• CHAPTER 1: Core mechanics
  the essential systems every player should understand to manage their character effectively. These include: Skills, Passive Skill Tree, Gear, Ascendancies.
  
• CHAPTER 2: Available character development strategies
  possible general directions of character development.

---

1. Introduction
   CHAPTER 1
   
2. Skills
3. Equipment (Gear)
4. Passive Skill Tree
5. Ascendancies
   CHAPTER 2
   
6. Ascendancy-driven build
7. Skills-driven build
8. Passive-Skill-Tree-driven build
9. Gear-driven build
10. Mechanic-driven build
11. Meta-driven (community) build
12. Mixed build

---

Originally posted by majzerofive:

Path of exile 2 is still in Early Access and everything is subject to change.

---

of this guide is to help players decide what kind of character they would like to create and play. It is aimed at those who wish to learn how to create a character and gradually improve or adjust it throughout their journey. This guide covers the basics of build creation with simple and more advanced examples.
This guide does not include step-by-step instructions, up-to-date, pre-made character builds or finished solutions for in-game character development. It is meant to be a framework to work with rather than a finished solution to copy and paste.

In Path of Exile 2, classes do not lock you into a unique playstyle. Every class has access to all Skill gems, all Passive Skill Tree nodes and may use any Equipment (Gear) available in game. However, there are certain limitations that will get explained in the corresponding subchapters.
The Passive Skill Tree ("PST" further) is one giant web that every class shares. The only difference is your starting point. Your starting point determines which nodes are easiest to reach early, but nothing stops you from traveling across the tree and picking up the nodes other classes start with.
The only class limitation is in the Ascendancies, which are unique to each class and provide unique benefits for the character.

• Any class has access to the same PST, same skills, and same items.
  
• Your starting class locks you into one of the six entry points to the PST and a set of ascendancies, but it usually doesn’t lock away entire playstyles.

---

Skills are the core abilities your character uses to interact with enemies and the environment. They define your playstyle - from casting fireballs to summoning minions or slashing with a sword. Skills are the cornerstone of every character build, because they define your character's weapon choice, gear direction and heavily influence your character's PST pathing.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

It is possible to have 2 separate Attacking Skill categories in your active pool and as many Spell Skill categories if you want: 2 Attacking Skill categories by equipping two different weapon types in weapon sets, and Spell Skills by having enough Intelligence attribute for Spells (perhaps by using low level Skills your character can comfortably equip). The benefits of it, however, are questionable, although some highly competitive campaign builds can comfortably utilize 2 or 3 categories.
For example, the Monk's <Hand of Chayula> requires players to insert a Mark (Bow Skill, Dexterity) and a Curse (Spell, Intelligence). For melee classes it is usually extremely beneficial to have different Skills at all times, such as combinations of long range Skills and close range Skills or Attack Skills and Spell Skills (primarily Curses or Marks as in presented example previously). Having different Skills in your active pool can alleviate the pain of not being able to attack enemies during certain encounters.

1. Name
   not important.
   
2. Type
   always pay attention to this.
   
3. Tags
   always pay attention to this.
   
4. Category
   you cannot insert more than one support gem of a category into skill gem!
   
5. (if applies) Modifiers
   
   • (if applies) Mana Cost (skill gem) or Cost Multiplier (support gem)
     important for all builds.
     
   • (if applies) Attack Speed
     important for Attack builds.
     
   • (if applies) Attack Damage
     important for Attack builds.
     
   • (if applies) Critical Hit Chance
     important for Caster builds.
     
   • (if applies) Cooldown Time
     important for all builds.
     
   • (if applies) Use Time
     important for all builds.
     
   • (if applies) Attack Time
     important for Attack builds.
     
   • (if applies) Cast Time
     important for Caster builds.
6. Requirements
   important for all builds.
   
7. Description
   always pay attention to this.
   
8. Effects Description
   always pay attention to this.
   
9. Additional Effects from Quality
   important for all builds.
   
10. Lore Description
    interesting from the lore standpoint, but not important for mechanical parts of the game.

---

• Skills
  abilities you directly use in combat (e.g. attacks, spells, curses, movement).
  
  
  
• Persistent Buff Skills
  unique persistent modifiers that provide passive buffs at all times (e.g. auras, heralds, companions).
  
  
  
  Both Skills and Persistent Buff Skills can be modified or enhanced with
• Support gems
  provide generic modifications or enhancements.
  
  
  
• Lineage Support gems
  provide unique modifications or enhancements.
  

---

Originally posted by majzerofive:

The following table is an approximate representation to show the structure, it is not designed as 1:1 representation of real in-game structure. It is designed to help you understand the logic of skills!

Number for Skill Types, Circle for Gem Types, and Square for Gem Tags.

1. Support
   support gems. Modifies a Skill or Persistent Buff Skill.
   
2. Lineage Support
   unique support gems. Provides a unique modifier for a Skill or Persistent Buff Skill.
   
3. Skill
   active skills. Character's main skills (abilities).
   
   • Attack
     Attacks base Damage, Critical Hit Strike, and Attack Speed are determined by equipped weapon(s), unless a skill says otherwise.
     
     • Projectile
       an object propelled through the air; usually long range.
       
       • Physical
         
       • Lightning
         
       • Fire
         
       • Cold
         
       • Chaos
     • Melee
       a hit with a melee weapon; usually close range.
       
       • Physical
         
       • Lightning
         
       • Fire
         
       • Cold
         
       • Chaos
     
     
   • Spell
     spells have their own base Damage, Critical Hit Strike, and Cast Speed.
     
     • Physical
       
     • Lightning
       
     • Fire
       
     • Cold
       
     • Chaos
     
     
   • Warcry
     usually attack's empowerment for a short duration.
     
     • Duration
       has limited duration that can be modified.
     
     
   • Totem
     stationary allied construct that uses its own skills.
     
     • Duration
       has limited duration that can be modified.
     
     
   • Mark
     a debuff that applies powerful effects to a single target.
     
     • Duration
       has limited duration that can be modified.
     
     
   • Buff
     an effect that buffs a player's or monster's stats.
     
     • Duration
       has limited duration that can be modified.
     
     
   • Minion
     a summoned ally that accompanies and fights alongside you.
     
     • Persistent
       reserve spirit while active.
       
     • Buff
       sacrifice minion(s) life to receive a buff.
   
   
4. Persistent Buff Skill ("spirit gem")
   an effect that buffs a player's or monster's stats. Reserves spirit, doesn't require user's input to work.
   
   • Buff
     a temporary effect that buffs a player's or monster's stats.
     
     • Aura
       a constant area of effect buff that buffs allied characters.
       
     • Attack
       affects surrounding enemies with Attack damage.
       
     • Physical
       affects surrounding enemies with Physical damage.
       
     • Lightning
       affects surrounding enemies with Lightning damage.
       
     • Fire
       affects surrounding enemies with Fire damage.
       
     • Cold
       affects surrounding enemies with Cold damage.
       
     • Chaos
       affects surrounding enemies with Chaos damage.
       
     • Trigger
       a trigger effect is triggered when requirements are met. Triggered does not count as using it (it isn't an Attack or a Spell, it has its own category).
       
     • Minion
       a summoned ally that accompanies and fights alongside you.
     
     
   • Banner
     banner skills generate Glory when you attack a monster while it is activated. Once at full Glory, the banner can be placed to create powerful Buffing areas.
     
     • Duration
       has limited duration that can be modified.
     
     
   • Attack
     an effect that damages surrounding enemies with Attack damage.
     
     
   • Minion
     a summoned ally that accompanies and fights alongside you.
     
     • Companion
       a type of reviving minion that is more complex and powerful than typical minions.

