Path of Exile 2: Top Builds for Early Access
Choosing your first character in Path of Exile 2's early access can be daunting. With six classes and two Ascendancy classes each, the options are plentiful. This guide highlights the top builds for each class, offering a strong starting point for your adventure. Remember, the meta may shift with future updates and balance changes.
Image: screenplaysmag.com
Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist
This build maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a balanced and beginner-friendly experience. The Infernalist Ascendancy provides a more stable gameplay loop compared to the riskier Blood Mage. You'll command an army of undead and demons, supporting them with fire damage and strategic positioning.
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: Maintain fire support for your minions, utilize strategic movement during boss fights, and consistently apply Vulnerability debuffs. Experiment with minion combinations for optimal battlefield control. Remember that Pain Offering sacrifices a minion to empower others.
Image: sportskeeda.com
Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter
This hybrid build combines fire and ice damage for a unique and effective playstyle. Using two crossbows, you'll freeze enemies and then unleash devastating explosive attacks.
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 game for crowd control. Later, transition to Explosive Shot for maximum pyromaniacal fun! Coordinate your freezes and explosions for optimal damage output.
Image: sportskeeda.com
Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker
This build offers excellent survivability while dealing substantial damage. The Herald of Thunder skill is central to its effectiveness.
Image: skycoach.gg
Key Skills: Tempest Flurry, Tempest Bell, Staggering Palm, Vaulting Impact, Orb of Storms, Storm Wave.
Gameplay Tips: Utilize Tempest Flurry and Orb of Storms for crowd control. Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm provide mobility and crowd control. Herald of Thunder empowers your strikes with lightning damage.
Image: gamerant.com
Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger
This balanced build utilizes 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 clearing. Mace Strike excels against single targets. Utilize Warbinger Ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor.
Image: eurogamer.net
Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver
This build provides a good balance of damage and survivability, enabling quick progression through the campaign.
Image: skycoach.gg
Key Skills: Spark, Flame Wall, Ember Fusillade, Solar Orb, Firestorm, Flammability, Blasphemy (Enfeeble).
Gameplay Tips: Utilize Flame Wall for defense and damage amplification. Ember Fusillade, enhanced with Scattershot and Controlled Destruction, is your primary damage source. Flammability weakens enemies and boosts your damage.
Image: bo3.gg
Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier
This build offers high area damage and mobility but sacrifices survivability. It's recommended for experienced players.
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 damage and elemental bonuses. Freeze enemies, then unleash a barrage of grenades and explosive shots. Prioritize Evasion and Elemental Resistances.
Image: reddit.com
These builds offer a strong foundation for your Path of Exile 2 journey. Remember to adapt and experiment to find what best suits your playstyle!