Why stacking is the whole game
Your build is a pile of items, and most items grow when you own more than one. The way an item grows decides whether a tenth copy is worth chasing.
Read the stacking shape before you commit gold to a chest. Two items can look alike and scale in opposite ways.
Flat stacks
A flat stack adds the same amount for every copy. Ten copies give ten times the effect of one.
Flat items are predictable. They never surprise you, and they never spike. They are the steady backbone of a build.
Compounding stacks
A compounding stack multiplies its own effect as the count rises. Early copies feel small, and later copies explode in value.
These items reward commitment. One copy does little, but five copies can carry a run. Do not judge them on the first pickup.
Capped and triggered items
Some items cap out or work on a trigger. A single copy gives the full benefit, and extra copies only help if the trigger repeats.
For a triggered item, the first copy is the important one. Extra copies are a bonus, not a plan.
The practical rule
Sort what you find into the three shapes. Pour gold into compounding items when you can commit. Take one copy of a triggered item and move on.
Continue with lunar item tradeoffs or see how stacks pay off in boss strategies.