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One of the most important systems in Path of Exile is item crafting. Conversely, it’s also one of the most frustrating and confusing systems for new players (and many more senior dabblers too). Path of Exile 2 has simplified and streamlined the original maze-like system, though it’s not less complex by much. That goes especially when you get into end-game crafting and you start chasing those “perfect items”. We’ll try to demystify the process in this article and give you a good basis to progress through the game by crafting your own gear.
How does crafting work in Path of Exile 2
In a nutshell, you will be using the currency you collect or combine on “item bases” to craft items. It is a multi-step process, with the chance to skip some steps – for example, if you don’t start from a Normal item base and use a Magic or Rare item from the start. To get a better idea of how crafting works, we’ll first go over the basic glossary of terms related to items and crafting in Path of Exile 2. A complete item is made up of the following:
- Rarity
- Affixes (also called mods or modifiers)
- Implicits and/or Enchantments
- Quality
- Sockets
Making the “perfect item” is extremely rare – so “useful” and “good enough” is a good aim to have, especially when just starting out.
Everything you need to know about item anatomy
Before we get into crafting, you should know about what an item is made of. This all relates to what you’re ultimately looking for while crafting. Also, most of these terms will be referenced during the crafting process and it’s important that you understand them before you begin.
Item Rarity
A craftable item comes in one of three rarities: Normal, Magic, and Rare. They are denoted by their colour and each has a progressively higher number of affix slots. For most crafters, a Normal item is the most common “item base” – meaning a blank slate from which you begin the crafting process to achieve the most control. There are also Unique items, but they aren’t a part of the crafting process – they can only be modified with a Vaal Orb.
| Rarity | Colour | Number of Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | White | 0 affixes |
| Magic | Blue | 1-2 affixes |
| Rare | Yellow | 3-6 affixes |
| Unique | Orange | Pre-determined affixes and effects |
Affixes
The affixes, also known as mods or modifiers, are the bread and butter of item crafting. These buffs are what you’re looking at most of the time to judge if an item is worth it or not. An item gets its affixes by slamming the appropriate currency and draws from a table related to the item type. When you loot an unidentified item during the game, you can identify it to reveal its affixes, for example. An item can have a maximum of 6 affixes, represented by a maximum of 3 prefixes and 3 suffixes. An affix can also have a range of possible effects, adding another layer of randomization. You can check those details by hovering over an item and holding the Alt key.
Implicits and Enchantments
Some items come with implicits, which means that they will have a default modifier or effect due to their item type. This won’t count towards your maximum number of affixes. For example, sceptres always have an implicit spell, with the starting one giving the effect of the Level 1 Skeleton Warrior skill.
Enchantments function similarly but come from an external source. They will be added to the item’s effects, but won’t count as an affix. An example of this is using a Vaal Orb on an item and getting the enchantment outcome. Also, you can have an item with both an implicit and an enchantment.
Item Quality
Item quality incrementally increases an item’s base-related stat. This depends on the type of item and each item category has its own quality currency. This currency is gained from salvaging dropped items with quality or found as loot. Each use increases quality in increments of 4% and can be increased up to 20%, meaning you’ll have to use 5 currencies to get to max quality.
| Item type | Quality currency | Quality effect |
|---|---|---|
| Martial Weapons | Blacksmith’s Whetstone | Increases base Physical Damage |
| Wand, Staff, and Sceptre | Arcanist’s Etcher | Increases implicit power level |
| Armour | Armourer’s Scrap | Increases defensive stat (armour, evasion, and/or energy shield) |
| Ring and Amulet | Catalyst (with different prefixes signifying their effect) | Increases the effect of an affix type |
Sockets
Unlike the first game, PoE2 items come with fewer sockets and there are no links. Neither are they used to socket skill gems. Instead, items can (usually) have one or two socket slots, in which you can socket Runes and Soul Cores. Note that these can’t be removed or overridden once socketed, so think carefully before using them. You can have a maximum of two sockets on two-handed weapons and body armour. Meanwhile, one-handed weapons and other armour slots can have only one socket. This can be “cheated” by using a Vaal Orb and getting the +1 Socket outcome, potentially resulting in 2- or 3-socket items.
Crafting progression in Path of Exile 2
With everything we know now, it’s time to put it into practice. Let’s discuss the end goal first. Making the “perfect item” is excruciatingly rare, but “good enough” is a good aim to have. Something that will help you squeeze out a bit more progress out of the game and get you more currency to have another go. Before you set out to craft, check what currencies you have and plan out the process. We’ll go over an example from start to finish, but you can use this as a non-exhaustive cheat sheet:
- Pick a Normal rarity item base to craft
- Use a Transmutation Orb to add an affix and turn it into a Magic item
- Use an Augmentation Orb to add another affix
- Use a Regal Orb to add another affix and turn it into a Rare item
- Use Exalted Orbs up to three times to add three new affixes, up to six total
- Use quality currency to raise the item’s quality (up to 20%)
- Use Artificer’s Orbs to add sockets to the item
Example step-by-step crafting project
The first steps in item crafting – turning a base Normal item into a Magic item. Image by VideoGamer
After this step, you’ll have a complete Magic item. But we’re not done yet. Image by VideoGamer
The first step is to pick the item base you’ll use to craft (skip this step if you’ve found a good Magic or Rare item that you want to build upon). Then, use a Transmutation Orb to turn it into a Magic item and get one affix. Then, use an Augmentation Orb to add another affix to the Magic item you just made. If you’re happy with what you got, proceed to the next steps. If not, you may have to start from scratch or use the Orb of Annulment, as we explain below.
