Guide:Creating Your Own Path of Exile 2 Build

This is a guide on the subject of Building a Character.

Valid as of version 0.1.0e. Last updated on Dec 18, 2024.

Creating Your Own Path of Exile 2 Build

Introduction

This guide is designed to help you create a functional and effective build from scratch in Path of Exile 2. Instead of relying on pre-made templates, the focus is on teaching you how to concept, plan, and iterate on your own ideas.

The guide assumes familiarity with ARPG systems and PoE2 basics, offering a structured approach to build theory and decision-making.

Defining the Build Concept

Before diving into specific details, this section helps you establish the core identity of your build. By outlining the primary skill, offensive scaling, defenses, and unique mechanics, you create a solid foundation to build upon.

The goal is to clearly define what your build does and how it achieves that, ensuring each choice has purpose and synergy. Whether you're optimizing for damage, survivability, or playstyle, this framework will guide your decision-making.

1. Primary Skill

• What It Is: Name the skill and briefly describe what it does (damage type, single-target, AoE, etc.).
• Why This Skill: Explain why the skill was chosen (playstyle fit, synergy with mechanics, or endgame viability).
• Key Interactions: Highlight unique mechanics or dependencies (e.g., damage conversion, meta skills, or scaling with certain stats).

Example:

“We’re using Spark; motes of lightning, originating from your character, shoot in an AoE cone front of you, doing lightning damage, and has a chance to shock. The skill excels at clearing clustered enemies and scales well with Lightning Damage and Critical Hit bonuses. We leverage modifiers like 'Shock Chance' and 'Cast Speed' to maximize damage.”

2. Offense Scaling

• Damage Source: Outline how the build deals damage—hit-based, damage over time, crit, minions, etc.
• Scaling Mechanisms: List primary stats, passives, or gear that scale your chosen skill (e.g., flat damage, attack speed, crit multipliers).
• Support Gems: Mention the most important support gems and how they enhance the skill.

Example:

“This build scales lightning hit-damage as the primary damage source, using the shocked ailment to amplify it. Key stats include 'Lightning Damage,' 'Chance to Shock,' and 'Cast Speed,'. Support gems like Lightning Penetration and Lightning Mastery improve single-target damage and map clear speed.”

3. Defense Strategy

• Primary Defensive Layers: State the main survivability tools (e.g., armour, evasion, block, energy shield).
• Synergies: Mention how these defenses tie into your skill or passives.
• Sustain: Address life, mana, or energy shield recovery where applicable.

Example:

“Defensively, the build uses a mix of Energy Shield and Life regeneration to mitigate damage. We pair this with 'Life Gain on Hit' or 'Life Gain on Kill' for consistent sustain.”

4. Unique Mechanics or Build Identity

Describe any standout mechanics that set the build apart, such as interactions with specific passives, items, or skills. Keep it concise and highlight what makes the build unique.

Example:

“A core mechanic of this build is sustaining ailments for elemental vulnerability. By equipping support gems like 'Stormfire' that prolongs shock inflicted on ignited enemies, we can implement fire into our rotation for fire damage whilst boosting the capabilities of shock.”

5. Playstyle Overview

Offer a 1-2 sentence description of how the build feels to play in practice (e.g., speed, rhythm, and skill usage).

Example:

“The playstyle is fast-paced and smooth, relying on fast cast speed to keep up ailments while igniting tougher enemies for sustained burning/shock damage. Positioning is key to funnel enemies into AOE lightning skills.”

Class and Ascendancy Considerations

Choosing the right class and ascendancy in Path of Exile 2 defines the core structure of your build. Classes determine your starting mechanics, while ascendancies refine how you scale damage, defences, and utility. Prioritise choices that align with your build's function rather than thematic appeal.

Key Factors to Consider

• Playstyle
  • Determine your preferred combat style: melee, ranged, or spellcasting.
  • Warrior and Monk offer varied melee options with strength or hybrid focus.
  • Sorceress and Ranger provide strong ranged damage, excelling in scaling AoE or mobility.

