Crafting in POE currency has always been one of the deepest and most rewarding systems in any ARPG, but the introduction of the Genesis Tree has completely changed the landscape of endgame crafting. This powerful system allows players to influence mod pools, streamline item progression, and dramatically increase control over high-end gear creation.

Whether you're a new player trying to understand the fundamentals or an experienced crafter looking to optimize your methods, this guide explains how the Genesis Tree works, how to unlock its full potential, and how to use it to craft some of the strongest items in Path of Exile.

What Is the Genesis Tree?

The Genesis Tree is a late-game crafting progression system that allows players to:

Alter item mod pools

Increase the likelihood of specific affix types

Add powerful modifiers unique to the tree

Block unwanted stats

Create deterministic pathways to high-end gear

Think of it as a combination of:

Atlas Passive Tree logic (modifying drop or craft behavior)

Harvest-like deterministic control

A powerful meta-crafting extension for endgame gear

The Genesis Tree is connected to both item bases and crafting actions, meaning you can tailor it around the exact gear you want to create.

How to Unlock the Genesis Tree

To begin using the Genesis Tree:

Reach endgame (Maps).

Complete Genesis-related encounters, which drop:

Saplings

Memory Roots

Genesis Resin

Tree Seeds

Plant your first Genesis Tree Node in the Crucible-like crafting interface.

Expand your tree by:

Completing Genesis Encounters

Leveling up your crafting proficiency

Investing Resin and Saplings

Each tree grows individually for each item you craft, letting you specialize every base independently.

How the Genesis Tree Works

The system revolves around node selection, branch development, and mod targeting.

Your Genesis Tree contains different types of nodes:

1. Mod Pool Nodes

These control which mod tags become more (or less) common when rolling or augmenting an item.

Examples:

+200% chance for Physical mods

30% reduced chance for Chaos mods

Block all Evasion modifiers

Increased chance for Tier 1 elemental affixes

These are the building blocks of deterministic crafting.

2. Influence & Affinity Nodes

These affect the behavior of influenced items:

Buff Shaper/Elder/Searing Exarch/Eater of Worlds mod frequency

Allow hybrid influenced mods to appear more often

Increase the rarity tier of influenced outcomes

Great for creating Insane influenced weapons and armors.

3. Empowerment Nodes

These nodes increase the power of all future craft attempts on the item:

Increased chance of adding high-tier prefixes

Better outcomes from Essence, Fossils, or Harvest crafts

Boosted outcomes on Chaos spamming or Alch/Regal combos

These are essential for high-budget items.

4. Special Mechanic Nodes

These include unique effects such as:

“When adding a suffix, there is a chance to upgrade an existing suffix”

“Upgrading a modifier adds a new random modifier”

“Crafted modifiers count as natural modifiers for meta-crafting purposes”

“Item cannot roll attack modifiers”

These nodes are the true power of the system, enabling broken-level optimization.

Step-by-Step: How to Craft High-End Gear with the Genesis Tree

Below is a complete workflow players use to produce expensive, top-tier gear.

Step 1: Choose Your Item Base

Select an item with:

High item level (86+ for endgame)

Desired influence (optional)

Strong implicit mods

Common bases include:

iLvl 86 Vaal Regalia (Caster)

iLvl 86 Spine Bow (Attack builds)

Hubris Circlet (Elemental builds)

Tyrant’s Sekhem (Minion builds)

Step 2: Grow the Genesis Tree for Your Item

Start placing nodes based on your target outcome.

For example:

Crafting a High-End Bow

Pick nodes that:

Increase Physical / Attack mod weighting

Block Evasion / Resist mods

Improve influenced mod chances (if using Warlord/Hunter)

Boost Essence + Fossil outcomes

Step 3: Block Unwanted Mods

Use nodes such as:

“Block Defense mods”

“Reduce chance to roll Chaos mods”

“Block hybrid stats”

This makes rolling specific physical prefixes like T1 Flat Phys and T1 % Phys far easier.

Step 4: Use Synergistic Crafting Methods

Depending on your tree nodes, you'll now use the appropriate crafting method.

Fossil Crafting

If your tree favors elemental mods:

Frigid Fossil

Scorched Fossil

Metallic Fossil

Corroded Fossil

These create high-impact elemental gear.

Essence Crafting

If your tree has prefix-boosting nodes, Essences become extremely strong:

Essence of Zeal → Attack speed frenzy build

Essence of Horror → Spell damage + extra chaos

Essence of Woe → Huge caster multipliers

Chaos Spamming

If tree nodes increase high-tier mod probability, Chaos spam becomes surprisingly effective.

Step 5: Lock the Best Mods with Meta-Crafting

Common strategies:

Suffixes Cannot Be Changed

Prefixes Cannot Be Changed

Add/Remove (Harvest)

Augment Influence

Genesis Tree nodes often reduce the cost or improve the outcome of these expensive meta-crafts.

Step 6: Finish with Genesis Empowerment

At high-tier tree growth, you can apply:

Elevated mods

Unique Genesis-only affixes

Powerful hybrid stat upgrades

Implicit reforging

Many players use the Genesis Tree to push good items into mirror-tier gear.

Example Genesis Tree Crafting Builds

1. Mirror-Tier Bow

Tree Focus:

+200% Physical mod weighting

Block Evasion/Chaos mods

Increased Hunter/Warlord hybrid chance

Suffix-upgrade nodes

Crafting Method:

Essence of Zeal spam → Lock suffixes → Reforge Phys → Aug Influence

2. Energy Shield Caster Chest

Tree Focus:

Spell/ES mod pool boosting

Influence synergy nodes

Hybrid ES nodes

Crafting Method:

Dense Fossil spam

Meta-craft to isolate prefixes

Harvest augment Caster

3. Minion Crit Wand

Tree Focus:

Minion mod weighting

Block attack mods

Increase Shaper influenced outcomes

Crafting Method:

Bound + Metallic Fossils

Suffix lock → Harvest add/remove Crit

Tips for Mastering Genesis Tree Crafting

Specialize each tree — growing one “perfect” tree is more valuable than growing many general ones.

Use Saplings wisely — high-tier nodes cost more, so plan branches ahead.

Combine with Harvest — Genesis + Harvest is the strongest deterministic combo in PoE.

Use fossils on nodes that support them — don’t waste currency.

Always block bad mod pools before crafting expensive upgrades.

Final Thoughts

The Genesis Tree is one of POE orbs site most powerful crafting systems ever introduced. It gives players unprecedented control over mod outcomes, allowing even solo players to produce mirror-tier gear with enough planning, currency, and optimization.

Whether you're making a powerful weapon, an endgame chestpiece, or a min-maxed ring, the Genesis Tree is now a core part of PoE’s endgame crafting ecosystem — and mastering it is the key to creating truly high-end gear.