How to survive in the harsh world of PoE2: choosing your first character

Embarking on your Path of Exile 2 journey during early access? Choosing your starting character is a crucial first step. With six classes, each boasting two Ascendancy classes, the decision can feel overwhelming. This guide simplifies the process by highlighting some of the best builds currently available in PoE2.

Table of Contents

• Best Witch Build in PoE2
• Best Mercenary Build in PoE2
• Best Monk Build in PoE2
• Best Warrior Build in PoE2
• Best Sorceress Build in PoE2
• Best Ranger Build in PoE2

Best Witch Build in PoE2

For the Witch, the Minion Summoner Infernalist build shines. This path fully leverages the class's summoning potential, offering a less demanding experience for newer players compared to the riskier Blood Mage. You'll command an army of creatures, adding a unique and engaging layer to the gameplay, culminating in the ability to transform into a demonic form.

Minion Summoner Infernalist Important Skills

• Skeletal Brute + Martial Tempo & Heavy Swing
• Skeletal Cleric + Arcane Tempo
• Pain Offering + Ablation
• Skeletal Arsonist + Feeding Frenzy & Scattershot
• Detonate Dead + Magnified Effect & Spell Echo
• Flame Wall + Fortress & Persistence
• Raging Spirits + Fire Infusion & Immolate
• Vulnerability + Focused Curse
• Summon Infernal Hound

Minion Summoner Infernalist Gameplay Tips

This build ranks among the top in PoE2. While commanding a horde of undead and demons is thrilling, it requires strategic fire support and deft maneuvering, especially during boss encounters. Remember to utilize Vulnerability for crucial debuffs. Flame Wall not only deals area damage but also acts as a minion summoner, while Detonate Dead provides AoE damage contingent on fresh corpses. Skeletons, especially with Cleric support, offer sustained battlefield presence unlike temporary minion types.

Pain Offering sacrifices a skeleton to enhance the others. Experiment with diverse minion combinations for maximum destructive potential!

Best Mercenary Build in PoE2

The Mercenary's unique gameplay shines through the FrostFerno Witch Hunter build, effective in both early and late game. This hybrid build expertly combines fire and ice skills using two crossbows and two passive skill trees.

FrostFerno Witch Hunter Important Skills

• Permafrost Bolts + Glaciation & Ice Bite & Deep Freeze
• Explosive Grenade + Frostfire & Concentrated Effect & Primal Armament & Eternal Flame & Searing Flame
• Gas Grenade
• Explosive Shot + Wildfire & Nimble Reload
• Herald of Ash + Clarity & Vitality & Precision
• Galvanic Shards + Lightning Infusion & Pierce
• Herald of Thunder

FrostFerno Witch Hunter Gameplay Tips

The FrostFerno Witch Hunter's unique freezing and explosive combat style sets it apart. Early game focuses on Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards with Herald of Thunder for crowd control. Later, Explosive Shot unleashes pyromaniacal devastation. Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, and Explosive Shot provide area-of-effect destruction, while Permafrost Bolts ensure enemies remain frozen and vulnerable. Gems like Hypothermia and Biting Cold extend freeze duration. Utilize two self-shot skills with separate skill trees for maximum impact.

Best Monk Build in PoE2

The Herald of Thunder Invoker stands out as the top Monk build. It balances offense and defense, making it suitable for both campaign progression and endgame content. Herald of Thunder is the core skill, providing excellent survivability for newcomers.

Herald of Thunder Invoker Important Skills

• Tempest Flurry + Martial Tempo & Lightning Infusion & Crescendo
• Tempest Bell + Persistence
• Staggering Palm + Overpower
• Vaulting Impact
• Orb of Storms + Unleash
• Storm Wave + Concentrated Effect & Magnified Effect

Herald of Thunder Invoker Gameplay Tips

Early game utilizes Quarterstaff Strike for crowd control. Once Herald of Thunder is acquired, each strike unleashes lightning. Tempest Flurry provides a lightning barrage, while Orb of Storms manages crowds. Tempest Bell and Storm Wave deliver powerful AoE damage. Vaulting Impact offers mobility, and Staggering Palm stuns and electrifies opponents.

Best Warrior Build in PoE2

The Armour Breaker Warbinger offers a balanced Warrior build. Wielding a two-handed mace, it delivers significant damage while maintaining survivability in melee combat.

Armour Breaker Warbinger Important Skills

• Mace Strike + Rage & Close Combat & Maim
• Stampede + Momentum & Fist of War & Brutality & Stomping Ground
• Leap Slam + Martial Tempo & Holy Descent & Culling Strike
• Ancestral Warrior Totem + Rolling Slam & Jagged Ground & Ancestral Urgency & Heavy Swing
• Scavenged Plating + Vitality & Cannibalism
• Hammer of the Gods + Second Wind & Hourglass & Execute & Concentrated Effect
• Seismic Cry + Premeditation
• Attrition

Armour Breaker Warbinger Gameplay Tips

Early game uses Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for crowd clearing. Mace Strike with enhanced gems delivers high single-target damage, while Rolling Slam provides mobility and survivability. Later, Warbinger-exclusive skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts enhance damage by breaking enemy armor. A mace-and-shield setup benefits from Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training for increased survivability.

Best Sorceress Build in PoE2

The Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Sorceress offers a balanced build for rapid leveling and campaign completion. It effectively combines damage and survivability.

Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Important Skills

• Spark + Pierce
• Flame Wall + Fortress
• Ember Fusillade + Scattershot & Controlled Destruction
• Solar Orb + Magnified Effect & Fire Exposure
• Firestorm + Overabundance & Spell Echo
• Flammability
• Blasphemy + Enfeeble

Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Gameplay Tips

Begin with Spark and Flame Wall, progressing to more powerful spells. Use Flame Walls for bonus fire damage to Spark projectiles. Solar Orb replaces Spark later. Ember Fusillade benefits from Scattershot and Controlled Destruction. Flammability weakens bosses, increasing damage output. Focus on Exploit the Element, Potent Incantation, and Dampening Shield nodes. A suggested rotation is: Flammability, 3x Fusillade, Flame Wall, Solar Orb, and Firestorm. Blasphemy Enfeeble adds defense if needed.

Best Ranger Build in PoE2

The Deadeye Grenadier excels in mobility and area damage, effective for both clearing and boss fights. However, its lower survivability makes it challenging for beginners.

Deadeye Grenadier Important Skills

• Permafrost Bolts + Pierce
• Fragmentation Rounds + Double Barrel
• Flash Grenade + Scattershot & Magnified Effect & Ingenuity
• Gas Grenade + Corrosion & Deadly Poison
• Explosive Shot
• Explosive Grenade + Fire Infusion & Execute
• Rapid Shot + Martial Tempo & Blind

Deadeye Grenadier Gameplay Tips

This build utilizes a crossbow for high physical and elemental damage. Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts, then use grenades for area damage and poison. Stack Evasion, Elemental Resistances, and movement speed. Fragmentation Rounds and Permafrost Bolts are early-game staples. Flash Grenade stuns bosses, allowing for Explosive Grenade use. Gas Grenade weakens armor, and Explosive Shot detonates gas clouds for massive damage.

These builds represent some of the strongest options in Path of Exile 2's early access. Remember that balance changes and new content may shift the meta over time. Happy Exiling!