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

Path of Exile 2: Top Tier 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 classes each, the possibilities are vast. This guide highlights the top-performing builds for each class, offering a solid foundation for your journey. Note that future updates and balance changes may shift the meta.

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Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist

This build excels at summoning and offers a smoother learning curve for new players compared to the riskier Blood Mage. The Infernalist's demonic transformation adds a unique gameplay element.

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

Gameplay: Manage your minion horde, providing fire support and utilizing Vulnerability debuffs. Master the interplay between Flame Wall, Raging Spirits, and Detonate Dead for optimal AoE damage. Strategic minion sacrifices via Pain Offering enhance your remaining units.

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Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

This hybrid build combines fire and ice damage for a dynamic playstyle. The use of crossbows and dual skill trees provides strategic depth.

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

Gameplay: Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards, then unleash devastating explosive damage with grenades and Explosive Shot. Utilize Herald of Thunder for additional crowd control and damage.

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Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

This build prioritizes defense while delivering substantial damage, making it excellent for both campaign progression and endgame content.

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

Gameplay: Utilize Tempest Flurry and Orb of Storms for crowd control and damage. Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm provide mobility and control, while Tempest Bell and Storm Wave deliver powerful AoE bursts.

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Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

This balanced build utilizes a two-handed mace for high damage output while maintaining survivability in melee combat.

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

Gameplay: Utilize Mace Strike for single-target damage, Stampede and Leap Slam for mobility, and Ancestral Warrior Totem for sustained damage. Armour Breaker abilities enhance damage against heavily armored foes.

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Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build offers a good balance of damage and survivability, allowing for efficient campaign completion and endgame progression.

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

Gameplay: Utilize Flame Wall and Spark for early game, transitioning to Ember Fusillade, Solar Orb, and Firestorm as you progress. Flammability significantly boosts damage output.

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Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build offers high mobility and AoE damage but requires more skill and careful play due to lower survivability.

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

Gameplay: Utilize a combination of freezing, poisoning, and explosive damage. Master the timing of your grenades and shots for maximum impact.

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This guide provides a starting point. Experimentation and adaptation are key to mastering Path of Exile 2's complex systems. Remember that the meta is subject to change.