Summary
Velka rushing is one of the more profitable ways to farm the new league mechanic in Path of Exile 3.29. With a fast build and the right Voyage setup, you can repeatedly reach Velka in Kushara's Rest while collecting Scarabs, Message in a Bottle rewards, Sulfur, Gold, and valuable boss uniques.
A seven-hour test of 50 Velka runs generated more than 314 Divines in profit, or approximately 45.37 POE divine orbs per hour after accounting for chart costs. The biggest source of profit was Velka's valuable ring drop, but the strategy also produces a strong amount of secondary loot.
Why Farm Velka?
Velka is the boss associated with Kushara's Rest, a unique chart that can be placed inside a Voyage. Unlike normal charts, Velka does not appear while simply charting the area. You need to reach her during the Voyage itself.
The boss always drops one unique, but the value of those uniques varies considerably.
Main Velka Drops
The shield and staff uniques are generally low-value, while the Lightning version of Storm Blood can be worth a few Divines. The major jackpot is the valuable ring.
An unidentified ring can be worth roughly 38–40 Divines depending on the market. Identified versions are much cheaper, but they can be divined. There is also a chance for the ring to have two random support gems instead of one, which can make the item worth significantly more.
If you do not want to gamble on identification, selling the ring unidentified is the safer option.
Because the ring represents such a large portion of the total profit, check its current market value before starting this farm. Your expected profit can change substantially if its price falls.
Velka Farming Setup
The strategy does not require an Atlas tree or fragments because this league mechanic operates outside the normal Atlas system.
For each Voyage, you need:
1 Kushara's Rest chart
8 additional throwaway charts
A fast-clearing build
Optional Cursed Dukeheads
Currency for chart rerolls
Choosing the Other Charts
For the eight additional charts, inexpensive Undersea Caves/Coral Forest charts work well. Coral Reef charts are less desirable because they do not spawn Operative Boxes, which are an important source of Scarabs.
You can also use other cheap charts if their layouts are more convenient.
The main goal is not to maximize the rewards from these charts individually. Instead, you want to move through them quickly while reaching Velka efficiently.
Look for Increased Sulfur
When preparing your charts, reroll them once or twice if they do not have increased Sulfur.
This modifier is common and generally inexpensive to roll. Other chart modifiers can usually be ignored if your character can handle them comfortably.
You do not need to spend heavily optimizing every chart because the boss is the primary source of value.
How to Place Kushara's Rest
Kushara's Rest should normally be placed in the bottom-left position of the Voyage, close to where you initially spawn.
There is one important exception.
If a border modifier converts a percentage of equipment dropped by monsters in adjacent areas into Gold, do not place Kushara's Rest next to it. You want to protect Velka's valuable unique drops from being converted into Gold.
Also avoid placing a chart with that modifier directly next to Kushara's Rest.
Useful Border Modifiers
Strongbox and Message in a Bottle charts are particularly useful around Kushara's Rest. This allows you to collect their rewards while moving toward the boss.
Another valuable modifier is the chance for charts to not be consumed when beginning a Voyage. This can occasionally save you additional currency.
A very rare modifier can cause monsters to drop an additional Divine Orb. If you encounter it, you can surround it with several Strongbox charts and invest in rolling those Strongboxes for additional monster packs and rare-item rewards.
Velka Voyage Rotation
Once your Voyage is prepared, the actual rotation is straightforward.
Step 1: Enter the Voyage
Place one Kushara's Rest and eight additional charts. Cursed Dukeheads can optionally be used to increase monster rewards, but they also make the boss encounter more difficult.
For a pure Velka rush, leaving them out is perfectly reasonable.
Step 2: Clear the Valuable Areas
Move quickly through the Voyage and prioritize valuable targets that appear on the minimap.
Focus on:
Strongboxes
Smart chests
Operative Boxes
Waterlocked Scarab chests
Gold piles
Message in a Bottle
You do not need to clear every monster pack. The purpose of the strategy is to reach Velka quickly while collecting high-value side rewards.
If your build uses a chest-opening mastery that improves opening speed, it can also save time when several chests are grouped together.
Step 3: Place All Seven Lanterns
You need to place all seven lanterns before returning to the ship.
Kushara's Rest has a consistent layout, essentially forming a path that takes you forward and then back again. However, you cannot access the northern boss arena while charting Kushara's Rest itself.
After finishing the required charting, prepare the Voyage and head toward the boss.
How to Kill Velka
Velka's encounter begins as part of the boss fight involving Cy.
When Cy reaches around 60% health, the second phase begins and Velka enters the fight.
Velka's Lightning Phase
You cannot kill Velka until Cy has already been defeated.
Once Cy is dead, focus on surviving Velka's lightning attacks. The simplest approach is to keep moving around the arena in a circular path while avoiding the lightning strikes.
After Velka is defeated, collect the guaranteed unique and any other valuable drops.
Then return to the starting area and surface.
If there are worthwhile rewards remaining in the Voyage, you can continue exploring instead of immediately leaving, especially if you encounter a valuable Chaos-to-Divine conversion or another strong modifier.
Velka Farm Profit Breakdown
A test involving 50 Kushara's Rest runs took just under seven hours.
The setup required approximately:
400 throwaway charts: about 2,000 Chaos
50 Kushara's Rest charts: about 13,500 Chaos
Additional currency for chart rerolls
The test produced 53 boss uniques because three charts were saved by a border modifier and could therefore be used twice.
The boss-drop results included:
20 shields
19 staffs
4 Lightning Storm Bloods
5 Cold Storm Bloods
5 valuable rings
The five rings accounted for more than half of the total gross value.
After adding the unidentified boss drops and other loot, the total value reached approximately 359 Divines. After subtracting the chart costs, the final profit was around 314 Divines.
That works out to approximately:
45.37 Divines per hour
The test also generated approximately 8 million Gold, or slightly more than 1 million Gold per hour.
Tips for Maximizing Profit
The biggest factor in this strategy is the valuable ring. Because its price can fluctuate significantly, always check its current unidentified value before committing to a large number of runs.
You should also prioritize speed over excessive investment. The strategy does not require an expensive setup, and the goal is to complete as many Velka rotations as possible.
Operative Boxes and Waterlocked Scarab chests provide useful supplemental income, while Strongboxes and Message in a Bottle can add additional rewards along the route.
Most importantly, avoid border modifiers that can interfere with Velka's unique drops.
Is Velka Farming Worth Doing?
Velka rushing offers a relatively straightforward way to turn inexpensive charts into a combination of boss uniques, Scarabs, Gold, Sulfur, and other rewards.
The tested setup achieved 45.37 Divines per hour, but that result should not be treated as a guaranteed rate. A significant portion of the profit came from the valuable ring, so unlucky runs or a decline in the ring's market price can reduce the return substantially.
For players with a fast build who enjoy repeated boss rushing, the strategy provides a clear farming loop: prepare cheap charts, optimize the Voyage layout, rush through the valuable areas, defeat Cy and Velka, collect the guaranteed unique, and repeat. To keep this loop running without interruptions, buy POE currency and stock up on the charts and materials you need.
