Crafting is a complex system that becomes even more intricate in PoE 2 endgame. With numerous crafting materials, item bases, and rewards from various endgame systems, understanding how to craft and upgrade gear efficiently is essential for success. This guide we will cover everything about Endgame Crafting you need to know!

• Basic Crafting
• Finding Good Base Items
• Endgame Crafting Systems
• Breach Catalysts
• Breach Rings
• Essences
• Expedition Upgrade System
• Change Orbs
• Chaos Crafting
• How to Using Vaal Orbs?
• Trial of Chaos
• Ritual Omens
• What Are Omens?
• Delirium Amulet Passives

↖ Basic Crafting

Basic Crafting involves upgrading items through various orbs and materials.

• Begin with a Base Item: The entry level (white) items are your starting point.
• Upgrade to Magic (Blue): Transform a normal item into a magic item with an Orb of Transmutation; Invoke the Orb of Augmentation to imbed another an additional affix into the magic item.
• Upgrade to Rare(Yellow): Transform magic items having up to three affixes with a Regal Orb into a rare item.
• Add Extra Affixes: Use Exalted Orbs modify the rare item and add additional affixes until you reach the six total modifiers.

Note:  Always check if the item is worth crafting before using rare resources. Save high-tier crafting materials for items with strong potential.

↖ Finding Good Base Items

Before investing in crafting materials, selecting a strong base item is essential. 

Good Base Item Characteristics:

Desirable Affixes by Item Type:

Identifying High-Tier Drops: Look for items with a level indicator next to their name (e.g., "Club Tier 4"). These items have higher initial rolls and are excellent candidates for crafting.

↖ Endgame Crafting Systems

Endgame Crafting provide unique materials that enhance crafting options. 

Note: 

1. Prioritize farming activities that provide materials aligned with your build's needs (e.g., Breaches for elemental builds).
2. Use Omens strategically—save them for high-potential items to maximize their value.
3. Combine multiple crafting systems where possible (e.g., use Catalysts on Breach Rings).

↖ Breach Catalysts

Breach Catalysts are special items dropped from monsters in Breach encounters. These catalysts enhance specific modifiers on rings and amulets by increasing their quality, which directly impacts the item's stats.

How to Obtain Breach Catalysts?

• Locate a Breach: Use your map device to run maps with the "Breach" modifier; Look for purple clasping hand icons on the map.
• Activate the Breach: Interact with the hand icons to open a circular area where monsters will spawn; Defeat these monsters to earn rewards, including Breach Catalysts.

How Breach Catalysts Work?

• Quality Mechanics: Quality improves the base stats of an item (e.g., armor rating, energy shield); For most items, quality caps at 20%.
• Catalyst Effects: Each type of catalyst enhances a specific modifier on rings or amulets.

Example Application:

Suppose you have a ring with a mana modifier of +179. Using a Mana Catalyst:

•  Apply the catalyst to increase the quality of the ring.
• Each use increases the mana modifier incrementally until the quality reaches 20%.
• Final result: The mana modifier increases significantly, e.g., from +179 to +214.

↖ Breach Rings

Unlike regular rings, Breach Rings have a maximum quality cap of 50%, making them exceptional for endgame crafting. This allows players to push item stats far beyond what is possible with standard rings.

How to Obtain Breach Rings?

• Farm Breaches: Similar to obtaining Breach Catalysts, engage in Breach encounters within maps.
• Drops: Breach Rings are dropped as loot from monsters during these encounters.

Benefits

• Higher Quality Cap: Regular items cap at 20% quality, while Breach Rings cap at 50%; This allows for significantly enhanced stats such as mana, life, or damage modifiers.
• Implicit Modifiers: Every Breach Ring comes with an implicit stat, providing additional benefits right from the start.

How to Crafting with Breach Rings?

