In the grim world of Wraeclast, where power is extracted from the very essence of slain monsters and corrupted artifacts, there is no simple gold coin to be found. Instead, Path of Exile 1 presents a radical and brilliant economic system built entirely around functional **Currency** items. These are not mere tokens of value but tangible, consumable tools that directly interact with a player's gear and **Skill Gems**. This design creates a deeply interactive, player-driven economy where the medium of exchange is also the fundamental engine of character progression and item improvement.

Every primary **Currency** item in Path of Exile 1 has a direct, impactful use on equipment or gems. An **Orb of Alchemy** instantly transforms a normal item into a rare one. A **Chaos Orb** rerolls all the modifiers on a rare item. A **Chromatic Orb** randomly reassigns the socket colors on a piece of armor, which is critical for matching gem requirements. A **Vaal Orb**, the ultimate gamble, can corrupt an item, potentially elevating it to a powerful unique, destroying it entirely, or altering it in unpredictable ways. This transforms trading from an abstract numbers game into a barter system of tangible potential. You are not trading for money to buy a sword; you are trading a stack of **Chaos Orbs**—which represent chances to craft your own sword—for the sword itself. The economy becomes a marketplace of probability and crafting fuel, intimately tied to the core gameplay loop.

This system is perfectly intertwined with the game's **Skill Gem** mechanics. Active and support skills in Path of Exile 1 are not learned but socketed into equipment as physical gems that level up with use. **Currency** items are essential for managing this system. **Jeweller's Orbs** reroll the number of sockets on an item, while **Orbs of Fusing** reroll the links between those sockets. A six-linked chest armor, allowing one active skill to be supported by five others, is a pinnacle of power, and achieving it requires a significant investment of these **Currency** orbs. Thus, the hunt for gear is also a hunt for the currency to properly socket and link that gear. A great rare item drop with poor sockets is not a final product; it is a project requiring an investment of orbs to become usable.

The result is an economy of breathtaking depth and stability. Because **Currency** items always have inherent utility for crafting and improvement, they never become worthless. Their drop rates are carefully balanced against their demand, creating natural price points. The system encourages engagement at all levels; a new player's dropped **Orb of Alteration** has value to a veteran crafter, fostering trade. It removes the concept of vendor trash, as even the most common currency has purpose. In POE 1 Currency, wealth is not measured in abstract numbers but in a stash tab filled with the tangible potential to alter reality, one chaotic orb at a time. You are not just an adventurer; you are an alchemist, and the entire economy is your laboratory.