Observing the economic data since the launch of the Standard mode (SC) of the Dawn of the Hunt season, compared with the level of the permanent region (Standard) or at the end of last season, overall, the mainstream Currency POE2 Currency at the beginning of the season shows a significant general low point. Take the core hard currency, Chaos Orb, as an example. The median transaction price in the market fluctuated between 25 and 35 Divine Orb coins in the first two weeks after the server opened. This was approximately 70% to 75% cheaper than the stable price of around 100 Divine Orb coins in the permanent region. Similarly, the price of the noble stone (Exalted Orb) also experienced a similar proportion of decline, rapidly dropping from 100 white coins in the permanent region to around 30 white coins at the beginning of the season. The huge price gap at the bottom of this currency pyramid is attributed to the massive output of items and the supply of currency brought about by the concentrated influx of players in the new season. Meanwhile, the scarcity of high-value equipment at the beginning of the season has curbed the growth rate of demand for top-tier currency.
The season-specific mechanism has greatly accelerated the initial accumulation rate and total supply of POE2 Currency. The drop rate of Prismatic Catalyst and Prismatic Catalyst has increased by approximately 400%, and the currency acquisition efficiency per unit time for players is significantly higher than that in the permanent zone. Data from the first week of the server’s launch shows that the number of “Original Prisms” submitted by players to NPCS reached an average of 1.5 million times per day. This event directly generated a huge amount of prism currency fragments. Based on the core gameplay chain constructed by the new season mechanism “Demon Hunting”, the average total value of currency (denominated in white gold coins) accumulated by players when they reach level 90 is approximately 15% higher than that of the same period last season. These mechanism designs led to an oversupply of season-related items like the Prism Catalyst during the server opening stage. Its price once dropped to the lowest point of the season, with 3 white gold coins exchanged for 1, which was only one-fifth of the price in the permanent region.
However, the price of currency does not decline linearly; its fluctuations show obvious periodicity. As the peak of server opening popularity passes (usually around the 10th to 15th day), the growth rate of the number of active players in the season tends to stabilize or even slightly decline (about -5% per week), and at this time, the price of POE2 Currency in the market begins to gradually recover. Data monitoring from trading platforms (such as official marketplaces or Trade websites) shows that the average daily increase rate of the exchange rate of Chaos stones for white gold coins is approximately 0.5% to 1%, reflecting a slow increase in their scarcity. The price sensitivity of season-specific premium currencies or rare destiny cards (such as the “Sanctuary” card that can be exchanged for the Noble Stone) is higher, and their standard deviation is often more than 50% higher than that of the Chaos Stone. This may be due to certain efficiency optimization strategies (such as the “Stone Treasure” strategy) or popular BD builds, leading to local supply shortages. Historical data shows that when the season enters the 6th to 8th week, most currency prices usually recover to the range of 50% to 80% of the permanent zone prices.
It is worth noting that external events or game updates can have a short-term and sharp impact on prices. For instance, on the fifth day after the launch of the Hunter’s Dawn season, a hotfix reduced the reward output of the “Demon Hunt Mission” in a certain core map by 25%. Within six hours of the announcement, the price of related currencies such as the Prism Core Catalyst soared by 40%. Similarly, if a vulnerability that can efficiently “brush” a specific POE2 Currency is discovered (such as a previous classic replication vulnerability incident), it will cause the price of that currency to plummeet within a few hours (with the highest recorded decline reaching over 90%). It was accompanied by sharp fluctuations in market creditworthiness and trading volume (dropping by 60% to 80%) until the authorities intervened to repair it. These events have highlighted the vulnerability of the economic system during the season and the complexity of risk management and control.