• Evaluate the Base Stats: Check if the implicit stat aligns with your build (e.g., mana, dexterity); Discard rings with poor base stats or modifiers that do not fit your needs.
• Enhance the Quality: Use catalysts to push the quality up to 50%; Prioritize modifiers that benefit your build (e.g., cold damage for ice builds).
• Further Crafting: If the base stats are strong, use crafting benches or currency to add or reroll additional modifiers.

Example Application:

Let's say you acquire a Breach Ring with a base mana modifier of +76:

1. Apply a Mana Catalyst to increase its quality incrementally up to 50%.
2. The mana modifier increases substantially, potentially exceeding +200 mana depending on the roll tier and quality level.
3. Combine this with other crafting methods to create a powerful endgame ring tailored to your build.

↖ Essences

Essences are crafting materials that allow players to upgrade normal (white) items into magic (blue) items with a guaranteed modifier. They are obtained by defeating frozen monsters found throughout the game.

Key Features:

• Guaranteed Modifier: The first modifier is determined by the type of Essence used.
• Accessible Crafting Tool: Essences are commonly dropped during gameplay, making them beginner-friendly.
• Versatile Usage: They can be applied to various item types, such as weapons, armor, and accessories.

Types of Essences:

Essences are divided into two main categories:

How to Use Essences?

1. Obtain a Good Base Item:

• Look for white (normal) items with desirable implicit stats or item types that match your build.
• Example: Breach Rings are a strong choice for crafting endgame accessories.

2. Choose the Appropriate Essence:

• Decide on the type of modifier you want based on your build.
• Examples:
  • Mana Modifier for casters: Adds Mana-related stats.
  • Cast Modifier for spellcasters: Adds increased cast speed.

3. Apply the Essence:

• Use the Essence on the base item to upgrade it from white (normal) to blue (magic).
• The first modifier will be guaranteed based on the Essence used.

4. Evaluate the Result:

• Check the tier and roll of the modifier.
•  Example Tiers:
  • Tier 2 Cast Speed: 18% increased cast speed (good roll).
  • Tier 5 Mana: 15 Mana per enemy killed (low roll).

5. Decide Next Steps:

• If the result is satisfactory, continue crafting using other methods.
• If not, consider reapplying another Essence or starting over with a new base item.

Practical Example:

Let's say you're playing a caster build and want to craft a Breach Ring with Mana and Cast Speed modifiers:

↖ Expedition Upgrade System

The Expedition Upgrade System is tied to the Expedition mechanic in Path of Exile 2. Expeditions are map encounters where players place charges to reveal chests and monsters, yielding valuable loot. The key resources obtained from Expeditions include:

• Artifacts: Used as currency to purchase items from Expedition NPCs.
• Exotic Coinage: A secondary currency used to refresh vendor inventories and access crafting options.

Pros & Cons

How to Access Expeditions?

• Locate Expeditions on the Map: Expeditions appear as circular icons with a swirling design and three dots; Use your map device to open maps containing these encounters.
•  Engage with the Encounter: Find the Expedition NPC at a stall on the map; Place charges strategically to uncover chests and monsters; Collect artifacts and exotic coinage dropped from the encounter.

Interacting with Expedition NPCs

Expedition NPCs are located in your hideout or can be found during Expedition encounters. Each NPC specializes in specific item types:

How to Use Expedition NPCs?

1. Collect artifacts and exotic coinage from Expeditions.
2. Visit the appropriate NPC based on the item type you want to craft or upgrade.
3. Browse the NPC's inventory for items of interest.
4. Use exotic coinage to refresh their inventory if needed. 

↖ Change Orbs

Change Orbs, specifically Orbs of Chance, are crafting items used to upgrade a normal (white) item to a higher rarity. They offer a chance to transform an item into rare or unique quality, making them a high-risk, high-reward option for acquiring powerful gear.

How to Use Change Orbs?

• Obtain Orbs of Chance: These can be acquired through trading or drops.
• Choose Your Base Item: Use a normal (white) item of the type you want to upgrade (e.g., rings, amulets, belts).
• Apply the Orb: Right-click the Orb of Chance and apply it to the item.

