Crafting Suggestion - Is this the solution?

Crafting is completely random right now. Trading is more useful then actual crafting stuff yourself. So here is my suggestion that takes out randomness a little bit:

Introduce Orb of Permanence, adjust Chaos Orb/Devine Orb and re-introduce Orb of Alteration.

Orb of Permanence: You can use this on a modifier of your choosing. If used once, it will protect the modier itself. That means that orb of chaos cannot remove this modifier anymore. If you use a second Orb of Permanence on the same modifier, it also protects the numeric value. So Devine will not effect it anymore either. This is a good currency think and removes some of the current randomness

Chaos Orb: Chaos orb will only remove modifiers that are not protected by orb of permanence and then replace it with a new modifier.

Devine Orb: Devine Orbs can only have an effect on modifiers, which numerics value are not protected by Orb of Permanence.

Orb of Alteration: This orb was always good to create a good base for crafting. It's also good for changing mods on flasks/charms. Obviously a good orb that had good synergy with Alteration/Augmentation.


Thanks to Orb of Permanence, players will get their dream equipment at some point, but it still has enough randomness to it, which is probably intended by GGG. So this would be a compromise between randomness and control.

bump

bump

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AceNightfire#0980 wrote:

Orb of Permanence: You can use this on a modifier of your choosing. If used once, it will protect the modier itself. That means that orb of chaos cannot remove this modifier anymore. If you use a second Orb of Permanence on the same modifier, it also protects the numeric value. So Devine will not effect it anymore either. This is a good currency think and removes some of the current randomness

Sadly, this is GGG. We already have the Fracturing Orb which does that, but without the Scouring being in the game I think the value of securing a mod is lower.
Even if you can secure a mod, they will not allow multiple uses to secure multiple mods. So you still need to get lucky with the other 5 mods.

The Alteration beign back is my favourite take at the moment, at least get 2 good starting mods by rolling and you can work your way from that. The next 4 mods are still random, but not bricking the item with the first transmutation would be nice.

Their intention was to make it similar to Diablo 2s cube crafting RNG.

Scouring and Alterations are removed specifically so the first two mods are RNG with the rest.

This makes something perfect (not just perfect number values but proper affixes 6/6) tremendously more rare and it makes trading a much much more desired way of going about obtaining items.
If you compare this to POE a lot of these items can be crafted very easily compared to here right as soon as you hit endgame.

I don't think crafting is their intended way of earning mirror tier items, as I said earlier, they are attempting to follow Diablo 2s itemization and RNG crafting.

A perfect axe in POE could take a week to a month to craft. Where as in Diablo a perfect fools axe could take years to end up finding. Omen crafting is very rare in its current state because it allows some form of predictability.. and that predictability comes at a very expensive price.

Bring alterations back would be awesome but at the moment I don't think they will unless drops are nerfed back into the ground.

In the games current state SSF has had very good feedback from the players about not needing much and gearing up very easily because of the drops. From my understanding the amount of alteration to hit the 2 mods you'd want would be similar to however many items you gamble of a specific item.. if that makes sense.

E.X.

So 1200 alterations would hit you T1 flat/T1IAS

Gambling or picking up 600 of this base type has a similar chance of spawning with these two wanted modifiers. Could be lower could be higher but that is what I believe from the items i've been picking up.

The values i've given are not true values please do not think this is how it works this is just my interpretation on it.

"

QticaX#4168 wrote:

Their intention was to make it similar to Diablo 2s cube crafting RNG.

Scouring and Alterations are removed specifically so the first two mods are RNG with the rest.

This makes something perfect (not just perfect number values but proper affixes 6/6) tremendously more rare and it makes trading a much much more desired way of going about obtaining items.
If you compare this to POE a lot of these items can be crafted very easily compared to here right as soon as you hit endgame.

I don't think crafting is their intended way of earning mirror tier items, as I said earlier, they are attempting to follow Diablo 2s itemization and RNG crafting.

A perfect axe in POE could take a week to a month to craft. Where as in Diablo a perfect fools axe could take years to end up finding. Omen crafting is very rare in its current state because it allows some form of predictability.. and that predictability comes at a very expensive price.

Bring alterations back would be awesome but at the moment I don't think they will unless drops are nerfed back into the ground.

In the games current state SSF has had very good feedback from the players about not needing much and gearing up very easily because of the drops. From my understanding the amount of alteration to hit the 2 mods you'd want would be similar to however many items you gamble of a specific item.. if that makes sense.

E.X.

So 1200 alterations would hit you T1 flat/T1IAS

Gambling or picking up 600 of this base type has a similar chance of spawning with these two wanted modifiers. Could be lower could be higher but that is what I believe from the items i've been picking up.

The values i've given are not true values please do not think this is how it works this is just my interpretation on it.

The success of Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 came from their simplicity and accessibility as true single-player games. Everything you needed for a build was obtainable solo, and perfectly rolled gear wasn’t required to clear endgame content. This design worked because it allowed players to progress at their own pace without external dependencies like trading or multiplayer features.

In contrast, Path of Exile 2 (PoE2) tries to offer a similar single-player experience but stumbles by making high-end gear essential for endgame progression. Since obtaining top-tier gear on your own is difficult, players are forced to rely on trade. This feels off in a game that markets itself as playable solo. Trade should be an option, not a necessity.

