The PoE 2 market's been all over the place lately. One day it's Ancient City spam, the next day it's everyone doomposting about gold. I'm not even mad at the hustle, but most people are chasing the same crumbs. If you want steadier returns, look at what the whales actually buy: double-corrupted gear with the exact Vaal implicits they can't be bothered to roll themselves. That's why I started treating the Temple like a production line, not a side quest, and why some folks even grab poe 2 currency for sale early just to skip the "counting chaos orbs" phase and get moving.
Why Vaal Implicits Still Print
The new gem setup makes getting power online way easier, but it doesn't solve the implicit problem. People can put a build together fast, then they hit that wall: "I need this specific Vaal outcome, and I need it now." That impatience is the whole edge. Buying a Chronicle with a decent Corruption Room looks expensive on paper, sure, but the upside isn't linear. One solid hit can cover a pile of misses. And yeah, you'll brick items. That's part of it. What matters is you're selling luxury outcomes, not farming random currency like everyone else.
Connectivity Beats Perfection
Most guides obsess over room tiers like it's a checklist. In practice, pathing is the real make-or-break. If you chase a dream layout and lose the route to the Omnitect, you've basically set fire to your time and your splinters. I'd take a "good enough" temple I can clear fast over a perfect one that turns into a maze. Speed is the multiplier. On the Atlas, two passives do heavy lifting: 1) Time Dilation for breathing room on the clock, 2) Contested Development so you see your key rooms show up more often. Once that clicks, you'll notice the grind feels less like gambling and more like running a tight loop.
Running It Like a Loop
When you enter, don't play it like a normal map. Mobs are fuel, not a checklist. Pull up the Architect layout right away and commit to a direction. If your target wing is left, go left and don't second-guess it. Priority order stays simple: 1) Locus of Corruption, 2) Doryani's Institute, 3) everything else if it's on the way. The real "skill" here is keeping your tempo when the corruptions go bad, because they will. You're not trying to feel clever every run. You're trying to give yourself enough attempts that the big hits actually land.
Funding the Attempts
This is where people flame out. The entry cost is real: scarabs, decent bases, and enough buffer to eat a cold streak without panic-selling. If you're underfunded, you start making scared choices, and scared choices kill the strategy. Some players grind their way up, others just buy a starter stack and treat it like business capital, especially if they're short on time. If you do go that route, u4gm is the kind of site people use for quick currency pickups and smoother restocks, so they can stay focused on running temples instead of staring at the trade board.