Home News Surviving PoE2: Choose Your First Character Wisely

Surviving PoE2: Choose Your First Character Wisely

Author : Amelia May 01,2025

When you dive into the early access phase of Path of Exile 2, the first hurdle you'll face is choosing your character. With six different classes and twelve Ascendancy Classes to choose from, deciding who to play as—and who is the strongest—can be overwhelming. And that's before the developers add six more classes and a new Ascendancy Class to the mix! To help you navigate this decision, let's explore the best builds in Path of Exile 2.

Path of Exile 2Image: screenplaysmag.com

Table of Content ---

  • Best Witch Build in PoE2: Minion Summoner Infernalist
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips
  • Best Mercenary Build in PoE2: FrostFerno Witch Hunter
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips
  • Best Monk Build in PoE2: Herald of Thunder Invoker
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips
  • Best Warrior Build in PoE2: Armour Breaker Warbinger
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips
  • Best Sorceress Build in PoE2: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips
  • Best Ranger Build in PoE2: Deadeye Grenadier
    • Important Skills
    • Gameplay Tips

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Best Witch Build in PoE2

For those looking to harness the full potential of the Witch in Path of Exile 2, the Minion Summoner Infernalist build stands out. This build is perfect for newcomers as it offers a balanced playstyle that's less risky than the Blood Mage's life-on-the-edge approach. The Minion Summoner Infernalist lets you summon creatures to fight for you and even transform into a demonic form, adding a thrilling twist to your gameplay.

Best Witch Build in PoE2Image: skycoach.gg

Minion Summoner Infernalist Important Skills

  • Skeletal Brute + Martial Tempo & Heavy Swing
  • Skeletal Cleric + Arcane Tempo
  • Pain Offering + Ablation
  • Skeletal Arsonist + Feeding Frenzy & Scattershot
  • Detonate Dead + Magnified Effect & Spell Echo
  • Flame Wall + Fortress & Persistence
  • Raging Spirits + Fire Infusion & Immolate
  • Vulnerability + Focused Curse
  • Summon Infernal Hound

Minion Summoner Infernalist Gameplay Tips

The Minion Summoner Infernalist is a top-tier build in Path of Exile 2. While it might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's worth giving a shot. You'll lead a horde of undead and abyssal demons into battle, requiring you to provide fire support and dodge during intense boss fights. Don't forget to cast Vulnerability to debuff enemies.

Flame Wall not only inflicts area damage but also summons Raging Spirits. Detonate Dead deals AoE damage but needs fresh corpses, which can also be turned into temporary zombies or minions. However, Skeletons are more reliable, especially with Skeletal Clerics to sustain them. Pain Offering sacrifices one Skeleton to boost the others' attacks, allowing for various combinations of hellish creatures to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Also read: His blade in Path of Exile 2 is at your service: How to make a Mercenary build

Best Mercenary Build in PoE2

The Mercenary's unique gameplay in Path of Exile 2 makes it a standout choice. The FrostFerno Witch Hunter build, ideal for both early and late stages, combines fire and ice skills with dual crossbows and dual passive skill trees.

FrostFerno Witch Hunter Important Skills

  • Permafrost Bolts + Glaciation & Ice Bite & Deep Freeze
  • Explosive Grenade + Frostfire & Concentrated Effect & Primal Armament & Eternal Flame & Searing Flame
  • Gas Grenade
  • Explosive Shot + Wildfire & Nimble Reload
  • Herald of Ash + Clarity & Vitality & Precision
  • Galvanic Shards + Lightning Infusion & Pierce
  • Herald of Thunder

FrostFerno Witch Hunter PoE2Image: skycoach.gg

FrostFerno Witch Hunter Gameplay Tips

The FrostFerno Witch Hunter's unique hybrid playstyle makes it one of the top builds in Path of Exile 2. It freezes enemies and then explodes them in a fiery blast. Start with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards with Herald of Thunder for early mob clearing, then transition to Explosive Shot for a pyromaniac's delight.

With Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, and Explosive Shot, you can devastate the battlefield. Use Permafrost Bolts to freeze enemies, preventing their escape, and then unleash your grenades. Gems like Hypothermia and Biting Cold will extend the freeze duration, allowing for maximum damage. Configure your weapons and skills to optimize ice and fire damage bonuses.

Best Monk Build in PoE2

The Herald of Thunder Invoker is the best Monk build currently available in Path of Exile 2, balancing defense with sufficient damage to conquer the campaign and endgame. Herald of Thunder is the cornerstone skill for this build, making it an excellent choice for newcomers due to its survivability.

