If you’re getting into Path of Exile 2, understanding when and how to use currency items can feel overwhelming. This guide is aimed at new players and explains the purpose of various Path of Exile 2 Currency orbs and when you should use them, using an Infernal Minion Summoner build for context. While specific uses may vary depending on your build, the core concepts apply broadly.
Starting with the Orb of Transmutation, this upgrades a normal (white) item to a magic (blue) item by adding a prefix or suffix. Once you’ve done that, you can use an Orb of Augmentation to add the missing affix. For example, while mapping, I’m often looking for new boots or energy shield bases. If I find a good base—like expert-tier boots—I’ll transmute and augment them. If I hit useful stats like movement speed and fire resistance, I’ll then consider using a Regal Orb to make the item rare. But I only do this if the item already has good mods relevant to my build.
Regal Orbs are valuable, so that I won’t waste them on items with useless stats. For instance, a scepter with +minion skills and increased spirit is a great candidate for a Regal. But if it only has cast speed and mana regen, I’ll skip it. The same idea applies to rings, gloves, helmets—any item you want to equip.
As a side tip, I recommend creating a stash tab labeled “3-to-1” to hold items you can reforge later using the Reforger NPC in Act 3. Combining three blue or three rare items of the same base gives you another roll at something usable, which is especially helpful in solo self-found or early progression.
Item level is also important. You can see it by holding ALT while hovering over an item. Certain modifiers only unlock at specific item levels. For example, +4 to minion skills on a scepter only becomes possible at item level 55 or higher. Once you’re in the endgame, you’ll want to focus on ilvl 81+ scepters if you’re chasing those top-tier mods.
Now let’s talk about Chaos Orbs. These are used to reroll all modifiers on a rare item. Use them on almost good gear—like boots with great resistances and armor, but no movement speed. There’s always a risk the Chaos Orb makes the item worse, but it can also land the perfect combination.
Exalted Orbs add a random modifier to a rare item with open affix space. Only use these on strong rares you’re already wearing. In the endgame, you’ll find more of them, so save them until you know what you want.
Divine Orbs adjust the numerical values of mods within their tier, including implicits. As a new player, you’ll rarely need to use these directly—it’s usually better to sell them and use the proceeds to buy key upgrades. That said, some uniques, like the Ingenuity belt or Ultimatum shields, are worth divining if you find them.
Orbs of Annulment remove one random modifier from an item. By themselves, they’re not very useful for beginners, but if combined with an Omen that guarantees the removal of a prefix or suffix, they become much more useful. Still, I’d recommend selling these unless you’re more advanced.
Orb of Chance can upgrade a white item into a magic, rare, or even unique item. Only specific bases are worth changing, like Heavy Belts or Stellar Amulets. You can’t chance boss-only unique.
Vaal Orbs are risky but can be powerful. They corrupt an item, which might add sockets, increase values, or even ruin it. I usually wear Vaal gear when I already have a backup or if the item is only a slight upgrade. Sometimes, a lucky corruption can push a sidegrade into something fantastic.
Mirror of Kalandra is used to duplicate an item—it’s extremely rare and best saved or traded. Most players will never see one drop.
For improving gems, Jeweler Orbs can give a gem an extra socket or +1 level. I often engrave a gem, then use a lesser Jeweler and a Vaal Orb in hopes of hitting a bonus. Later in the game, Greater and Perfect Jewelers are used to enhance your main skill gem. You can farm these more effectively in grass biome maps with the Local Knowledge Atlas skill.
Gemcutter’s Prisms improve gem quality. In PoE2, it takes 5% quality per GCP, and some gems benefit much more than others. Always check what the quality bonus does. For example, Flammability gets a 10% increased curse effect at 20% quality, which is great. But others, like Explosive Demise, might have bonuses that only affect a single rune, so you could waste GCPs without realizing.
You can also improve flasks using Glassblower’s Baubles, which boost flask quality. Use them on flasks you intend to keep. Similarly, Armourer’s Scraps, Blacksmith’s Whetstones, and Nature’s Touch increase quality on armor, weapons, and spirit gear, respectively. You can get these by salvaging quality gear—staves, wands, scepters, etc.—so always to check for quality when picking up items.
Artificer’s Orbs can add sockets or enhance base properties like spell power or spirit. They can also work with Vaal Orbs for some cool outcomes, like increasing magnitude or adding implicit mods, but again, there’s risk involved.
Omens are single-use modifiers that enhance your next orb’s effect. For example, one Omen might guarantee that your next Orb of Alchemy rolls maximum prefixes. These are great to use on specific items—like expert-tier chests or amethyst rings—especially once you start targeting item level 81+ bases for endgame crafting.
Finally, Essences are a deterministic way to craft gear. You can use them on white items to guarantee specific affixes. For example, Essence of Woe gives Energy Shield; Essence of Greed gives life. There are stronger versions of Essences called Greater Essences, which work on blue items and upgrade them to rares. These are ideal when you want to force a strong mod, like extra physical damage on weapons, and then continue crafting from there.
That’s the quick overview. Currency crafting in PoE2 can be complex, but once you understand the purpose of each orb and when to use it, the process becomes much more manageable. Start simple: transmute and augment useful bases, regal only when it makes sense, and don’t waste high-tier currency until you’re well into the game. The more you play, the better your crafting instincts will become.
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