Path of Exile PS4: Beginners Guide to Loot Filters

TL;DR

  • Loot filters prevent screen clutter and improve game performance significantly
  • Filter selection should evolve with your character progression and current goals
  • Constrict filters offer the best balance by preserving currency visibility
  • Use left stick click to temporarily reveal hidden items for specific recipes
  • Advanced players benefit from stricter filters while beginners need more visibility

Welcome, Exile! This comprehensive guide from MmoGah will transform how you approach item management in the PlayStation 4 edition of Path of Exile. Loot filters are essential tools that determine which items appear on your screen, dramatically improving both gameplay clarity and system performance.

Special acknowledgment to BullShifter’s original video content that inspired this guide. Without proper filtering, your screen becomes overwhelmed with every possible drop, making it difficult to spot valuable items and potentially causing frame rate drops during intense combat situations.

poe ps4 guide to loot filters

The fundamental purpose of loot filters is to selectively display items based on their potential value to your current build and progression stage. This selective visibility prevents information overload and allows you to focus on combat rather than constantly sorting through irrelevant drops.

A critical PS4-specific feature: pressing the left stick inward temporarily reveals all hidden items, giving you full control when needed for specific crafting recipes or currency farming.

Beginner-Friendly Filter Options

The Soft filter represents the most permissive setting, primarily removing basic white items while preserving most magic (blue) items, rare (yellow) items, and all currency. This is ideal for new players who need to build their initial currency reserves and learn item values through exposure.

When advancing to Regular, you’ll notice minimal changes from Soft – both settings maintain generous visibility to support early game learning curves.

Intermediate Filter Progression

Semi-Strict introduces significant filtering by hiding lower-tier rare items that the system identifies as having poor stat combinations or low item level value.

The Strict filter takes this further by concealing scrolls (Wisdom and Portal) once you’ve accumulated sufficient quantities. This creates cleaner screens while preserving access to valuable currency and higher-quality rare items.

Advanced Endgame Settings

Very Strict aggressively filters out most rare items, scrolls, and augmentation orbs, making it suitable for players focused on speed-running content they’ve already mastered.

At the extreme end, Uber Strict eliminates visibility of low-level currencies and gems, reserving screen space exclusively for high-value endgame drops and six-socket items.

Uber Plus represents the most restrictive option, hiding virtually everything except premium currency, valuable divination cards, and top-tier unique items.

Constrict

The Constrict filter series offers specialized variations that maintain currency visibility while applying strict filtering to other item categories.

Constrict 1 provides Strict-level filtering while preserving all currency visibility, including scrolls. This makes it exceptionally versatile for players who want efficient farming without sacrificing currency collection opportunities.

Constrict 2 mirrors Very Strict settings but continues displaying all currency types and scrolls for comprehensive collection.

Constrict 3 maintains the currency visibility principle while hiding scrolls, armor upgrade components, and lower-value divination cards.

Constrict 4 aligns with Uber Strict parameters, concealing scrolls, armor currency, and undesirable divination cards.

Constrict 5 matches Uber Plus Strict intensity while preserving visibility of all premium currencies.

From extensive gameplay experience, Constrict 1 emerges as the optimal choice for most players. It balances screen cleanliness with the ability to collect all currency types, making it superior to standard filter options for balanced progression.

A crucial strategic consideration involves crafting recipes. If you’re actively pursuing the Chaos Orb or Regal Orb recipes requiring multiple rare items, stricter filters may conceal necessary components. The left stick reveal function becomes essential here.

Performance optimization represents another significant benefit. Each rendered item consumes system resources, so reducing on-screen clutter through proper filtering can improve frame rates during dense combat scenarios or breach encounters.

Common mistake: Players often stick with beginner filters too long, missing efficiency gains. Conversely, switching to advanced filters too early can cause you to miss valuable early-game currency and crafting materials.

Advanced players should consider filter cycling – using stricter settings for speed farming known content, then reverting to more permissive filters when exploring new areas or hunting specific items.

For optimal results, match your filter intensity to your current gameplay objectives. Are you currency farming? Speed running? Completing challenges? Each goal benefits from different filter configurations.

To summarize the strategic approach: Use Semi-Strict for balanced visibility of rare items, or embrace Constrict 1 if you prioritize currency visibility and don’t mind using the left stick reveal for recipe completion.

This concludes our comprehensive loot filter guide. For additional Path of Exile expertise, explore our complete Battlefield 6 Guide and other gaming resources. Remember that proper filter management significantly enhances both your efficiency and enjoyment of Wraeclast’s challenges.

Action Checklist

  • Start with Soft filter during early campaign progression
  • Progress to Semi-Strict upon reaching endgame mapping content
  • Experiment with Constrict 1 for balanced currency visibility
  • Master left stick click to reveal hidden items for crafting recipes
  • Adjust filter based on current goals: currency farming vs challenge completion

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