Path of Exile 2 presents a complex landscape of gear acquisition and crafting that can challenge both new and experienced players. This guide aims to guide you in gearing and crafting the best in slots for your build, providing essential information to enhance your gameplay from early access onward.
PoE 2 Gearing Guide - Easy Gear & Full Best Crafting in Early Access
This guide is designed to simplify the basics of crafting and gear management in Path of Exile 2, particularly focusing on the early game (Act 1 and the first half of Act 2). Whether you’re struggling with progression or just want to optimize your build, this guide will walk you through the essentials of crafting, gear upgrades, and early-game tips.
1. The Basics of Gear Rarities
In Path of Exile 2, gear comes in four main rarities—each with unique possibilities for customization:
White Gear (Normal): No modifiers. A blank slate for crafting.
Blue Gear (Magic): Contains up to 2 modifiers.
Yellow Gear (Rare): Contains up to 6 modifiers (3 prefixes and 3 suffixes).
Orange Gear (Unique): Special items with predefined modifiers, often build-enabling or extremely powerful.
Understanding Gear Modifiers
Modifiers (or affixes) are the stats on an item that enhance your character. They are split into two types:
For early-game progression, focus on gear with modifiers that boost health, resistances, and damage for smoother gameplay.
2. Uniques: Build-Defining but Situational
Unique items are technically "above" rares due to their powerful fixed mods, but their usefulness depends entirely on your build.
For example:
The Searing Touch Pyrite Staff is fantastic for a fire-focused caster, providing fire damage boosts and a level 9 Living Bomb skill.
However, if you're playing a physical damage build, it won’t help you at all.
Key Takeaway:
Use uniques only if they enhance your build.
Early on, rares with the right mods will often be more effective than uniques.
2. Early Game Crafting Essentials
Crafting in Path of Exile 2 revolves around transforming gear to suit your build. Here’s a breakdown of the most relevant crafting items for the early game:
The Core Crafting Orbs
Orb of Transmutation
- Converts a normal (white) item into a magic (blue) item with 1 random modifier.
- Example: Turning a white shield into a blue shield with Physical Thorns.
Orb of Augmentation
- Adds a second random modifier to a magic (blue) item.
- Example: Adding "Increased Block Chance" to your shield with Physical Thorns.
Regal Orb
- Upgrades a magic (blue) item to a rare (yellow) item, adding a third random modifier.
- Use sparingly, as these are rarer than the previous two crafting materials.
Exalted Orb
- Adds a random modifier to a rare (yellow) item, up to the maximum of 6 modifiers.
- These are extremely rare early game but invaluable for high-end crafting.
How To Approach Early Crafting
Start Small: Use Orbs of Transmutation and Augmentation to create usable magic items from normal gear. Focus on gear with modifiers that complement your build (e.g., added life, resistances, or damage).
Upgrade to Rare: If a magic item has great modifiers, consider upgrading it to rare using a Regal Orb for additional power.
Quality Matters: Use scraps to improve item quality (up to 20%) for increased base stats:
- Blacksmith’s Whetstones for physical weapons.
- Armorer’s Scraps for armor.
- Don’t waste these on items you’ll quickly replace.
Runes and Sockets
In Path of Exile 2, gear can have sockets, which allow you to add Runes for extra bonuses. Sockets and runes are a game-changer for early power:
Runes provide flat bonuses like increased elemental damage or resistances.
Larger gear (e.g., two-handed weapons or chest armor) can have up to 2 sockets.
Tip: If you find a weapon with a socket, prioritize slotting in a rune that matches your damage type (e.g., fire, cold, or physical). A single rune can double your damage output early on.
Crafting Example
Here’s a step-by-step crafting example to turn a normal item into a powerful rare:
Start with a white crossbow.
Use an Orb of Transmutation to make it magic (blue) with one modifier (+21% Critical Damage).
Use an Orb of Augmentation to add a second modifier (+Damage).
Use a Regal Orb to upgrade it to rare (yellow) and add a third modifier (+Fire Damage).
Use Exalted Orbs to add up to three more modifiers, reaching the cap of six.
Through these steps, the crossbow evolves into a high-powered item tailored to your build.
More Tips for Early Crafting
Don’t hoard crafting materials: Use Orbs of Transmutation and Augmentation freely - these are common and will drop consistently. If you are tired of farming, buy PoE 2 orbs at AOEAH.COM is fast and easy!
Plan your sockets carefully: Once a rune is slotted into an item, it cannot be removed. Ensure the item fits your build before committing.
Disenchant strategically: Early gold in Path of Exile is better spent on gambling for upgrades or crafting materials.
4. Disenchanting and Salvaging
Disenchanting gear is essential for obtaining crafting materials. Here’s how it works:
Tip: Always identify items before selling or disenchanting them. Identified items sell for more gold, which is another important resource for gambling or buying gear.
5. When To Use Quality and Scraps
While quality boosts the base stats of weapons or armor, it’s best to save scraps for gear you’ll use for a while. For example:
Weapons: Boost quality to increase physical damage output.
Armor: Boost quality to increase defensive stats like armor, evasion, or energy shield.
6. NPCs and Trading
In towns, NPCs offer a rotating inventory of items for purchase. You can use gold (introduced in Path of Exile 2) to buy gear, gamble for upgrades, or trade for crafting materials.
7. Gear Progression Tips
Focus on Rares Early: Look for rares with useful mods (e.g., life, resistances, or damage).
Identify Before Selling: Once you unlock free identification in town, always identify items before selling them. This increases their gold value.
Use Runes Strategically: Fill sockets in weapons for extra damage or in armor to cover resistance gaps. Remember: Once a rune is placed, it cannot be removed.
Don’t Hoard Too Much: Use crafting resources as you progress. They’ll become more common later in the game.
Early game crafting in Path of Exile 2 is a powerful tool for gaining an edge as you progress through the campaign. By understanding the basics of gear rarities, crafting materials, and when to invest in upgrades, you’ll streamline your experience and power through the content with ease.
If you’re new to Path of Exile 2, don’t be afraid to experiment! Crafting is all about trial and error as you learn what works best for your build. As you progress, deeper crafting systems will unlock, offering even greater customization options.
For now, focus on these early-game basics, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering the art of crafting. Stay tuned for more guides, and until next time.
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