Path of Exile 2 Item Filter Guide

Welcome, Exiles! Today we’re diving into the complete Path of Exile 2 item filter guide. If you’re unfamiliar with how an item filter works, it’s essentially a custom rule system you build inside a simple text file that changes how loot appears on the ground. With the right settings, your item filter can enlarge fonts, recolor backgrounds, highlight valuable drops, or even hide unwanted clutter like low-quality grey items.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up your own item filter step by step, while also giving you a ready-to-use template and a clear explanation of how each part works.

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Loot Filter Overview

The Path of Exile 2 item filter is a crucial tool for managing the massive amount of loot that drops during gameplay. Because the game’s loot system is deep and highly customizable, having a strong item filter setup makes a huge difference for both new and veteran players. It ensures you spot the items that matter, avoid clutter, and keep your experience fast and efficient.

This system isn’t new—item filters became extremely popular in Path of Exile 1 after players realized how overwhelming the loot spam could get. With thousands of drop possibilities ranging from common (white) items to rare uniques and valuable currencies, manually sorting loot simply became impossible. This led to the community creating their own item filters, most notably NeverSink’s Filter, which quickly became the gold standard for organization and usability.

The developers officially integrated support for custom item filters in 2015, allowing players to upload, modify, and share filters easily. Since then, item filters have become a standard expectation among players.

Path of Exile 2 follows the same philosophy: lots of loot, lots of customization, and the need for a strong item filter to keep your gameplay clean and optimized.

• Reduce clutter by hiding unnecessary items.
• Increase awareness of valuable drops with visual customization.
• Save time by ignoring irrelevant gear.
• Adapt your filter for leveling, farming, or endgame.
• Use community-made filters or create your own tailored version.

Ultimately, item filters aren’t just convenience—they’re a critical part of the Path of Exile experience, ensuring efficient gameplay and better focus. Now, let’s continue our PoE 2 item filter guide and learn how to make one, or how to use a filter created by someone else.

Where to Find a Loot Filter

In Path of Exile 2, finding an effective item filter can significantly improve your experience. The game gives you full support for filters, and there are several well-known resources you can rely on.

Official Path of Exile Website

The official Path of Exile website lets you upload, store, and manage all your custom Path of Exile 2 item filters directly from your account. This makes it easy to keep everything organized or follow filters created by other players.

Accessing Your Filters:

• Log into the official website.
• Open your profile from the top-right corner.
• Select the “Item Filters” tab to upload or view your saved filters.

Following Community Filters:

• Open the Item Filter Ladder.
• Browse through the most popular and widely used filters.
• Click “Follow” to add a filter to your account.
• Reload filters in-game via Options → Gameplay.

One of the most widely used and highly respected filters is NeverSink’s Filter. It’s known for its constant updates, clear tier structure, and customizable strictness levels (Regular, Strict, Uber-Strict).

If you're just getting started, NeverSink’s Filter is a safe and reliable choice—but today, you’ll also learn how to build your own item filter.

How to Activate It in the Game

Here’s the step-by-step guide to creating your own Path of Exile 2 item filter, placing it in the correct folder, and activating it inside the game.

Create or Download a Filter File:

Create:

• Open Notepad or any plain text editor.
• Write your item filter rules.
• Save the file as custom_filter.txt.
• Rename it to end with .filter.

Download:

• Open the Item Filter Ladder.
• Download any filter you want.
• Save the .filter file locally.

Place the File in the Correct Folder:

• Open Path of Exile 2.
• Go to Options → Game.
• Click the folder icon next to “Item Filter”.
• Move your .filter file into the folder Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2.

Activate the Filter In-Game:

• Go to Options → Game.
• Select your item filter from the dropdown menu.
• Click the refresh icon to apply changes.

Optional:

• Enable “Hide Filtered Ground Items” to hide junk.
• Manage filters via the official site under Profile → Item Filters.

Creating Your Own Item Filter in PoE 2

Now it’s time to put our PoE 2 item filter guide into action. Creating a custom loot filter is far simpler than you may think. Whether you’re new to the game or just new to filtering, the process is easy and extremely helpful. With your own filter, you can tailor the loot display exactly to your needs, eliminating noise and highlighting what’s important.

We’ll walk you through a clear example that focuses on three goals. By the time we’re done, you’ll have a fully functional personalized item filter that improves your gameplay dramatically.

Goals of Our Custom Filter

1. Highlight Runes: Runes are vital in Path of Exile 2, and your item filter should make them pop.
2. Highlight Uncut Skill Gems: These gems are essential to upgrading skills, so we must emphasize them clearly.
3. Highlight Socketed Items: Gear with sockets is crucial, so we’ll highlight those as well.

Hiding normal items is more complex than it sounds because normal rarity appears on many items you might not want hidden (like runes or socketable gear). To safely hide useless white items, you’d need carefully layered hide rules—but that’s beyond this basic setup.

