crafting in Path of Exile 2 might seem like a puzzle at first, but once you understand the core mechanics, you'll be upgrading your gear like a pro. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about item rarities, crafting currencies (Orbs), and how to match gear to your character's needs. Understanding Item Rarities Items in PoE 2 come in four different rarity levels, each with its own strengths: Normal (White) – Basic items with no special modifiers. These are your starting point for crafting. Magic (Blue) – Slightly better, with up to one Prefix and one Suffix (explained below). Rare (Yellow) – Powerful items with up to three Prefixes and three Suffixes, offering multiple bonuses. Unique (Orange) – Legendary items with fixed, game-changing effects. These can't be crafted normally. You'll mostly find Normal and Magic items as random drops early on. Rare and Unique items become more common in later stages of the game, especially from tough enemies and bosses. Affixes: Prefixes vs. Suffixes Every Magic or Rare item has Affixes—bonuses that improve your gear. These come in two types: Prefixes (listed first) – Usually boost offensive stats like damage, attack speed, or spell power. Suffixes (listed after) – Typically enhance defenses such as resistances, armor, or evasion. A Rare item can have up to six Affixes (three of each type), making them highly valuable for strong builds. Essential Crafting Orbs & How to Use Them Crafting revolves around Orbs, special currencies that modify your items. Here are the most important ones: Basic Upgrades Transmutation Orb – Turns a Normal item into a Magic one (adds one random Affix). Augmentation Orb – Adds one more Affix to a Magic item (if it has space). Alchemy Orb – Instantly upgrades a Normal item to Rare (with four random Affixes). Advanced Crafting Regal Orb – Upgrades a Magic item to Rare (adding one extra Affix). Exalted Orb – Adds one more random Affix to a Rare item (if it has fewer than six). Orb of Annulment – Removes one random Affix (useful for deleting bad modifiers). Chaos Orb – Rerolls all Affixes on a Rare item randomly (high risk, high reward). Divine Orb – Rerolls the values of existing Affixes (keeping the same modifiers). Vaal Orb – Corrupts an item, making powerful but unpredictable changes (and locking further crafting). How to Craft Step-by-Step Start with a Normal (White) item. Use a Transmutation Orb to make it Magic (Blue). Add another Affix with an Augmentation Orb (if needed). Upgrade to Rare (Yellow) using a Regal Orb or skip straight with an Alchemy Orb. Improve further with Exalted Orbs or reroll with Chaos Orbs for better stats. Pro Tip: Transmutation, Augmentation, and Alchemy Orbs are common early on. Save rarer Orbs (Exalted, Divine) for your best gear. Matching Gear to Your Build Different classes benefit from different stats: Strength-based (Warrior, Mercenary) – Look for +Armor and +Life modifiers. Dexterity-based (Ranger, Monk) – Prioritize +Evasion and +Accuracy. Intelligence-based (Sorceress, Witch) – Focus on +Energy Shield and +Spell Damage. Always check an item’s Affixes before equipping it—does it fit your playstyle? Hybrid classes (like the Mercenary) may need a mix of stats. Final Crafting Tips ✔ Start small – Use common Orbs early and save rare ones for endgame. ✔ Balance offense & defense – A good Rare item has both strong Prefixes and Suffixes. ✔ Experiment wisely – Some of the best gear comes from risky crafting moves! With this guide, you're ready to dive into Path of Exile 2 crafting with confidence. Happy looting, Exile! 🔨⚡

Now that we're a month into Path of Exile 2’s early access, the strongest builds are becoming clearer, and the dual Herald Invoker stands out as my personal favorite. This build combines incredible clearspeed, great boss damage, and solid survivability, thanks to one of the game's most powerful Ascendancy nodes: Protect Me from Harm. There's some flexibility in how to design the Invoker, whether through Ice Strike, Storm Wave, or Tempest Flurry. Regardless of the chosen skill, the core mechanics remain consistent—convert massive amounts of physical damage into cold and lightning elements to shock and freeze enemies, triggering Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice to annihilate screens full of monsters. For boss fights, Tempest Bell adds an extra layer of devastation, making this build capable of tearing through nearly any challenge in the game. I based my Invoker build on Tuadh’s excellent guide, opting for Tempest Flurry as the primary skill. Tuadh's Profane Ritual tech for gaining power charges cleverly solves that particular challenge, and it has carried me through pinnacle content despite my self-confessed slow reflexes. However, one notable weakness is simulacrum—since monsters don't leave corpses, Profane Ritual has no fuel, and Herald explosions fail to trigger. Unless the delirium mechanic undergoes changes, this limitation remains unsolvable, making spark archmage a better