‘Path of Exile 2’ Is a Brutal Game, but These 10 Tips Should Help Ease the Pain

Path of Exile 2 can be rough for newcomers. Sure, it’s got swarms of mobs eager to rip your limbs off — but you’re used to that, gamer. The real horror lies in the myriad of systems, menus, and unanswered questions that fresh players may face. I love Path of Exile 2, but I understand how daunting it can be at first look. So, if you find yourself stuck, scratching your head in confusion, or repeatedly dying by the same bile-spewing monstrosities, I’ve got some tips for you, fam.

Help! ‘path of Exile 2’ has six classes, but which one’s the best?

So, you’ve logged in. You’ve hit the ‘Create Character’ button. Now, you’re faced with the most intimidating question yet — Which class to pick?

The short answer? There is no best class in Path of Exile 2. Click a class, read their little descriptions, and pick the one that sounds rad.

The long answer is, well, longer. Path of Exile 2, at least during its initial Early Access launch, includes six distinct classes: Sorceress, Warrior, Ranger, Witch, Mercenary, and Monk. The Warrior and Monk are primarily melee fighters, so they’ll often be the centerpiece of each hellish moshpit started. While the Warrior’s defense improves over time, the first few Acts can be rough, and you’ll have to update your armor often. The other four classes specialize in ranged combat and are able to dispose of enemies from afar, making the campaign’s early stages a bit more manageable. However, as the monsters you face become stronger, you may feel squishier over time.

Every class has its strengths and weaknesses, so the only right answer is to pick what sounds the coolest and fits your desired playstyle the best. There’s plenty of information on the Path of Exile 2 website and YouTube if you’d like to learn more about each class.

There’s a lot of gear – what should I pick up? How do I know if it’s good?

Hoo, boy. You could write essays on Path of Exile 2‘s gear alone, but I’ll keep it concise here. Your Passive Skill Tree is incredibly important, but armor, jewelry, and weapons are pivotal for stat enhancement and defense.

Loot will drop often in Path of Exile 2 and, as you’ve probably guessed, will be of varying rarity as denoted by the color of the text. White gear is normal, Blue is magic, Yellow is rare, and Orange is unique. Each piece of armor has a “base,” which determines what kind of attributes you’ll need to equip it and what type of defense it provides.

There are three different “base” types for gear: Armour, Evasion, and Energy Shield. Armour protects against physical attacks and non-elemental projectiles, mainly used by classes that favor Strength. Evasion helps to avoid damage outright but typically requires Dexterity to equip. Energy Shield adds a protective layer around your health pool that regenerates over time and serves well for those leaning towards Intelligence.

As you progress through Path of Exile 2, take a quick look at the gear that drops on the ground. Is it a base that your character uses and a higher level than you currently have equipped? Does it have modifiers attached to it that favor the build you’re going for? Grab it. Most gear can be altered using Orbs found throughout the game, and you could be looking at a potential upgrade. Keeping your gear up to date is exactly what you’ll need to survive.

This Passive Skill Tree is massive. Where the hell do I start?

Yeah, that Passive Skill Tree is massive. But trust me, it’s not as scary as it looks.

After you choose a class in Path of Exile 2, your starting position on the Passive Skill Tree is already decided. Hey, that’s one hurdle out of the way. Starting from the center of the tree, you generally want to move in a direction that leads toward the outer perimeter. It may not look like it at first glance, but the tree is divided into sections that favor your class and what it does best.

Are you playing Sorceress? Your path will be full of nodes that increase Mana Regeneration, Elemental Damage, and Energy Shield. Did you pick Warrior? You’ll be surrounded by nodes that improve Life Regeneration, Block Chance, and Physical Damage. Duh!

The beauty of Path of Exile 2 lies in its freedom of choice. You can veer off in any direction on the Passive Skill Tree, building whatever character you see fit. Just study the larger nodes on the tree, called “Notables,” and plan your path accordingly. Don’t sweat it too much — after you find The Hooded One in Act 1, you can respec your tree anytime. Experiment!

I’m dying a lot, and I’m afraid of the bill. What’s the penalty for death in ‘Path of Exile 2’?

You’re damn right you’re dying a lot. Path of Exile 2 is tough! Thankfully, there’s no “durability” on your gear, so you never have to worry about spending all your gold on repair fees. But, uh, you may end up wishing there was.

Death is relatively harmless throughout the Path of Exile 2 campaign. You’ll be staring at the “YOU HAVE DIED” screen pretty often until you get the hang of things. However, once you reach endgame and start entering Maps, things get a little more serious.

Once you reach the endgame, dying will cause you to lose experience. The percentage of XP lost will increase depending on how high of a level you’ve reached. In the early stages of the endgame, it won’t be too punishing. In the later stages, you could potentially lose a lot of progress on each death.

Thankfully, you won’t ever de-level from dying. Once you’re level 80, you’re level 80. But all that experience toward level 81 can easily be lost if you’re not careful.

How do my potions work? What the heck’s a charge?

Potions help keep you alive and your mana filled, obviously. But there’s a little more that goes into them.