---

• (if applies) Mana Cost (skill gem) or Cost Multiplier (support gem)
  important for all builds
  
  • Skill gem: sets Mana Cost for each use. Usually integer value (e.g. 47 mana), flat cost.
    
    
  • Support gem: applies Mana Multiplier while active in Skill socket. Usually percentage value (e.g. 120%), modifies flat cost of the skill it is inserted into.
    
  
  
• (if applies) Attack Speed
  important for Attack builds
  
  • Attack Speed modifier modifies use time of skill. Usually percentage value (e.g. 50% of base), sets Attack Speed based on base Attack Speed
    
  
  
• (if applies) Attack Damage
  important for Attack builds
  
  • Attack Damage modifier sets Skill's damage to certain fraction of weapon damage value
    
  
  
• (if applies) Critical Hit Chance
  important for Caster builds
  
  • Critical Hit Chance modifier sets Critical Hit Chance of a Skill to percentage value (e.g. 12.0%)
    
  
  
• (if applies) Cooldown Time
  important for all builds
  
  • Cooldown Time modifier sets a Skill's cooldown time to decimal value (e.g. 8.00 seconds).
    
  
  
• (if applies) Use Time
  important for all builds
  
  • Use time modifier sets a Skill's use time to decimal value (e.g. 0.8 seconds).
    
  
  
• (if applies) Attack Time
  important for Attack builds
  
  • same as <Use Time> above, but for Attack Skills.
    
  
  
• (if applies) Cast Time
  important for Caster builds
  
  • same as Use Time and Attack Time above, but for Spell Skills.
    

---

---

1. Watch Video Description
   
   
   
2. Read Description
   
   
   
3. Verify Requirements
   
   
   
4. Verify the Skill Type and Tags
   
   
   
5. Inspect all Effects
   
   
   
6. Inspect Skill Modifiers (modifiers usually increase when the skill level increases)
   
   
   
7. Inspect Effects From Quality
   

1. Video Description watched
   a short video description serves as quick and easy way to explain a skill along with audio explanation attached to the video.
   
   
2. Description is <Gouge molten rock from the ground and fling it at the target. The Projectile explodes on collision, damaging enemies and scattering shrapnel in a cone behind it.>
   From the description we get: it is Projectile (a moving Attack or Spell, meaning it is Long range ability); it has two stages: 1) Projectile, exploding and damaging enemies, 2) scattering shrapnel in a cone behind all targets.
   
   
3. Requirements verified
   Requirements are: level 78, 137 Strength, One Hand Mace or Two Hand Mace. Requirements often increase with the skill level (in case of specific weapon requirement, it does not scale since there is nothing to scale to).
   
   
4. Skill Type and Tags verified
   Skill type is Attack, therefore it takes base damage of equipped weapon(s) as base value. Tags are: AoE, Projectile, Fire.
   AoE = Area of Effect (it deals <area damage>), Projectiles means it is propelled from the player to the target (long range skill), and Fire is skill's Damage Type.
   
   
5. Effects inspected
   Effects for for Projectile stage:
   
   • Converts 60% of Physical Damage to Fire Damage (all other types still go through fully, if I were to have 50-74 Lightning Damage on my weapon, the skill'd deal 100% of Lightning Damage).
     
   • Inflicts 200% more Flammability Magnitude (Flammability Magnitude is a fancy phrase for <chance to apply Ignite>, it is <200% more>, so flammability will apply 3 times faster or 300% chance of base, in other words enemies will Ignite 3 times faster).
     
   • 100% more Ignite Duration (enemies will burn two times longer, e.g. 3s = 6s).
     
   • While Dual Wielding, fires twice as many Projectiles with 15% less Attack Speed (self explanatory).
     
   • Explosion Radius is 1.6 metres (self explanatory).
   Effects for Shrapnel stage:
   
   • Converts 100% of Physical Damage to Fire Damage (self explanatory, only affects Physical Damage, all others deal damage without any conversion)
     
   • Projectile count cannot be modified (it will always fire 8 Projectiles, meaning it has no scaling)
     
   • Inflicts 200% more Flammability Magnitude (explained in Projectile stage)
     
   • 100% more Ignite Duration (explained in Projectile stage)
     
   • Fires 8 Projectiles (self explanatory)
   
   
6. Skill Modifiers inspected
   Modifiers in this case are:
   
   • Mana Cost = 34 mana. Flat value for each use
     
   • Attack Speed = 75% of base. Percentage, 3/4 of base Attack Speed is applied. e.g. if my base Attack Speed is 1s, I will get 0.75 attacks per second
     Attack Speed.
     
   • Attack Damage = 229%. Percentage, 229% or 2.29 of base Attack Damage is taken. e.g. if my base Physical Attack Damage is 57-95, I will get 131-218 Physical Attack Damage after conversion. After all conversions it'd be 52-87 Physical Damage and 79-131 Fire Damage during Projectile stage and 131-218 Area Fire Damage during Shrapnel stage.
   
   
7. Effects from Quality inspected
   Effects from quality are <7.5%, 15%, 22,5% 30% chance to inflict Exposure on Hit> Exposure is elemental weakness (bonus elemental damage) and Hits can be evaded by enemies.

---

Equipment is both your source of scaling stats and your main tool for customization - capable of enabling entirely new mechanics, changing playstyle, or transforming a good build into an exceptional one.
Skills define your gameplay loop and build direction. The PST provides passive bonuses to your build. While the PST gives scalable bonuses, gear defines the base values your build can scale with bonuses and buffs. It also supports your character by providing core defenses (Energy Shield, Evasion, Armour) and additional defensive capabilities (Deflection, Block, Elemental Protection). As well as some "minor" improvements to spirit, cast speed, spell damage, base attack value, attack speed, movement speed, resistances, skills level, minion damage, critical hit chance & damage, increased item rarity, life & mana pools. Unique equipment pieces provide unique effects that might change gameplay loop completely.

1. Name
   not important.
   
   
2. Type
   important for all builds.
   
   
3. (if applies) Quality
   important for all builds.
   
   
4. Requirements
   important for all builds.
   
   
5. (if applies) Socketable Modifiers
   important for all builds.
   
   
6. (if applies) Implicit Modifiers
   important for all builds.
   
   
7. Affixes (Modifiers)
   crucial for all builds.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

The following table is not a 1:1 representation of existing gear in Path of Exile 2, it is meant to illustrate the differences between the pieces.

1. Weapon (x2)
   
   • Two-handed weapon
     Attack
     
     • Bow (100% Dexterity requirements)
       required for Bow skills.
       
       
     • (off-hand) Quiver (technically no attribute requirements, but requires bow and bow is 100% Dexterity requirements)
       supporting item. Provides powerful modifiers for Bow skills.
       
       
     • Two-Handed Mace (100% Strength requirements)
       required for Mace skills.
       
       
     • Quarterstaff (75% Dexterity + 25% Intelligence requirements)
       required for Quarterstaff skills.
       
       
     • Crossbow (50% Strength + 50% Dexterity requirements)
       required for Crossbow skills.
     
     Spells
     
     • Staff (100% Intelligence requirements)
       provides powerful modifiers for Spell skills.
     
     
   • One-handed weapon
     Attack
     
     • One-Handed Mace (100% Strength requirements)
       required for Mace skills.
       
       
     • (off-hand) Shield (mixed requirements)
       supporting item. Provides passive Block chance and active Block when used.
       
       
     • Spear (75% Dexterity + 25% Strength requirements)
       required for Spear skills.
       
       
     • (off-hand) Buckler (100% Dexterity requirements)
       supporting item. Does not provide Block, but instead Parry when used.
     
     Spells
     
     • Wand (100% Intelligence requirements)
       provides powerful modifiers for Spell skills.
       
