Crafting helmets in Path of Exile (POE) involves manipulating their implicit and explicit modifiers to suit your character’s needs. Here’s a comprehensive guide:
Crafting Methods:
Currency Crafting:
Basic Options: Utilize Alterations, Augmentations, Transmutations, and Alchemy Orbs for basic rerolling of modifiers.
Advanced Options:
Essences: Specific Essences guarantee prefixes or suffixes aligned with their theme (e.g., Shrieking Essence of Greed for increased Dexterity).
Fossils: Offer more control over rolling specific types of modifiers (e.g., Dense Fossils increase the chance of life or physical damage modifiers).
Harvest Crafting (Endgame): This advanced method allows targeted manipulation of specific properties on an item.
Bestiary Crafting (Endgame): This advanced method involves using beasts to imprint desired modifiers onto items.
Crafting Process:
Acquire a Base Helmet: This can be achieved through monster drops, purchasing from vendors, or trading with other players.
Consider Base Type: Different base types (e.g., Hubris Circlet, Bone Helmet) offer varying implicit modifiers and potential for specific stats.
Identify Modifiers: Use an Orb of Wisdom to reveal the existing modifiers on the helmet.
Craft Desired Stats: Utilize chosen crafting methods (e.g., Essences, Fossils) to manipulate the helmet’s modifiers until you achieve your desired stats.
Prioritize: Stats relevant to your build (e.g., Energy Shield, Life, Resistances, Skill Specific Mods).
Advanced Techniques (Optional):
Linking Sockets: Use a Jeweler’s Orb or Vaal Orb to link sockets on the helmet for connecting multiple support gems to your skills.
Corrupting (Risky): Vaal Orbs can potentially grant powerful additional modifiers but also carry the risk of bricking (destroying) the item.
Important Notes:
Crafting can be complex and resource-intensive. Start with small crafting steps and gradually progress towards acquiring high-rolled helmets.
Understanding Currency Values: Be mindful of the value of different crafting orbs and prioritize cost-effective methods based on your resources.
Research Build Guides: Many successful builds showcase the types of modifiers sought after on helmets and the crafting methods employed to achieve them.
Consider Alternatives: Unique helmets often possess powerful effects that can be superior to crafted options, especially for earlier stages of the game.
Specific Strategies:
Energy Shield Builds: Prioritize crafting high energy shield rolls, increased maximum energy shield, and elemental resistances.
Evasion Builds: Focus on crafting high evasion rolls, dexterity, and elemental resistances.
Strength/Melee Builds: Prioritize life rolls, increased maximum life, and physical damage modifiers.
Here’s a breakdown of crafting options based on difficulty:
Beginner: Utilize Alterations, Augmentations, and Alchemy Orbs for basic crafting.
Intermediate: Implement Essences and Fossils for more targeted crafting.
Advanced: Explore Harvest and Bestiary crafting methods (requires significant investment and endgame access).
Remember: Crafting powerful helmets requires knowledge, planning, and potentially a significant amount of currency. Utilize the methods mentioned, start small, and gradually progress towards crafting helmets that significantly enhance your character in Path of Exile.
Additional Considerations:
Influences: Helmets obtained through Elder, Shaper, or other endgame encounters can have special influenced modifiers that offer unique crafting possibilities.
Cluster Jewels: Consider incorporating Cluster Jewels into your helmet sockets for additional passive skill effects.
By understanding these crafting methods and tailoring them to your specific build requirements, you can craft helmets that significantly boost your character’s power in Path of Exile.