PoE2 Enduring Guide: Crafting Your First Character Wisely

Path of Exile 2: Top Builds for Early Access

Choosing your starting class in Path of Exile 2's early access can be daunting. With six classes and two Ascendancy choices each, the possibilities are vast. This guide highlights the top builds for each class, offering a solid foundation for your journey. Remember, future updates may shift the meta.

Image: screenplaysmag.com

Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist

This build maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a less demanding experience for new players compared to the riskier Blood Mage. Summon a horde of undead and demonic minions, providing fire support and utilizing strategic mobility during boss fights. Don't forget the crucial Vulnerability debuff.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Skeletal Brute, Skeletal Cleric, Pain Offering, Skeletal Arsonist, Detonate Dead, Flame Wall, Raging Spirits, Vulnerability, Summon Infernal Hound.

Gameplay Tips: Master minion management, utilize Flame Wall for both damage and additional minions (Raging Spirits), and strategically use Detonate Dead with corpse generation. Pain Offering sacrifices a minion for increased damage to the remaining skeletons. Experiment with minion combinations for optimal battlefield control.

Image: sportskeeda.com

Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

A hybrid build combining fire and ice, utilizing two crossbows and two passive skill trees. Freeze enemies with ice skills, then unleash devastating fire damage.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Permafrost Bolts, Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, Explosive Shot, Herald of Ash, Galvanic Shards, Herald of Thunder.

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards early, transitioning to Explosive Shot for increased pyromaniacal fun later. Combine Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, and Explosive Shot for area-of-effect devastation. Maximize freeze duration with Hypothermia and Biting Cold to optimize damage output.

Image: sportskeeda.com

Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

This build offers excellent survivability while dealing significant damage, making it ideal for newcomers. The Herald of Thunder buff is central to its power.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Tempest Flurry, Tempest Bell, Staggering Palm, Vaulting Impact, Orb of Storms, Storm Wave.

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Quarterstaff Strike early. Herald of Thunder empowers attacks with lightning damage. Tempest Flurry and Orb of Storms offer crowd control, while Tempest Bell and Storm Wave provide powerful AoE damage. Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm enhance mobility and control.

Image: gamerant.com

Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

This balanced build uses a two-handed mace for high damage and survivability in melee combat.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Mace Strike, Stampede, Leap Slam, Ancestral Warrior Totem, Scavenged Plating, Hammer of the Gods, Seismic Cry, Attrition.

Gameplay Tips: Early game focus on Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for crowd control. Mace Strike provides high single-target damage, while Rolling Slam offers mobility and survivability. Utilize Warbinger ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor. Consider Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training for a mace-and-shield variation.

Image: eurogamer.net

Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build balances damage and survivability, allowing for efficient leveling and campaign progression.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Spark, Flame Wall, Ember Fusillade, Solar Orb, Firestorm, Flammability, Blasphemy (Enfeeble).

Gameplay Tips: Start with Spark and Flame Wall, transitioning to Solar Orb and Ember Fusillade. Utilize Scattershot and Controlled Destruction support gems for Ember Fusillade. Flammability weakens bosses and boosts damage. Prioritize Exploit the Element, Potent Incantation, and Dampening Shield nodes. Use a rotation of Flammability, Fusillade, Flame Wall, Solar Orb, and Firestorm for optimal boss damage.

Image: bo3.gg

Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build offers high area-of-effect damage and mobility but sacrifices survivability, making it challenging for beginners.

Image: skycoach.gg

Key Skills: Permafrost Bolts, Fragmentation Rounds, Flash Grenade, Gas Grenade, Explosive Shot, Explosive Grenade, Rapid Shot.

Gameplay Tips: Utilize a crossbow for high physical and elemental damage. Focus on freezing enemies with Permafrost Bolts, then using grenades for area-of-effect damage and crowd control. Gas Grenade weakens armor and combines with Explosive Shot for massive damage. Prioritize Evasion, Elemental Resistances, and movement speed.

Image: reddit.com

This guide provides a starting point. Experimentation and adaptation are key to mastering Path of Exile 2. Enjoy the journey!