       
     • (off-hand) Focus (100% Intelligence requirements)
       supporting item. Provides modifiers for Spells or Energy Shield.
       
       
     • Sceptre (25% Strength + 75% Intelligence requirements)
       provides bonuses for Allies. Can be used as both off-hand weapon and main weapon.
   
   
2. Helmet
   
3. Body Armour
   
4. Gloves
   
5. Boots
   All four share similar structure and have piece-specific modifiers that other pieces can't have (e.g. Critical Hit Chance cannot be rolled on Body Armour and flat Spirit can only be rolled by Body Armour). This is a general representation of differences between these four pieces.
   
   • Intelligence requirements
     Energy Shield
     Energy Shield Recharge Rate
     Intelligence Attribute
     
     
   • Strength requirements
     Armour
     Elemental Protection
     Strength Attribute
     
     
   • Dexterity requirements
     Evasion
     Deflection
     Dexterity Attribute
     
     
   • Intelligence + Dexterity requirements
     Energy Shield
     Evasion
     Deflection
     Energy Shield Recharge Rate
     Intelligence Attribute
     Dexterity Attribute
     
     
   • Strength + Intelligence requirements
     Armour
     Energy Shield
     Elemental Protection
     Energy Shield Recharge Rate
     Strength Attribute
     Intelligence Attribute
     
     
   • Dexterity + Strength requirements
     Evasion
     Armour
     Deflection
     Elemental Protection
     Dexterity Attribute
     Strength Attribute
   
   
6. Amulet
   modifiers shared across all build types.
   
   
7. Ring (x2)
   modifiers shared across all build types.
   
   
8. Belt
   modifiers shared across all build types. Implicit modifier determines the amount of Charms your character can equip.
   
   
9. Charms
   modifiers shared across all build types. Charms work for a set Duration after trigger requirements have been met.
   
   
10. Flask (x2)
    modifiers shared across all build types.
    
    • Mana Flask
      restores Mana on use.
      
    • Life Flask
      restores Life on use.
    
    
11. Jewels
    modifiers shared across all build types. Jewels are used for Jewel Sockets in the PST (see <Passive Skill Tree>).

---

• 3 Prefixes
  usually flat stats or main bonuses
  
• 3 Suffixes
  typically resistances or secondary stats

Item rarity is an abstract and confusing name in Path of Exile 2, because Normal items can be upgraded to Rare items, while Unique items are mostly useless and often don't indicate superiority over Rare items. Rarity exists, but it has nothing to do with actual rarity of the items, but rather serves as an indicator of what currency (crafting) items you can apply to an item.

• Normal (White)
  base item, no modifiers. The best rarity for crafting items.
  
• Magic (Blue)
  0–2 affixes. Usually have one or two affixes, zero can be achieved through crafting only.
  
• Rare (Yellow)
  up to 6 affixes (or zero through crafting).
  
• Unique (Orange)
  fixed, often build-defining modifiers. Unique quality achieved only from random drops, it cannot be crafted from a base item.

As gems, all equipment, except Belts, Quivers, and Jewels, can be improved by up to 20%, unless an item says otherwise (e.g. Breach Ring).

• Armour
  quality increases base values of the item.
  
• Martial Weapon
  quality increases base damage values of the weapon.
  
• Wand (Staff)
  quality increases inherent spell skills' quality.
  
• Ring
  quality increases affixes of the chosen modifier type.
  
• Flask
  quality increases base recovery amount of the flask.
  
• Skill Gem
  quality varies by skill; Hover over a skill gem and hold Alt to see what quality does.

• Base Level
  
  Every item has a Base Level. The base level determines the base values of an item, - the higher its level, the larger its base values will be. Base level items drop randomly in zones that are equal to or higher than their base level (e.g. 80 lvl bases cannot drop in a 79 lvl zone). Currently, the maximum possible level of bases is 80.
  
  
• Item Level
  
  Every item also has an Item Level (<ilvl>), which determines the highest possible modifiers that item can roll. For example, if an item has ilvl 80, it cannot roll ilvl 82 modifiers - such as a +45% resistance (T1 affix) suffix. It will only be able to roll up to +40% resistance (T2) instead.
  
  
• Modifiers (Affixes)
  
  All items (except unique items) generally, unless an item says otherwise, can have up to 6 affixes: 3 prefixes and 3 suffixes. Affixes can be added to the item or changed at any point, unless Corrupted
  
  
• Implicit Modifier
  
  Additionally, some items have implicit modifiers that cannot be removed, but usually can be rerolled to increase or decrease their values. Implicit Modifiers come with the Item Base and cannot be added later.

Formula that calculates equipment's stats:

1. (if applies) Flat Modifiers + Base Values = Flat Result;
   
2. Flat Result * (if applies) (Percentage Modifiers + 1) = Displayed Value.

A basic example, assuming Base Value = 30, Flat Modifier = 30, Percentage Modifier = 50%:
1) 30 + 30 = 60,
2) 60 * (0.5 + 1) = 60 * 1.5 = 90.
3) Result is 90.

General Order of Operations in Path of Exile 2 (e.g. weapon damage)
Follow presented General Order of Operations for proper scaling of anything related to your character, would it be damage scaling, defense scaling, or anything else.

1. Base value
   Base Damage value (values displayed on your equipment after calculation)
   
   • Base Skill Damage for Spellcasters (includes Minions)
     Mages have different values for every skill.
     
   • Base Weapon Damage for Attackers
     Attackers' skills generally use weapon damage values.
     
   • Base Defense Stats for clothes
   
   
2. Gain-as-extra (e.g. <gain 25% of damage as extra Fire Damage>)
   Gain-as-extra modifiers always apply bonus damage after Skills' Modifiers (e.g. if you have 6000 Damage after Skill's local Modifiers calculation, 10% Gain-as-extra Physical will add 600 Damage to the result). It is affected by <% increased> Modifiers afterwards, turning <10% added-as-extra> into hefty thousands of damage if your damage numbers after Skill Modifiers are large enough; it provides little to no benefit if your damage numbers are small.
   
   
3. Flat Bonuses (e.g. <5-7 Physical Damage added to attacks>)
   Flat Bonuses are not used in conversions and Skills' Modifiers;
   Flat Bonuses are not used in Gain-as-Extra;
   Flat Bonuses are not used by Weapons' local Modifiers, hence are inferior to Weapons' stats.
   
   
4. <% increased> Modifiers (or basically whole Passive Tree)
   These global Modifiers are applied to the final result after previous conversions; following the previous example, if you have 6600 Physical Damage and 200% increased Physical Damage, it is 19800 Damage after all conversions (200% increased is 100% + 200% = 300%). Global Modifiers increase everything that has the matching Type or Tag to it.
   
   
5. <More> Modifiers
   Apply last. Following previous example, 19800 Physical Damage + 20% more Physical damage will result in 19800 + 3960 = 23760 Physical Damage.

Socketable items can be inserted into equipment's empty Socket slots to apply their effects to an item. Once inserted, the socketable cannot be removed, but can be replaced with another socketable.
As with Rarity, runes' categories are vague and abstract. Endgame Runes, Talismans, or Soul Cores are not inherently better than Regular Runes or any other category. Every socketables enhances the item with unique effects. Socketables' categories mostly serve as indicators where to loot the items.

1. Regular Runes
   Loot source: any monster of sufficient level.
   
   • Lesser Runes
     the smallest improvements. Requires level 1 to insert.
     
   • Runes
     moderate improvements. Requires level 15 to insert.
     
   • Greater Runes
     the greatest improvements. Requires level 30 to insert.
     
