Tutorial

Items in PoE2 are grouped into three broad categories. Each category contains multiple item types:

Within each item type there are multiple base items — for example, under Swords you will find Rusted Sword, Broad Sword, Eternal Sword, and many others. Each base has:

• Implicits —Fixed mods that are always present regardless of crafting. A base with a useful implicit (like attack speed or critical strike chance) can save you a prefix or suffix slot.
• Stat requirements —Higher-tier bases require more Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence to equip. Make sure your build can meet the requirements.
• Item level minimum —Bases drop at different item levels. Higher-level bases generally have better base stats and are required for higher mod tiers.

Tip: Fractured bases are especially valuable starting points. They come with one modifier already locked in — guaranteed to survive every crafting step you add later.

Item type directly controls which modifiers can ever appear on your item. A Ring can roll resistance mods, attribute bonuses, and life that a Weapon cannot. A Weapon can roll flat damage and attack speed that a Ring cannot. The wizard automatically filters available modifiers based on the item type you choose — so if a mod does not appear in Step 3, the item type is why.

This also means two guides for the "same" outcome (e.g., a high-life item) will look different depending on whether the base is a Body Armour, a Ring, or an Amulet. Always choose the item type that matches the slot your build needs.

Choose the rarity your item starts at before any crafting begins:

• Normal —0 modifiers. A blank slate. Used when the first craft step will change rarity (e.g., Orb of Transmutation upgrades to Magic, Orb of Alchemy upgrades to Rare).
• Magic —Up to 1 Prefix + 1 Suffix. Lower mod count, but essences and specific currencies work well on Magic items when you want targeted mods before upgrading.
• Rare —Up to 3 Prefixes + 3 Suffixes. The target for most high-end crafts. Many guides start here when the first step assumes a fully rolled item.

Set how many sockets your base item has. Sockets hold skill gems and support gems — the number and configuration matters for many builds. The wizard also includes an Exceptional Socket toggle for items that have a special socket type (used to slot Awakened or Exceptional gems).

For Magic and Rare starting rarities, you can define what modifiers the item already has before the first craft step. This is important for guides that assume you are working with a partially crafted item.

You can also mark any starting modifier as Fractured. A fractured modifier is permanently locked — no crafting action in any subsequent step can remove or change it. Use this when your guide's starting point is a fractured base with a guaranteed desired mod already present.

Tip: When writing a guide for others, always specify the initial modifiers clearly. Readers will prepare their base item to match before following your craft steps.

Each craft step uses one of six craft types. Choose the type that matches the currency or mechanic you will use:

Each craft step specifies what modifiers are added or removed. This is the core of what makes a step meaningful — it answers "after I use this currency, what should the item look like?"

• Added mods —Prefixes and suffixes you expect to gain from this step. For deterministic steps (like Essence), list the guaranteed mod. For random steps, list your target mod(s) — the outcome condition will handle the "did I get it?" logic.
• Removed mods —Mods that this step eliminates. For example, an Annulment Orb removes one mod — specify which prefix or suffix you hope to remove.

The wizard tracks the item's affix state across all steps, so it can warn you if you try to add more than 3 prefixes or 3 suffixes on a Rare item.

Crafting is probabilistic — sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you do not. Outcome conditions let you define what to do next in each case. This is what separates a real craft guide from a simple list of steps.

For each craft step you can add multiple outcome paths. For example: "If you got the Fire Resistance suffix → proceed to Step 4. If not → return to this step and repeat." Branching makes guides handle RNG gracefully and gives readers a clear path no matter what happens.

You can also add a "failure" branch for truly bad outcomes — for example, if Corruption destroys the item or produces an unusable result.

Omens are optional modifiers you can attach to a craft step that change how the currency behaves when used. For example, an Omen might protect a specific mod from being removed when using Chaos Orb, or guarantee that the next orb rolls above a minimum tier. Omens are consumed on use and can significantly improve crafting odds for valuable targets.

Tip: Include Omens in your craft step when the guide's success depends on protecting a specific existing mod. This makes the cost estimate more accurate for readers.

After filling out a craft step, you have several options:

• Save — Saves the current step and returns you to the step list.
• Save & Add Next — Saves and immediately opens a new blank step. Use this when building a long sequence quickly.
• Edit — Reopens any saved step to modify it.
• Remove — Deletes a step. Outcome references to the removed step will need to be updated.

The Finalize panel collects everything readers need to understand your guide at a glance:

• Title —The name of your guide. Be descriptive — include the item type and the goal (e.g., "High-Life Rare Ring with Fire Resistance").
• Augments —List any augmentation currencies used across your craft steps. This feeds the cost estimate shown in the guide viewer.
• Catalysts —If any step uses a Catalyst to focus quality on specific mod types (e.g., Turbulent Catalyst for elemental resistance), list them here.
• Difficulty rating —A 1–5 scale for how complex or RNG-dependent the craft is. Helps beginners pick appropriately scoped guides.
• Estimated budget —Rough currency cost to complete the craft. Ranges are fine (e.g., "50–200 Chaos Orbs").
• Build links —Optional links to PoB (Path of Building) or build threads that this craft serves.
• Tags —Searchable labels (e.g., "lightning", "budget", "endgame") that help users filter guides in the public feed.

Before submitting, the wizard shows a Review Summary — a condensed overview of all steps in your guide, the expected outcomes at each branch, and a total cost estimate. This is your last chance to catch mistakes: a step referencing the wrong outcome, a missing branch, or a mod count that exceeds the item's affix cap.

Tip: Start with Draft and follow your own guide from scratch on a test item before publishing. If every step makes sense in practice, you're ready to share it.