Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Best Builds in 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 optimal builds for each class, providing essential skills and gameplay strategies to help you conquer Wraeclast.
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Table of Contents
- Best Witch Build: Minion Summoner Infernalist
- Best Mercenary Build: FrostFerno Witch Hunter
- Best Monk Build: Herald of Thunder Invoker
- Best Warrior Build: Armour Breaker Warbinger
- Best Sorceress Build: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver
- Best Ranger Build: Deadeye Grenadier
Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist
This build leverages 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 demonic minions, enhancing their power through strategic skill choices. The Infernalist's demonic transformation adds a unique and exciting 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 Tips: Support your minion horde with fire damage and utilize strategic maneuvering during boss encounters. Don't underestimate the Vulnerability debuff for increased damage output. Experiment with minion combinations for optimal battlefield control. Flame Wall creates additional minions (Raging Spirits), while Detonate Dead requires corpses for AoE damage.
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Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter
This hybrid build combines fire and ice damage for a unique and effective playstyle. Utilizing two crossbows and two passive skill trees, it excels in both early and late game.
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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 fire-based explosions with grenades. Maximize freeze duration with supporting gems to amplify damage. Utilize two distinct self-shot skills, each with a dedicated skill tree, for optimal damage output.
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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. The Herald of Thunder skill is the cornerstone of this build's power.
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Key Skills: Tempest Flurry, Tempest Bell, Staggering Palm, Vaulting Impact, Orb of Storms, Storm Wave
Gameplay Tips: Early game, utilize Quarterstaff Strike. As you level, Herald of Thunder becomes your primary damage source, transforming you into a lightning-wielding force. Combine Tempest Flurry and Orb of Storms for crowd control, and Tempest Bell and Storm Wave for powerful AoE damage. Master Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm for mobility and crowd control.
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Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger
This balanced build utilizes a two-handed mace for high damage output while maintaining excellent 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 clearing large groups. Mace Strike excels against single targets. Utilize Rolling Slam for mobility and survivability. Warbinger Ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts enhance damage by breaking enemy armor. For a mace-and-shield build, consider Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training for increased survivability.
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Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver
This build offers a strong balance of damage and survivability, enabling rapid leveling and campaign completion.
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Key Skills: Spark, Flame Wall, Ember Fusillade, Solar Orb, Firestorm, Flammability, Blasphemy (Enfeeble)
Gameplay Tips: Start with Spark and Flame Wall, progressing to more powerful spells. Use Flame Wall for fire damage amplification. Once you obtain Ember Fusillade, utilize Scattershot and Controlled Destruction support gems. Flammability weakens bosses, increasing your damage output. Focus on nodes like Exploit the Element, Potent Incantation, and Dampening Shield. Use a rotation of Flammability, Fusillade, Flame Wall, Solar Orb, and Firestorm for maximum boss damage.
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Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier
This build prioritizes high area damage and mobility, but its lower survivability presents a challenge for new players.
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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. Focus on freezing enemies, then using grenades for massive AoE damage. Poison effects and armor reduction enhance your damage output. 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. Remember that balance changes and new content may shift the meta over time. Choose the build that best suits your playstyle and enjoy your journey through Wraeclast!