   
   
2. Endgame Runes
   Loot source: generally any monster of sufficient level (65 or higher). Requires level 50 to insert.
   
   
   
3. Talismans
   Loot source: Azmerian Spirits event. Requires level 1 to insert.
   
   
   
4. Soul Cores
   Loot source: The Trial of Chaos. Requires level 1 or 50 to insert.
   

All equipment in Path of Exile 2 can drop as an exceptional item. Exceptional items are modified in ways that exceeds normal, non-exceptional items - usually by having more than 20% quality or an additional socket (e.g. if an item can have 2 sockets, it will have 3). The latter is more valuable and beneficial than the first.

---

Crafting in Path of Exile 2 is a fundamental part of shaping your character’s power, whether you want a small upgrade or a fully optimized endgame item. Crafting revolves around understanding Rarity, Affixes, Affix Tiers, Weights, and the practical use of available crafting currency. This section explains the basics of crafting you need to know to begin crafting confidently.

Rarity, as already explained previously, basically indicates how many affixes an item has. It is possible to make an exception to this rule with crafting currency.
Affixes or Item Modifiers are divided into Prefixes and Suffixes (unless stated otherwise by an item, 3 of each). Every item type has different Prefixes and Suffixes modifiers, but a general logic is Prefixes usually directly modify the item's stats (e.g. defenses, Damage value) or player's stats (e.g. Life, Mana, Spirit), while Suffixes apply additional bonuses to items, such as Resistances, Critical Hit Chance, and secondary passive defenses (e.g. Deflection).
All Affixes have Tiers that represent the strength of a modifier. The game uses Item Level (ilvl) to determine what Tiers an item can have and what Tiers an item cannot have.

• Implicit Tier exists as a separate category; it cannot be crafted or changed, but the value usually can be rerolled within range.
  
• Unique Tier also belongs to separate category and appears only on unique items; cannot be crafted or changed, but the value can be rerolled within range.
  
• Tier 0 is usually a guaranteed essence modifier players can't get with anything other than essences.
  
• Tier 1 is considered the best Tier that generally provides the highest values.
  
• As Tiers increase, their Strength and Rarity (do not confuse with Item Rarity) decreases.

All Tiers have Weight attached to them. The Tier's Weight determines how likely it is to roll. Understandably, T1 has the lowest weight and highest ilvl required (e.g. ilvl 82 for T1 Resistance).
This makes certain crafts inherently more expensive and explains why hitting certain combinations can take hundreds or thousands of attempts.

---

Crafting in Path of Exile requires spending Currency items. Currency items can add, remove, reroll modifiers, and reroll the values of modifiers. Practically all Currency are based on RNG (or randomness); there is no way to force the game to pick one specific modifier over another. Naturally, this often makes crafting unpredictable.
Is it though? Yes and no. Crafting is unpredictable if you're not willing to continue until you reach the desired result. That result may come after a few attempts - or after a few thousands.
Most crafting techniques are centered around limiting outcomes in one way or another, whether through Omens (Source: Ritual activity) combinations, Dessecration (Source: Abyssal activity), or other items.
However, there are several available strategies depending on the amount of Currency you possess:

1. Pure RNG crafting
   repeatedly rolling random modifiers, hoping to get a good sequence of modifiers.
   
2. Hardest first crafting
   rolling the rarest or most important modifier(s) first; then limiting further attempts to guarantee supporting modifiers.
   
3. High investment crafting
   using all available Currency items in certain order to guarantee the best possible combinations and outcomes.

Limiting the outcome method can be utilized in any of the three aforementioned techniques and the exact process depends on the patch and available Currency items, so I won't explain in detail any of them. If you plan to start crafting in Path of Exile 2, you might want to research all of the current patch's Currency items available or find another guide specifically designed for the patch you're going to play. It is however preferable to understand how to navigate the crafting system without the help of guides as those will always be late to the patch and most likely will not contain any exceptional crafting techniques (if something is good, everyone will abuse it until it's no longer good and only after disclose the secret).

Crafting Equipment is the only reliable way of getting the following equipment, so it is definitely worth to investigate if you're going to stick around.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

I am not connected in any way to any of the following Websites, I am just spreading the word

A fully interactive Path of Exile 2 Crafting Emulator you can use to practice various crafting combinations or test your knowledge.
A fully interactive Path of Exile 2 database that includes all Base Items, and a Modifiers calculator that is conveniently divided into: Crafting Tags / Tiers / ilvl / Weights.
Do not underestimate the power of this database; I have over 800h played and I still need to use it for the majority of my crafts.

---

An example of this method of crafting using an existing piece of equipment. Let’s assume I obtained a level 80 base that I want (in this case, I bought it). Note that the starting affixes do not matter in this example, and I just happened to buy it with T1 resistance. Also note that the following example IS NOT an ideal depiction of how it should be done. The purpose of this example is to show one of the countless ways to do it.
The base looks like this


Then I did the following with the base:

1. Convert it to Rare with a Regal Orb.
   
   

   ---

   
   
2. Remove an affix with an Orb of Annulment.
   
   

   ---

   
   
3. Take Chaos Orb and roll affixes until the <hardest> modifier appears. In this case I stopped after getting t1 Spirit. For some reason it took me only 7 orbs, but I bought 400...
   
   

   ---

   
   
4. Now I want to put a Perfect Essence on it. I assume I craft the piece for someone who will definitely use <Chaos Inoculation>. This PST node makes the character immune to chaos damage and Life is set to 1. Since the Life doesn't scale, I take Physical Damage as Chaos Damage to basically make 10-15% of Physical Damage disappear.
   

   ---

   
   
5. Roll an additional modifier that is not of the same category as the one I want to preserve. In this case I should get a Suffix. Use an Omen of Dextral Exaltation that forces a Suffix affix and slap it with an Exalted Orb.
   
   

   ---

   
   
6. Use Omen of Dextral Crystallisation that forces a Perfect Essence to pick a Suffix and slap the picked Essence of Ruin that converts 10-15% of Physical Damage Taken to Chaos Damage.
   
   

   ---

   
   
7. Now I assume it is a "high priority" crafting, so I use a Perfect Exalted Orb (since I am rich in standard and I can allow myself such luxury) that guarantees modifier level of at least 50 along with two omens: an Omen of Greater Exaltation that doubles the effect of an Exalted Orb and an Omen of Dextral Exaltation to force two Suffix modifiers. The result is semi-decent, so I continue as planned.
   
   

   ---

   
   
8. I take an Omen of Sinistral Necromancy that forces the desecration to pick an open slot in Prefixes and tap the piece with an Ancient Rib that forces modifier level of at least 40.
   
   

   ---

   
   
9. I take an Omen of Abyssal Echoes that allows to reroll the desecrated modifiers once.
   
   

   ---

   
   
10. The result of the desecration was disappointing to say the least. I rolled three t1 defenses, but 2 of them were hybrid defenses and 1 was flat defense which is as bad as the hybrids, because of the occupied with the Perfect Essence prefix slot. Ideally it should have been percentage modifier to Energy Shield to double the Energy Shield on the piece. Second best is t1 flat to Energy Shield, but it is inferior to double Energy Shield in this case, because t1 Energy Shield would give +100 Energy Shield, while <100% increased Energy Shield> would double the existing 150 Energy Shield = 300 Energy Shield total.
    

Originally posted by majzerofive:

Note that this is an example and in no way should be treated as something exemplary. My crafts rarely this pathetic, I assure you.

---

Trading in Path of Exile 2 is an essential part of Path of Exile 2. It allows players to exchange Currency, Equipment (Gear), Jewels, and more, helping them acquire items that would be statistically improbable for them alone - or simply too time-consuming. Like Crafting, Trading is fundamentally affected by RNG and supply-demand, but learning how to navigate the system will dramatically improve your abilities to engage with the Path of Exile 2's economy.
Similar to Crafting, Trading can be influenced by your personal knowledge and ability to influence the outcome. Path of Exile 2’s economy is dynamic, shifting constantly as new builds emerge, leagues introduce new mechanics, and players discover new crafting methods. Trading in Path of Exile 2 is governed by the similar rules Trading in real life is. Understanding these rules is key to being able to keep up with it.