Potential Outcomes

• Unique Item: A small chance to obtain a unique item from the item's family (e.g., unique rings).
• Magic or Rare Item: More common results, but less impactful than uniques.
• No Change: The normal item remains unchanged. 

↖ Chaos Crafting

Chaos Crafting involves using Vaal Orbs and participating in the Trial of Chaos to modify items unpredictably. This method can result in significant upgrades, new implicit modifiers, or complete destruction of an item.

↖ How to Using Vaal Orbs?

• Acquire Vaal Orbs: Obtain these through drops or trading.
• Select Your Item: Choose an item with good base stats or rolls that you wish to enhance.
• Apply the Orb: Right-click the Vaal Orb and use it on the item.

Possible Results:

• Positive Outcome: New implicit modifiers or enhanced stats beyond normal limits (e.g., additional gem slots).
• Negative Outcome: Reduced stats or complete loss of usability.
• No Change: The item remains the same but becomes corrupted.

↖ Trial of Chaos

The Trial of Chaos is an endgame feature where players complete multiple floors of challenges to earn corrupted items and unique crafting materials called Soul Cores.

Key Features:

• Multiple Floors: Progress through increasingly difficult trials with opportunities to leave after each floor.
• Corrupted Rewards: Obtain pre-corrupted items with unique stats and modifiers, reducing personal risk of corruption failure.
• Soul Cores: Rare crafting materials that replace standard runes/sockets on items with powerful effects.

Why Run the Trial of Chaos?

• Obtain high-value corrupted items with minimal personal risk.
• Acquire rare Soul Cores, which can be sold for significant currency (e.g., hundreds of Exalted Orbs).
• Discover unique modifiers that enhance your build's performance.

↖ Ritual Omens

Rituals are a map-based mechanic marked by red icons. They involve:

• Entering a designated ritual circle.
• Defeating waves of monsters within the circle.
• Earning Tributes, a currency used to purchase rewards from the ritual interface.

Rewards from rituals are random and can range from common items to rare crafting tools known as Omens.

↖ What Are Omens?

Omens are high-end crafting items that modify or enhance crafting outcomes. These are particularly useful for players aiming for precision in crafting perfect gear.

Examples:

How to Obtain Omens?

• Run Rituals: Consistently engage with rituals during maps to collect tributes and exchange them for Omens.
• Trade: Purchase Omens from other players via the in-game economy if you prefer not to farm rituals directly.

↖ Delirium Amulet Passives

Delirium is another map-based mechanic, marked by icons resembling machinery pincers. Interacting with a Delirium Mirror at the start of a map triggers a foggy environment filled with powerful enemies. Defeating these enemies grants Delirium Drops, which are essential for crafting amulet passives.

Common Delirium Drops:

How to Craft Amulet Passives?

Delirium allows players to allocate passive skill nodes from the skill tree directly onto their amulets, even if those nodes are out of reach in their build.

1. Collect the required Delirium Drops (e.g., Distilled Emotions, Guilt).
2. Open the crafting interface with your amulet and required materials.
3. Select the desired passive node (e.g., "Feel No Pain").
4. Craft the passive onto your amulet, enabling it permanently for your character.

Example: 

How to Farming More Delirium Drops?

• Use Delirium Orbs on maps to increase the chance of encountering delirium zones.
• Enhance maps with Waystones that add delirium modifiers (e.g., "Players in the area are 27% Delirious").

Note:

Prioritize passives that complement your build (e.g., mana regeneration for spellcasters, defensive nodes for melee builds).

Trade for rare Delirium Drops if farming them proves inefficient.

Crafting is intricate but rewarding when approached strategically in PoE 2. By leveraging the various endgame systems—Breach Catalysts, Expedition upgrades, Ritual Omens, and more—you can create powerful gear tailored to your build’s needs to achieve unparalleled customization and optimization