NeverSink and FilterBlade: which is which
NeverSink is the author of the most popular Path of Exile 2 loot filter. FilterBlade is the free website where you tailor that filter to yourself. The FilterBlade FAQ puts it simply: "NeverSink is the filter and FilterBlade is where you make it your own".
Without a filter, the game hides nothing. Filters are an official game feature, not a mod, so you will not get banned for using one.
Step by step
- Go to FilterBlade. In the top left corner, above the menu, pick PoE 2 from the list (this link opens the PoE 2 version directly).
- On the left you have the tabs START, OVERVIEW, CUSTOMIZE, SIMULATE, THEMES, ADVANCED, EXPORT. The START screen ("Get started!") has tiles with the most important settings.
- Click the Strictness: Semi-Strict tile and set the level with the slider (table below). For the campaign, keep Semi-Strict and click Done.
- Click Auto-Adjust for build, pick your class and your weapon and armour types, then Apply.
- Leave the Game mode tile on Softcore (prices from the league economy, refreshed every 4 hours). In the Forbidden Rites event pick NeverSink SC Event; for solo play without trading, Solo Self-Found.
- Log in with the Login with PoE button in the top right corner. You enter your password only on the GGG website; FilterBlade only gets permission to upload filters to your account.
- Open EXPORT (steps "1 Name → 2 Export → 3 Finish"), give the filter a name and click Upload once, marked "Recommended". Without logging in, this button is greyed out.
- In game: Esc → Options → Game → Item Filter and pick the filter from the list. If you do not see it, refresh the list. After several uploads in a row, the filter can take up to about 10 minutes to reach the game.
The path Options → Game → Item Filter comes from GGG's 0.1.1 patch notes, poe2wiki and NeverSink's instructions. Some descriptions, e.g. the filter file header on the GGG website, name a different tab (UI or Gameplay). Look under the Game tab.
Instead of Upload once you can choose Download (PC only). You then paste the .filter file into %userprofile%\Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2, directly, not into the "OnlineFilters" subfolder.
The 7 strictness levels
FilterBlade advises starting with Semi-Strict and going up one level at a time if you see too many items. Your own changes take priority, so you can change the level at any time without losing them.
| Level | What it does (according to FilterBlade) | When |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | hides almost nothing, only highlights | not for the endgame |
| Regular | shows all rares and crafting bases | if you want to see almost everything; too much for higher waystones |
| Semi-Strict | shows anything potentially useful, hides the worst drops | beginners, league start, campaign |
| Strict | hides the weakest rares, salvageables and runes in the endgame | early and mid waystone tiers |
| Very Strict | hides most inefficient rares and bases, plain Transmutation and Augmentation orbs in the endgame | endgame waystone farming |
| Uber Strict | focuses on currency, hides most rares, the lowest currency tier and low uniques | T14+ waystones only |
| Uber+1 Strict | hides Alchemy-grade currency, waystone tiers 1–14 and many boss uniques | T15+ waystones only |
NeverSink adds that Very Strict and above should not be used while levelling, unless you already have strong levelling gear. On GitHub and in the "Compare Strictnesses" table, Uber+1 Strict is called "Uber Plus Strict". The Advanced Mode button in the Strictness window adds three even stricter levels (Mega, Giga, Apex Strict) and separate settings per category, e.g. currency that stays visible on a strict level.
Auto-Adjust for build
The window has two independent buttons: Campaign (campaign areas only) and Endgame (endgame only). You can use one or both. The filter switches from campaign to endgame rules at area level 65.
- You pick one of 8 classes: Monk, Ranger, Huntress, Mercenary, Warrior, Druid, Witch, Sorceress.
- You tick item types, e.g. Bows, Crossbows, Quarterstaves, Sceptres, Foci, Shields, and an armour type: Armour, Evasion Rating, Energy Shield or the hybrids AR/EV, EV/ES, AR/ES.
- Endgame has options such as "Show ANY Tier4 and Tier5 items" and "Hide crafting bases below level 82".