There are two ways to Trade in Path of Exile 2:

1. Currency Exchange
   If there is a player who wants an item, that player might use the Currency Exchange to trade items he or she has for it. Currency Exchange allows limited amount of trades set by the developers. Completely on the side of the server and risk-free trading. Requires gold to use.
   
   
2. Trade
   
   • Instant Buyout
     
     A player puts an item for trade, sets the price for it. Another player sees the item listed, comes to the seller's hideout and buys it for the listed price. No contact, no waiting, rapidly quick for both parties. Requires gold to use.
     
     
   • In Person Trade
     
     A player puts an item for trade, sets the price for it: <negotiable> or <exact price>. Another player sees the item listed, sends a message to the seller and proceeds to either negotiate with the seller or receives an invite to the hideout. One of the players sends an offer to trade to the other and both trade. Requires contact with other players, wait time, and slower than instant buyout. Also, might be dangerous, always verify the details before accepting the trade.
     It is usually NOT ACCEPTABLE to send any further invites or further messages. If the seller ignored your first message, wait and try again in a couple of minutes or hours. DO NOT interrupt the player, because most of the times it will result in instant block and no further communication.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

It is worth to note that <Market Ratio> is constantly misleading players, so it is recommended to verify the price before trading. It is easy to verify the price by putting items for a price nobody will accept. It will display the correct market ratio at all times in the pending order. An example provided below

---

1. You can save the search for future references. one of my saved crafting searches from 0.3.0 for body armour as e.g.[www.pathofexile.com]
   
   
2. You can specify what affixes should be open and what affixes should be rolled. An example[www.pathofexile.com]
   
   
3. A more advanced filtering example here[www.pathofexile.com]

---

1. Supply and Demand. The most important rule of any market.
   When more players want an item than there are copies available, the price goes up; when supply is high and demand is low, prices drop.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Day 1. Leveling items cost a fortune (high demand, low supply).
   Mid-league. Leveling items cost moderate amounts to worthless (low demand, high supply).
   
   Proposed solution: no solution, market is enormous and individual players can only react to changes in real time.
   

   ---

   
   
2. Rarity (Scarcity).
   The rarer an item is, the more valuable it becomes if there is demand for it.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Tier 1 Resistance rolls have very low weight and require 82 ilvl -> rare -> high price.
   Some unique items are extremely rare and in demand -> high price.
   
   Proposed solution: know often valuable affixes (item modifiers), or combinations, such as T1 Spirit rolls on an amulet or <+3 to level of all Projectile Skills>, that has weight of 25 and is the rarest affix there is for amulets.
   

   ---

   
   
3. Opportunity Cost.
   Every decision has a cost - even choosing to do one thing means giving up the opportunity to do something else.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Crafting an item means spending currency that you could otherwise trade for an item you want to craft. Time spent farming content A is time not spent farming content B. Committing to one type of content equals not committing to another type of content.
   
   Proposed solution: do what you want to do and never chase trending things, because everyone else will do it as well and you'll have more competitors.
   

   ---

   
   
4. Market Efficiency (or Inefficiency).
   Prices fluctuate constantly as the community's demands shift, but markets are never perfectly efficient. Mistakes happen. Players misprice items, extremely valuable items are sold for nothing, because consumers don't understand the value, and other.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Underpriced items on trade market are monitored and bought by experienced traders. Overpriced items sit unsold.
   
   Proposed solution: before you put an item for sale, invest a minute into researching similar items on the market to see whether you correctly evaluated it.
   

   ---

   
   
5. Information Matters.
   Those who know more make better decisions.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Knowing that a skill or class rework is coming makes you buy specific items that might be needed for it after rework early. Understanding crafting allows you to identify valuable items others missed.
   
   Proposed solution: read patch notes.
   

   ---

   
   
6. Perceived Value.
   The price is based not on statistical fact, but on what people think is valuable.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   A streamer creates a build -> items needed for it skyrocket.
   
   Proposed solution: be aware of META shifts and popular content creators.
   

   ---

   
   
7. Speculation.
   Predicting future price changes and acting early.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Stocking up on crafting currency early when prices are low. If you know that 1 divine orb : 20 exalted orb at the start of the season and 1 divine orb : 400 exalted orbs at the end of the season, you are able to speculate and exchange exalted orb for divine orbs as early as possible.
   
   Proposed solution: don't do it. It strictly follows Supply and Demand and you won't get ahead of the market. Currency loses value because community's interests shift to something else. Hoarding currency is a bad idea, unless you plan to use it later on.
   

   ---

   
   
8. Investment VS Returns.
   The more you invest, the smaller the benefit becomes.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   A player spends 10 divines to craft a ring, but someone else is spending only 7 divines. The second player will set the price at 10 divines, return his investment, and drive the first one out of the competition.
   
   Proposed solution: be aware of your competitors and don't overinvest into one type of activity.
   

   ---

   
   
9. Risk VS Reward.
   High-risk strategies can produce massive profit - or massive loss.
   
   Examples in Path of Exile 2:
   Crafting perfect items for mirroring (creating an exact copy of the item for a fee).
   
   Proposed solution: don't overinvest and research the market before you invest into crafting anything. It might be worth it from your perspective, but it is worth less if people can buy it for cheaper.
   

   ---

   
   
10. Buying an item VS Crafting an item.
    Sometimes it is more efficient to buy a high-item-level, good-implicit base and craft the remaining modifiers yourself.
    
    Examples in Path of Exile 2:
    The affixes you want are too expensive to buy.
    
    Proposed solution: don't overinvest into items you can buy for less currency.

---

The Passive Skill Tree (<PST> further) is the underlying core of your character. It defines your attributes, defenses, offensive potential, and access to unique mechanics. While your active skills define how you play and general build direction, your PST defines why your character is capable of playing that way. It is used primarily to enhance your character's gear capabilities and skills' scaling, but it usually (<Keystone node> later) does not define your character's playstyle.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

The PST often intimidates new players at first glance - a vast galaxy of nodes and paths that seems impossible to understand. But there’s nothing to be intimidated by.
This section is designed to break it down into simple, logical steps - showing you that the PST is not a web of chaos. Once you learn how it’s organized and how to use it, it becomes one of the most rewarding tools in the game.

---

The PST is a massive interconnected grid of passive nodes, each providing multiplicative, additive or substractive bonuses to your character. You start at your class’s entry node (there are six entry points in total, shared among all classes, some of which are yet to be released), and you allocate points along connected paths as you level up.
Each level grants one skill point; additional points can be gained from quests - up to 24 for each weapon, resulting in 124 or 148 (if used Weapon Points) maximum points at character's level 100. The majority of players don't ever get to level 100, so you're looking at about 118-120 (+24 if used Weapon Points) points for a single character progression on average.
The PST has 6 total Entry Points, each corresponds to certain Attribute(s). This means that all classes naturally benefit from allocating their branches much more than from other classes' directions. These include:

1. Strength direction
   Warrior
   
   
2. Strength + Dexterity direction
   Mercenary
   
   
3. Dexterity direction
   Ranger, Huntress
   
   
4. Dexterity + Intelligence direction
   Monk
   
   
5. Intelligence direction
   Sorceress, Witch
   
   
6. Intelligence + Strength direction
   Druid

---

The PST is a bridge between Skills, Gear and Ascendancy (technically the latter is an adjacent branch similar to PST, but provides unique class-restricted buffs instead of generic enhancements).
Skills - the PST provides scaling bonuses and other unique effects for the tags and damage types of your skills.
Gear - provides attributes, defenses scaling options, and resistances that can encourage the choice of appropriate gear type.
Ascendancy - the ascendancy you choose will often encourage specific PST paths.

