Farming and Path of Exile 2 Currency Crafting for SSF
In SSF, you are the sole creator of your gear and must rely on drops, crafting, and trading for items. This makes farming and crafting essential for your progress. Gear upgrades are crucial for taking on more difficult content.

Farming Tips for SSF:
Clear as Much Content as Possible: While leveling, ensure that you clear as much content as possible, especially area bosses and quests. These provide the best chances for high-quality drops. Endgame content like The Shaper or The Elder should not be underestimated.

Crafting and Using Essences: Essences are an excellent resource for crafting high-tier gear in SSF. Use Essences to craft high rolls of life, resistances, and damage mods on weapons and armor. You can also craft specific mods if your character has a particular need, such as life regeneration or spell damage.

Currency Management: Make sure to always save up your currency items (like Orbs of Alchemy, Chaos Orbs, etc.) and use them wisely. Don’t waste valuable resources on lower-tier gear when crafting endgame items is more important. Crafting benches are a great way to further refine your gear.

Know Your Bosses and Encounters
In Hardcore mode, knowing the mechanics of bosses and encounters is absolutely critical. Without the benefit of a party to carry you, you must be prepared for high-damage mechanics, summoned adds, and complex phases that can end your run.

Essential Boss Tips:
Prepare for Enrage Timers: Many bosses have enrage timers, meaning if you take too long, the boss will start dealing significantly more damage. Focus on maximizing damage output while maintaining safety.

Learn Boss Mechanics: Spend time learning the boss mechanics for both minions and main bosses. Understanding the attack patterns of the Endgame bosses like The Shaper, The Elder, or any future POE 2 bosses will give you a huge edge in avoiding deadly hits.

Use AoE Skills on Adds: Some bosses summon adds that can overwhelm you quickly. Having AoE damage skills (like Molten Strike, Toxic Rain, or Ice Storm) ready to deal with these threats is crucial.

Play Smart and Avoid Risk
In Hardcore, taking unnecessary risks can be a fatal mistake. While pushing boundaries is part of the fun, it’s important to know when to retreat and avoid dangerous situations that could lead to your demise.

Smart Play Tips:
Don’t Overextend: Always keep track of your resources (flasks, life, and mana). Don’t push content that is clearly out of your reach just for the sake of progressing fast.

Use the Best Gear for Your Level: Equip the best items possible at your level, even if you have to sacrifice a bit of damage for survivability. Always prioritize life, resistances, and poe 2 trade defensive modifiers over raw damage.