Path of Exile 2 Crafting Guide

Crafting in Path of Exile 2 lets you customize your gear to fit your playstyle, boost damage, or improve defensive stats. It might seem tricky at first, but mastering the basics opens up endless ways to power up your character.

This guide is perfect for beginners exploring the early game or those seeking to master the foundational elements of crafting. You will also find tips here, which will be helpful.

Crafting in Path of Exile 2

Crafting in Path of Exile 2 is easier to understand but still rewarding for making strong gear. It uses currency orbs and the affix system to fine-tune your items. Rather than crafting from zero, the system upgrades your existing gear to fit your playstyle and build. It’s simple for beginners but still offers plenty of depth for experienced players.

Instead of drowning you in options, the system lets you add modifiers, boost item rarity, and improve stats to fit your build. With the right tools and strategy, even simple items can become powerful upgrades.

Crafting Process:

1. Start with a white item:
   Use an Orb of Transmutation to turn it into a Magic item with one modifier.
2. Add a second mod:
   Use an Orb of Augmentation to add another mod to the Magic item (maximum of two mods: one prefix and one suffix).
3. Upgrade to a Rare item:
   Use a Regal Orb to upgrade a Magic item into a Rare item with up to 6 mods (3 prefixes and 3 suffixes).
4. Further refine the item:
   Use high-value currency, such as Exalted Orbs, to add additional random mods.

Base Types: Item Rarity in Crafting

Unlike other RPG systems, crafting in Path of Exile 2 doesn’t involve creating gear from nothing. Instead, it emphasizes refinement and improvement of items you find. The system revolves around enhancing Base Types (gear with preset stats) and customizing their modifiers using crafting currencies like Orbs.

The rarity of your gear— Normal, Magic, Rare, or Unique— determines its potential for upgrades and affixes:

For crafting, Normal items provide a clean slate for upgrades using basic crafting currencies like Transmutation Orbs. Meanwhile, Rare items offer the best customization potential for min-maxing stats in the endgame.

Types of Modifiers: Explicit vs. Implicit

Modifiers in Path of Exile 2 fall into two main categories: explicit modifiers and implicit modifiers. Each type serves a unique role in defining an item’s stats.

Implicit Modifiers

Implicit modifiers are fixed properties that come with specific equipment types. For example, a Topaz Ring will always grant Lightning Resistance as its implicit stat. These modifiers cannot be changed with most crafting currencies like Chaos Orbs or Transmutation Orbs. They act as the foundation for an item’s power and are determined when the item drops.

Example:

• Topaz Ring: +15% Lightning Resistance
• Leather Belt: +25 to Maximum Life

Explicit Modifiers

Explicit modifiers are the customizable stats added to gear using crafting currencies. These modifiers are what you’ll alter most often during the crafting process. Explicit modifiers can enhance defensive stats like energy shield or evasion affixes, as well as offensive stats like increased physical damage or grant devastating active skills.

Example:

• +50 to Maximum Life (Prefix)
• +30% to Fire Resistance (Suffix)

Prefixes and Suffixes

Modifiers are further split into prefixes and suffixes. Understanding this distinction is crucial for crafting, as each item can hold a specific number of each type of modifier. For example:

• Magic Items: Up to 2 affixes (1 prefix and 1 suffix).
• Rare Items: Up to 6 affixes (3 prefixes and 3 suffixes).

Prefixes

Prefixes generally improve core stats such as damage, life, or defenses. They serve as the foundation of powerful gear.

Example:

• +100 to Maximum Life
• +25% Increased Physical Damage
• +120 to Energy Shield

Suffixes

Suffixes tend to provide utility stats like resistances, movement speed, or attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence).

Example:

• +30% to Cold Resistance
• +5% Increased Movement Speed
• +10% to Dexterity

The goal of crafting in Path of Exile 2 is to combine the right prefixes and suffixes to suit your build. For example, a Magic item with increased physical damage (prefix) and attack speed (suffix) could be ideal for a melee-focused build.

