PoE 3.21 Crucible League is here, let's talk about how to get your first six-link weapon or gear as fast as possible at league start!
Path of Exile 3.21 Best & Fast Ways To Get 6-Links at Crucible League Start
Acquiring your first six-link is one of the most critical early-game character upgrades in a new league. It's advisable to have a plan in place to obtain it by the time you reach level 83 or 84. Faster players may even achieve this on the first day of the league. However, if you're not among the faster players, these tips will still be useful to you. It's worth noting that these tips in getting 6-link in Crucible League take into account all of the known POE 3.21 changes regarding the maps available on the Atlas, the tiers of those maps, and the divination cards that drop in each map.
Way 1 - Tabula Rasa
- Sockets are flexible
-Extremely strong if your build isn't properly planned
-Can easily get a +2 for 40-50c for Spellcasters/Dot builds
Tabula Rasa is still one of the most sought-after items at League start obviously and that is mostly because the sockets are flexible, we'll have stuff down the line which actually has stats but it doesn't have this flexibility which is especially good if you didn't plan out your league starter. Maybe you didn't have time to, maybe you want to play a new skill and you don't know what's going on right, you can always redo your sockets with some of the other options on this list maybe you're not as lucky, if you want a red socket instead of a green socket that could cost you a ton of Chromatic Orb s or even valorps. Another big upside for Tabula Rasa is for spellcasters or damage over time builds, the kind of things that scale really well with plus to gem levels. You can easily get that plus too on the Tabula Rasa because people are just corrupting it randomly, maybe they're finding it randomly from a divination card. And for a lot of those skills plus two usually means around about 20 to 24 more damage which at that point would mean it's basically a settling.
Way 2 - Corrupted 6-Links
-Gets you stats like Life/Armour/Evasion/Spell Suppress/Resistance
-Extra costs for initial coloring
-Not flexible if you change your build
-Extremely good for fully planned out builds
-Hard to resell
Corrupted six-links have several advantages and disadvantages. The most significant advantage is that you can obtain stats on them, which can make a big difference in your gear's overall effectiveness. Even a small increase in life or resistance can help you cap your resistance and provide enough damage to progress through the game. Additionally, extra evasion can significantly increase your survivability during the league starts when gear options are limited. Furthermore, if you require spell suppression, corrupted six-links can provide a significant boost, although you'll need an evasion base to benefit from it. However, it's essential to note that you might not get the perfect colors for your build, which can result in having to recolor and spend extra Chromatic Orb s. This can make the build less flexible, and reselling it can be difficult since finding someone who needs the exact same colors as you can be challenging. Overall, if you plan your build carefully beforehand, a corrupted six-link can be an excellent option. However, if you're not sure about your build, reselling can be tricky and may not be worth the investment.
Way 3 - Tainted Orb of Fusing
-Cheaper than Orb of Fusing
-Easy Corruption with Beastcrafting (can't brick your item)
-4 on average to get a 6-link
The Tainted Orb of Fusing can be quite confusing, especially for players who didn't play during the Scourge league. When these corrupted currencies were first introduced in 3.16, obtaining Tainted Orb of Fusing s was relatively easy as they dropped frequently. Even with the reworked Beyond league, it's still usually cheaper than using regular Orb of Fusing s for six-linking, even at the start of a new league. However, it's important to note that you'll still need to corrupt your body armor, and the savings aren't significant. Nonetheless, there are some good use cases for Tainted Orb of Fusing s. One of the best use cases is for corrupted chests with plus two levels, which can offer various benefits like increased duration, area of effect, or projectile damage. These chests can be easily corrupted using Tainted Orb of Fusing s. Keep in mind that we can't predict future drop rate changes or other uses for the Orb of Fusing , which may impact its price. However, at present, Tainted Orb of Fusing s tend to be cheaper than regular Orb of Fusing s. On average, it takes about Tainted Orb of Fusing s to six-link a chest.
Making a 6-Link with Tainted Orb of Fusing Step by Step:
1 - 6-Socket your item
2 - 5-Link your item
3 - 30% corrupt it with Beastcraft
4 - 50% chance for immediate 6-Link
5 - If you fail, try again. If it goes back to 5-link: 50/50 chance for a 6-link. If it goes to 3-link, recraft 4-link on the Crafting Beach, then go again.
Way 4 - Divination Cards
-Farmable for SSF (depending on the card)
-Chains that Blind are insane if your colors are flexible
-Emperor of Purity of you don't need Spell Suppress
-Porcupine for DoT Bow Build (EA Ballisya etc)
The primary method for acquiring six-links is through targeted farming of divination cards. Divination cards are a huge source of six-links for people especially good in Solo Self Found where you can't just go to trade and buy a corrupted six-link.
