How Does Itemization Balance Compare Between cheap poe 2 currency and PoE 1?
Itemization in Path of Exile 2 has undergone major changes compared to PoE 1, aiming to make gear more impactful, less frustrating, and better suited to modern ARPG gameplay. While PoE 1 had an incredibly deep but often RNG-heavy and complex itemization system, PoE 2 introduces new mechanics, reworked affixes, and a more streamlined approach to balance power progression.
Here’s how itemization balance compares between the two games:
1. No More Sockets and Links = More Item Affix Power
One of the biggest shifts in PoE 2 is the removal of socketed skill links on gear. In PoE 1, a major part of itemization was rolling the right socket colors, numbers, and links—which limited how strong affixes could be.
In PoE 1:
High-end gear required six linked sockets, making item progression heavily RNG-dependent.
Some items were only valuable if they had good sockets, even if the affixes were decent.
Unique weapons and armor often had strong affixes but struggled against well-rolled rare gear because of socket limitations.
In PoE 2:
Since skills are socketed independently, gear affixes are now the primary source of item power.
This allows stronger, more meaningful affixes without worrying about socket mechanics.
More build-defining affixes are being introduced, increasing item diversity.
Balance Impact:
Items in PoE 2 will likely feel more impactful earlier in progression, since you don’t need to grind for six-link gear to unlock your full power.
Rare items with perfectly rolled affixes will be stronger and more valuable than in PoE 1.
2. More Build-Defining Unique Items
Uniques in PoE 2 are being designed to have stronger, more thematic effects that can completely alter how a build plays.
In PoE 1:
Many uniques had niche uses or were overshadowed by well-rolled rares.
Some uniques had powerful effects but poor stats, limiting their usefulness in endgame.
League-specific uniques often introduced overpowered mechanics, leading to balance issues.
Unique items will be more synergistic with new classes and skills.
There will be more build-enabling uniques that open up new playstyles rather than just stat boosts.
New weapon types (like crossbows and spears) will have their own powerful unique items, creating fresh itemization opportunities.
Balance Impact:
Uniques in PoE 2 should feel more relevant throughout progression, rather than being replaced by rare gear too quickly.
Some uniques may have alternative crafting or upgrading paths, reducing the issue of “bad unique drops.”
3. Improved Rare and Magic Item Power
Rare items will play a more important role in PoE 2, thanks to reworked affixes and stronger mod combinations.
In PoE 1:
The best items were often crafted rares with multiple influenced mods, but they required extreme investment to create.
Magic items were rarely used, except in niche crafting cases.
Some bases were objectively better, leading to a lack of variety in gear choices.
In PoE 2:
Rare items will be stronger overall, since affixes now provide higher numerical bonuses.
There will be better item variety, allowing more weapons and armor bases to be viable.
Magic items may have enhanced affix rolls, making them more useful for early-game and crafting.
Balance Impact:
PoE 2 should feel less frustrating for new players, since rare items will provide stronger bonuses earlier.
High-end crafting will still exist, but the gap between “good” and “god-tier” gear might be less extreme than in PoE 1.
4. Changes to Currency and Crafting Balance
Crafting and currency mechanics in PoE 2 will see adjustments to balance itemization progression.
In PoE 1:
Exalted Orbs were essential for crafting, leading to an economy heavily focused on them.
Divine Orbs became the new standard currency due to balance changes.
Fossils, Essences, and Harvest Crafting made targeted crafting possible but were often tedious.
In PoE 2:
Currency crafting will likely be streamlined to avoid excessive RNG-based frustration.
New currency types may allow better deterministic crafting, making it easier to target specific affixes.
Crafting progression may feel more natural, rather than requiring deep knowledge of multiple crafting systems.
Balance Impact:
Players will still need to farm and trade, but getting good items should feel more rewarding and less luck-dependent.
The economy in PoE 2 might focus less on a single currency type, leading to a more stable trading system.
5. Better Defensive Itemization
With PoE 2 focusing on more engaging enemy AI and better combat pacing, defensive affixes and mechanics are being reworked.
In PoE 1:
Glass cannon builds dominated due to high DPS scaling.
Evasion and block builds often felt weaker compared to raw damage mitigation.
Energy Shield stacking led to unbalanced defensive metas.
Defensive affixes will be more valuable, especially for melee and tanky builds.
New affixes may grant hybrid defenses, like armor + energy shield or evasion + spell suppression.
Defensive stats will be more consistent, preventing extreme imbalance in survivability.
Balance Impact:
Defensive gear will matter more, making tankier builds more viable without sacrificing too much offense.
Boss fights will reward defensive itemization, rather than just relying on high DPS and quick kills.
poe 2 currency retains the depth and complexity of PoE 1, but it improves item balance, crafting accessibility, and gear progression.
Affixes are stronger and more meaningful, making rare items more powerful.
Uniques will be more build-defining, rather than just situational stat sticks.
Crafting will be less RNG-heavy, allowing for better gear upgrades.
Defensive stats will matter more, balancing out survivability and damage.
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