Sockets and Runes in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 introduces Sockets and Ezomyte Runes, a new system that lets players take gear customization to the next level. These mechanics enhance gear in ways that go beyond affixes and base stats, giving players another layer of control in item optimization.

Sockets

Items in PoE 2 can feature 1 or 2 sockets depending on the item type:

• Body Armor and Two-Handed Weapons: Up to 2 sockets for enhanced customization.
• One-Handed Weapons, Helmets, Gloves, and Boots: Typically limited to 1 socket.

These sockets serve as slots for Ezomyte Runes, which add versatile runic modifiers to items.

Runes

Runes provide unique enhancements that can directly boost your stats or provide utility benefits. Unlike crafting currencies such as Chaos Orbs or Transmutation Orbs, Runes target specific aspects of gameplay, ensuring predictable results:

• Glacial Rune: Adds Cold Resistance, bolstering defenses against elemental damage.
• Runes of Strength: Enhance physical damage, perfect for melee builds.

Runes allow players to further refine magic items, rare items, and even some unique items, offering flexibility for both offense and defense.

If you find socketed gear that doesn’t suit your build, salvage it in town for Artificer’s Orbs, valuable crafting items that can add sockets to your desired equipment.

The Mod Pool in Path of Exile 2

In Path of Exile 2, knowing the mod pool is key to upgrading your gear. Each item type: weapon, armor, or accessory has a set list of modifiers that can roll. These mods determine stats like damage or defense, letting you customize your gear to match your build.

The mod pool of an item determines which modifiers can roll on it during crafting. The available pool of mods changes based on the base type of the item.

• Weapons will roll offensive modifiers such as:
  • % Increased Physical Damage
  • Attack Speed
  • Critical Strike Chance
• Body Armour focuses on defensive stats like:
  • % Increased Armour
  • +X to Maximum Life
  • Energy Shield Affixes

Some mods, like resistances, are universal, while others are item-specific, letting you tailor gear to your character. For instance, a Mace may roll Physical Damage modifiers, while a Helmet might roll resistances or evasion affixes.

Modifiers Tiers

Each explicit modifierhas a tier, representing its strength. Higher tiers offer more powerful effects but often require higher Item Levels (ILvl) to roll.

• Maximum Life (Tier 1): Found on high-level Body Armour, offering +120 or more life.
• Elemental Resistances (Tier 1): The strongest rolls require Item Levels above 82.

Understanding tier breakpoints will save you resources and help you target high-value rolls.

• If you’re crafting for Movement Speed, look for items with an ILvl of 82+ to access the highest % Increased Movement Speed mod.
• For Critical Strike Chance, knowing which Item Level is required to roll Tier 1 mods allows you to optimize your DPS.

Local and Global Modifiers

Modifiers in PoE 2 also come in Local and Global forms, impacting items differently:

• Local Modifiers: Affect the base stats of the item itself.
  • Adds 15-30 Physical Damage on a weapon directly scales its base damage.
  • +X to Armour on a Body Armour increases its innate defensive stats.
• Global Modifiers: Affect your overall character stats and are independent of the item’s base.
  • +50 to Maximum Life increases your health pool globally.
  • +10% Increased Spell Damage improves all spells, not just those on the item.

Crafting Currencies

In Path of Exile 2, currency orbs remain the cornerstone of the crafting process. From Transmutation Orbs that transform Normal items into Magic, to Chaos Orbs that reroll modifiers on Rare

Orbs in Path of Exile 2 are consumable crafting items that manipulate your gear. Here's a streamlined overview of their uses:

