Mastering PoE2: Choosing Your First Character for Success

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Best Builds in 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 (and more on the way!), deciding who to play can feel overwhelming. This guide highlights top-tier builds for each class, offering a solid starting point for your adventure.

Image: screenplaysmag.com

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 maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a balanced and beginner-friendly experience. The Infernalist Ascendancy avoids the high-risk, high-reward nature of Blood Mage, providing a more sustainable playstyle. You'll command an army of undead and demons, supporting them with fire damage and strategic maneuvering.

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.

Image: sportskeeda.com

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.

Image: skycoach.gg

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 damage with grenades and Explosive Shot. Maximize ice and fire damage bonuses through skillful gem and equipment choices.

Image: sportskeeda.com

Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

The Herald of Thunder Invoker offers excellent survivability and damage output, making it ideal for both campaign completion and endgame progression. Its defensive capabilities make it a great choice for newcomers.

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, while Tempest Bell and Storm Wave provide powerful AoE damage. Leverage Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm for mobility and crowd control.

Image: gamerant.com

Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

This build provides a balanced approach to melee combat, utilizing a two-handed mace for high damage while maintaining solid survivability.

Image: skycoach.gg

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

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for crowd clearing, Mace Strike for single-target damage, and Rolling Slam for mobility and survivability. Maximize armor penetration for increased damage output.

Image: eurogamer.net

Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build offers a strong balance of damage and survivability, allowing for rapid 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 damage and defense, Ember Fusillade for high damage, and Solar Orb and Firestorm for powerful AoE. Maximize fire damage bonuses and consider Blasphemy (Enfeeble) for added defense.

Image: bo3.gg

Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build emphasizes high mobility and area-of-effect damage, but its lower survivability presents a greater challenge for less experienced players.

Image: skycoach.gg

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

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Permafrost Bolts for crowd control, grenades for AoE damage and debuffs, and Explosive Shot for devastating finishers. Prioritize evasion, elemental resistances, and movement speed.

Image: reddit.com

Remember that these are suggestions, and the meta may shift with future updates and balance changes. Experiment and find the build that best suits your playstyle!