Guide:PoE2 tips

This is a guide on the subject of General PoE 2 tips for early access.

Last updated on December 7, 2024‎.

This PoE2 tips guide is meant to cover all things that I (pikes) wish I knew when first starting the game on early access. I struggled quite a bit with damage and survivability early on, and through trial and error, have been progressing through the acts. It is meant to be relatively spoiler-free, but there may be slight spoilers.

General tips

1. Try out every single skill you are offered. Some skills are good in certain situations that you may not expect.
2. Try to have at least two types of main attacks - one for single target (bosses, rares), and one for AoE/mob swarms.
3. Always check the vendor in town, even for normal and magic items. Focus on finding weapons with high flat damage rolls and armour pieces with life/resists.
4. Prioritize getting the upgraded base items as you progress through the acts. A strong base with weak mods will often times outclass a lower-tier base with many mods.
5. When using your support gemcutters, make sure you click on the skill on the left to see suggested support gems. If they have an empty socket, it will automatically socket the selected support gem.
6. Pick up all items with quality and sockets that you won't equip and disenchant them for materials. Socketed items will have a white dot on the item with the default loot filter, and quality items will say "Superior" in the name.
7. Make sure to fully explore all areas that have events and complete the events. The events will show up on the map in a circle around the waypoint.
8. Pick up all white bases that drop with the stats that you are looking for and use transmute/augment on them as long as they have a higher base stat than what you have equipped (which means they are a higher tier base). For example, if you are a ranger and stacking evasion, do this to all pure evasion bases that drop.
9. You can generally tell the tier of an item or weapon based on its level requirement.
10. Make sure you complete the quests that give spirit in each act. You get 30 spirit per act.
11. The quest items you pick up through the spirit quests (and some other ones) need to be right clicked in your inventory to apply to your character.
12. You can control click vendors to get their default action to show up automatically. Control clicking the hooded one will automatically identify all items in your inventory.
13. Don't be afraid to go back to town and refill your flasks. TPs are free.
14. Acts 2 and 3 have ascendency trials.