Orb	Effect	Best Use Case
Orb of Transmutation	Converts Normal items to Magic with one affix.	Starting your crafting journey; perfect for low-tier equipment upgrades.
Orb of Augmentation	Adds one additional affix to a Magic item.	Ideal for completing Magic items before upgrading to Rare.
Orb of Alchemy	Converts Normal items into Rare with four affixes.	Best for quick upgrades when you need multi-affix gear.
Orb of Chance	Randomly upgrades a Normal item to Magic, Rare, or Unique.	A high-risk, high-reward option for obtaining Unique items.
Regal Orb	Upgrades Magic items to Rare and adds one affix.	Perfect for converting refined Magic items into Rare items with better stats.
Exalted Orb	Adds one random affix to a Rare item.	Use on well-crafted Rare items to further optimize.
Chaos Orb	Re-rolls all affixes on a Rare item.	Great for starting over when a Rare item’s stats don’t align with your build.
Divine Orb	Adjusts the numerical values of affixes on an item.	Essential for maximizing powerful affixes with poor numerical rolls.
Orb of Annulment	Removes 1 random modifier from a Magic or Rare item.	Helps to clean up undesirable affixes before adding better stats.
Vaal Orb	Unpredictably changes an item and corrupts it, locking it from further crafting while adding effects.	For high-stakes crafting with unique, unpredictable results. Use only on endgame gear.

Efficient use of these currencies can transform basic drops into top-tier equipment tailored to your build.

Omens

You also have Omens. Omens are special meta-modifiers you’ll find during Rituals in Path of Exile 2. They give you more control over how crafting currencies work, making it easier to shape your gear.

For example, the Omen of Dextral Annulment guarantees that your next Orb of Annulment will only remove a Suffix, keeping Prefixes safe. This kind of precision is super helpful, especially when customizing high-tier gear in the endgame.

You can only use one Omen per craft, but there are plenty of options to experiment with different strategies.

How to Salvage and Disenchant Items in PoE 2

Efficient crafting starts with knowing when to salvage and when to upgrade. Disenchanting and salvaging items in PoE 2 yield critical materials for crafting:

This process ensures you make the most of every dropped item, turning unwanted gear into essential crafting currencies.

Transmuting and Upgrading Items

Transmuting forms the foundation of the crafting process in PoE 2:

Essences and Soul Cores

Two key tools in Path of Exile 2 - Essences and Soul Cores help you craft with more control:

Essences

• Basic Essences: Turn Normal gear into Magic items with guaranteed affixes like Life or Resistances.
• Greater Essences: Upgrade Magic gear into Rare Items items while locking in specific modifiers. Perfect for crafting early-game gear with reliable defensive or offensive stats.

Soul Cores

• Advanced tools that add active skills or powerful modifiers to gear.
• Once applied, they cannot be removed, making them high-risk, high-reward options for endgame builds.

How to Craft Efficiently in PoE 2: Tips and Tricks

These tips will help you save time, resources, and stress as you improve your items.

• Use Magic Items with 1-2 good mods to carry you through early-game.
• Save rare crafting materials for later.
• Weapons are your primary damage source—upgrade them first.
• Don’t overinvest in armor early; basic Magic armor is usually enough.
• Use basic Orbs (Transmutation, Augmentation) on key upgrades only.
• Save Regal and Exalted Orbs for endgame items or trade them for better gear.
• Disenchant Magic Items for Transmutation Orbs.
• Salvage Rare Items for Regal Orbs or trade for currency.
• High-quality gear gives resources like Armourer’s Scrap or Whetstones for upgrades.
• Look for boots with 10-20% Movement Speed to farm faster.
• Gear with Item Rarity increases drop quality, giving better materials and upgrades.
• Annulment Orbs are risky—use only on items worth the risk.
• Add Ezomyte Runes to socketed items for extra stats like resistances.
• Crafting is unpredictable—some of the best items come from lucky rolls.
• Avoid wasting high-value currency like Exalted Orbs on low-tier or poorly rolled items.

Conclusion

The flexibility and depth of this system crafting allow for endless experimentation, making crafting not just a necessity but a rewarding part of the gameplay experience.

It may seem difficult to figure out at first, but that's just the initial stage — understanding will come with practice, and your interest won't fade. However, if you do face challenges (and they happen to everyone), we're here to help you!

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Change Log

• 27.12.2024 - Path of Exile 2 Crafting Guide published.