We’ve covered how to find the Item Level and what it affects in a previous guide. Now it’s time to figure out how your Path of Exile items get their Item Level in the first place. Read on for a guide so you can know where best to hunt for items in Path of Exile.
Monster level and Item Levels for Path of Exile items
Aside from skill gems that have a default item level of 1, all other items have specific rules on how their Item Level is calculated. For Path of Exile items dropped from monsters, the Item Level is derived from the monster level of the area. Normal monsters use the monster level of the area, while Magic monsters add one and Rare and Unique monsters add two to this value. Finally chests also use the monster level of the area to determine an item’s Item Level.
Path of Exile items from rewards, vendors and recipes
Items that are given as quest rewards as well as those bought from vendors have set Item Levels that vary based on the quest or vendor. Often times, Path of Exile items bought from vendors in a higher difficulty will have a higher Item Level that those bought at a lower one. Additionally, items created via vendor recipes will have an Item Level dependent on the recipe used. Finally race reward items have a set Item Level of 100.