Best Div Cards To Farm For 6-Links in PoE 3.21
However, not all divination cards are equally viable options for 6-links, as some cards are extremely rare and difficult to obtain.Now there are a few ones that are better than others:
Chains that Bind
Drop Location: T10 Cells (better choice in trade, also drops the Nurse), T14 Dungeon
Drop Weight: 1000-ish
The number one cheap alternative here is the Chains that Bind, this can only go up to level 80. If it doesn't specify any level here, it will basically go with your character level but only up to level 80. Now not going higher than level 80 is especially bad if you're something like an Energy Shield base because they usually want higher numbers, so you're going to have to get something else, you also can draw up to your spell suppression.
The Dapper Prodigy
Drop Location: Residence
Drop weight: 2638-ish
For something like that, you would need the Dapper Prodigy, it's basically the same as the Chains that Bind just that it is item level 100 but obviously also a lot more expensive. The Dapper Prodigy provides an excellent base and can serve as an upgrade for Chains that Blind chest once you've outgrown it. However, efficiently farming this item requires three Voidstones. In a two-Voidstone Residence, normal monsters drop loot with a level cap of 79, which makes it impossible to farm The Dapper Prodigy efficiently without the additional Voidstone.
The Porcupine
Drop Location: T4 Orchard, T14 Terrace, T5 Courtyard, T10 Plaza
Drop Rate: 4000-ish
Porcupine is an excellent Div Card to farm for 6-linked items, especially for those who prioritize gem levels over hit damage in bow builds. With an item level of 50, it's ideal for rolling +3 gem levels, making it a great option for those who want to scale their builds through gem levels. While it may not be useful for builds that rely on hit damage, it's easy to obtain and highly beneficial for Damage-over-Time (DoT) builds. The fact that a bow with a plus-two level doesn't require high item level makes it even more advantageous, as you can easily enhance it with an Essence.
Emperor of Purity
Drop weight: 1500-ish
If you don't need spell suppression and you're fine with a armor Energy Shield base, you can also go for Emperor of Purity, they're usually cheap.
Imperial Legacy
Drop Location: T12 Desert Spring, T2 Dry Sea, T2 Dunes
Dropweight: 100000-ish
If you prefer to use bow hit builds, then Imperial Legacy can be an excellent choice, even if you aspire to use bows like Thicket, Short, or Grove Bow. However, if you intend to use an imperial bow, Imperial Legacy might not be the most optimal option, despite the fact that it can be acquired quite easily.
Other Div Cards
The rest are maybe not used as much and too rare to farm efficiently, but we quickly go over them: Draped in Dreams, Immortal Resolve, The Celestial Justicar, The Dark Mage (can be strong on a staff build but usually on most cases you want to go with Shield charge so you can't, but if this is fine with you then Dark Mage is going to be exceptionally cheap for a six-link), the Ethereal (s it doesn't say an item level so it's the highest that can go to level 80).
Way 5 - Bad Bases
- Rewards you for playing off-Meta builds
- Especially strong on 2-hand Melee, staff spellcasters
- Look for weak Body Armor Bases if you don't care about Arm/Eva/ES
This strategy rewards players who use off-meta builds, especially for melee characters who can benefit from two-handers and don't necessarily need a six-link in their body armor. Players can obtain these six-links for cheap by trading in divination cards that others might not care about. This is particularly beneficial for those who don't need high-level body armor bases like the Assassin's Garb, which can be expensive to six-link. Instead, players can opt for cheaper bases like the Eelskin Tunic, which have lower evasion and can save them a lot of currency. These bases also typically have lower stat requirements for dexterity, intelligence, and strength, making them easier to obtain off-color sockets. Additionally, these cheaper bases can be easily crafted with stats, offering players the benefits of both a corrupted six-link and a Tabula Rasa.
Way 6 - Off-Meta Uniques
Off meta unique six links are also something you should always check. If you have any unique in your build that you think might be off-meta, always check if people actually just drop them, sometimes they drop them from ball temples six-links, and sometimes they drop them from a certain League mechanic. And if nobody plays a build with it, then at some point they're going to price it down and you could get a really good deal.
Those are some of the most effective ways to obtain a six-link at the beginning of the POE 3.21 Crucible league. Hopefully, you can learn a tip or two from this information and make your league start a bit smoother. We wish everyone a successful and enjoyable league start!
