How to survive in the harsh world of PoE2: choosing your first character

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, the options are plentiful. This guide highlights the currently strongest builds for each class, offering a starting point for your journey. Remember, future updates may shift the meta.

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Witch: Minion Summoner Infernalist

This build maximizes the Witch's summoning potential, offering a smoother experience for newcomers compared to the riskier Blood Mage. The Infernalist's demonic transformation adds a unique gameplay element.

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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: Command a horde of undead and abyssal creatures, supporting them with fire damage and strategic positioning. Utilize Vulnerability for crucial debuffs. Flame Wall acts as both damage and minion summoning. Detonate Dead provides AoE damage, while Skeletons offer sustained combat power.

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Mercenary: FrostFerno Witch Hunter

A hybrid build combining fire and ice damage using crossbows, the FrostFerno Witch Hunter excels in both early and late game.

Key Skills: Permafrost Bolts, Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, Explosive Shot, Herald of Ash, Galvanic Shards, Herald of Thunder.

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Gameplay: Freeze enemies with Permafrost Bolts and Galvanic Shards, then unleash devastating fire damage with Explosive Shot and grenades. Utilize Herald of Thunder for added lightning damage. The combination of freezing and explosive damage creates a unique and effective playstyle.

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Monk: Herald of Thunder Invoker

This build prioritizes defense while delivering substantial damage. 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: Utilize high mobility with Vaulting Impact and Staggering Palm to control the battlefield. Tempest Flurry and Orb of Storms provide AoE damage, while Tempest Bell and Storm Wave offer powerful finishing moves.

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Warrior: Armour Breaker Warbinger

A balanced build utilizing a two-handed mace, the Armour Breaker Warbinger delivers high damage while maintaining survivability.

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Key Skills: Mace Strike, Stampede, Leap Slam, Ancestral Warrior Totem, Scavenged Plating, Hammer of the Gods, Seismic Cry, Attrition.

Gameplay: Focus on high single-target damage with Mace Strike and AoE clearing with Earthquake and Shockwave Totem. Utilize Warbinger's unique skills to break enemy armor and increase damage output.

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Sorceress: Ember Fusillade Stormweaver

This build offers a strong balance of damage and survivability, allowing for quick progression through the campaign.

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

Gameplay: Utilize Flame Wall for both damage and defense, while Ember Fusillade delivers high AoE fire damage. Solar Orb and Firestorm provide powerful supplementary damage.

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Ranger: Deadeye Grenadier

This build excels at AoE damage and mobility but requires more skill due to lower survivability.

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

Gameplay: Combine freezing effects with explosive damage and poison clouds for devastating AoE attacks. High mobility is crucial for survival.

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These builds provide a strong foundation for your Path of Exile 2 journey. Experiment and adapt to find what suits your playstyle best. Remember that balance changes will inevitably impact build viability.