Understanding the Relationship Between Currency and Crafting
In Path of Exile 2, crafting is a core system that allows players to modify and enhance their equipment. The strength and efficiency of any crafting system heavily rely on how well you manage and utilize the game’s various currency items. Every orb or fragment serves a specific purpose in either changing an item’s base properties, adjusting its modifiers, or enhancing its quality. The synergy between different currency types and crafting goals is what separates novice players from experienced builders. Understanding when and how to use specific currencies can lead to powerful gear at a fraction of the cost compared to trading for finished items.
Using Fundamental Orbs to Shape Item Bases
Fundamental orbs such as the Orb of Transmutation, Orb of Alteration, and Orb of Augmentation are often used in the early stages of crafting to create a desirable rare item from a white base. While they seem simple, their synergy lies in how they lay the groundwork for more complex crafting processes. For example, using an Orb of Alteration to cycle through magic prefixes or suffixes allows you to set up a strong mod before using a Regal Orb to upgrade the item to rare quality. This is the foundation for meta-crafting, especially when working with influenced or fractured items.
Combining Chaos Orbs and Fossils for Targeted Crafting
Chaos Orbs are the go-to currency for rerolling rare items, but when used in combination with Fossils or Essences, they become part of a more directed crafting strategy. Fossils, which come from the delve system, allow players to limit or emphasize specific mod pools. By socketing Fossils into resonators and combining them with crafting bases, you can effectively target powerful affixes that would be difficult or expensive to roll with Chaos Orbs alone. This synergy becomes especially important when min-maxing gear for endgame builds.
Elevating Item Power with Exalted and Divine Orbs
Once a rare item reaches a strong base with the right modifiers, Exalted Orbs and Divine Orbs come into play. Exalted Orbs allow the addition of a random new modifier to a rare item, often used when the item already contains multiple powerful affixes and has space for one more. Divine Orbs are used to reroll the numeric values of modifiers, helping players perfect an item’s stats. These high-tier currencies are expensive and should be reserved for items that already show great potential, making them a crucial part of the final stages of crafting.
Bench Crafting and Master Mods as Currency Extensions
The crafting bench adds another layer to currency synergy. After using orbs to get close to your desired mod setup, you can finish an item using crafting bench mods, especially those unlocked from completing master missions. These mods often cost a mix of currency items and can add powerful suffixes or prefixes. The synergy between dropped currency and bench crafting allows players to perfect gear without relying entirely on RNG. Knowing when to stop using orbs and instead use a bench mod is a skill that saves time and maximizes value.
Influence and Meta-Crafting Synergies
In POE 2, influenced items introduce even more depth to the crafting system. Currency like Awakened Orbs and Maven’s Orbs allows players to manipulate items with Shaper, Elder, or other special influences. These currency items can combine items, elevate modifiers, or add exclusive affixes. This is where true synergy occurs, as players build toward specific mod combinations only possible through influence crafting. Mastering this system requires understanding the interactions between base item types, influence sources, and the timing of currency usage. When executed correctly, it creates some of the most powerful items in the game.
