Early Grenade Crossbow Crafting in Path of Exile 2

During the campaign, you don't need a perfect weapon - just something solid that supports your grenade skill scaling. The most important mod to look for Path of Exile 2 Currency early is "Increased Level of Skill Gem", as it directly amplifies your grenade damage and area of effect.
You can often find suitable bases from vendors throughout the Acts. After major quests or boss kills, vendor inventories refresh, so check back frequently. If you can't find a good roll, don't worry - you can easily create one using a few key Orbs.

Recommended Early Crafting Materials:

Orb of Transmutation - Upgrade a Normal base into Magic rarity.
Orb of Augmentation - Adds a random modifier.
Essence of Abrasion (Lesser or Normal) - Guarantees flat physical damage.
Exalted Orb - Adds a powerful random modifier.
Omen of Greater Exaltation - Doubles the mod gain when using an Exalted Orb.

Crafting Steps for Early Game Grenade Crossbow:

1. Base Selection

Start with any Crossbow that has "+1 to Level of Skill Gems" or an open Prefix. If none are available, buy a Normal base and roll it with Orbs of Transmutation until you get a useful modifier.

2. Orb of Augmentation

Add a second random mod - ideally one that increases attack speed or elemental damage.

3. Essence of Abrasion

Apply this Essence to turn the weapon into a Rare item with guaranteed flat physical damage.

4. Exalted Orb + Omen of Greater Exaltation

Use an Exalted Orb while the Omen is active to add two extra modifiers, reaching the six-mod limit.

Ideal Early-Game Modifiers:

% Increased Physical Damage
+1 to the Level of all Projectile Skill Gems
Adds # to # Physical Damage
Adds # to # Elemental Damage
% Increased Attack Speed

This setup ensures a strong start and smooth progression through the campaign.

If you struggle to find good bases, buy several Normal Crossbows and reroll them with Orbs of Transmutation. Alternatively, start a new character, rush to the Clearfell Encampment, and path of exile 2 trade check the vendor - early-game rerolls can yield surprisingly strong results.