alternative for simulacrum-specific builds. The dual Herald Invoker demonstrates the potential depth and variety Path of Exile 2 offers, making the early access period both exciting and rewarding for theorycrafting enthusiasts. Leveling Tips Tuadh recommends starting with Glacial Cascade for leveling, but I found it underwhelming. Instead, sticking with Falling Thunder and Killing Palm until unlocking a level 5 skill gem for Tempest Flurry worked better for me. Results may vary depending on your playstyle. Skill Breakdown 1. Tempest Flurry Martial Tempo: +25% attack speed for supported skills. Lightning Infusion: Gain 25% extra lightning damage; deal 50% less cold and fire damage. Overcharge: +75% shock magnitude for supported skills. Rage: +3 rage on melee hit for supported skills. Main Function: Although Tempest Flurry is the primary attack skill, it’s not the primary damage source. The fourth attack in the sequence has high shock chance, which activates Herald of Thunder and enables Tempest Bell. Martial Tempo boosts attack speed for both, while Rage provides a useful stacking damage buff. 2. Tempest Bell Concentrated Effect: +40% area damage; -50% area of effect. Overabundance: +1 skill limit; -50% skill duration. Close Combat: +25% attack damage to enemies within 1 meter. Heavy Swing: +35% melee physical damage; -10% attack speed. Main Function: Tempest Bell is the ultimate boss killer. Build combo charges with Tempest Flurry, drop the bell, and keep attacking to freeze and shock enemies into submission. The skill’s impact locks bosses in place while dishing out massive damage. Plus, that satisfying “dong” sound adds flair to its devastating effects. 3. Herald of Thunder Primal Armament: +25% weapon elemental damage for supported skills. Lightning Mastery: +1 level for supported lightning skills. Longshot: +35% attack damage to distant enemies (>7m). Innervate: +35% lightning damage for three seconds after killing a shocked enemy. Main Function: Initially, pair Herald of Thunder with Primal Armament, Elemental Focus, and Lightning Infusion for AoE damage while leveling. Later, transition to support gems optimized for dual Heralds once you unlock the Polcirkeln ring and Ascendancy upgrades. 4. Profane Ritual Unleash: Supported spells gain seals and recast for each seal. Arcane Tempo: +25% cast speed for supported skills. Profusion: 50% chance to gain additional charges for supported skills. Main Function: Use Profane Ritual on corpses to gain power charges efficiently, often filling four charges in one cast. These charges fuel Charged Staff, amplifying damage and AoE significantly. Avoid leveling the skill beyond level 7, as the intelligence requirements escalate quickly. 5. Charged Staff Persistence: +40% skill effect duration for supported skills. Rising Tempest: +12% elemental damage for each recent skill of a different element. Lightning Exposure: Inflicts lightning exposure for 8 seconds on shocking an enemy. Conduction: +100% shock chance for supported skills. Main Function: Power charges activate this skill, transforming Tempest Flurry into a damage-dealing shockwave generator. Lightning Exposure enhances synergy, providing a massive multiplier for area-of-effect impact. 6. Defensive Skills Wind Dancer Clarity: +30% mana regeneration for supported skills. Blind: 100% chance to blind enemies on hit for supported skills. Ghost Dance Herbalism: Enhanced life recovery from flasks while supported skills are active. Precision: +30% accuracy rating for supported skills. Function: Wind Dancer boosts evasion if you’ve avoided damage for some time, while Ghost Dance recovers energy shields when struck, creating an effective defensive balance. 7. Grim Feast Cannibalism: Recovers 4% life on kills while supported skills are active. Function: Grim Feast lets you consume spirits from fallen enemies to recover energy shield, even overflowing your shield pool for extra durability. It’s so strong that a nerf may be imminent. 8. Herald of Ice Cold Penetration: 30% cold resistance penetration for supported skills. Cold Mastery: +1 level for supported cold skills. Magnified Effect: +40% area of effect for supported skills. Execute: +40% damage with hits against low-life enemies. Function: Herald of Ice creates icy explosions upon killing frozen enemies, delivering devastating AoE effects. Unlocking the Polcirkeln ring and Ascendancy node I am the Blizzard enables its full potential, lowering the cold damage threshold needed for shattering enemies. Conclusion This build combines offensive prowess, defensive synergy, and explosive crowd control to dominate nearly all aspects of the game. While simulacrum presents challenges due to corpse mechanics, the combination of Tempest Flurry and dual Heralds excels in pinnacle content, making it a rewarding choice for players who value versatility and impact. Visit our website POESTORE to buy POE 2 Currency at the cheapest rate on the web. We offer quick delivery, safe payments, and 24x7 chat support.