How Build Budget Works
Path of Building exports contain every item, gem, and passive in your build — but they don't tell you what it all costs. This tool parses the PoB code, looks up current trade prices for each slot, and gives you a total budget so you know what you're getting into before you start buying.
How It Works
- Paste a Path of Building export code or a pobb.in link. The tool decodes the base64 payload and parses the XML inside.
- Each item slot (weapon, helmet, gloves, etc.) is matched against current trade listings on poe.ninja to estimate its market value.
- Gems are priced separately — a 21/20 Vaal gem costs very differently than a level 1 version of the same skill.
- The cost breakdown shows per-slot pricing so you can see where the expensive pieces are and plan your gear progression.
- Items that cannot be found on the trade site (mirrored rares, crafted items with unusual mods) show as unpriced — you will need to estimate those manually.
Example: Pricing an Occultist CoC Ice Nova Build
Paste a PoB export for a typical Cast on Critical Ice Nova Occultist. The tool extracts 10 gear slots, 7 skill gem links, and 3 cluster jewels.
Breakdown might look like: weapon (Cospri's Malice) 4.5 div, shield (budget Ephemeral Edge) 0.5 div, body (Kintsugi) 0.8 div, rest of gear 2.3 div, awakened gems 3.2 div, cluster jewels 1.2 div = 12.5 divine total.
Immediate takeaway: the weapon is 36% of the build. If your current budget is 5 divines, play with a cheap Cospri's clone (The Whispering Ice setups exist) and upgrade the weapon last. This is the kind of decision Build Budget makes easy — you see at a glance where the money goes.
Tips
- Start with the cheapest slots and work up. If your weapon is 80% of the total build cost, buy everything else first and play with a budget weapon until you save enough.
- PoB codes from build guides often show mirror-tier gear. Check the total cost before following a guide blindly — a 500 divine build guide is not helpful when you have 10.
- Compare multiple PoB variations of the same build. Swapping one unique for a rare can sometimes cut the cost in half without losing much damage.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming the priced items are actually buyable. Build Budget uses the median poe.ninja price — on a thin market the next real listing can be 2-3× the displayed price. For rare uniques and specific rolls, always verify on the live trade site.
- Ignoring the jewel and cluster rows. Mid-tier builds often spend more on cluster jewels and abyss jewels than on a body armour. Check all rows before buying the flashy chest piece.
- Following a mirror-tier build guide when you have 10 divines. A well-optimised 10 div build outperforms the budget version of a 500 div build in most content — use Build Budget to confirm the guide is actually accessible before committing to the league plan.
- Forgetting about gem levelling time. A level-21 awakened gem might be priced at 8 div on the trade site, but you can also buy a level-20 at 1 div and corrupt it for the chance — see Gem Profit to decide which path is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where do I get a PoB code?
- In Path of Building, click Export → Copy Build as Code. You can also paste a pobb.in URL. Build guides on the forums and YouTube usually include a PoB code or link.
- Why is a slot showing no price?
- The item might be a crafted rare with unusual mod combinations that poe.ninja does not track, or it could be a mirrored/corrupted item. These need manual price checking on the trade site.
- Are gem prices included?
- Yes. The tool prices gems based on their level and quality. A level 21 gem is priced differently than level 20, and awakened support gems have their own pricing.
- Does this work for Standard league?
- Yes — switch the league in the settings gear icon. Standard has a different economy: currency inflates over time as chaos orbs accumulate, so raw chaos prices are not directly comparable to temporary-league prices. The relative cost of items within a build is still useful for planning.
- Does the price reflect the exact rolls on my items?
- No. Build Budget uses median prices for items matching the base and unique name — it does not filter for specific explicit mod rolls. A well-rolled rare will cost more than displayed; a poorly-rolled one may be cheaper. For rares the number is a rough baseline rather than a quote.
- What about flasks and abyss jewels?
- Flask uniques and abyss jewels are priced if they match a known poe.ninja entry. Rare crafted flasks (with specific instilling orb prefixes) and rare crafted abyss jewels are harder to price and may show as unpriced. Use the live trade site for those slots.
- Can I compare two PoB codes side by side?
- Not currently — paste one at a time. To compare, screenshot or note the breakdown, then paste the second PoB. A side-by-side comparison view is on the roadmap.
- Does the price include crafting costs?
- No. Build Budget prices items as they appear on the trade site — not the cost of crafting them from scratch. For influenced gear, the cost of the Awakener's Orb and any reforges is separate. See the Orb Crafter tool for influenced crafting planning.