Respecting the Mapping Flow: The Case for Global Stash Affinities

Hi GGG and fellow exiles,

Stash Tab Affinities were a game-changer, but they have a significant limitation:

the "proximity" problem.

After running a juiced-up map, your inventory is full of specialized loot. You've got Essences, Scarabs, Fossils, Oils, Maps, and more. To put it all away right now, you have to:

Open your stash.

Click over to your Essence Tab, then ctrl-click all your Essences.

Click over to your Fragment Tab, then ctrl-click all your Scarabs.

Click over to your Map Tab, then ctrl-click your Maps.

And so on, through every single specialized tab.

This isn't strategy. It's an "inventory dance" that takes 15 to 30 seconds of pure menu navigation after every single map. Let's do the math: over a session of 100 maps, that's 25 to 50 minutes of your playtime spent just clicking between stash tabs instead of killing monsters, exploring the Atlas, or engaging with the game's amazing content.

The Simple, Elegant Solution: A "Global Auto-Affinity" Toggle

The fix for this is straightforward and respects the existing system. I propose adding a single checkbox in the Stash settings:

"Enable Global Affinities."

Here's how it would work:

With this box checked, any item you ctrl-click into the stash—no matter which tab you have open—will automatically travel to the tab you've set for its affinity. Lifeforce goes to Harvest from any tab. Essences go to the Essence tab from any tab. You get the idea.

The failsafe remains: If the destination tab is full, the item simply stays in the tab you're currently viewing, just like it does now. No items are lost.

Why This is a Huge Win for the Game

This change is a perfect example of reducing "unproductive friction" without removing the "weight" of items.

It preserves the core interaction: You still have to pick up loot and commit it to your stash. The value and consequence of that action remain.

It eliminates pure busywork: It removes the tedious, non-strategic chore of tab-hopping, which is currently a major barrier to a smooth mapping experience.

It keeps the adrenaline high: Mapping is about momentum. This turns a 30-second post-map administrative task into a near-instantaneous "dump and go," letting you get right back into the action.

This small toggle would have an outsized positive impact on the quality of life for every player who has invested in specialized stash tabs. It respects our time and lets us spend more of it actually playing Path of Exile.

What do you all think? Would you use a Global Affinity toggle?