# NeverSink's Path of Exile Loot Filter: Strictness Tiers, Installation, and When It Is the Wrong Tool > NeverSink's Filter is an official-domain-language item filter for Path of Exile that hides low-value drops and highlights expensive gear using economy data. This covers how the strictness tiers work, how to install it, and where the design breaks down. **NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter** — This is a lootfilter for the game "Path of Exile". It hides low value items, uses a markup-scheme and sounds to highlight expensive gear and is based on economy data mining. - Repository: https://github.com/NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter - Website: https://www.filterblade.xyz - Stars: 2,606 · Forks: 484 - Language: Unknown - License: MIT - Published: 2026-09-28 · Updated: 2026-09-28 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/neversinkdev-neversink-filter ## The Problem: Path of Exile Drops More Than You Can Pick Up Path of Exile generates a large volume of item drops, and the README frames the core tension directly: "Every time you pick up an item - you slow down." Picking up, identifying, sorting and selling low-value items costs time that could go into clearing content. The filter exists to decide, in the game client itself, which drops are worth showing and which should be hidden. The filter is for Path of Exile players who want the game to stop rendering junk. It is not a mod or a hack. The README states it is written using the official Path of Exile filter domain language, and that the script is shipped on the console versions of the game. That matters for adoption: you are configuring a supported game feature, not patching the client. Who it is for, concretely: players who have enough game knowledge to know that a unique Leather Belt could be a Headhunter or a Wurm's Molt, and who want the filter to tier the rest for them. The README says the filter covers both leveling and endgame and adjusts based on area level, with the leveling-to-endgame switch at itemlevel 68. ## How the Filter Works: Rules, Tiers, and Economy Data The mechanism is a set of filter rules written in the game's filter domain language. The README claims over 500 different rules that highlight and hide items based on usefulness and value. Each rule matches item properties and assigns visual treatment: colors, minimap icons, beams and sounds. Tiering is the part that depends on external data. The README says the filter tiers every single unique, currency, divination card, fragment, scarab and 20+ other tierlist types based on the current meta and prices in the league economy. That is why the repository ships league-named releases such as 8.20.1 "Allflame Economy Update" rather than a single static file. The filter is not deriving prices at runtime; the tiering is baked into the rules at release time. The repository layout reflects this. Seven top-level .filter files map to strictness levels, from 0-SOFT through 6-UBER-PLUS-STRICT. Fifteen (STYLE) directories hold stylistic variants. The README describes safety checks to avoid accidentally hiding new and unknown items from new leagues, which is the guard against a filter built on last league's economy silently dropping something valuable in a fresh league. Two design limits are stated outright. First, the filter cannot distinguish between different variations of one unique base; the README gives the Leather Belt example and says items needing manual checking usually have a blue icon on the minimap. Second, tiering is only as current as the release, which is why the README pushes the FilterBlade and ladder paths that update more often. ## Installing NeverSink's Filter: Folder Path and In-Game Selection The README lists multiple sources. The fastest for a new player is the Filter Ladder: subscribe on the Path of Exile site, restart the game, and select the subscribed filter in the options menu. The README notes the downside: you cannot edit these filters or use styles. FilterBlade is the recommended path for customization. GitHub releases are the third option, and the README is explicit that they do not auto-update. For a manual install from a GitHub release, the README gives these steps. Download the latest filter file, extract it, and place the .filter files into the Path of Exile documents folder. If you want a specific style, paste the files from one of the (STYLE) folders instead. ```bash # Target folder for the .filter files (Windows) %userprofile%/Documents/My Games/Path of Exile ``` After the files are in place, select the filter inside the game. The README describes the menu path as Escape, then Options, then Game, then Filters, and choosing one of the filters from the dropdown box. No restart of the game is mentioned for the manual path, unlike the ladder subscription. If you only want the default look and do not care about styles, the seven numbered files at the repository root are the ones to copy. For example, the semi-strict file is named NeverSink's filter - 2-SEMI-STRICT.filter. Copying that single file is enough for the game to list it in the dropdown. ## Picking a Strictness: SEMI-STRICT First, Then Move Up Strictness controls how much is hidden. The README's guidance