Everything new about Path of Exile 2's crafting system

Path of Exile 2 ^[1] seems to have taken the gaming world by storm. Most didn’t expect an MMORPG of this caliber, especially a free-to-play one that charges players to enter the early access, to become so successful. However, it’s no surprise Path of Exile 2 took off. The game has so much to see and do, even if it’s incomplete, making fans wonder what the full game has for them.

Those who haven’t played games like Path of Exile 2 before may find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to learn. One of the most crucial players should master as soon as possible is crafting. While learning about the Path of Exile 2 crafting system may get tough, we’re here to ensure you know everything about it to get started.

So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Path of Exile 2’s crafting system.

New things in the Path of Exile 2 crafting system

Path of Exile 2’s crafting system has gone through streamlining while still having depth. It doesn’t rely on numerous league mechanics and heavy player trading anymore. Instead, it’s accessible to every player through a smaller pool of crafting materials and simpler processes. Here’s everything different in Path of Exile 2’s crafting system compared to the original:

• Metacrafting removed: Crafting now focuses on using currency orbs, Essences, and Runes.
• Discontinued mechanics: Harvest, Fossils, Catalysts, and Recombinators are no longer in the game.
• Currency Orbs Rarity: Currency orbs are rare, so players are encouraged to disenchant magic and rare items at vendors to get shards, which convert into usable currency.
• Enhanced Essences: Some essences allow players to upgrade magic items to rare with guaranteed affixes. Combining this with a normal -> magic Essence enables players to add two desired affix types to an item.

Crafting basics

Crafting in Path of Exile 2 forces players to refine gear instead of changing them too much. Items found in Wraeclast can be modified with numerous crafting materials, with currency orbs being the foundation of crafting and player trade.

Players must refine items to add affixes, and these are divided into prefixes and suffixes. The amount of affixes an item can get depends on its rarity. Here’s every rarity and its potential affix capacity:

• Common Items: No prefixes or suffixes.
• Magic Items: One prefix and one suffix.
• Rare Items: Three prefixes and three suffixes.
• Unique items: Fixed stats that players cannot change.

Players must use materials to upgrade an item’s rarity to begin crafting. For example, an Orb of Transmutation turns a normal item into a magic item, while an Alchemy Orb can transform it into a rare one. These upgrades randomly apply affixes. If players are unhappy with the random affixes they got, they can use materials to refine the item or begin again with a different item. Currencies like Chaos Orbs and Exalted Orbs are also crucial to understand.

Disenchanting gear

Every hub town has a vendor that can disenchant magic and rare-tier items. Disenchanting gear gives players currency orb shards instead of gold, which they can use to transform into an orb. This mechanic encourages players to keep disenchanting things to get crafting resources.

Advanced crafting materials

As players progress through the game, they will start obtaining more exotic materials, allowing them to manipulate items in numerous ways.

Essences: These upgrade items have specific affix types, such as mana or damage, and can apply two affixes simultaneously.

Runes: Introduced in Path of Exile 2, these are socketable glyphs that provide moderate stat boosts, such as increased damage or elemental resistance. Runes are essential for addressing build weaknesses and become available from Act 2.

Oils: Coming back from the Blight League, Oils lets players anoint amulets with passive tree notables. A user can have only one anointment per amulet, and the exact drop sources for Oils are unclear.

Every crafting currency in PoE 2

Crafting currencies in Path of Exile 2 have numerous uses that range from small upgrades to powerful modifications. Here’s every currency type, its rarity, and what it does:

• Orb of Transmutation - Common - Transforms a normal item into a magic item. It can add one prefix or suffix.
• Orb of Augmentation - Common - Adds an affix to a magic item.
• Orb of Alchemy - Uncommon - Transforms a normal item into a rare item. It can add 4-6 affixes at random.
• Exalted Orb - Uncommon - Adds an affix to a rare item.
• Regal Orb - Uncommon - Upgrades a magic item to rare and adds one random prefix or suffix.
• Jeweller’s Orb - Uncommon - Adds a socket to a skill gem.
• Chaos Orb - Rare - Rerolls a random affix on a rare item.
• Vaal Orb - Rare - Unpredictably corrupts an item. It can be a prefix or a suffix.
• Divine Orb - Very Rare - Rerolls stat values on an item.
• Mirror of Kalandra - Exotic - Creates an exact copy of a non-unique item.

Quality Enhancers

These materials can improve an item’s base stats:

• Armorer’s Scrap: Increases armor quality.
• Blacksmith’s Whetstone: Increases martial weapon quality.
• Arcanist’s Etcher: Increases caster weapon quality

Some crafting tips

• Keep disenchanting items: Whenever the player has unwanted gear, they should disenchant them to get crafting shards.
• Strategically use runes: Gamers must slot Runes to address weaknesses in a build.
• Focus on essences: Using essences earlier can target specific affixes, reducing randomness in item upgrades.
• Preserve Rare Currencies: Save rare items like Divine Orbs and Mirrors of Kalandra for trading or endgame crafting.

References

1. [1] "Official PoE 2 website". pathofexile2.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024