In early game PST is the most valuable tool as gear is limited or nearly absent. In endgame gear and skills' scaling solve the flaws of PST, so you might want to use different setups for campaign progression and endgame progression. In endgame builds, the PST is often re-optimized to match final gear, ascendancy, and skill setup.
What works at level 15 may no longer be efficient at level 60.
Learning to rethink your tree as your power shifts is the key to mastering long-term build design.
The PST serves as primary source of Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence attributes.
Ensure you meet all stat requirements for your skills and gear - lack of attributes can soft-lock your progression.
The more you know about the game's mechanics (e.g. minions, elemental damage, physical damage, ailments, defenses etc), the easier navigating the PST will become. Do not get discouraged if your build halted, because you lacked understanding about specific mechanic. The majority of players have been playing lightning arrow since december 2024, so they are definitely not qualified to judge.

• Starting Node (Entry Point)
  permanently tied to your class.
  
  
  
• Attribute Node
  common nodes; provide one of the following: +5 to Dexterity, +5 to Strength, +5 to Intelligence.
  
  
  
• Small Passive Skill Node
  uncommon nodes; provide basic stat bonuses (e.g. +12 to Strength).
  
  
  
• Notable Passive Skill Node
  rare nodes; provide more impactful effects (e.g., “+25% increased Attack damage”). Notable Passive Skill node's effects can be Instilled on an amulet.
  
  
  
• Keystone Nodes
  unique nodes; fundamentally change game mechanics (e.g. “75% of damage converted to Fire damage; Deal no non-Fire damage”).
  
  
  
• Jewel Sockets
  exceptional nodes; capable of serving as additional notable modifiers, as well as fundamentally changing game mechanics.
  Currently there are 4 types of jewels:
  
  1. Blue Jewel or Blue Time-Lost Jewel (provide players with area modifications to surrounding nodes)
     notable modifiers for Spell casters.
     
  2. Green Jewel or Green Time-Lost Jewel (provide players with area modifications to surrounding nodes)
     notable modifiers for Dexterity attackers.
     
  3. Red Jewel or Red Time-Lost Jewel (provide players with area modifications to surrounding nodes)
     notable modifiers for Strength attackers.
     
     
     
  4. Unique Jewels
     exceptional modifiers; capable of changing fundamental mechanics.
     

1. Search option
   Search option can be used to minimize the mental pressure of PST's pathing. This is your number 1 tool when traversing the PST. As you get more experienced it will become easier to understand what is needed and what could be ignored in the PST.
   Here's a quick example of a very basic application of this tool.
   
   
   
2. Alt key
   Alt key (on your keyboard) could be used to display additional information (such as amulet's Instill combination (Notable Passive Skill nodes) and damage/defense calculations before/after).
   

---

1. Use search tab, query <keystone>
   
   1. Inspect all accessible keystone nodes.
      
   2. Note any you plan to allocate points to.
      
   
   
2. Use search tab, query <notable>
   
   1. After <notable> type in anything that is of interest to your current character. It might be <notable damage>, <notable armour>, <notable lightning>, or <notable dexterity>. Avoid chaining too many parameters as it might brick the search.
      
   2. Note any you would like to get.
      
   
   
3. Use search tab, query <socket> or <jewel socket>
   Jewels are quite powerful and scale your character's abilities disproportionately.
   

Originally posted by majzerofive:

If you still feel overwhelmed by planning the PST, ignore first and third to make things easier.

---

1. Aim for the synergy between Skills, Equipment and the PST
   Your PST pathing should support your Skills and Equipment choice. Invest accordingly to your preferred Skills and Equipment. You don't want to be investing into Lightning Damage nodes when your Skill converts only 40% into Lightning Damage, you will lose a lot of damage by substituting Attack Damage with Lightning Damage (explanation: Attack Damage increases overall Damage of Attack Skills, Lightning increases only 40% after conversion!). Research the Skills, Equipment, or Ascendancy you use to avoid any losses.
   
   
2. Don't ignore non-damage, non-defensive nodes (e.g. <increased Freeze buildup>)
   These nodes might seem inefficient compared to <10% increased Damage>, but sometimes <40% increased Freeze buildup> is the difference between an enemy getting frozen in one hit and an enemy frozen in 2 hits. You might not need Freeze buildup, but other nodes such as <chance to Daze>, <30% increased Attack Damage against Rare enemies>, <hits ignore non-negative Elemental Resistances on Frozen enemies>, or others might prove very useful (especially the last, since hits with any Elemental Damage would ignore enemy's Elemental Resistances; any hybrid build Lightning + Cold, Cold + Fire, or perhaps playing with mates that have Cold Damage would prove extremely beneficial to have).
   
   
3. Don't overinvest into something you don't need anymore
   As explained somewhere in this subchapter, your Equipment's and Skills' scaling should, at some point between campaign and endgame, solve all issues you were having with the damage, lack of defensives, and others. From that point forward, your PST is supposed to enhance and close some weak points, but it shouldn't serve as 70% of your damage. If it does, you need to invest more time into reconfiguring or optimizing your Skills and Equipment. Generally, The PST should not be your main point of strength by the time you enter Endgame progression.
   
   
4. Avoid overhauling the Tree because you didn't like something
   Sometimes things don't work or work unexpectedly wrong. During Campaign progression reconfiguring the whole Tree will take up a significant amount of resources you might not even have. Until you have enough Gold to reconfigure the whole Tree twice, you better not (or use proven community builds, e.g. meta builds). If you reconfigure it once and it wouldn't work as intended still, that will soft-lock your progression and force you to either quit or create a new character.

As I explained somewhere in this subchapter, the PST is passively enhancing your character. But you might ask how do I know what exactly it should enhance and how exactly should I determine appropriate supporting nodes?

Skills
There are some general enhancements, such as <Critical Hit Chance>, <Maximum Life>, and other that are excusable exceptions to the following rule (explanation: <Critical Hit Chance> modifies Equipment, but Skill takes base Critical Hit Chance after Passive Modifiers, so technically it modifies Skills).
Look at the Type, Tags, Modifiers, and Effects of the Skills you wish to enhance.
A quick example on a random Skill:

1. Skill name <Frostbolt>. At the time of this guide the Type is Spell, Tags are AoE, Projectile, and Cold. This means, that it will get affected by all nodes that have <Spell>, <Area of Effect>, <Projectile>, and <Cold> in them.
   
   
2. We proceed to Modifiers, which for Spells are Cast Time, Critical Hit Chance for Spells, and Cost (Mana). These Modifiers are also represented in the PST and could be found using keywords <Cast Speed>, <Critical Hit Chance for Spells>, and <Mana>.
   
   
3. But these were primary Type, Tags, and Skill Modifiers, which point in the general direction. After that, it is recommended to look at Effects to find whether the Skill applies anything else. In case of Cold Damage, it applies Chill and Freeze ailments. It will get enhanced by <Chill> and <Freeze> passive modifiers.

Equipment
Look at your armour type. Is it a hybrid? (see <Equipment (Gear)>) or one defense type? Do you have any additional defenses, like <Deflection>? There you have it, just enter keywords you have on your Equipment to find nodes that enhance the equipment. You also might want to pick attributes that are required for the chosen Equipment.

Ascendancies
Ascendancies are in the center of PST. Research each node and if you wish to enhance anything, use <Search> option to discover the nodes that might enhance specific ascendancy (passive) skills.

