Path of Exile 2, which has been popular in the game market since its release, is expected to launch its first major patch, Patch 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt on April 4, which will bring a lot of new game content to players, such as new classes, new exploration maps, and new mechanisms.
But for those players who want to have a higher level of customization in POE 2, the most important thing may be the new crafting method, which will allow them to more independently control and choose most of the available gear, such as making it easier to fine-tune gear without tedious farming or expensive transactions.
Since a lot of information and content in Dawn of the Hunt has not been fully released at this stage, this guide will integrate all the changes to crafting in Patch 0.2.0 that have been leaked and announced and introduce them to you, so that you can get a better gaming experience and more enjoyable exploration in the subsequent game process.
Crafting Changes
Currently, the changes to crafting in POE 2 Patch 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt are focused on crafting materials, with 6 new ones added. Here are their specific functions and some precautions during use, so you can choose the corresponding one according to your play style.
Fracturing Orbs
Fracturing Orbs are essentially a kind of in-game currency, which will allow you to try to permanently lock a modifier on a gear, which means that when you roll affixes on gear through buying POE 2 Currency, it will lock one of the modifiers with a higher value to bind it to the gear, so that you can make other parts of the gear more freely.
However, it should be noted here that Fracturing Orbs can only be used for a gear with 4 or more modifiers, so even after locking a modifier, there is still a certain risk, because rolling other affixes cannot guarantee that the locked affix will not be affected. Based on the current trailer and description, it looks like these Fracturing Orbs can be obtained by defeating monsters in Cleansed areas during the endgame.
Azmerian Runes
This is one of the new insertable items in Patch 0.2.0, which can help you get effects that are many times more powerful than normal runes, giving you more flexibility in the type of modifiers you need on your gear.
For example, it provides stronger physical damage for martial characters, higher spell and magic damage for casters, and insertable rune effects that enhance the attack and defense capabilities of minions for classes that can summon minions. The method of obtaining Azmerian Runes is very related to its name. You can obtain them by killing beasts affected by Azmerian Wisps.
Generally speaking, these beasts are not to be feared, but if you are doing these challenges in the endgame content, the advice here is to spend as much POE 2 Currency as possible on your defense capabilities, which will increase your efficiency in farming them.
Talismans
Talismans are another type of slottable gear that is very similar to the items of the same name from Elden Ring, both of which provide you with powerful offensive and defensive effects, and you can only slot them into specific gear slots.
While the specific types and effects of Talismans have not been announced at this stage, it is reasonable to assume that they will have very strong synergies with defensive gear such as armor, helmets, or gloves that already exist in POE 2.
Corrupted Essences
As you progress through the game after the release of Patch 0.2.0, you can use POE 2 Vaal Orbs on the Essences you earn, which will give you the opportunity to add more Essences of higher rarity to your build, and even have the chance to transform one of Essences into a special Corrupted Essence that grants you unique modifiers.
These Corrupted Essences will provide some new combat abilities to the monsters affected by them, making your fights with them more challenging. After you successfully defeat them, you will be rewarded with another Essence that can apply powerful modifiers to your POE 2 Items.
Recombinators
After April 4th, Expedition will have a new mechanic called Recombinators, which will allow you to combine two items into one, allowing you to mix up existing modifiers on items. You may have one or more great modifiers on two different types of items that may not be that great on their own, so when you combine these great modifiers from each item into one, it becomes very powerful.
For example, you may have a pair of boots that increase your movement speed by 35% and increase your fire resistance by 40%, and another pair of boots that increase your maximum health by 100% and increase your cold resistance by 40%. Either one will give you a small bonus to your build, but with Recombinators coming to POE 2, you will have the opportunity to put these stats on one item.
While this process will risk destroying both items, you can try to combine fewer modifiers to increase your chances of success. Once you’ve successfully reassembled, you’ll have a pair of boots with two powerful elemental resistances, high maximum health, and super-fast movement speed.
The above are all the new crafting materials and new mechanisms that will be added to POE 2 in Patch 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt. I hope you can enjoy more exploration and get more loot in this patch that adds a lot of new game content. We also look forward to POE 2 bringing a very colorful surprise to all players this spring. I wish you a happy game!
