Artificer's Orbs are a vital crafting currency in Path of Exile 2, primarily used to add sockets to weapons and armor, which are essential for equipping runes that enhance your character’s abilities. If you’re new to the game or looking to efficiently farm these orbs, here’s a beginner’s guide on how to find and use Artificer's Orbs effectively.
How to Obtain Artificer's Orbs
The most reliable way to get Artificer's Orbs is through salvaging socketed gear. To do this, you first need to unlock the Salvage Bench, which becomes available after completing the "Finding the Forge" side quest in Act One. This bench allows you to dismantle equipment into crafting materials, including Artificer's Shards.
Each Artificer's Orb is crafted by combining 10 Artificer's Shards, which you obtain by salvaging weapons and armor that already have sockets. The more sockets an item has, the more shards you receive, so focusing on gear with multiple sockets maximizes your shard yield. You can identify socketed gear by the white squares next to the item’s name in your inventory. For players trying to speed up this process, some choose to
buy poe 2 currency early to acquire extra socketed gear for salvage.
Where to Find Socketed Gear
Socketed gear drops randomly from enemies, bosses, and chests throughout the game world. While these drops are somewhat rare, you can increase your chances by targeting:
Unique enemies and bosses, which have higher chances to drop socketed items.
Treasure chests and caches, especially blue or yellow ones, often contain socketed gear.
Revisiting cleared areas and creating new instances to farm known spots repeatedly.
As you progress to higher difficulties, particularly Cruel Difficulty, the drop rate of Artificer's Orbs and socketed gear improves, making farming more efficient. Many players on higher difficulties also collect cheap poe 2 currency to trade for extra shards or low-cost gear with sockets.
Using Artificer's Orbs
Once you have an Artificer's Orb, using it is straightforward. Right-click the orb in your inventory, then left-click the weapon or armor piece you want to socket. Keep in mind:
Two-handed weapons and body armor can receive up to two sockets via Artificer's Orbs.
Other equipment types can receive one socket.
Items cannot exceed their maximum allowed sockets, so plan your socketing carefully.
Sockets are crucial because they allow you to equip runes, which power up your skills and abilities. Early in the game, having more sockets can significantly enhance your build’s effectiveness.
Tips for Efficient Farming
Prioritize salvaging socketed gear rather than relying on rare drops of Artificer's Orbs.
Farm areas with high monster density and bosses to maximize gear drops.
Complete the "Finding the Forge" quest early to access the Salvage Bench as soon as possible.
Check all chests and destructible objects since they can drop socketed items or Artificer's Orbs.
By focusing on these strategies, you can steadily accumulate Artificer's Orbs, allowing you to customize your gear with more sockets and unlock powerful rune combinations to enhance your character’s capabilities throughout your Path of Exile 2 journey.
A Beginner’s Guide to Finding Artificer's Orbs in PoE 2