An Orb of Annulment can be used to remove one affix from a magic or rare item at random. This is best done earlier in the process for a higher likelihood of hitting the one you want removed. Also, note that using an Orb of Annulment is a mid-step that can be used at any point going forward to try to “fix” any crafting mishaps.
The next step is to turn the Magic item into a Rare. Image by VideoGamer
Use Exalted Orbs to add affixes. A Chaos Orb can be used to reroll affixes as well. Image by VideoGamer
Further Exalted Orbs will grant additional affixes, up to six. Image by VideoGamer
The next step is to turn the Magic item into Rare by using a Regal orb. This will add another affix to the item and expand the maximum available affixes to six. Next up, it’s time to slam Exalted Orbs to reach those six affixes. Each Exalted Orb adds another random affix to the item. You can also use Chaos Orbs during these steps. They will remove one random affix and replace it with a different one. Just be careful with Chaos Orbs, as they can easily brick the item you made so far.
Though very rare, Orbs of Alchemy can be used as a hail-mary crafting shortcut. They can be used on a normal item to immediately turn it into a rare item with four affixes. The drawback, besides cost, is that you have far less control over which affixes you get once used, compared to the granular approach. However, it’s often worth it, not to mention fun!
With affixes done, add quality and sockets to the item. Image by VideoGamer
The item is mostly complete – we can keep working on it, or use it as is. Image by VideoGamer
With a bit of luck, you’ll have a six-affix Rare item with decent stats. If you’re happy with what you crafted, you can use an Artificer’s Orb to add one or more sockets to the item (depending on the item type). Just remember that you can’t remove Runes and Cores once you slot them into the sockets. Also, use the quality currency to increase the quality of the item as much as you can (up to 20% as discussed before).
An item can also be “bricked” during crafting. This refers to a failed attempt to modify the item or getting a result that can’t be taken back. The most common example of a bricked item is one that had an unfortunate result from using a Vaal Orb, but there are many other chances for an item to become bricked.
Vaal Orb – big risk, big rewards
There’s one more step if you want to get an even more powerful item, but that comes with the risk of bricking the item. You can use a Vaal Orb to corrupt the item. This can have the following outcomes:
- No change
- Get an Enchantment
- Reroll up to half of mods on the item
- Add an extra socket (exceeding the limit)
It has extra effects if used on Unique items, but that doesn’t fit the scope of the crafting process. However, remember that Vaal-ed items become corrupted, which means that they can’t be crafted any further. So using a Vaal Orb will always be the very last step of the crafting process, if at all.
Advanced steps and end-game currencies
The above step-by-step example is by no means the only way to craft, but is the most common one, especially during the campaign. With end-game content in mind, you will have even more currencies at your disposal. And knowing how it worked in Path of Exile, there will be more than that added during Leagues. With that, we’ll briefly touch on a few alternative currencies that can be slotted into the crafting process.
Essences and Greater Essences
You can encounter monsters frozen in Essences anywhere on the map. Captured by VideoGamer
Essences can be a great way to kickstart your crafting. Captured by VideoGamer
You can use Essences to upgrade a normal item into a magic one, thus taking the place of a Transmutation Orb in the process. The advantage is that each essence has a deterministic type of affix it can roll, making it easier to pinpoint what you’re looking for from the very first step. Then, you can use a Greater Essence to turn that magic item into rare, once again being able to roll the next affix from a smaller focused pool, as indicated by the Essence type.
Omens
Omens are obtained from Ritual rewards and are followed by a suffix. They have an effect while they’re in your inventory. These effects can be related to crafting, for example: “While this item is active in your inventory, your next Exalted Orb will add only prefix modifiers.” After an Omen has fulfilled its purpose, it will be consumed. Using Omens can further help you get the affixes you’re looking for, or more bang for the buck when using certain crafting currencies.
Instilling
Not to be confused with Instilling Orbs from PoE, Instilling is a crafting method used in conjunction with the Delirium mechanic. It allows you to instil notables into amulets, thus letting you change and enhance the ones you use as a base. Most importantly, this lets you add notable passives (from the passive skill tree) to your amulets. Just note that they don’t stack if you’ve already unlocked them. You have to combine Distilled Emotions that drop from Delirium, and the combination determines the type of instilling you can get.
Conclusion
This gives you a baseline of how crafting works in Path of Exile 2. There is much more to discover and we can certainly expect GGG to add more crafting options as the game develops. However, we firmly believe that understanding the fundamentals will equip you to tackle any future crafting projects, no matter the changes and additions. Also, we will update this guide with more methods as they get discovered or added to the game.
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