Highlight Runes

Here’s our first feature: making runes stand out instantly in your PoE 2 item filter.

Show
    Class == "Socketable"
    SetFontSize 40
    SetTextColor 200 200 200 255
    SetBorderColor 100 100 100 255
    SetBackgroundColor 50 50 50 255
    PlayAlertSound 4 300
    PlayEffect Grey
    MinimapIcon 1 Grey Diamond

Quick Breakdown:

• Show: Makes the item visible.
• Class == "Socketable": Targets runes and similar socketable items.
• Font & Colors: Grey visuals for clarity.
• Alert sound & effect: Ensures visibility.
• Minimap icon: Helps track runes quickly.

Highlight Uncut Skill Gems

Next, we emphasize Uncut Skill Gems so you never overlook them.

Show
   BaseType == "Uncut Skill Gem" "Uncut Support Gem" "Uncut Spirit Gem"
   SetFontSize 45
   SetTextColor 20 240 240 255
   SetBorderColor 20 240 240 255
   SetBackgroundColor 6 0 60 255
   PlayAlertSound 2 300
   PlayEffect White
   MinimapIcon 1 Yellow Triangle

Quick Breakdown:

• Targets every type of uncut gem.
• Uses bright cyan visuals.
• Yellow minimap icon ensures visibility.

Highlight Socketed Items

Now, let’s highlight all items with sockets so you can quickly spot gear that supports runes.

Show
   Sockets > 0
   SetFontSize 45
   SetTextColor 255 255 255 255
   SetBorderColor 255 255 255 255
   SetBackgroundColor 0 0 0 255
   PlayAlertSound 9 300
   PlayEffect White
   MinimapIcon 1 White Circle

Quick Breakdown:

• Targets any gear containing at least one socket.
• Uses strong white visuals for emphasis.
• White minimap icon makes them easy to find.

Loot Filter Parameters Explained

Before we continue, let’s revisit the key parameters that shape your item filter. These allow you to customize how items appear visually and audibly.

• SetFontSize: Adjust label size from small (18) to large (45).
• SetTextColor: Defines label text color using RGB and optional Alpha.
• SetBorderColor: Controls border color.
• SetBackgroundColor: Controls background behind item text.
• PlayAlertSound: Plays audio cues based on sound ID and volume.
• PlayEffect: Adds glowing effects on drops.
• MinimapIcon: Places visual markers on the minimap.
• Show: Displays matched items.
• Hide: Hides matched items.

If you ever need accurate item types, names, or categories, use PoE2DB for reference—it ensures your filter rules work correctly.

Using Your Custom Loot Filter

Now let’s activate your item filter and test it in-game! The first set of ground loot (before using your filter) looks plain and cluttered.

With your custom filter active, runes, uncut gems, and socketed items become far more visible through enhanced visuals, colors, and icons. The rest of the items remain unchanged in appearance.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Open Options → Game in Path of Exile 2.
• Select your item filter in the dropdown.
• Click Refresh to apply changes.
• Test in combat to confirm highlighting works:
  • Runes appear in grey styling.
  • Uncut Skill Gems use cyan highlights.
  • Socketed items show white effects.

F.A.Q.

Does PoE 2 support custom item filters?

Yes. Just like in the original game, Path of Exile 2 fully supports creating your own item filter or importing filters made by other players.

Is it hard to make a custom loot filter in PoE 2?

Not at all. You simply create a text file and use basic commands such as “show” or “hide,” paired with the correct item classes. The process is straightforward once you learn the core terms.

How do I install a custom loot filter in PoE 2?

To install a custom loot filter in PoE 2, follow these steps:

• Save your filter file using the .filter extension.
• Place it inside: \Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2.
• Open the game, go to Options → Game, select your filter from the Item Filter dropdown, and click Refresh.

Can I edit my loot filter while playing Path of Exile 2?

Yes. You can modify your item filter at any time. Simply save your changes, then press the Refresh button in the Options → Game menu to instantly apply the updated rules.

Why should I use a loot filter in Path of Exile 2?

A loot filter helps you control the massive amount of drops by highlighting valuable items, removing unnecessary clutter, and providing clear visual and audio cues. This improves efficiency, streamlines gameplay, and reduces the chance of missing important upgrades or resources.

Conclusion

While custom item filters may seem intimidating at first glance, they become extremely valuable as you progress. Early-game players might not feel the need for a filter immediately, but eventually, you’ll begin hunting for specific gear and items—not to mention facing massive waves of loot from huge enemy packs.

At that point, relying on raw loot display becomes impractical. You’ll want a filter that highlights what matters and hides the noise. Whether you’re tracking currency, runes, gems, or socketed gear, a good filter ensures you never miss important drops.

In this guide, you built an efficient PoE 2 item filter that highlights Runes, Uncut Skill Gems, and Socketed Items while leaving other items unchanged. This gives you a clean, clear, and practical loot experience. As you advance further, you can customize it even more to mat