You can have one health potion and one mana potion equipped at any time. Potions come in various sizes and efficiencies; some even have added modifiers. Each potion has a specified number of “charges” to be used, which are refilled by slaying enemies.

If you’re familiar with Path of Exile, you may remember the previous game had five potion slots. Now, you’ve only got two. What gives? Now, those three remaining slots have been replaced by Charms, little dangly doodads that hang on your equipped belt slots. Charms essentially replace the alternate potions used before, providing constant buffs like Elemental Resistance and Poison Immunity, for instance.

Augmentation? Transmutation? What are all these orbs I’m picking up?

Don’t be fooled. While Path of Exile 2 has gold used to purchase from vendors, there are actually tons of different currencies in the game. This is where Orbs come in, which you’ve probably picked up along your journey.

The Orbs in Path of Exile 2 all serve different purposes. Take a look at the description of each one, and you’ll discover how you can use them to enhance your gear. Orbs of Transmutation, for instance, will transform a normal (white) item into a magic (blue) item and add a modifier. Orbs of Augmentation will add a second modifier to a magic item. Regal Orbs will change that magic item into a rare item, adding even more modifiers. Exalted Orbs will add another modifier to that rare item.

Crafting is a huge part of Path of Exile 2. So, it’s easy to recognize the inherent value each of these Orbs possesses. This is why high-value Orbs, like Chaos and Divine Orbs, are currency in player-to-player trading. Collect all the different types of currency you can, and don’t be afraid to use them to tinker with your gear.

I used an uncut Support Gem and… these options suck. Is that really it?

It’s easy to miss the ridiculous amount of options you have when cutting Gems, specifically Support Gems. Path of Exile 2 doesn’t exactly make it obvious, but you have a much longer list of choices than you may realize.

When crafting a Support Gem for one of your skills, you’ll be presented with three recommended options. However, take a look at the bottom of the window and uncheck the “Show Recommended Gems” box. Voilá.

Each Skill Gem has a surprising number of supplemental Support Gems that can be used. While the game tries to recommend what it thinks you’d like, having the full list of options opens up a world of build diversity and experimental play. This, in essence, is what Path of Exile is all about. Want your Earthquakes to deal added fire damage? Slap that sucker on. Want your lightning spells to cost life instead of mana? You can do that.

My gear is up to date, but I’m still getting one-shot by fireballs. What’s a resistance?

Survivability in Path of Exile 2 is a multi-faceted gem. Sure, there’s armor, evasion, maximum health, and block chance. However, some of the most pivotal aspects of defense are your Elemental Resistances.

Open up your Character Profile and take a look at your stats. Specifically, your Resistances. Some of them are probably low — others may even be in the negative. Yup, that’s a problem.

As you progress throughout the Acts of the Path of Exile 2 campaign, you’ll receive penalties on your Resistances. It’s up to you to keep them updated via gear and Passive Skill Tree nodes. Don’t sleep on your Resistances, as one stray fireball can easily kill you if you’re not protected enough.

Think about it; 50% Fire Resistance means you’ll only take half the damage from that fireball. 0% Fire Resistance means you’ll take full damage. -20% Fire Resistance? You guessed it — you’re taking extra fire damage. Now multiply the number of fireballs by 10 or 20, typical for later game zones, and you see how this becomes a problem.

Always be on the lookout for gear with “resistance” modifiers. Those are your new best friends.

What’s all this Ascendancy talk? Am I going to Heaven?

Nope, you’re stuck here in Hell on Wraeclast. Once you reach a certain point in Act 2, you’ll be able to choose an Ascendancy. This allows you to unlock an even deeper specialization for your class. However, you’ll need to choose wisely.

Each class initially has two Ascendancies to choose from (a third will arrive sometime in the future). These Ascendancies open up new skill trees with independent skill points to apply, enabling you to take your class to the next level.

While you can respec the nodes within your Ascendancy Tree at any time, you can not change your Ascendancy once it’s chosen. Once you become a Stormweaver on your Sorceress, that character is a Stormweaver ’til the bitter end. Because of that, you’d do well to check all of Path of Exile 2‘s Ascendancies before committing. If you’re really thinking ahead, this can help you plan the build you want for your character.

I can’t tell what’s going on. Are there interface options in ‘Path of Exile 2’?

There sure are. Path of Exile 2 has a variety of alterations you can use for the UI, giving you all the necessary information you need on screen.

Open up your Options menu and head over to the Interface tab. Yeah, there’s a lot to swallow here. Take some time to look over all the options available and tinker with them as you see fit. You can enable things like enemy and ally health bars, loot always being visible on the ground, and numerical life and mana amounts. Want buffs and aura icons to show on your screen? You can enable those, too.

If you’re the type to keep the full-sized map open at all times, you can fiddle with the transparency levels for each layer. Or, you can disable the minimap completely, naturally exploring each zone without assistance. You’re a real gamer; I believe in you.

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Phew! You still here? I know that was a lot to take in. But, Path of Exile 2 is a complex beast, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of its features. Hopefully, this helps you out a bit, and I won’t catch you breaking any keyboards in frustration. You’ve got this, Exile.