Crafting is one of the defining features of Last Epoch, and many players consider it one of the best crafting systems in any ARPG. It strikes a balance between accessibility for Last Epoch gold new players and deep optimization for endgame theorycrafters. This guide covers the fundamentals of crafting, the roles of glyphs and runes, and strategies for making powerful gear.

Crafting Basics

Before diving into glyphs and runes, it's important to understand which items can be crafted:

Set Items: Cannot be crafted, but they can be shattered for affix shards.

Unique Items: Usually cannot be crafted, though some mechanics allow rerolling affix ranges in special cases. If a unique has Legendary Potential, it can be combined with an exalted item of the same base in the Temporal Sanctum dungeon. The higher the Legendary Potential, the more affixes can transfer.

Exalted Items: These are the backbone of Last Epoch crafting. Not only are they powerful on their own, but they're also the key ingredients in creating legendary gear by merging with unique.  Having enough Last Epoch gold can help you get it well.

Every item has Forging Potential (FP), which acts as crafting fuel. Once FP reaches zero, no further crafting can be done on that item.

Glyphs

Glyphs modify crafting outcomes and are consumed during the process. Here's how they work:

Glyph of Hope: The most commonly used glyph. Grants a 25% chance that crafting won't consume FP. Essential for extending the life of valuable items.

Glyph of Chaos: Changes one affix into a different one when upgrading. Useful for replacing unwanted stats, but risky if it alters something you want to keep.

Glyph of Order: Prevents a stat from rerolling within its range. Best used when a desirable affix is already maxed out and you don't want to lose the perfect roll.

Glyph of Despair: Seals a low-tier affix, freeing up its slot while preserving it as a "sealed affix." This opens space for better stats and is critical in advanced crafting strategies. Sealing is more reliable on Tier 1-2 affixes; Tier 3 is rare, and Tier 4 is nearly impossible.

Glyph of Envy: Converts item stability into cheap Last Epoch gold timeline progression. Niche use, mostly for speeding up Monolith progression or alt leveling.