Hardcore mode in POE requires gear that supports high survivability without compromising too much on offense. This guide presents a detailed path to crafting robust, death-resistant gear using low-to-medium investment strategies.

Survivability starts with choosing the right armor type. For hardcore, prefer high-armor bases like Glorious Plate or full Evasion gear like Assassin’s Garb. The priority should be life, resistance, and suppression. Use Essences of Woe or PoE Currency Greed to craft life and defense-based mods.

Helmets are crucial for mitigating specific threats. Crafting with Fossils like Pristine + Dense yields high life and Energy Shield outcomes. Prioritize mods like “Nearby enemies deal reduced critical strike damage” for added security.

Gloves and boots need to be tailored for ailments and movement. Eldritch Implicits can grant immunity to bleeding, poison, or exposure. Additionally, modifiers like “% increased movement speed if you haven't been hit recently” add to mapping safety and pace.

Rings and amulets should be focused on chaos resistance and regeneration. Using Catalysts like Prismatic or Turbulent enhances hybrid stats, making them more suited for tough bossing scenarios or corrupted map runs with increased chaos damage taken.

Weapons in hardcore are more about consistency than peak DPS. Choose reliable bases with crit avoidance or leech properties. If needed, sacrifice a little DPS for mods like “gain life on kill” or “chance to blind enemies on hit.”

Belts offer an excellent place to stack strength, life, and resistances. Stygian Vise remains the best base, allowing for an Abyssal Jewel with life, flat damage, and utility stats. Use Harvest to reforge life for the best results without high cost.

Prioritize flasks with defensive rolls. A Granite Flask with increased armor and reduced critical damage taken provides consistent uptime. Use Instilling Divine Orb to automate them during dangerous conditions.

Crafting hardcore gear isn’t about crafting perfection—it's about consistency and layering defenses. Every upgrade should increase your odds of survival, and every crafted item should add meaningful protection.