---

As I already mentioned, you get 100 points in total, 24 of which are Passive Weapon Points. It means you have the ability to distribute 48 additional points - 24 for each weapon (unless you're playing Mercenary, but I won't elaborate on this here).
An example of the concept (e.g. Lich Witch Chaos):

This distribution provides the following result:
Without the enhancement vs With the enhancement:

---

In the PST, there are two arrows in the top right corner labeled <I Weapon Set> and <II Weapon Set>


In the Skills, there is an option attached to the majority of Skills <Used with Weapon Set: I - II>. By default it's turned on for both.


Explanation:
When you have two or more Skills that can benefit from two opposite directions in the PST, use Weapon Skill Points to use both for different Skills. You also don't have to use two different weapons, the game provides players with the ability to use one set of weapons for both Weapon Sets - in the Equipment panel there's an option to use one set of weapons for both PST distributions:


Now I have to fulfill my promise at the beginning of this subchapter and explain why the PST is actually the easiest tool in game...
I've already mentioned that the PST is designed to support your Skills, Equipment, and a lot of the times Ascendancies as well (e.g. Stormweaver Sorceress). When you choose your build direction, - Skills, Equipment, and Ascendancy - the PST drastically simplifies to a few possible directions. Let's look at the presented example of Lich Witch Chaos PST I recently used for leveling.
My PST pathing at level 58:


You can clearly see that I was after primarily four elements in my PST: Energy Shield, Stun Threshold of Energy Shield, Chaos Damage, and Curse Magnitude with Curse Area (basically one thing <Curse>). My chosen Ascendancy is Lich that is directly enhancing Curses and Energy Shield. But as you can see on the following image, I did not use my curse enhancements in my Ascendancy. Why didn't I use any of the directly used Active Skills I have? The adjacent Damage Nodes provide me with greater benefits for leveling, meaning I will shuffle my Ascendancy Points around after I finish leveling and I have enough damage, - or wait till I get 8/8 Points to decide whether I want to leave it as it is.


As secondary defensive capability I used Slow Curse Aura (<Temporal Chains>). I managed to get 33% Slow Aura for all white Rarity enemies that come close to my character, this helped me cast my spells without interruptions.


Your PST should reflect the choices in Skills, Equipment, and Ascendancy. Perhaps presented by me PST choice is flawed and I could increase efficiency by about 7% if I chose THIS node instead of THAT node. Does it matter if the build works as intended? You decide.
A quick list of questions to decide what your PST path should look like:

1. What are the primary Skills I use and how do I enhance these Skills?
   Attack or Spell-based? Damage Type?
   Lightning Damage (<lightning>, applies Shock),
   Fire Damage (<fire>, applies Flammability),
   Cold Damage (<cold>, applies Chill),
   Chaos Damage (<chaos>, ailments depend on further modifications),
   Physical Damage (<physical>, ailments depend on further modifications).
   ...see <Skills> subchapter for further information...
   
   
2. Do I need more damage or more survivability?
   For Damage read previous question, for survivability enhance equipped Equipment.
   
   
3. Do I need additional defenses (e.g. Deflection, Slow Curse Aura)?
   You have to know the modifiers your Equipment can have. Some additional defenses might include Slow Curse Debuff Aura, Stun Threshold, Life, and other. Depending on what build you play you might require different things.

And that's basically it. Look at what your Skills, Equipment, and Ascendancy do. Use <Search> option in the top right corner to find keywords of the things you need and plan your PST accordingly. As patches change, the nodes will get shuffled around or developers will add more, so learning how to use <Search> function is an essential skill in Path of Exile 2.

The Passive Skill Tree is massive and because it is massive, there isn't one definitive, correct way of planning it properly. It should support your character throughout the journey, but the exact way is determined by the set of Skills, Equipment, and Ascendancy your character has. The ideal PST pathing should aim for synergistic effect between the three mentioned mechanics. The PST can elevate and speed up your experience, slow it down significantly, or soft-lock your progression. I recommend to familiarize yourself with the Skills and Equipment (Gear) subchapters to avoid unfortunate situations with the PST. It is expensive to rebuild the PST, so I suggest to make conscious decisions.

---

Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2 are specialized subclasses tied to each class, providing powerful unique bonuses that shape your character’s strengths and preferred playstyle. Unlike the PST, Ascendancies offer highly focused tools that reinforce specific mechanics. They are often the part of a build that gives it direction: defense-oriented (Smith of Kitava Warrior), minion-oriented (Infernalist Witch), crit-focused (Bloodmage Witch), ailment-based (Pathfinder Ranger), attack-centric (Acolyte of Chayula Monk), spell-centric (Chronomancer Sorceress), and so on.

Unlocking the Ascendancies requires completing the corresponding Ascension Trials: <Trial of Chaos> or <Trial of the Sekhemas>. Once chosen, the Ascendancy grants access to a compact, but impactful cluster of powerful Passive or Active Skills. These Passive or Active Skills typically offer bonuses that are either numerically far above what the main passive tree provides (e.g. <+4% increased Strength attribute> for Titan Warriors), or entirely unique effects not available anywhere else (e.g. <20% Slow Debuff aura> for Chronomancer Sorceress)

Ascendancies do not require you to follow a strict build template, but they might heavily influence how you approach Skill selection, Gear selection, and PST routing. They are neither fully deterministic nor fully restrictive - most classes have at least two or three viable archetypes per Ascendancy, allowing flexibility in choices.

The ascendancy of your character is basically an additional Passive (sometimes Active) Skills branch to your character that generally provides unique benefits or exclusive enhancements to your character. I recommend to use it in a similar way, but not exactly.
I recommend to closely investigate all nodes in linear order starting from the first and ending at the last. It is preferable to know all possible modifiers before choosing any path. Why isn't it recommended to start inspecting from the last? Well, in Path of Exile 2 Trials of each stage usually unlock only 2 points per stage and you have to plan for 2, 4, 6, and eventually 8 point distribution. Some Ascendancies provide negative bonuses during leveling that become viable only in endgame, so allocating them during campaign is generally a costly mistake (e.g. Bloodmage Witch <Spells have Base Life cost instead of Mana Cost>)

Originally posted by 0.2.0f Patch Notes:

Redoing an Ascendancy Trial now allows you to respec which Ascendancy Class you have chosen at the Ascension device, but only if the Trial would grant you the number of points you already have.
In order to respec your Ascendancy class, you must have zero points allocated in it, but you can now talk to Balbala or The Trialmaster to Refund Passive Points.

Ascendancies shape the core identity of the class. While the PST and gear shape most of your build, Ascendancies designed to point you to general direction and might move the boundaries for your Skills of that direction. All Ascendancies push classes toward certain mechanics by offering unusually strong modifiers, bonuses, or unique interactions unavailable elsewhere.
Examples in Path of Exile 2:
A crit-focused Ascendancy (e.g. Bloodmage witch) doesn’t just slightly increase Critical Strike Chance, it may turn critical damage into a reliable mechanic and allow for 100% Critical Hit Chance along with 500% Critical Damage; which would be significantly harder for the rest of the Ascendancies.
A minion Ascendancy (Infernalist Witch) does more than “give more damage” - it may enable new minion behaviors, or allow to summon otherwise inaccessible minions with unique mechanics.

Ascendancies don’t merely "add" to what you’re doing - they "decide the main strategy" for your character so you wouldn't have to. A good build often comes together only once the Ascendancy provides the keystone effects that everything else is built around. There are several exceptions to this rule, Ascendancies that provide general benefits capable of influencing drastically opposite build ideas. Such e.g. Chronomancer Sorceress or Hand of Chayula Monk, but this subchapter will not cover these cases, because they're rather complex and require deep knowledge about different game mechanics or off-meta builds to properly utilize. Also, they are generally not a good choice for beginners, since they can puzzle even more advanced players.

