What are alch orbs, and what do they do?
In Path of Exile (PoE), Alchemy Orbs (often referred to as Alch Orbs) are a type of currency item with a critical role in the game's crafting system. They are used to upgrade a normal item to a rare item, applying random affixes (both prefixes and suffixes) to the item. The outcome of this process is an item with a variety of random modifiers that can significantly affect gameplay. Alch Orbs are essential tools for players looking to create powerful rare items without needing to craft from scratch, making them a valuable part of the game's economy.
1. Primary Function: Upgrading Normal Items to Rare Items
The primary function of an Alchemy Orb is to convert a normal item (one with no modifiers) into a rare item (one with multiple affixes). When you use an Alch Orb on a normal item, the item becomes rare and is randomly granted six affixes—typically, three prefixes and three suffixes. These affixes can include a wide range of modifiers, such as increased damage, resistances, life, critical strike chance, and more, depending on the type of item and its base stats.
Example: If you have a normal leather belt, applying an Alchemy Orb might turn it into a rare belt with random stats like +30 to maximum life, increased energy shield, increased elemental resistances, or increased movement speed. The affixes are completely random, meaning the outcome could be beneficial or undesirable based on your goals for the item.
2. Alch Orbs and Crafting
In PoE’s deep crafting system, Alch Orbs are often used in combination with other crafting tools to create specific types of gear or refine items for a particular build. For instance, if a player has an item base with desirable item level (ilvl) and is looking for high-quality rare mods, they may use an Alch Orb to give them a chance at desirable affixes, and then follow up with further crafting steps, such as using an Exalted Orb to add additional affixes, or using Divine Orbs to fine-tune affix values.
Early to Mid-Game Use: During the early and mid-game phases, players often rely on Alch Orbs to quickly create functional rare items that support their build. The randomness of the affixes makes it a valuable way to get high-power gear for progression, especially when crafting for resistances, life, or damage boosts to help handle the increasing difficulty of maps and bosses.
Endgame Crafting: In the endgame, Alch Orbs are commonly used on specific item bases to get a set of random affixes that can be further refined. However, crafting in high-level PoE often involves a combination of random rolls and targeted crafting through other methods like Essences, Fossils, or Harvest crafting. Even in cheap poe 2 currency, where crafting systems may evolve, the Alch Orb’s basic function as a random affix generator could still be useful for creating high-tier gear, especially as part of new crafting mechanics.
3. Strategic Use of Alch Orbs
Although Alch Orbs are useful, they are random in their results, meaning that not all rolls will result in the desired outcome. Thus, the use of Alch Orbs is often strategic. Players generally apply them to item bases that already have good potential based on their item level or mod pool, ensuring that they have a better chance of receiving useful affixes.
Item Level and Affix Pools: The item level (ilvl) of an item affects which affixes can potentially be rolled. Higher ilvl items have access to higher-value affixes, so players will often seek out item bases with high ilvl to use Alch Orbs on. The higher the item’s level, the greater the likelihood of receiving powerful affixes.
Predicting Results: Since Alch Orbs provide random affixes, players may choose to apply them to items with affix pools that align with their build goals. For example, a player using a bow might apply an Alch Orb to a high ilvl bow base to potentially roll affixes that increase attack speed or physical damage, which are crucial for ranged builds.
4. Alch Orbs in the PoE Economy
In PoE, Alch Orbs have a significant role in the economy due to their widespread use in crafting. They are a relatively low-cost currency when compared to other high-value crafting orbs like Exalted Orbs or Divine Orbs, but they are still valuable in terms of their function.
Trading and Value: Players often trade Alch Orbs for other currencies or items, especially in the early to mid-game, where they are frequently used to create viable gear. They are often available in bulk, making them a preferred choice for mass crafting of rare items. In poe 2 currency sale, the value of Alch Orbs may shift depending on new crafting mechanics, but their importance in item creation will likely remain.
League Events and Farming: In seasonal events or new leagues, players will often farm Alch Orbs early on to quickly gear up and gain an advantage in progression. These orbs are an essential part of league-start crafting strategies, especially for players looking to quickly create rare items that support their build and provide necessary resistances and damage boosts.
5. Alchemy Orbs in PoE2
In PoE2, the role of Alch Orbs will likely remain similar, but the crafting systems are set to evolve. PoE2 introduces new crafting mechanics and potential new currency types that could influence how players use traditional orbs like Alch Orbs. For example, new item mod types or expanded socketing systems might require players to craft items in different ways, affecting the demand for Alch Orbs in specific crafting scenarios.
New Currency and Crafting: PoE2’s introduction of new currencies and expanded crafting options could affect the use of Alch Orbs by providing additional methods to influence item outcomes or by integrating them into new crafting systems. The basic role of Alch Orbs may remain the same—converting normal items into rare ones with random affixes—but they could interact with buy poe 2 currency’s new mechanics in ways that offer more control or variability in the crafting process.
In Path of Exile and its sequel PoE2, Alchemy Orbs are crucial tools for upgrading normal items to rare items with random affixes. They are essential for crafting throughout the game’s progression, especially in the early to mid-game where players need random yet functional gear to progress. While Alch Orbs are primarily used for item creation and crafting, they also play an important role in PoE’s player-driven economy, as they are traded for other currencies or used in mass crafting. As poe 2 currency evolves with its new crafting systems and currencies, the value of Alch Orbs may shift, but their core functionality will likely remain vital to the crafting process.
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