Crafting Professions - Probably a design-headache, but is it worth a consideration?

So.....Crafting Professions.

I'm sure there's been threads on this topic before, but as a relative newcomer to PoE2 something I wanted to highlight something that's stood out to me.

With the growing role of currency exchange, asynchronous trade, and mixed sentiments on gearing throughout the levelling experience, there seems to be a growing divide between:
- building for power (your passive and gem selections),
- finding power (relevantly stated or unique drops), and
- buying power (gear through the marketplace).

Often, when one hits a wall in progressing - especially in levelling - the solution is unclear. Is it just a damage issue, is it resistances, or is it learning the new boss mechanics etc. Additionally, how do I go about addressing these issues?

Do I just go back to old maps and keep farming until I get a decent drop? Grind until I overlevel the encounter? Or do I burn all my money and roll the dice at the shops in the hope of getting lucky?

Once you unlock the full market place in act 4 (with currency exchange), it seems like life as a merchant is the way to go (love the new trade by the way). I understand crafting comes back into it's own at the high-end, but that means that for a large middle part of the PoE2 experience drops and crafting become mostly irrelevant.


Marketplace aside, I think there needs to be more player agency in understanding and working to resolve these challenges.


The current crafting system and reforge mechanics etc. is a solid foundation, however there is nothing 'in-game' that immediately says "you should engage with this system as it will help you; and here's how its going to solve x problem". Indeed, crafting often does not 'feel' like a rewarding decision in early levels.

Furthermore, with the way you collect various 'orbs/essences' as both tools and as a currency, there's also competing drives of 'keeping it until later when you really need it' that can further block engagement.


I think an item-category specific crafting progression system which - as you develop the relevant skill - gives you more control over crafting gear relevant to your build or problems (e.g. apply specific resistances, craft from a pre-set list of 'basic' equipment, or even an ability to 'improve' the baseline tier of gear that you find) is worth exploring.

I'm sure a full list could be nearly endless, but things like wand-making, forging (melee), blacksmithing (armour), bowyery, leatherworking (evasion), artificery (energy-shield), herbalism (flasks) etc.

You could probably add relevant materials to each profession as well (e.g. get players to seek out specific maps for enemies which drop plant-fibres, or metal scraps etc. - or buy them from the currency exchange), but I'm not a professional game-designer so I don't know how complex that would make things.

Anywho, to cut a long-story short.
TLDR: Is more crafting the solution to mid-game slumps?