Over the past few days, several new videos and posts have been showcasing a sudden spike in scarab profitability, especially around Containment Scarabs, which shot up to 210c+. With prices rising and more players diving into high-scarab strategies, I decided it was time to revisit one of the most reliable farming combos in the game.

 

Today's test covers 50 maps using a high-investment scarab setup that includes:

 

 Two Nemesis Scarabs

 Two Adversary Scarabs

 One Wisp Scarab

 Ambush currency craft from the map device

 Fine Delirium Orbs (one per map)

 Fortress Scarabs

More POE currency

 A fully optimized Atlas tree focused on scarabs and Ultimatum

 

The goal?

 

To determine whether this strategy is still worth running at current market prices-and whether the huge rise of Containment Scarabs has shifted the meta in any meaningful way.

 

Below is the full breakdown: investment, profits, time spent, profit per hour, and everything in between.

 

Map Preparation & Setup Cost

 

Before diving in, I prepared all 50 maps ahead of time. Each map was rolled to:

 

 Reach 100%+ pack size

 

 Remove mods that would interfere with my build (no-regen, reflect, reduced cooldowns, etc.)

 

 Maintain consistent density and pacing

 

Rolling the maps cost 1.50 chaos per map, which is pretty standard for juiced setups where you want to avoid bricking your run before it even begins.

 

Current Market Ratios (During the Test)

 

 1 Divine = 151 chaos

 

This ratio is crucial because the final profit conversion depends heavily on it. If divines fluctuate (and they always do), your results will vary even with identical loot.

 

Atlas Tree Overview

 

Nothing too surprising here-the tree is built entirely around:

 

 Massive scarab duplication

 Strongbox scaling (Ambush)

 Ultimatum for extra reward layers

 Blocking unwanted scarabs

 Increased effect & quantity of scarabs

 A few map sustain nodes

 Optional Harbinger (but not required)

 

This setup is extremely consistent and is currently one of the most stable ways to extract value from mid- to high-investment farming.

 

The Scarab Setup

 

Here's the exact scarab combination used on each map:

 

 100 Nemesis Scarabs

 100 Adversary Scarabs

 50 Wisp Scarabs

 50 Fortress Scarabs

 50 Ambush Crafts

 200 Chisels

 50 Fine Delirium Orbs

 

The scarabs themselves were not cheap. Fortress Scarabs alone cost 45c each, and the nemesis set adds up quickly.

 

But the logic is simple:

 

If Containment Scarabs are expensive and you're running duplicate multipliers, you get to "print" expensive scarabs.

 

Running the 50 Maps

 

Total Run Time

 

The session was split into two parts because of a power outage mid-progress:

 

 28 maps: 1 hour 52 minutes

 22 maps: 1 hour 25 minutes

 

Total: 3 hours 17 minutes

 

Average: 3 minutes 56 seconds per map

 

This is important:

 

Your clear speed directly impacts profit per hour. Faster builds = more maps = more duplicated scarabs.

 

If your build is faster than mine, expect higher numbers. If slower, expect less.

 

Loot Breakdown (Raw Results)

 

Here's everything collected over all 50 maps, including:

 

 Scarabs

 Fragments

 Currency

 Ritual/Ultimatum rewards

 Duplicate stacks

 Maps

 Fine Delirium loot

 

Some highlights:

 

 5 Catalyzing Scarabs

 5 Containment Scarabs

 A Cheater scarab drop (very lucky)

 18 Originator (Dunes) maps

 A huge spread of duplicated mid-tier scarabs

 

Note:

 

I also dropped several unique items but chose not to identify them, so they aren't included in the profit calculations or the Wealthy Exile scan.

 

Wealthy Exile Tracking

 

To calculate everything accurately, I uploaded the results into Wealthy Exile, but because of the split session, I created two snapshots:

 

 One for the first 28 maps

 One for the final 22 maps

 

This allows an accurate measurement of total farming time as well as combined loot value.

