The Artificer's Orb in Path of Exile 2 is a unique currency item designed to add a rune socket to martial weapons or armor. Using this Orb allows players to increase the number of sockets on their gear without changing the existing sockets or rerolling the entire item, which is crucial for optimizing builds that rely on specific socket setups. For many players, it’s a far more efficient alternative than trying to reroll gear endlessly or spending poe 2 currency chasing perfect socket layouts.
To apply an Artificer's Orb, the player right-clicks the Orb and then left-clicks on a martial weapon or armor piece that they want to modify. This action adds one additional rune socket permanently to the item, enabling more runes or skill gems to be socketed. Since sockets are vital for augmenting gear with runes that enhance elemental damage, resistances, or other attributes, the Artificer's Orb becomes an essential currency for build customization.
Obtaining Artificer's Orbs mainly happens by salvaging socketed gear at the Salvage Bench, which players unlock by completing certain early-game quests. When socketed items are salvaged, they yield Artificer's Shards, and combining ten of these shards crafts a single Artificer's Orb. While rare drops of the Orb do occur, salvaging remains the predominant and more reliable method to acquire them, encouraging players to farm socketed loot and recycle unwanted gear.
Although useful, Artificer's Orbs are currently somewhat scarce, making players cautious about where to apply them. They are often reserved for gear pieces the player intends to keep for the long term due to the permanent nature of socket addition. The scarcity also motivates players to farm bosses and unique enemies for socketed drops and revisit early game areas with checkpoints to efficiently accumulate shards and Orbs. For those who want faster progression, some even choose to
buy poe 2 currency instead of relying solely on farming.
The Artificer's Orb is a key crafting currency in Path of Exile 2 that adds sockets to weapons and armor, enabling greater build flexibility. It is primarily obtained through salvaging socketed items, with a crafting system that turns shards into full Orbs, encouraging strategic gear management and farming. Its use is a critical part of optimizing gear, particularly in builds reliant on specific runes for elemental damage or defensive enhancements.