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

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Best Builds During Early Access

Choosing your first character in Path of Exile 2's early access can be daunting. With six classes, each boasting two Ascendancy classes, the possibilities are vast. This guide simplifies the decision by highlighting top-tier builds for each class. Expect even more options as the game expands!

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Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist

This build maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a balanced and beginner-friendly experience compared to the riskier Blood Mage. You'll command an army of undead and demons, enhancing your horde with fire support and strategic maneuvering.

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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 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.

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Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

This hybrid build utilizes both fire and ice skills, employing two crossbows and two passive skill trees for a unique and effective playstyle.

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

Gameplay Tips: Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards, then unleash devastating explosive attacks. Utilize Hypothermia and Biting Cold to extend freeze durations. Optimize weapon and skill configurations for maximum fire and ice damage.

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Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

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

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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, and Tempest Bell and Storm Wave for AoE damage. Vaulting Impact provides mobility, while Staggering Palm stuns and electrifies opponents.

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Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

This balanced build utilizes a two-handed mace for impressive 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 Tips: Early game, focus on Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for crowd clearing. Mace Strike excels against single targets, while Rolling Slam enhances mobility and survivability. Utilize Warbinger Ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor.

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Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build provides a good balance of damage and survivability, allowing for rapid leveling and campaign completion.

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

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Flame Wall and Spark early, transitioning to Solar Orb and Ember Fusillade (with Scattershot and Controlled Destruction) as you level. Flammability significantly boosts damage, while Blasphemy provides additional defense.

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Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build boasts exceptional mobility and AoE damage but sacrifices survivability, making it challenging for beginners.

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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 combination of grenades and explosive shots for massive damage. Prioritize Evasion, Elemental Resistances, and movement speed.

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These builds represent some of the strongest options in Path of Exile 2's early access, but remember that balance changes and new content will inevitably shift the meta. Choose the build that best suits your playstyle and enjoy the journey!