 

One important correction:

 

Wealthy Exile counts Originator maps at 1c, but these consistently sell for 10c+, so I added 162 chaos to the final total to reflect real market value.

 

Total Investment

 

Here's every cost added together:

 

 50 Fortress Scarabs @ 45c

 100 Nemesis Scarabs

 100 Adversary Scarabs

 50 Wisp Scarabs

 50 Ambush Crafts

 50 Fine Delirium Orbs

 200 Chisels

 Rolling maps: 1.5c each

 Map device costs

 

Grand Total Investment

 

5,746 chaos

 

= 38.05 Divines

 

A pretty heavy buy-in, but with this kind of setup, the goal is always massive returns.

 

Total Profit & Profit Per Hour

 

Now for the most important part:

 

After selling value-corrected loot, the total profit came out to:

 

 3,758 chaos profit

 ≈ 24.88 divines profit

 ≈ 3 hours 17 minutes of mappingProfit Per Hour

 

≈ 24.88 divines / 3.283 hours = 7.58 divines per hour

or in chaos:

 

≈ 1,145 chaos per hour

 

For a farming strategy with this level of investment, these numbers are very solid-especially given how expensive Containment Scarabs currently are.

 

Profit Per Map

 76.8 chaos cost per map

 151.4 chaos profit per map

 

In other words:

 

You double your investment every map.

 

And because scarabs scale multiplicatively with high-duplication trees, the more expensive a certain scarab becomes (like Containment), the better this strategy performs.

 

Why This Strategy Works Right Now

 

1. Containment Scarabs Are Overpriced

 

With their value spiking above 200c, duplication simply prints profit.

This strategy abuses that perfectly.

 

2. Nemesis + Ambush Is Classic Currency Scaling

 

Nemesis still converts high-value monster mods extremely well, and strongboxes remain one of the most reliable sources of raw currency.

 

Even with all the nerfs over the years, the combination is still powerful when juiced.

 

3. Wisps Multiply Everything

 

As long as Wisp Scarabs remain reasonably priced, they boost:

 

 Scarab drops

 Currency stacks

 Div card piles

 Fragment spreads

 

The return multiplier is too strong to ignore.

 

4. Highly Efficient Mapping

 

Under 4 minutes per map is clean, consistent, and repeatable.

 

Even with slower builds, the core principle holds up:

 

More monsters + more Wisps + more scarab duplication = profit.

 

Variables That Affect Your Own Results

 

Your profit will vary depending on:

 

1. Build Clear Speed

If your build clears faster than mine, profit will increase.

If slower, expect reductions.

 

2. Market Prices

If:

 Scarabs go up → profit skyrockets

 Scarabs go down → returns drop

 

This is especially true for Containment and Wisp Scarabs.

 

3. Divine:Chaos Ratio

When divines become more expensive relative to chaos, chaos-based loot looks weaker on paper.

 

4. Fragment Market Volatility

Fragments spike on weekends, drop mid-week. Selling timing matters.

 

Is This Farming Strategy Worth It Right Now?

 

Yes-absolutely.

 

Given that Containment Scarabs are extremely inflated, Nemesis still prints value, and Wisps multiply both raw drops and currency, this strategy hits the sweet spot of:

 

 High consistency

 High scalability

 Repeatable investment

 Fast clear cycles

 Predictable returns

 

Even if prices shift slightly, this route remains one of the most stable juicing strategies in the current economy.

 

Final Thoughts

 

This 50-map test confirms what many players suspected:

 

Scarab farming is still one of the strongest mid-investment strategies in Path of Exile, especially when Containment prices spike.

 

With:

 38 divines invested

 24.88 divines profit

 Nearly 8 div/hour

 Under 4 minutes per map

 And extremely consistent drops

 

…it's clear that this method remains competitive with most of the top-end currency strategies available right now.

 

Your results may vary depending on speed and prices, but if you're looking for a powerful, repeatable, more POE exalted orbs, high-efficiency farm-this is absolutely worth your time.