is direct: start with SEMI-STRICT if you are new, and increase strictness as you become faster and more experienced. The seven levels run from 0-SOFT to 6-UBER-PLUS-STRICT. Higher strictness means fewer items shown. The README's argument for raising strictness is economic, not aesthetic. As a character becomes optimized, focusing on clearing fast and only picking up the best items yields more experience and more chances at big drops. It also states that hidden items are always the cheapest layer, and that expensive drops are always shown. That is the safety claim to test against your own league experience. The wrong tool case is here. If you are farming slow content, the README says to go down a strictness. A player running a slow, tanky build that clears methodically may find UBER-STRICT hides items they would have picked up. Strictness is a function of clear speed, not of player skill in the abstract. One more boundary: the filter cannot separate variants of a unique base. A blue minimap icon marks items that need manual checking. If your strategy depends on distinguishing cheap and expensive rolls of the same base automatically, the filter does not do that. ## Updates, the Auto-Updater, and What GitHub Does Not Do The README states that filters in the GitHub project are always updated before the start of a new league, four to six hours before start, and afterwards usually every few weeks. Releases in the repository follow that pattern: 8.20.1d on 2026-08-14, 8.20.1 on 2026-08-01, and 8.20.0b on 2026-07-24. The repository's last push was on 2026-09-04. The critical caveat is stated in the README's must-read list: filters from the GitHub project do not auto-update. The README advises redownloading at least once a league, better once a month. There is an auto-updater, but the README ties it to the paid tier: a 3 dollar per month auto-update service that also supports FilterBlade server costs. The filter itself is free, and the README says it always will be. So the maintenance cost splits by path. Ladder subscription auto-updates and is free, but is not editable and does not support styles. FilterBlade is free and customizable but manual unless you pay for the auto-updater. GitHub releases are free and manual, and the README warns they are not adjusted every four hours to match the economy like the FilterBlade and ladder versions. If you take the GitHub path, budget for a recurring download before each league. Licensing: the repository is MIT. That permits reuse and modification under the licence terms, but it says nothing about the game's own filter rules or the FilterBlade service, which are separate from the code licence. This is not legal advice; read the LICENSE file and the game's terms yourself. ## Conclusion Adopt NeverSink's Filter if you play Path of Exile and want a maintained, economy-tuned filter without writing domain-language rules yourself; start with SEMI-STRICT and move up as clutter slows you down. Do not adopt it if you want a filter that auto-updates from GitHub, since the README states the GitHub releases do not auto-update and must be redownloaded at least once a league, or if you need per-item-variant filtering, because the README notes the filter cannot distinguish between different variations of one unique base. Before committing, verify which strictness file matches your build speed, confirm the filter folder path %userprofile%/Documents/My Games/Path of Exile, and check whether a newer release than 8.20.1d has appeared. ## FAQ ### Can you explain the NeverSink filter in Path of Exile? It is an item filter written in Path of Exile's official filter domain language that hides low-value drops and highlights valuable gear using colors, minimap icons, beams and sounds. The README describes it as a script for the game, not a hack or mod, with over 500 rules and strictness levels that control how much is hidden. ### Where to install a NeverSink filter? The README says to paste the .filter files into %userprofile%/Documents/My Games/Path of Exile, then select one in game via Escape, Options, Game, Filters. Alternatively, subscribe on the Filter Ladder or use FilterBlade, which handle placement for you. ### How to update the NeverSink filter? The README states the GitHub filters do not auto-update, so you should redownload at least once a league, better once a month. The ladder subscription auto-updates, and the paid auto-updater service handles it for a monthly fee. ### Which NeverSink filter strictness should I use? The README recommends SEMI-STRICT if you are just starting, and increasing strictness as you become faster and more experienced. Hidden items are always the cheapest layer, and expensive drops are always shown. ## Sources - [License: MIT](https://github.com/NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter/blob/master/LICENSE) - [NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter on GitHub](https://github.com/NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter) - [Project website](https://www.filterblade.xyz) - [README](https://github.com/NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/NeverSinkDev/NeverSink-Filter/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/neversinkdev-neversink-filter