• Damage Type
  • Choose a damage focus: elemental, physical, chaos, or poison.
  • Infernalist maximises fire damage scaling, while Titan prioritises physical output.
  • Hybrid-focused options like Witchhunter allow dual-scaling mechanics with physical and magical interactions.

• Defence vs. Offence
  • Define your approach: pure damage output or sustainable survivability.
  • Titan and Acolyte of Chayula provide tank-oriented options, while Deadeye leans into crit-heavy, evasive playstyles.
  • Consider whether scaling mobility, sustain, or damage mitigation is more efficient for your goals.

• Hybrid Builds
  • Hybrid ascendancies like the Witchhunter or Gemling Legionnaire enable mixed scaling. Use this for builds relying on diverse interactions (e.g., spell-triggered melee attacks or flask sustain).

• Utility and Synergy
  • Ascendancies that provide utility, like Chronomancer's cooldown resets or Pathfinder's flask bonuses, can streamline otherwise resource-intensive mechanics.
  • Utility options should support gaps in your build—mobility, cooldown recovery, or sustain.

Choosing the Right Class

Class and ascendancy synergy is crucial for efficiency. Avoid selecting purely on preference; evaluate whether they enable or limit your build strategy:

• Sorceress and Witch: Best suited for spell scaling with a focus on elemental or chaos damage.
• Warrior: Prioritises melee builds with strong defences and physical scaling.
• Monk: Flexible melee option with hybrid potential for elemental damage and defence.
• Ranger: Excels in ranged builds, optimised for projectile or poison scaling.
• Mercenary: Hybrid class ideal for adaptable builds relying on multiple mechanics.

Decision Process

Use these considerations to guide your choice:

1. What is your build's core mechanic or defining skill?
2. Is your priority burst damage, sustained output, or reliable defences?
3. Does the ascendancy provide efficient synergy with your gear, passives, or core skill interactions?

Focusing on efficient scaling and synergy between class and ascendancy ensures your build functions effectively in all stages of progression. Build around mechanics, not themes, for consistent success in Path of Exile 2.

Passive Tree Planning

The Passive Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2 is the backbone of your build, defining its strengths and progression. Efficient planning ensures your points contribute directly to your build goals without unnecessary detours.

Core Principles

• Pathing Efficiency
  • Prioritise nodes that offer the best returns for your investment. Avoid overextending early without clear benefit.
  • Identify the most direct route to relevant Keystones, clusters, or jewel sockets.

• Scaling Priorities
  • Focus on scaling your primary mechanic: damage, defence, or hybrid options.
  • Avoid spreading points across multiple damage types unless your build explicitly supports hybrid scaling.

• Defensive Layers
  • Balance your damage with survivability. Nodes that provide life, energy shield, armour, or evasion are essential to mitigate incoming damage.
  • Consider mechanics like block, recoup or regen to sustain through longer encounters.

• Keystones and Major Nodes
  • Plan around impactful Keystones that align with your build goals, such as:
    • Eldritch Battery: Converts all energy shield to mana.
    • Eternal Youth: Causes energy shield recharge to apply to life and recovery from life flasks to apply to energy shield.
    • Heartstopper: Lessens damage over time you take if you have just started taking damage over time, but causes you to take more DoT if you haven't.
  • Evaluate the trade-offs of each Keystone carefully—some are build-defining, while others offer niche utility.

• Jewel Sockets
  • Prioritise nearby jewel sockets for utility and scaling. Early-game, generic stat jewels can provide strong benefits.

Step-by-Step Planning

Follow this process to map out an efficient passive tree:

1. Identify Key Nodes: Highlight nodes that provide essential bonuses for your primary skill, defensive layers, and utility.
2. Optimise Pathing: Create a route that minimises wasted points while reaching priority clusters and Keystones.
3. Phase Your Progression: Plan for point milestones—e.g., early-game defence nodes, mid-game scaling clusters, and late-game optimisation.
4. Adapt to Gear and Ascendancy: Adjust your pathing based on gear upgrades, or unexpected needs.

