Path of Exile 2: Top Tier Builds for 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 to come!), finding the best build is crucial. This guide highlights top-performing builds for each class, perfect for both new and experienced players.

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Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist

This build maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a balanced and less demanding experience for newcomers. The Infernalist Ascendancy avoids the high-risk, high-reward Blood Mage playstyle. You'll command an army of undead and demons, supplementing their attacks with fire support and strategic maneuvering.

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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: Maintain fire support for your minions, utilize Vulnerability debuffs, and master strategic positioning during boss fights. Utilize Flame Wall for both damage and additional minion summoning (Raging Spirits). Detonate Dead provides AoE damage, but remember the need for fresh corpses.

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Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

This hybrid build combines fire and ice skills for a unique and effective playstyle, suitable for both early and late game. Dual crossbows and two passive skill trees fuel its power.

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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. Utilize Hypothermia and Biting Cold for extended freeze duration.

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Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

This build offers excellent survivability alongside considerable damage output, making it ideal for newcomers. The Herald of Thunder skill is central to its effectiveness.

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Key Skills: Tempest Flurry, Tempest Bell, Staggering Palm, Vaulting Impact, Orb of Storms, Storm Wave.

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Tempest Flurry for lightning strikes, Orb of Storms for crowd control, and Tempest Bell/Storm Wave for AoE damage. Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm enhance mobility and crowd control.

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Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

This build provides a balanced approach, wielding a two-handed mace for high damage while maintaining solid 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: Utilize Earthquake and Shockwave Totem for early-game crowd control. Mace Strike delivers high single-target damage, while Rolling Slam offers mobility and survivability. Later, leverage Warbinger Ascendancy skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor.

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Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build offers a good balance of damage and survivability, enabling rapid progression through the campaign.

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Key Skills: Spark, Flame Wall, Ember Fusillade, Solar Orb, Firestorm, Flammability, Blasphemy (Enfeeble).

Gameplay Tips: Utilize Flame Wall for damage and projectile buffs. Ember Fusillade, enhanced with Scattershot and Controlled Destruction, is your primary damage source. Flammability weakens bosses, increasing your damage output.

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Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build excels at area damage and mobility but lacks survivability, making it challenging for beginners.

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

Gameplay Tips: Prioritize a crossbow for high physical damage and elemental bonuses. Freeze enemies, use grenades for AoE damage, and maximize evasion and elemental resistances.

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Remember that game balance may shift, influencing build viability. This guide provides a strong starting point for your Path of Exile 2 journey.