According to Maxroll, Auto-Adjust highlights the best bases for your build and good bases to sell to other players. You can hide or show single items on the CUSTOMIZE tab (it has a search box). Quest items cannot be hidden.
Looks and sounds
The Default filter colors tile changes the filter style: NORMAL, DARK MODE, ZEN, AURA, MYTHIC, VAAL or COBALT. According to Maxroll, AURA was made with WASD and controller play in mind.
Sounds: DEFAULT SOUNDS (game sounds picked by NeverSink) or CUSTOM SOUNDS. Custom sounds are .mp3 files you have to put in the filter folder on PC. This is impossible on consoles, and a single missing file stops the whole filter from loading.
PS5 and Xbox
Since patch 0.1.1, filters work on consoles through your PoE account. Make the filter in FilterBlade on a computer or a phone (the site works on mobile devices), send it with Upload once and select it in game under Options → Game → Item Filter. Download does not work on consoles, and neither do CUSTOM SOUNDS.
The FilterBlade FAQ warns that GGG releases console patches about a week after PC. A new filter on an older game version can then show an error, and you have to wait for the game update.
Updating after a patch
- Upload once does not update itself. FAQ: "Poe-synced filters stay the same, until you upload a new version from filterblade." Load the filter from "My Filters" (exporting saves it there automatically) and export it again. Your changes carry over to the new version.
- Following NeverSink's filter on the GGG website updates it every time you start the game, but without your styles and changes.
- Auto Upload (every 4 hours) uploads new versions automatically. It is a paid "Premium feature" (Patreon).
- A downloaded file (Download) never updates itself.
The FAQ recommends updating daily in the first week of a league and weekly after that. A sign it is time: items shown in pink or cyan, i.e. items the filter does not know. Example: patch 0.5.5 added 17 new Soul Cores, the Sacred Bloom and the Expedition Tablet.
Gold and hidden items
Gold has its own rules under CUSTOMIZE → Currency & Rewards → Gold (GIGANTIC, LARGE, MEDIUM (ENDGAME) and REMAINING piles). You can safely hide it: "Gold can be hidden and will still be auto-picked up if you walk next to it" (FilterBlade).
To show hidden items for a moment, hold Alt ("Highlight items and objects") on PC or press the left stick on a controller. This was checked in an older game version (Mobalytics and the 0.1.1e patch notes from 2025). On Uber+1 Strict, check hidden items after a boss fight, because this level hides many boss uniques.
Problems and fixes
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The filter is not on the in-game list (Upload once) | refresh the list, restart the game; check that the filter is on pathofexile.com in your account profile, item-filters tab |
| The filter is not on the list (Download file) | the file must be in the main Path of Exile 2 folder, not in "OnlineFilters", and end in .filter, not .filter.txt |
| After a patch: "No base types found…" error and all items visible | the filter is outdated: upload it again with Upload once |
| "Invalid sound filepath" error | an .mp3 file for CUSTOM SOUNDS is missing; add it or switch back to DEFAULT SOUNDS |
| Sounds do not work on console | CUSTOM SOUNDS do not work on consoles |
| Item labels disappear after a moment | "always highlight" is off: on PC the default key is Z, on console set your own |
Alternative: plain NeverSink from the GGG website
- Log in at pathofexile.com and open the PoE2 item filter ladder.
- Pick a NeverSink filter with the level in its name, e.g. NeverSink-2semistr-PoE2 (most followers: 874,371), and click Follow.
- In game, select it under Options → Game → Item Filter.
On October 16, 2026 the NeverSink-1regular-PoE2 page shows version 0.10.4.2026.254.9, last updated on September 11, 2026. Pro: it updates itself. Con: no Auto-Adjust, styles or your own changes.
Version 1.0
Version 1.0 arrives on December 11, 2026 with the Duelist, Acts V and VI and a big balance patch. Neither GGG nor NeverSink has announced filter changes. NeverSink usually releases a new filter version a few hours before a league starts, so upload your filter from FilterBlade again after launch. More: Path of Exile 2 1.0.
Filter ready? See how to trade and craft, and if you are just starting, read the beginner's guide.
