Why Path of Exile 2’s Itemization Needs One Major Rune Change

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 31, 2024 4 Views 7 Min Read
Why Path of Exile 2's Itemization Needs One Major Rune Change

Summary

  • In Path of Exile 2, corrupted items can’t be modified, adding to the risk factor of altering items.
  • Sockets in PoE 2 vary with gear size, not determining Gem links, but are used for Runes instead.
  • Incorporating the ability to change Runes in PoE 2 would enhance endgame gameplay and reduce frustration.

There are many ways for Path of Exile 2 players to make the most out of their loot and purchased items, with options for crafting coming from multiple orbs and other sources in the game. For example, players can dramatically alter their items with corruption, meaning either Vaal Orbs or other ways, as a corrupted item can change multiple properties – often bricking or staying the same, though there’s a chance it improves with new affixes. Itemization is key in Path of Exile 2 as much as it is in other action RPGs and looter games, and Runes play a big role in this.

Unlike its predecessor, Path of Exile 2‘s Gems and sockets function very differently and are not necessarily tied to gear. Sockets are still added to weapons and armor as they would in the original game, but they are limited to one or two depending on the item’s size (two for two-handed weapons and body armor, one for helmets, gloves, boots, and one-handed weapons). However, sockets don’t determine how many links a given Skill Gem can have in Path of Exile 2, but rather they are used for Runes in order to provide additional stats to items. The problem is that, currently, Runes cannot be changed even on non-corrupted items.

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Why Path of Exile 2 Should Change Its Rune System

Once put into a socket, Path of Exile 2‘s Runes cannot be removed or changed by any means, which might not seem too much of a problem at first. In fact, the best runes tend to be Iron Runes on weapons in order to increase how much physical damage they deal or Runes that add elemental resistances, like Desert, Glacial, and Storm Runes. This is not a rule of thumb, though, and there are other optimal choices based on a given build or item.

One could argue that making Runes not removable adds to the game’s difficulty and it makes for a healthy cycle of items, which may very well be true, but it can also be frustrating. For example, players may need to use Path of Exile 2‘s trading system in order to find a good item for their builds, unless they are playing Solo Self-Found. Not all items sold on the official website come with empty Rune slots, however, and not being able to change them means that a given item may no longer be optimal as a result.

How Runes Can Affect Path of Exile 2’s Endgame

Path of Exile 2 Get More Support Gems PoE 2 Mercenary Explosion Crossbow Uncut Support Gem Drop Storm Rune

Since advancing into Path of Exile 2‘s endgame gives players a total of -60% to their resistances, it can be crucial to have all the correct Runes on one’s armor pieces in order to stay at or above the cap, which is 75%. Given that one’s items will most likely change throughout the course of their adventure into Wraeclast, changing Runes on existing gear or items that are bought from other players would make for a much-needed quality-of-life feature that would make this particular choice less punishing.

This outcome would also allow players who find better Runes as they progress into the game to feel more rewarded by their find instead of having to address that their current gear may not be able to even use their new loot. Furthermore, GGG doesn’t even have to make replacing Runes a feature that gives players back their current ones, and instead allow them to simply destroy the current Rune by replacing it. Path of Exile 2‘s classes and Ascendancies all work in different ways, so it’s only natural that they might need different Runes.

Giving players the option to remove existing ones and replacing them wouldn’t remove the game’s difficulty from under its feet, and it would simply be a quality-of-life addition that doesn’t make the current system feel inherently punishing. Still, it’s unclear what GGG has in store at the moment, and Path of Exile 2‘s updates are changing the game ever so slightly at every turn, so such a feature may become a reality.

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