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 first character can be daunting with six classes and two Ascendancy options each. This guide highlights some of the best builds currently available, simplifying your decision. Keep in mind that with future expansions, the meta may shift.

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 Witches, the Minion Summoner Infernalist build shines. It leverages the class's summoning potential while offering a balanced playstyle, making it less demanding for beginners. Unlike the riskier Blood Mage, the Infernalist provides a more stable experience. You'll command an army of undead and demons, transforming into a demonic form for added flair.

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 Witch build is a top contender. Command your undead horde, providing fire support and utilizing strategic movement during boss fights. Remember to cast Vulnerability for crucial debuffs. Flame Wall acts as both area damage and a minion summoner (Raging Spirits). Detonate Dead offers AoE damage, utilizing corpses effectively. Experiment with different minion combinations for optimal battlefield control. Pain Offering sacrifices a minion to enhance others.

Best Mercenary Build in PoE2

The FrostFerno Witch Hunter offers a unique and effective Mercenary build for both early and late game. This hybrid build utilizes fire and ice skills with dual crossbows, leveraging two passive skill trees for maximum synergy.

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

Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards, then unleash devastating fire damage with Explosive Shot and grenades. Early game focuses on clearing with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards alongside Herald of Thunder. Later, Explosive Shot unleashes the build's full potential. Utilize Hypothermia and Biting Cold for extended freeze durations. Optimize your weapons and skills for both ice and fire damage.

Best Monk Build in PoE2

The Herald of Thunder Invoker is a top Monk build, balancing defense and damage. Excellent survivability makes it ideal for newcomers. Herald of Thunder is the core skill, transforming you into a lightning-wielding powerhouse.

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. Herald of Thunder empowers your attacks with lightning damage. Tempest Flurry unleashes a storm of lightning strikes, while Orb of Storms controls crowds. Tempest Bell and Storm Wave provide AoE damage. Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm enhance mobility and crowd control.

Best Warrior Build in PoE2

The Armour Breaker Warbinger offers a well-rounded Warrior build. Wielding a two-handed mace, you'll deliver significant damage while maintaining excellent 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 utilizes Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for crowd clearing. Mace Strike provides high single-target damage, while Rolling Slam offers mobility and survivability. Later, Warbinger Ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts enhance damage by breaking enemy armor. A mace-and-shield setup can focus on Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training for increased survivability.

Best Sorceress Build in PoE2

The Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Sorceress build offers a balance of damage and survivability, enabling rapid progression through the campaign. It's a strong choice for players seeking a potent and relatively forgiving experience.

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

Start 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 in the game. 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, Firestorm. Blasphemy Enfeeble adds defense.

Best Ranger Build in PoE2

The Deadeye Grenadier Ranger offers high mobility and area damage, excelling in both clearing and boss fights. However, its lower survivability makes it challenging for beginners. Experienced players will appreciate its explosive and dynamic gameplay.

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

Utilize a crossbow for high physical and elemental damage. Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts, then use grenades to deal massive damage. Flash Grenade stuns bosses, setting up Explosive Grenades. Gas Grenade creates a poisonous cloud, weakening armor and setting up Explosive Shot for massive damage. Prioritize Evasion, Elemental Resistances, and movement speed.

These are some of the strongest builds in Path of Exile 2's early access. Future updates and balance changes may alter the meta. Remember to adapt your strategy based on your playstyle and the challenges you encounter!