Best Monk Build in PoE2Image: skycoach.gg

Herald of Thunder Invoker Important Skills

  • Tempest Flurry + Martial Tempo & Lightning Infusion & Crescendo
  • Tempest Bell + Persistence
  • Staggering Palm + Overpower
  • Vaulting Impact
  • Orb of Storms + Unleash
  • Storm Wave + Concentrated Effect & Magnified Effect

Herald of Thunder Invoker Gameplay Tips

In the early stages, rely on Quarterstaff Strike to keep enemies at bay. As you level up and gain the Herald of Thunder buff, your strikes will unleash lightning bolts, turning you into a living storm. Tempest Flurry will shower enemies with lightning, while Orb of Storms controls crowds. Tempest Bell and Storm Wave will clear mobs with powerful AoE damage. Use Vaulting Impact to charge into enemy groups and Staggering Palm to stun and electrify foes, enhancing your mobility and defensive capabilities.

Best Warrior Build in PoE2

The Armour Breaker Warbinger is the best Warrior build in Path of Exile 2, offering a well-balanced approach with a Two-Handed Mace for impressive damage and survivability in tough melees.

Best Warrior Build in PoE2Image: skycoach.gg

Armour Breaker Warbinger Important Skills

  • Mace Strike + Rage & Close Combat & Maim
  • Stampede + Momentum & Fist of War & Brutality & Stomping Ground
  • Leap Slam + Martial Tempo & Holy Descent & Culling Strike
  • Ancestral Warrior Totem + Rolling Slam & Jagged Ground & Ancestral Urgency & Heavy Swing
  • Scavenged Plating + Vitality & Cannibalism
  • Hammer of the Gods + Second Wind & Hourglass & Execute & Concentrated Effect
  • Seismic Cry + Premeditation
  • Attrition

Armour Breaker Warbinger Gameplay Tips

In the early game, use Earthquake and Shockwave Totem to clear hordes of enemies efficiently. Mace Strike, enhanced with gems, will deal high damage to single targets, while Rolling Slam provides mobility and survivability. As you progress, unlock exclusive Warbinger skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor and increase your damage output.

For a mace-and-shield setup, focus on Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training to bolster your survivability. With the right equipment and skills, you'll achieve a perfect balance of devastating mace strikes and robust defense.

Also read: In the footsteps of Ancients: a journey through Vows in PoE 2

Best Sorceress Build in PoE2

The Ember Fusillade Stormweaver build for the Sorceress offers a great balance of damage and survivability, allowing you to progress quickly through the campaign.

Best Sorceress BuildImage: skycoach.gg

Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Important Skills

  • Spark + Pierce
  • Flame Wall + Fortress
  • Ember Fusillade + Scattershot & Controlled Destruction
  • Solar Orb + Magnified Effect & Fire Exposure
  • Firestorm + Overabundance & Spell Echo
  • Flammability
  • Blasphemy + Enfeeble

Ember Fusillade Stormweaver Gameplay Tips

Start with Spark and Flame Wall, then upgrade to more powerful spells. Use Flame Walls to shield yourself and boost your Spark projectiles with fire damage. Once you gain Solar Orb, you can move past Spark. Enhance Ember Fusillade with Scattershot and Controlled Destruction support gems, and use Flammability to weaken bosses and boost your damage.

As you level up, focus on nodes with Exploit the Element, Potent Incantation, and Dampening Shield. For maximum fire damage on bosses, use this rotation: Flammability, 3x Fusillade, Flame Wall, Solar Orb, and Firestorm. If you need extra defense, use Blasphemy Enfeeble when you have spare Spirit.

Best Ranger Build in PoE2

The Deadeye Grenadier offers excellent mobility and area damage, ideal for clearing locations and battling bosses. However, its lack of survivability can challenge newcomers. If you're confident in your skills, prepare for explosive gameplay.

Best Ranger Build in PoE2Image: skycoach.gg

Deadeye Grenadier Important Skills

  • Permafrost Bolts + Pierce
  • Fragmentation Rounds + Double Barrel
  • Flash Grenade + Scattershot & Magnified Effect & Ingenuity
  • Gas Grenade + Corrosion & Deadly Poison
  • Explosive Shot
  • Explosive Grenade + Fire Infusion & Execute
  • Rapid Shot + Martial Tempo & Blind

Deadeye Grenadier Gameplay Tips

Freeze enemies, then bombard them with grenades, poison, and explosive shots. Use a crossbow for high physical damage and elemental bonuses. Stack Evasion, Elemental Resistances, and movement speed buffs.

Initially, rely on Fragmentation Rounds and Permafrost Bolts. Use Flash Grenade to stun bosses, then hit them with Explosive Grenades. Gas Grenade creates a poisonous cloud that weakens enemy armor, and a well-timed Explosive Shot can ignite the gas clouds for massive damage.


These are the best builds in Path of Exile 2 as of now, but expect new heroes and tactics as the game evolves. Balance changes may shift the top builds, but we hope this guide helps you choose your character wisely and enjoy the game to the fullest!