Beginner’s Guide to Gear Types and Currency in PoE 2

In Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), understanding how gear and currency work is key to progressing smoothly through the game. Whether you’re just starting out or trying to make sense of all the shiny orbs dropping from monsters, this guide will walk you through the basics of item types and the powerful currency system in PoE 2.

Four Types of Gear Rarity

Items in PoE 2 come in four different rarities:

Normal (Gray): These are plain items with no modifiers. They’re a good base if you want to craft your own powerful gear using currency.

Magic (Blue): These have 1–2 magic modifiers that slightly improve stats like damage or resistance.

Rare (Yellow): Rare items have multiple modifiers, making them much stronger than Magic or Normal gear. You’ll use these most often while leveling up.

Unique (Orange): These special items have fixed, powerful effects that can change how you build your character. Uniques are rare and exciting to find.

What Do Currency Items Do?

Unlike most RPGs, PoE 2 doesn’t use gold coins. Instead, it uses currency items—each one has a specific use. Here are a few key examples:

Orb of Alchemy: Upgrades a Normal (gray) item into a Rare (yellow) one, adding many random modifiers.

Orb of Augmentation: Adds one new modifier to a Magic (blue) item if there’s still room.

Regal Orb: Upgrades a Magic item to Rare while keeping its current modifiers.

Exalted Orb: Adds a new modifier to a Rare item. It’s one of the most valuable currencies in the game.

Chaos Orb: Rerolls all the modifiers on a Rare item. It’s often used in trade and is the standard unit of value among players.

These currency items are not just for trading—they’re tools for crafting and upgrading your gear!

How to Get Currency

Currency items drop from killing monsters, opening chests, and completing quests. Some types are more common, like Scrolls of Wisdom or Orbs of Transmutation. Others, like Exalted Orbs and Divine Orbs, are much rarer.

You can also earn currency by vendoring (selling) items to NPCs or disassembling gear through crafting benches. Selling a full set of rare gear (one of each slot) to a vendor can even reward you with a Chaos Orb!

The Role of Currency in Upgrading Gear

In PoE 2, upgrading and crafting gear is one of the most important uses of currency. Instead of relying on loot drops alone, players use orbs to modify gear and fine-tune it to fit their builds. For example, you might find a great sword base, use an Orb of Alchemy to make it Rare, and then keep rerolling it with Chaos Orbs until you get perfect stats.

This crafting system gives you full control over your equipment but also adds a layer of strategy—do you spend your orbs now or save them for better gear later?

Gear and currency are the backbone of PoE 2. By learning how different item rarities work and understanding how to use currency items wisely, you’ll be better prepared to handle the game’s deep and rewarding loot system. Remember, every orb is a chance to get stronger—so pick them up and use them smartly!

• This discussion was modified 1 month ago by  Lumeo.