Ancient Orb

Ancient Orb is a currency item that can be used to reforge a unique item as another of the same item class in the broader sense of the term, such as "flask" instead of life/mana/hybrid/utility flask.[1] This will also change the sockets (if any) on the item.

Item acquisition

Ancient Orb are acquired from combining shards. The orb itself is not league-specific, but the shard is an exclusive drop from Harbinger. Simply a drop-restricted item, Ancient Orb did not drop normally.

There are additional ways to acquire drop-restricted currencies including the Ancient Orb. For example, Harbinger chest in Heist and Grand Heist.

Spending

Reforging a unique item means the base item type can change when the orb is applied. Ancient Orbs do not change the inventory size of an item, so 2x4-sized "tower shields" for example stay within that group.[2] Unique cluster jewel are in the same group in other 1x1 jewel as well.[3]

Notably, unique items specific to past temporary leagues, such as Headhunter can be obtained with an Ancient Orb only while standing in a map to which the appropriate league's mod has been added with Zana's Map Device.[confirmation needed because of 3.14 change]

It is worth noting that using Ancient Orb will remove any influences, as well as remove enchantments from the item. Links and Sockets are re-rolled as well.

Mechanic restrictions

Ancient orb cannot roll the following type of items:

• Boss & Chest only unique (e.g. Atziri's Acuity, Seven-League Step)
• Upgraded Unique (Fated items, Temple Upgrades)

Ancient orb is also restricted by the following in order:

1. Base size of the item
2. ilvl of the item[speculation?]
3. Zone you orb the item (e.g. Map Device - Nemesis for chance at getting a Headhunter)

Item level differences, compared to Orb of Chance

Orb of Chance, the other currency item that can generate unique items, ignores the drop level of the targeted unique item. For Orb of Chance, the item level of the base does not matter,[4] as long as the item level of the base is greater than the required level to equip that base.[5] Most unique items have a drop level that is equal to the required level to equip that unique, but some unique items have a higher drop level than needed to equip them, such as Skyforth.

GGG has not officially clarified whether there is a similar item level restriction for Ancient Orbs. In practice, though, Ancient Orbs apparently are allowed to reroll low item level unique items to into higher drop level items. It is rumoured that this feature of Ancient Orbs can be used to eliminate undesired uniques in order to have a slightly higher chance to roll Headhunter.

For example, using ilvl 40-43 unique belts, Ancient Orbs can still roll drop level 48-ish unique belts, but not higher. Players have speculated that this ancient orb feature could be used on certain item classes which have fated unique. In this case, the Ancient Orb would function differently than an Orb of Chance:

E.G. The lowest ilvl 2x4 bow is a Storm Cloud (ilvl 9), which has a fated version The Tempest (ilvl 32) If you were to use Ancient Orb on any 2x4 ilvl 1 bow, it can roll up to an ilvl 32 bow, but never anything beyond.[6]

This is the result of experimentation by players. There is no official explanation for the actual mechanic.

Examples

A unique item that have a low ilvl, can be flipped to item that have higher required level to equip or on a base that have a higher drop level.

For example, an ilvl 2 Prismweave can be flipped to Belt of the Deceiver (a unique Heavy Belt, which the base requires lvl 8 to drop)[7]

Another example, an ilvl 1 Storm Cloud can be flipped to Death's Harp (on a bow base that requires lvl 32 to drop) by using Ancient Orb (skipping lower required level 2x4 sized bows Roth's Reach (lvl 18) and Doomfletch (lvl 28) ).[8]

Yet another example, by using ilvl 41-43 unique belts, streamer mbXtreme still able to roll Soul Tether (base drop level 16; unique requires character level 48 to equip) as 2 of his 111 outcome.[9] His another attempt, using ilvl 40-42 unique belts, yielded a similar result: ilvl cannot block Soul Tether. Despite out of his 1337 Ancient Orbs, no other unique belts (such as Immortal Flesh or Gluttony, at that time requires high level to equip) that have a higher required character level than Soul Tether, have been rolled.[10]