Feedback on Recombinator and Orbs of Chance– Frustrating and Unrewarding Mechanics

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share my experience and some frustration with two specific mechanics in Path of Exile 2: the Recombinator and the Orbs of Chance.

After several attempts with both systems, I've come to the conclusion that they are simply not worth using – at least for me. Here's why:

Orbs of Chance:
I've tried using multiple Orbs of Chance on basic, unmodified items (as required) — around 15 items. Every single time, the item was destroyed without creating a unique item. No reward, just complete loss. I know it's intended to have a chance of failure, but it feels completely unrewarding when there's literally no upside after multiple tries. It doesn't feel like a gamble anymore, it feels like a straight-up lottery where losing is almost guaranteed.

Recombinator:
I also tried using the Recombinator several times. I selected two compatible items, picked the desired modifiers, paid the required crafting currency, and had more than 50% success chance every time. Despite that, not even once did it succeed in merging the items. Again, this doesn't feel like risk versus reward — it feels like a trap for your valuable crafting resources. It’s disheartening to see two good bases disappear without anything to show for it.

Bottom Line:
Both systems currently feel so punishing and unreliable that I simply decided I will no longer use them. It's a real shame because both mechanics sound interesting on paper, and they could have added a lot of depth and excitement to item crafting. But right now, they are just massive currency sinks with almost no tangible reward, and that's not a fun or engaging experience for me.

I really hope the developers reconsider the tuning of these mechanics — maybe higher success rates, softer failure penalties, or alternative ways to "recover" some of the investment when things go wrong.

Thanks for reading.

They are missing success from failed crafts

Recombinators either create the item you want, or not. No unexpected combinations happens.

Orb of Chance either gives the unique item, or not. It cannot create an interesting rare or magic item for other crafts.