speed
Skills Chain +1 times
30% increased Projectile Speed
(20-40)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills
"Exiled to the sea; what a joke.
I'm more free than I've ever been."
- Captain Weylam "Rot-tooth" Roth of the Black Crest
Roth's Reach inventory icon
(lvl 18) and Doomfletch inventory iconDoomfletchDoomfletch
Royal Bow
Bow
Quality: +20%
Physical Damage: (26.4-31.2) to (73.2-78)
Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
Attacks per Second: (1.59-1.65)
Weapon Range: 120
Requires Level 28, 95 Dex(20-24)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack SkillsAdds (12-16) to (20-24) Physical Damage
(10-14)% increased Attack Speed
60% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
Gain 100% of Weapon Physical Damage as Extra Damage of a random Element
"Toasted or frozen
Or twitching in the light
I'm not fussy
And neither is Death."
- Koralus Doomfletch
Doomfletch inventory icon
(lvl 28) ).[8]

Yet another example, by using ilvl 41-43 unique belts, streamer mbXtreme still able to roll Soul Tether inventory iconSoul TetherSoul Tether
Cloth Belt
Requires Level 48(15-25)% increased Stun and Block Recovery+(20-40) to Intelligence
Gain (4-6)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield
Immortal Ambition
Vaal bloodpriests were among the earliest intellectuals on record.
It was they who found that a newly freed soul would
desperately cling to any other source of life.
Soul Tether inventory icon
(base drop level 16; unique requires character level 48 to equip) as 2 of his 111 outcome.[9] His another attempt, using ilvl 40-42 unique belts, yielded a similar result: ilvl cannot block Soul Tether inventory iconSoul TetherSoul Tether
Cloth Belt
Requires Level 48(15-25)% increased Stun and Block Recovery+(20-40) to Intelligence
Gain (4-6)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield
Immortal Ambition
Vaal bloodpriests were among the earliest intellectuals on record.
It was they who found that a newly freed soul would
desperately cling to any other source of life.
Soul Tether inventory icon
. Despite out of his 1337 Ancient Orbs, no other unique belts (such as Immortal Flesh inventory iconImmortal FleshImmortal Flesh
Leather Belt
Requires Level 50+(25-40) to maximum Life+(75-100) to maximum Life
Regenerate (66.7-75) Life per second
Regenerate (8-10) Mana per second
-(25-15)% to all Elemental Resistances
-(50-40) Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits
40% increased Armour while not Ignited, Frozen or Shocked
"She begged the Earth to spare her Son;
Out of love the Earth agreed.
To the other Elements she did not speak
And out of spite They plotted."
- Berek and the Untamed
Immortal Flesh inventory icon
or Gluttony inventory iconGluttonyGluttony
Leather Belt
Requires Level 8+(25-40) to maximum Life+(60-80) to maximum Life
You have Culling Strike against Cursed Enemies
(20-28) Life gained for each Cursed Enemy hit by your Attacks
(10-14) Mana gained for each Cursed Enemy hit by your Attacks
Take (100-200) Physical Damage when you use a Movement Skill
You have no Armour or Maximum Energy Shield
What started as a desire to feed
became a desire to learn...
Gluttony inventory icon
, at that time requires high level to equip) that have a higher required character level than Soul Tether, have been rolled.[10]

Version history[]

Version Changes
3.14.0
  • Can now only be dropped from Foreboding Incubator inventory iconForeboding IncubatorsForeboding IncubatorAdds incubated valuable Currency Shards or a Harbinger item to an equippable item
    Item drops after killing # monsters
    valuable Currency Shards or Harbinger ItemRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters.
    Foreboding Incubator inventory icon
    of level 68 or higher.
3.0.0
  • Introduced to the game.

References[]

  1. (August 7, 2017). "Bug report: Ancient orb or wiki are wrong". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  2. Slipperyjim8 (August 24, 2017). "Using 100 Ancient Orbs: Shields". YouTube. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  3. mbluew (March 20, 2020). "PSA: Don't ancient orb your unique cluster jewels.". Path of Exile subreddit. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  4. Version 1.0.0g Patch note: The Orb of Chance inventory iconOrb of ChanceOrb of ChanceStack Size: 20Upgrades a normal item to a random rarityRight click this item then left click a normal item to apply it.
    Shift click to unstack.
    Orb of Chance inventory icon
    can now generate Uniques that are higher than the itemlevel of the base type you're trying to roll.
  5. Rhys (July 11, 2013). "Re: ilvl requirement on soul taker?". Official Path of Exile Forums. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  6. iamuberfriendly (October 17, 2020). "ilvl 1 bow vs ancient orb (mechanics explanation in description)". YouTube. Retrieved Ocrober 12, 2020.
  7. nikidino8 (September 16, 2019). "Ancient Orb in Blight League". Youtube. [dead link]
  8. neohongkong (February 12, 2020). "Path of Exile 3.9.2e Ancient Orb does ignore ilvl". YouTube. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  9. mbXtreme (November 8, 2018). "[PATH OF EXILE] – 111 ANCIENT ORBS VS UNIQUE BELTS – HEADHUNTER GAMBLE". YouTube. Retrieved Ocrober 12, 2020.
  10. mbXtreme (June 8, 2019). "[PATH OF EXILE] – 1337 ANCIENT ORBS VS UNIQUE BELTS – LEGION SACRIFICE!". YouTube. Retrieved Ocrober 12, 2020.
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