Crafting pulled back
PoE2 inherits PoE1's currency-as-crafting framework, there's no gold, every currency is a crafting reagent, but simplifies aggressively.
What carried over
The core currencies still exist with similar (or rebalanced) functions:
| Currency | PoE1 role | PoE2 role |
|---|---|---|
| Orb of Transmutation | Magic upgrade | Same |
| Orb of Augmentation | Add affix to magic | Same |
| Regal Orb | Magic → Rare | Same |
| Chaos Orb | De-facto small unit of trade; full re-roll of a rare | Re-rolls a single mod, not the whole item: a targeted craft |
| Exalted Orb | Add affix to rare; large unit of trade | Now the common rare-upgrader, no longer a chase |
| Divine Orb | Re-roll values | Same; promoted to top trade tier |
| Annulment Orb | Remove a random affix | Same |
| Mirror of Kalandra | Duplicate item | Same; still mythic |
The Chaos / Exalted shift
The most notable change: Chaos Orbs and Exalted Orbs swapped roles.
In PoE1: Chaos was the de-facto unit of trade, casually accumulated. Exalted was the chase currency, ~100 chaos = 1 exalted in most leagues.
In PoE2: Exalted is rebalanced to be common (the "rare-upgrader" everyone uses), Chaos is rare. Chaos's effect changed from "re-roll the whole rare" to "re-roll a single mod", a targeted craft.
This shift partly reflects GGG's view that PoE1's Chaos-as-currency had outgrown its design role. Chaos was supposed to be a craft tool, not a trade unit; over time it became the unit-of-trade and lost its crafting identity. PoE2 attempts to restore intent.
What was simplified
- The crafting bench is gone. PoE1's Bench (Vorici / Master crafting) was a deterministic-craft layer that became too central; PoE2 ships without it.
- Sockets-and-links are gone. Skill gems carry their own sockets (see skill-gem-rework), so the Jeweller's Orbs / Chromatic Orbs / Orb of Fusing complex doesn't exist.
- Affix tiers and pools are present but tightened. Less surface area for "this affix only spawns from this specific influence on this specific base," at least at EA stage.
- Recombinators and rune-sockets fill some of the deterministic-craft slot: but constrained.
What stayed (probably) hard
The aspirational crafting philosophy is preserved. GGG has stated that PoE2 will continue the "deterministic crafting is repeatedly nerfed" pattern, the cycle from PoE1 isn't a bug, it's a feature, and GGG is unlikely to walk away from it.
EA-stage Recombinators have been cited as "powerful enough to be the next nerf candidate" by community theorycrafters, pattern-matching on PoE1's Harvest cycle.
What this teaches
- Sequels can reset crafting drift. PoE1's crafting accumulated 12 years of bolt-on subsystems (Essence, Bestiary, Harvest, Fossil, Eldritch, Recombinator, etc.); PoE2 ships with fewer at EA. GGG can re-pick which subsystems matter.
- Currency rebalancing is sequel-only. You can't change what Chaos is in a 12-year live game without breaking the economy. Sequels are the only place this kind of currency-role rebalance is possible.
- Simplification has a community cost. Players who built mastery in PoE1's crafting deeps don't want to learn a new system; the EA reception had a notable "where are my Harvest crafts" thread cycle.
Patterns this exemplifies
currency-as-crafting: same pattern as PoE1, simplified.aspirational-crafting: same philosophy, sequel-tightened.