Currency in Path of Exile 2

The Path of Exile 2 features a complete rework of the Currency system we have known so far. The goal of those changes is to make each Orb much more impactful and dynamic. Most of the existing Currency Orbs are removed, which completely changes the approach to Crafting. The changes are not final, we expect many more Orbs to be released in the near future, so stay tuned for updates! 

New Orbs

There are many new types of Currency Orbs in Path of Exile 2, but most of them are reworked or slightly changed versions of the Currency Orbs known from the first version of this game.
The Uncut Skill Gems are a completely new type of Currency that is used to create a Skill Gem of your choice. There are 4 types of Uncut Gems: Active Skills, Support, Meta, and Buff Skills. Thankfully, the process of creating a Gem is fairly simple and doesn't require any specific tools or other Currency Items.  As you can no longer buy specific Gems from NPC, we expect this type of Currency to hold great value at the start, but quickly fall off over time. 

The Runes and Soul Cores are also a new concept. They are used to augment your Items with specific modifiers on top of the usual properties. The modifiers they provide are usually weaker than regular ones, but you have full control over what you will get. It resembles the Crafting Bench's system, but now you don't have to worry about enough Suffixes or Prefixes on your Items! It requires opening up Sockets on your Items, which you can get up to 2 using regular Currency. The 3 Socket is available via successful Corruption with the Vaal Orb. Keep in mind that once Socketed, Runes and Soul Cores can not be removed! 

The Distilled Orbs are technically new Orbs, but they are simply reworked Blight Oils and Delirium Orbs combined into one Orb. Thanks to this change even the most common Orb retains meaningful value. 

Omens are also repurposed. They now affect the outcome of your other Currency Orbs in a very specific way. You can use them to make your Orbs target only Sufffixes, Prefixes, or even repeat twice. They are fundamental for End-game Crafting, so their prices can be quite high! 

List of all Orbs

Here we present you the complete list of all Currency Orbs existing in Path of Exile 2. Below you will be able to find a short discussion and implications of major Currency Orbs, and how they can affect your gameplay. 

Reworked Orbs

The iconic Chaos Orb removes one random modifier and adds another, which is equivalent to condensing the Orb of Annulment and Exalted Orb into one. No longer can you completely reroll an Item. It has major implications for the Crafting System as a whole. It is still unclear if we will get Currency Orb to reforge Maps specifically, but it is highly likely. 

The Essences are now split into two Tiers: regular and Greater. The normal Essence upgrades a normal Item into a Magic Item with one modifier of a specific category. The Greater Essence upgrades a Magic Item into a Rare Item, also with a specific modifier, meaning you can guarantee two modifiers on your Item. It makes the Crafting Process much easier, but it is still prone to randomness, as you can't guarantee the magnitude of those modifiers. 

With the new Skill Gem system the Jeweller Orb got split into three tiers: Lesser, normal, and Greater Jeweller Orb. They now add extra Sockets to the Active Skill Gem itself with a 100% success rate. All Gems start with 2 Sockets by default. You can use Lesser to add 3rd Socket. Regular Jeweler's Orb can only be used on Gems with 3 Sockets to add the 4th one. At that point, you will be able to use the Greater Jeweller's Orb to add the 5th and 6th Socket. 

The Orb of Alchemy is very similar to the original version, as it still upgrades a Normal Item into Rare Quality. However, the Rare Item created this way can have only 4 modifiers. 

The Orb of Transmutation is also vastly unchanged and upgrades Normal Item into Magic, The only difference here is that It only adds 1 modifier to an Item, forcing you to use the Orb of Augmentation if you want a proper Magic Item. On the other hand, it means you will always be able to use a Greater Essence to add a specific modifier to your Item. 

Unchanged Orbs

Not every Orb has received a rework, although you have to keep in mind the changes mentioned above, as they indirectly affect how you should use your precious Currency Items. 

Orb of Augmentation adds a second modifier to a Magic Item. As you may know, Magic Items can have only 1 Prefix and 1 Suffix. 

Armourer's Scrap and Blacksmith's Whetstone serve the same purpose of upgrading the Quality of your Armour and Weapon type Items, just like in the first version of Path of Exile. 

The Regal Orb upgrades a Magic Item into Rare. It is an essential step of every Crafting Process, but you should consider using Greater Essence instead to guarantee a specific outcome. 

Lastly, Scroll of Widsoms are used to identify an Item obtained by fighting Monsters. The noteworthy mention here is that now you will be able to Identify all Items in your inventory at once by talking with an NPC, but having a few Scrolls will always be handy. 

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