Strongbox farming with Idols is shaping up to be the strongest and most accessible Path of Exile currency strategy in the Phrecia event. It was already dominant during the first Phrecia event, and in 3.27 it’s even better—mainly because the event only lasts three weeks. Short leagues heavily favor fast, deterministic strategies, and strongboxes check every box. You don’t need a giga-juiced character, you don’t need expensive gear early, and you don’t need deep Atlas progression. Everything is front-loaded into Idols.

Why Strongboxes Are Meta in PoE 3.27 Phrecia?

1. Low Entry Requirement

Strongboxes spawn tightly packed monsters that are easy to kill. Scale extremely well with quantity and duplication. Don’t require boss-level DPS or defenses. This makes the strategy ideal for league start builds, low to mid-budget characters and early Atlas rushers.

2. Idols Replace the Atlas Tree

In Phrecia, there is no traditional Atlas passive tree. Idols completely replace Atlas power. Once Atlas progression is complete, you get 32 Idol slots. Before completion, you already have 20 slots, which is more than enough to start farming. Idols are far stronger than the Atlas tree ever was, especially when stacked correctly.

PoE 3.27 Core Strongbox Idol Requirements (Non-Negotiable)

These modifiers are the backbone of the strategy and must be included.

Mandatory Big Idol Mods (Only Needed Once Each)

Strongboxes in your Maps are at least Rare.Strongboxes in your Maps are Corrupted. These can only appear on Large Idols, so you must secure them there. Why this matters because rare + corrupted strongboxes massively increase loot outcomes. Corruption enables high-value modifiers (extra currency, duplication, packs).

The Most Broken Modifier in PoE 3.27

Strongboxes are Openable Again

• Appears on Large Idols

• Roll: 5–9% chance per Idol

• Stackable across all Large Idol slots

With 4 Large Idols, you can reach:

• ~36% from Idols alone

• +15% from Ambush Scarab of Hidden Compartments

Final Result: ~51% chance for a strongbox to be openable again

This doesn’t just happen once.

• A box can reopen

• Then reopen again

• And repeat until the roll fails

Over half of your strongboxes will open multiple times, which is insane when combined with duplication and quantity.

Currency Explosion: Duplication Mods

Totemic (Vertical) Idol Mods

These are what push the strategy from “good” to “completely broken”. Currency Items from Strongboxes are Duplicated. Divination Cards from Strongboxes are Duplicated. Currency duplication is the priority. Div cards are a bonus—but when it hits Divination Strongboxes, it’s massive value.

This is how mirrors start showing up on stream.

Strongbox Density & Quantity Scaling

You stack strongboxes in three different ways:

1. Flat Additional Strongboxes

Your Maps contain an additional Strongbox. Straight-up adds more boxes, no RNG.

2. Chance to Contain Strongboxes

Multiple Idol sources. These stack additively. Ends up being ~5–6 extra strongboxes per map.

3. Strongbox Quantity Scaling

20% increased Quantity from Strongboxes. Stackable across multiple Idols. Easily reaches 100% increased quantity. This doubles the loot inside every strongbox. Then duplication applies after that.

Arcanist Strongbox Scaling (Currency Printer)

210% increased chance for Strongboxes to be Arcanist. This multiplies the base chance, not replaces it. With:

• High box density

• Rare + corrupted boxes

• Reopen chance

• Quantity + duplication

You end up opening Arcanist boxes constantly, each one spewing raw currency.

Guarded Strongboxes = Free Extra Loot

Strongboxes have a chance to be guarded by additional monster packs. Stacks very high (200%+ total). These packs spawn instantly and are easy to kill. Drop additional loot on top of the box rewards. Beyond modifiers can be used as filler, but they’re not the main profit source.

Scarabs & Fillers (Secondary Value)

Core Scarabs

Ambush Scarabs (Hidden Compartments preferred). Possible alternative: more Ambush instead of reopen chance (needs testing).

Filler Idol Mods

• Scarabs not being consumed (low %, but nice)

• Scarabs being rarer variants

• Extra monster packs

These are nice-to-have, not mandatory.