- Torchlight Infinite currency drives every upgrade, from crafting materials to Trade House purchases in SS14 Tartarus.
- Best early strategy: stabilize Netherrealm clears before spending rare materials on temporary gear.
- Core income sources: Timemark maps, Compass-enhanced farming, and selling useful drops on the Trade House.
- Spending rule: reserve currency for upgrades that solve a specific build problem, not general upgrades.
- Season timing: new seasons reset the economy, so liquidate surplus assets before a season ends.
Understanding the Currency and Economy System
Torchlight Infinite currency is the backbone of character progression. Rather than a single gold coin, the economy runs on a layered system of trade currency, crafting materials, and marketable equipment. Each layer serves a different purpose: trade currency buys gear, crafting materials improve gear, and smart selling converts your drops into buying power.
The Trade House is the central marketplace where players list equipment, crafting materials, and resources. Success in the economy depends less on lucky drops and more on consistent farming loops, disciplined selling, and targeted spending.
| Currency Layer | What It Does | How to Earn It | Spending Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade currency | Buys gear and materials from other players | Selling drops, map rewards | Build-defining upgrades |
| Crafting materials | Adds or rerolls affixes on equipment | Map drops, salvaging items | High-value bases only |
| Compass items | Enhances map rewards and farming output | Timemark progression | Repeatable farming loops |
| Boss-entry resources | Unlocks high-difficulty encounters | Endgame progression | Only with a boss-ready build |
| Marketable equipment | Converted into currency through sales | All farming activities | Sell regularly, hoard nothing |
Farming Income
- Timemark map clears
- Compass-enhanced reward types
- Consistent clear speed over luck
Market Income
- Sell useful drops promptly
- Search exact affix combos when buying
- Compare crafting cost vs. purchase price
Seasonal Income
- Season objectives and event rewards
- Tartarus activity drops
- Liquidate surplus before season end
Measure profit by completed content and time spent, not by the value of a single lucky drop. A repeatable loop that earns steadily will outperform jackpot farming in nearly every season.
Currency Farming Routes by Progression Stage
Your farming route should match your character's current stage. Pushing high-reward content before your build can clear it reliably wastes entry resources and map investments. Use this staged approach throughout SS14 Tartarus.
| Stage | Goal | Recommended Content | Key Resource Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| New-player endgame | Stabilize first Netherrealm layers | Low Timemark maps | Defenses, weapon, skill links |
| Stable mapping | Repeatable farming loop | Fastest safe Timemarks | Clear-speed gear, Compass efficiency |
| Targeted farming | Convert rewards into upgrades | Content matching needed drops | Build-defining items, crafting bases |
| Boss preparation | Single-target progression | Boss entries with a boss setup | Boss damage, survival, entry resources |
| High-difficulty optimization | Maximize hourly returns | Specialized Compass combinations | Endgame upgrades, trade opportunities |
Build a Consistent Clear Loop
Choose Timemark content your build clears quickly and safely. Run maps in batches so preparation time and Compass usage are not wasted on scattered sessions. Track which map modifiers slow you down and skip them.
Direct Compass at One Reward Type
Use Compass items to emphasize the specific reward you are farming, whether currency, crafting materials, or equipment bases. Save expensive combinations until clear speed is stable.
Sell Drops Instead of Hoarding
Salvage or list unwanted drops regularly to maintain inventory space and steady income. Items sitting in stash generate zero currency regardless of their theoretical value.
Reinvest in the Bottleneck
Identify whether damage, defenses, clear speed, or resource sustain limits your maps per hour, then spend currency on that limiting factor rather than improving an already sufficient stat.
Specialize Late-Season
Once the build is established, focus one or two reward categories, use high-value Compass combos, and route surplus assets into trade-market opportunities before the season economy winds down.
Avoid spending valuable crafting materials on temporary low-level gear, and do not enter difficult bosses with a mapping-only setup. Both habits drain currency without producing lasting upgrades.
Trade House Strategy and Market Discipline
The Trade House rewards precision. Buying decisions should start from the exact affixes your build needs, not from an item's overall rating. A cheap item with the right two affixes often outperforms an expensive item with impressive but irrelevant stats.
| Market Practice | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Searching | Filter by exact required affix combinations | Browsing by rating or price alone |
| Buying | Fill difficult-to-craft slots | Purchasing before core skills are stable |
| Selling | List useful drops promptly | Stashing everything "just in case" |
| Crafting | Compare material cost vs. market price | Repeatedly crafting minor improvements |
| Budgeting | Keep a currency reserve for key upgrades | Spending every drop immediately |
Before crafting an item, add up the materials plus expected failed attempts, then compare the total against the market price of an equivalent piece. If buying is cheaper, buy, and save the materials for a slot the market cannot supply.
Seasonal Economy and SS14 Tartarus
Seasonal economies in Torchlight Infinite follow a predictable rhythm. Early in a season, basic crafting materials and leveling gear carry premium prices because everyone is progressing simultaneously. Mid-season, mapping currency and mid-tier equipment dominate trading. Late season, prices soften as the player base consolidates and the next season approaches.
SS14 Tartarus adds seasonal objectives and Follower progression that provide additional reward streams alongside regular Netherrealm farming. Treat these activities as supplementary income rather than a replacement for your core farming loop.
| Season Phase | Market Conditions | Player Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (weeks 1-2) | High demand for leveling gear and basics | Sell early progression drops at premium prices |
| Mid-season | Stable demand for mapping gear and currency | Focus repeatable farming and targeted upgrades |
| Late season | Softening prices, shrinking buyer pool | Liquidate surplus, hold only personal upgrades |
| Pre-next-season | Depressed market | Convert assets to stable currency forms |
Season Economy Checklist:
- Establish a repeatable Timemark farming loop
- Sell useful drops on the Trade House weekly
- Reserve currency for one build-defining upgrade
- Complete seasonal objectives for bonus rewards
- Liquidate surplus assets before season end
Common Currency Mistakes to Avoid
Every season, players lose buying power to the same handful of errors. Recognizing them early protects your progress.
- Spending rare currency on temporary gear during the campaign when better drops arrive within hours.
- Buying high-cost equipment before the build's core skills and defenses are functional.
- Chasing rare boss drops while the character still fails basic map completion checks.
- Ignoring map modifiers that gut clear speed or survivability, turning profitable runs into losses.
- Hoarding instead of listing: an unlisted item has zero market value no matter its stats.
Favor consistent profit over maximum theoretical reward. Upgrade the single bottleneck that limits your maps per hour, and your currency income compounds naturally over the season.
FAQ
Q: What is the best way to farm Torchlight Infinite currency in SS14 Tartarus?
Build a repeatable loop around Timemark content your build clears quickly and safely, use Compass items to emphasize one reward type at a time, and sell useful drops on the Trade House regularly instead of hoarding them.
Q: Should I craft my own gear or buy it from the Trade House?
Compare the total crafting cost, including materials and expected failed attempts, against the market price of an equivalent item. Buy when it is cheaper, and reserve crafting materials for slots the market cannot supply or for high-value bases with large potential upgrades.
Q: When is the best time to sell items during a season?
Early in a season, leveling gear and basic crafting materials sell at premium prices because demand peaks. Sell progression drops early, hold mid-tier mapping gear for mid-season, and liquidate surplus assets before the season economy winds down.
Q: Is it worth using expensive Compass combinations early?
Generally not. Save high-value Compass combinations until your clear speed and survivability are stable. Using them before your build can consistently complete content wastes currency on failed runs.