Another key difference is the seasonal structure. While Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 offered a one-time experience without seasons, PoE thrives on its frequent resets due to its build variety. That’s fine in PoE1 because solo players could make meaningful progress through crafting and drops. However, PoE2’s loot feels much scarcer, and without reliable crafting or frequent rare drops, trade becomes even more important, making SSF frustrating.

This reliance on trade is worsened by the economy, where high-tier players dominate and can exploit the system through methods like mirror teams. Being forced into this kind of multiplayer economy doesn’t sound appealing, especially when I want to play PoE2 as a self-contained experience.

In the end, PoE2 has potential, but for it to truly succeed as a single-player game, GGG needs to ensure players can progress meaningfully without being forced into trading. Otherwise, replaying every season may lose its appeal for those who prefer solo play.

"

QticaX#4168 wrote:

Their intention was to make it similar to Diablo 2s cube crafting RNG.

Scouring and Alterations are removed specifically so the first two mods are RNG with the rest.

This makes something perfect (not just perfect number values but proper affixes 6/6) tremendously more rare and it makes trading a much much more desired way of going about obtaining items.
If you compare this to POE a lot of these items can be crafted very easily compared to here right as soon as you hit endgame.

I don't think crafting is their intended way of earning mirror tier items, as I said earlier, they are attempting to follow Diablo 2s itemization and RNG crafting.

A perfect axe in POE could take a week to a month to craft. Where as in Diablo a perfect fools axe could take years to end up finding. Omen crafting is very rare in its current state because it allows some form of predictability.. and that predictability comes at a very expensive price.

Bring alterations back would be awesome but at the moment I don't think they will unless drops are nerfed back into the ground.

In the games current state SSF has had very good feedback from the players about not needing much and gearing up very easily because of the drops. From my understanding the amount of alteration to hit the 2 mods you'd want would be similar to however many items you gamble of a specific item.. if that makes sense.

E.X.

So 1200 alterations would hit you T1 flat/T1IAS

Gambling or picking up 600 of this base type has a similar chance of spawning with these two wanted modifiers. Could be lower could be higher but that is what I believe from the items i've been picking up.

The values i've given are not true values please do not think this is how it works this is just my interpretation on it.

I agree with a lot of points you are making about GGG's intentions why they made crafting the way it currently is.

However, i think they missed the mark by a huge a margin.

I think their nostalgia regarding experiences in Diablo2 is among the biggest design obstacles that hinders there games to reach full potential.
The idea that you can single out certain aspects of a game that is 25 years old and put it in your game, expecting it to work in a similar way, while also ignoring the whole evolution of the genre just simply doesnt work.

Poe2's crafting systems in its current form is a regression in every possible way. I go as far as to say, out of the currently relevant arpgs, like torchlight, d4, last epoch and poe1, it is by far, not even landslides, but planets or even universes the worst crafting system out there.
Not because of early access, but because it is fundamentally flawed.

I am an SSF player in PoE1, with thousand of hours, i can tell you i hate this system.
And i dont think the sentiment that most ssf players like the system the way it is is true at all.
While it is true that you can easily reach endgame and crush maps with how items and crafting are right now, that is not a result of a good crafting system or meaningful progression curve, but has its reason in the lack of balance that we currently experience.

My SSF monk crushes somewhat juiced t15/16/15 content on a 250 dps Warstaff that i found at about 60 hours into my playthrough with 20k tooltip DPS on my 5linked main ability.
100+ hours later, i still have not have a meaningful upgrade and it became very obvious for me that i wont play this game until they severely change how crafting works.

I was actually about to try something similar as you at the end of your post and figure out the actual numerical average chance to get a warstaff with 5 desired modifiers in the range of the 3 best tiers.
I never done it, but my monkey brain math tells me, it probably is in the tenth of thousands!
Its 2025, this not what people envision, when they think about fun and engaging game mechanics.
Not even dedicated grinders like me.

I think they can give back a little more deterministic options, if they make it so some higher tier affixes can only be found on the ground.

That gives us more agency over the crafting, but keeps the top tier mirror stuff requiring loot off the ground. That would also give things like fracturing orbs a bit more utility.

As one among many players being unable to trade items through the market due to bugs , i have so far wasted a dozen divines trying to craft usable stuff and this is a slog . It feels like playing the russian roulette and if by miracle you finally crafted the perfect item a Vaal Orb is more capable to brick it completely ( happened twice ) :

- you need 1 or 2 mods for elemental res
- you need 1 mod for chaos res
- you need 1 mod for MF

The mandatory mods to have on a viable items makes crafting insufferable when the game refuse to craft anything without +life and +mana and +defense on it .

Even the crafting you do with the Expedition vendors is already too RNG based imo . So right now i am level 90+ and my secondary weapon is the only good stuff i ever crafted back when i was ... level 56 ...

So to respond about how to fix crafting : you can't because they obviously does not want to produce anything else than what PoE 1 was based upon and the same seems to apply to trading as well .

Right now i am going to stop crafting entirely and respec into a less gear dependent build because crafting is busted and i bricked again 250 exalted yesterday , so the only thing i am waiting for is to be able to trade with currencies i got through MF like everyone else .

Here's one of the easier fix to the crafting situation :

- Essences on map now rewards greater essences only.
- Disassembling gears now also rewards essences

*And voilà.*

This fix in one go all those rare and magic items being useless, and makes crafting good gears a lot easier.