Example Scenarios

• High-Crit Ranged Build:
  • Path towards Critical Hit clusters, accuracy nodes, and jewel sockets for crit multipliers.
  • Include defensive nodes like evasion for survivability.
  • Example Keystones: Resonance or Acrobatics depending on scaling preference.

• Melee Physical Tank Build:
  • Focus on armour, and life nodes for sustain.
  • Prioritise physical damage scaling clusters and defensive Keystones like Iron Reflexes.
  • Example Keystones: Resolute Technique for consistent hits or Unwavering Stance to prevent stuns.

• Chaos DoT Caster:
  • Target Chaos Damage and Damage Over Time clusters.
  • Pick up defensive layers like energy shield or hybrid life/ES scaling.
  • Example Keystones: Pain Attunement for low-life builds or Eternal Youth for ES sustain.

Final Notes

The Passive Skill Tree is highly flexible but punishes inefficiency. Avoid the temptation to overreach for minor bonuses—each point should contribute meaningfully to your build. Use tools like Path of Building to simulate your tree and refine choices before committing.

Gear & Item Strategy

Optimising your gear in Path of Exile 2 is critical for scaling your build's power and survivability. A focused approach to itemisation ensures you efficiently address your build's core needs without unnecessary stat investment.

Core Principles

• Stat Priorities
  • Identify the key stats your build requires: life, resistances, damage, or other scaling mechanics.
  • Prioritise defensive stats early to sustain through progression, then focus on offensive scaling.

• Crafting and Upgrades
  • Use crafting systems like the salvage bench, runes, essences, and reforging bench to tailor gear efficiently
  • Early-game crafting should focus on covering resistances and increasing life.
  • Mid-to-late game, transition to crafting on exclusively rare gear with modifiers that synergise with your build.

• Flask/Charms Setup
  • Flasks: Look for any charge modifiers or additional effects when used.
  • Charms: Keep multiple charms to swap based on situational needs, such as ailment removal or boss encounters.

• Unique Items
  • Uniques can define or enhance a build, but should not be relied upon exclusively.
  • Early-game uniques like Goldrim provide significant power boosts during levelling.
  • Endgame uniques like Kaom's Heart offer powerful niche benefits but often require balancing with other gear.

• Weapon and Armour Selection
  • Weapons: Prioritise base types and affixes that align with your primary skill:
    • Spellcasters: Focus on spell damage, cast speed, and elemental damage.
    • Melee: Focus on physical damage, attack speed, or crit modifiers.
    • Ranged: Look for projectile damage, attack speed, and crit bonuses.
  • Armour: Choose defensive bases that fit your mitigation layers:
    • Armour: Physical damage mitigation.
    • Evasion: Dodge and avoidance mechanics.
    • Energy Shield: Scaling for hybrid or ES builds.

Optimising for Endgame

In maps and endgame, prioritise upgrades that amplify your core mechanics:

1. Cap Resistances: Ensure all resistances reach the 75% cap.
2. Increase Damage Scaling: Seek gear with modifiers that boost your specific damage type (e.g., +X% chaos damage, crit multipliers).
3. Jewels: Use jewels to fill stat gaps and enhance key scaling mechanics.

Example Gear Progression

• Early Campaign
  • Use generic uniques like Lifesprig, Goldrim to smooth/accelerate early progression.
  • Craft resistances on gear as needed.

• Mid-Late Campaign
  • Transition to rare items with high life or ES rolls, resistances, and base scaling for damage.
  • Regularly optimise charms and flasks for sustain and utility.

• Endgame
  • Attempt to have each gear slot filled with rares or uniques that synergise with your build.
  • Incorporate jewels for additional layers of scaling.

Final Notes

Effective gear planning balances offence, defence, and utility without compromising core mechanics. Use tools like Path of Building to simulate upgrades and prioritise impactful investments.

Tools and Resources

• Path of Building (PoB)
  • This is not currently updated for POE2, however this is expected to be updated within the next few weeks.
  • This is a community built application for planning and simulating builds down to the most painful and tedious details.
• Wiki Links
  • (Relevant links to other articles on the wiki will be populate here in the future)
• Community Builds
  • Use the Official POE2 Forums and communities like Reddit and Youtube for inspiration