Let me break down how crafting works since i've spent quite a bit of time experimenting with the new system. The basics are pretty straightforward, but there's still plenty of depth when you want to get serious about making good gear.

You'll want to start with basic currency like transmutation orbs to turn normal items blue, and augmentation orbs when you need an extra modifier. The real fun starts with alchemy orbs though, which can turn anything into a rare item with multiple modifiers. Something interesting to keep in mind is that your base item really matters, like intelligence-based gear tends to roll energy shield stuff more often.

When you're ready to get more specific with your crafting, essences are super helpful since they guarantee certain modifiers, and soul cores can add some pretty unique effects to your weapons and armor. The crafting benches in town are definitely worth checking out too, since they give you more control over what you're making.

One thing that's really nice about the new system is you don't need to rely so much on trading anymore. You can actually make decent gear yourself through deterministic methods, especially with essences. If you're trying to min-max though, you'll probably want to save your chaos and exalted orbs for your endgame gear, since they're pretty valuable for rerolling or adding those perfect modifiers.

Just remember that rare items can have up to three prefixes and three suffixes, so plan accordingly when you're trying to craft something specific. The whole system feels more approachable now but still lets you get really deep into optimization if that's your thing.