Surviving PoE2: Choose Your First Character Wisely

If you’re diving into *Path of Exile 2* during its early access phase, the very first decision you’ll face is selecting your character. Who should you play as? Which class is the strongest? Currently, there are six distinct classes, each with two Ascendancy Classes, making the choice anything but straightforward. And that’s before considering the possibility of future updates adding even more classes and Ascendancy options! To help simplify your decision, we’ll guide you through the best builds available in *Path of Exile 2* right now.

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Table of Contents

1. Best Witch Build in PoE2: Minion Summoner Infernalist
2. Best Mercenary Build in PoE2: FrostFerno Witch Hunter
3. Best Monk Build in PoE2: Herald of Thunder Invoker
4. Best Warrior Build in PoE2: Armour Breaker Warbinger
5. Best Sorceress Build in PoE2: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver
6. Best Ranger Build in PoE2: Deadeye Grenadier

Best Witch Build in PoE2: Minion Summoner Infernalist

The Minion Summoner Infernalist stands out as the top Witch build due to its balanced playstyle and summoning prowess. Unlike the Blood Mage, which operates on a knife’s edge between survival and peril, this build allows you to summon an army of undead and demonic allies while enjoying a more stable gameplay experience. Transforming into a demonic form adds flair and versatility to your strategy!

Important Skills

• Skeletal Brute: Enhanced with Martial Tempo & Heavy Swing
• Skeletal Cleric: Equipped with Arcane Tempo
• Pain Offering: Combined with Ablation
• Skeletal Arsonist: Paired with Feeding Frenzy & Scattershot
• Detonate Dead: Amplified with Magnified Effect & Spell Echo
• Flame Wall: Supplemented with Fortress & Persistence
• Raging Spirits: Supported by Fire Infusion & Immolate
• Vulnerability: Key to applying debuffs to enemies

Gameplay Tips

The Minion Summoner Infernalist is among the strongest characters in PoE2. While it might not appeal to everyone, trying it out is the only way to truly gauge its fit for you. This build leads a horde of undead and Abyssal minions into battle, but don’t assume it’s passive. You’ll need to actively support your minions, providing fire support during boss fights and ensuring you stay mobile. Casting Vulnerability to debuff enemies is crucial.

Flame Wall doesn’t just deal area damage—it summons Raging Spirits, another type of minion. Detonate Dead is another AoE powerhouse but works best when paired with fresh corpses. Corpses can also be transformed into zombies or used to fuel other skills, though Skeletons remain the most reliable choice due to their unlimited lifecycle.

Pro Tip: Skeletal Clerics are invaluable for supporting your Skeletal minions. Meanwhile, Pain Offering sacrifices one Skeleton to enhance the others’ attacks—a risky but rewarding choice. Experiment with different combinations of hellish creatures to maximize your chaos on the battlefield!

Best Mercenary Build in PoE2: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

The FrostFerno Witch Hunter stands out as one of the most versatile and effective builds in Path of Exile 2, excelling in both early and late-game stages. Combining fire and ice elements with dual crossbows, this hybrid build freezes enemies before obliterating them with flames and smoke.

Important Skills

• Permafrost Bolts: Enhanced with Glaciation, Ice Bite, Deep Freeze
• Explosive Grenade: Amplified with Frostfire, Concentrated Effect, Primal Armament, Eternal Flame, Searing Flame
• Gas Grenade:
• Explosive Shot: Paired with Wildfire & Nimble Reload
• Herald of Ash: Supported by Clarity, Vitality, Precision
• Galvanic Shards: Equipped with Lightning Infusion & Pierce
• Herald of Thunder:

Gameplay Tips

The FrostFerno Witch Hunter is beloved for its unique playstyle, blending ice and fire damage seamlessly. Start by freezing enemies with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards, then unleash Explosive Shot to deal massive AoE damage. For added control, use Hypothermia and Biting Cold to extend freeze durations.

Explosive Grenades, Gas Grenades, and Explosive Shots are your primary tools for blowing up enemies. First, freeze them with Permafrost Bolts to immobilize them, then detonate the frozen clusters with your explosives. Each self-shot comes with its own skill tree, so tailor your setup to maximize ice and fire synergy.

Best Monk Build in PoE2: Herald of Thunder Invoker

The Herald of Thunder Invoker is an excellent choice for newcomers, balancing survivability with damage output. This Monk build focuses on crowd control and AoE damage, making it ideal for both solo play and group content.

Important Skills

• Tempest Flurry: Enhanced with Martial Tempo, Lightning Infusion, Crescendo
• Tempest Bell: Equipped with Persistence
• Staggering Palm: Paired with Overpower
• Vaulting Impact:
• Orb of Storms: Supplemented with Unleash
• Storm Wave: Amplified with Concentrated Effect & Magnified Effect

Gameplay Tips

Quarterstaff Strikes provide fast, smooth damage in the early game. Once you unlock the Herald of Thunder buff, however, you’ll transition into a storm of lightning. Tempest Flurry showers enemies with electrical bursts, while Orb of Storms controls mob clusters.

Tempest Bell and Storm Wave clear areas efficiently with AoE damage, but the Monk’s mobility is key. Vaulting Impact charges into enemy packs, and Staggering Palm stuns and electrifies foes. As you progress, focus on nodes that enhance Lightning Damage and survivability.

Best Warrior Build in PoE2: Armour Breaker Warbinger

The Armour Breaker Warbinger is a balanced build, wielding a Two-Handed Mace to dish out heavy damage while maintaining survivability in melee combat.

Important Skills

• Mace Strike: Enhanced with Rage, Close Combat, Maim
• Stampede: Equipped with Momentum, Fist of War, Brutality, Stomping Ground
• Leap Slam: Paired with Martial Tempo, Holy Descent, Culling Strike
• Ancestral Warrior Totem: Supplemented with Rolling Slam, Jagged Ground, Ancestral Urgency, Heavy Swing
• Scavenged Plating: Equipped with Vitality, Cannibalism
• Hammer of the Gods: Amplified with Second Wind, Hourglass, Execute, Concentrated Effect
• Seismic Cry:

Gameplay Tips

Start by combining Earthquake with Shockwave Totem to clear groups efficiently. Mace Strike with enchanted gems delivers high single-target damage, while Stampede offers mobility and survivability. Later, access skills like Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts to break enemy armor and boost your damage output.

For a mace-and-shield setup, focus on Giant's Blood, Glancing Blows, Turtle Charm, and Renly's Training to enhance durability.

Best Sorceress Build in PoE2: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

The Ember Fusillade Stormweaver balances damage and survivability, allowing you to quickly progress through campaign acts and tackle endgame content.

Important Skills

• Spark: Enhanced with Pierce
• Flame Wall: Equipped with Fortress
• Ember Fusillade: Paired with Scattershot & Controlled Destruction
• Solar Orb: Supplemented with Magnified Effect & Fire Exposure
• Firestorm: Amplified with Overabundance & Spell Echo
• Flammability:
• Blasphemy:

Gameplay Tips

Begin with Spark and Flame Wall, creating barriers between you and mobs. Throw Sparks through walls for bonus fire damage. Later, switch to Solar Orb for enhanced capabilities. Ember Fusillade is a game-changer with Scattershot and Controlled Destruction support gems. Focus on nodes like Exploit the Element, Potent Incantation, and Dampening Shield for maximum fire damage.

Best Ranger Build in PoE2: Deadeye Grenadier