Skills
Your chosen Ascendancy might encourage certain Skills. A more practical example of this is Stormweaver Sorceress that allows to apply 2 Shocks at the same time, allowing for exclusive mechanics with Skills that require ailments to work (e.g. <Snap> or <Lightning Conduit> from Sorceress Skill tab for Stormweaver Sorceress).

Equipment
It also might encourage specific Equipment choices. An example in Path of Exile 2 is Invoker Monk's Notable Ascendancy Node that adds +1 to Spirit for every 20 Evasion Rating and +1 to Spirit for every 8 Energy Shield on equipped Body Armour. If you take this node, it will be worth it only if your body Armour has large values of both Evasion and Energy Shield.

The PST
Last but not least is the PST. A following example is Lich Witch. Lich Ascendancy enhances Energy Shield, Allies, Curses and sacrificing Energy Shield and Mana for Damage. If you take the Lich Ascendancy, you will have to invest extensively in Energy Shield, because it has +20% increased Energy Shield all over it and many nodes use Energy Shield to either increase damage or make your Life not change while you have Energy Shield.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

This subchapter will be finished later

---

an ascendancy-driven path centers on maximizing the potential of a chosen ascendancy through appropriately selected gear, skills, and the PST.

this approach offers minimal build complexity but limits flexibility for later changes. The PST entry node is permanent; changing it requires creating a new character. Every class has a corresponding set of ascendancies - a melee class will always have ascendancies built for melee combat, while a mage will have all for spellcasting. This approach minimizes the game’s variability, allowing you to focus on a narrower path.
Use it when you don't want to plan in advance, or when you want to play the game linearly, as classes were designed.

1. Choose the class you want to play.
   
2. Play until you complete the Trial of Sekhemas or research the available ascendancies to classes beforehand.
   
3. Campaign progression
   
   • Skills: choose whichever support your chosen ascendancy.
     Skills that support your Ascendancy will generally be from your class's Skills Tab.
     
   • The PST: optimize for your chosen skills.
     (see <Passive Skill Tree> subchapter)
     
   • Gear: should support your chosen skills.
     (see <Equipment (Gear)> subchapter)
4. Endgame progression
   
   • Skills: optimize to synergize with specific ascendancy nodes.
     
   • The PST: maximize ascendancy effectiveness.
     
   • Gear: optimize for both your chosen skills and chosen ascendancy nodes.

• Pros:
  
  • easy to use,
    
  • straight-forward to plan,
    
  • minimal effort to navigate.
• Cons:
  
  • progression can become significantly harder if you are not familiar with the class,
    
  • can become punishing if chosen unoptimized ascendancy (e.g. bloodmage witch),
    
  • everything is tied to the chosen class and the ascendancy chosen.

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a PST-driven path focuses on optimizing gear, ascendancy, and skills around the PST.

Originally posted by majzerofive:

This development strategy is extremely weak compared to the rest, because Path of Exile 2 is built around Skills, Equipment, and Ascendancies. The Passive Skill Tree is a beneficial part of your build, but nevertheless completely supportive part. All the benefits heavily depend on you knowing how to properly utilize Skills and Equipment first.

this strategy offers moderate build flexibility for later change, but is limited by the available nodes in the PST. It also allows for more forgiving class selection, since there are six starting points in the PST shared among twelve classes - meaning each starting point has two possible classes and six ascendancies to choose from.
use this approach when you are certain about your desired starting point in the PST, have conceptualized your relative or precise pathing through the PST, or do not plan to maximize ascendancy effectiveness.

1. Inspect the PST and choose one of the six entry points.
   
2. Pick one of the two available classes that begin at that point.
   
3. Plan a PST pathing.
   (see <Passive Skill Tree> subchapter)
   
   
4. Campaign progression
   
   • Skills: choose based on your planned PST pathing.
     
   • The PST: follow your chosen PST pathing precisely.
     
   • Ascendancy: choose whichever will help you get through campaign progression most smoothly.
     
   • Gear: should support your PST pathing.
5. Endgame progression
   
   • Skills: refine according to your PST pathing.
     
   • The PST: continue to follow your design - or rework it to maximize the ascendancy effectiveness.
     
   • Gear: optimize to support the PST.
     
   • Ascendancy: adjust or change based on your PST design.

• Pros:
  
  • easy to modify at any point,
    
  • does not depend on class or ascendancy,
    
  • flexible gearing options.
• Cons:
  
  • complicated and less efficient than other approaches,
    
  • progression halts entirely if planned poorly,
    
  • the PST can become a limiting factor for certain playstyles.

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a skills-driven path focuses on selecting one or more core skills as the foundation of your build, and then shaping the PST, gear, and ascendancy around maximizing those skills’ effectiveness.

this strategy offers high creative freedom - your chosen skills define your playstyle. It is flexible early on and allows smooth experimentation, but it can become restrictive in the late game if your chosen skills lack scaling options or scaling options are inaccessible, but the skills are not strong enough yet. This strategy is ideal for players who prioritize gameplay style quality over long-term optimization of ascendancy, gear, or PST efficiency.
use this approach when you have a formulated idea of which active skills you want to play with and you understand how they scale (see <Skills> subchapter).

1. Choose main active skills you want to center your build around.
   
2. Identify support gems that best enhance chosen skills and complement your desired playstyle.
   
3. Campaign progression
   
   • Skills: prioritize skill synergy or strength.
     
   • PST: choose nodes that directly enhance your skills.
     
   • Ascendancy: pick one that complements your main skills.
     
   • Gear: preferably, focus on modifiers that enhance your chosen skills.
4. Endgame progression
   
   • Skills: refine or change completely.
     
   • Gear: choose according to your skills.
     
   • PST: refine around your core skills.
     
   • Ascendancy: refine around your core skills.

• Pros:
  
  • your playstyle defines your build,
    
  • skills define recommended PST pathing and equipment,
    
  • the strongest and most reliable direction.
• Cons:
  
  • limited by available scaling options for chosen skills,
    
  • endgame: requires heavy investment in specific gear or gems,
    
  • can experience a steep drop-off in effectiveness if chosen skills poorly.

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a gear-driven path focuses on obtaining and optimizing specific gear pieces that define the build’s power. In this approach, unique item(s) is the core around which the PST, ascendancy, and skills are built.

this strategy allows for unique and often powerful builds. However, it depends heavily on gear availability and can be difficult to start without the necessary items. It also tends to offer less flexibility, as the the build's functionality depends fully on availability of the necessary unique items.
use this approach when you already have - or plan to acquire - certain unique items that significantly influence gameplay. Gear-driven builds are ideal for players who want to push the limits of their class using certain unique items.

1. Determine which unique item(s) will serve as the cornerstone of your build.
   
2. Choose skills that will directly benefit from the chosen unique item(s).
   
3. Plan PST path that will be best suited for the chosen unique item(s).
   
4. Campaign progression
   
   • Gear: prioritize getting your core unique item(s).
     
   • Skills: prioritize skills that directly support your build's idea (e.g. if your unique is for cold damage, prioritize cold skills). Alternative route: get whichever skills you want.
     
   • The PST: path towards nodes that directly support your skills.
     
   • Ascendancy: whichever you prefer.
5. Endgame progression
   
   • Gear: perfect your core unique item(s) and build remaining gear around it.
     
   • Skills: Continue improving your skills.
     
   • The PST: refine node allocation, cover your weaknesses and buff your strengths.
     
   • Ascendancy: if possible, synergize with your unique item(s). Otherwise, pick the most beneficial overall.

• Pros:
  
  • unique items are often extremely strong in campaign (sometimes their strength also carries over to endgame progression).
    
  • distinctive build concept.
    
  • unique items can remove some of the limitations of individual classes.
• Cons:
  
  • highly dependent on core items availability.
    
  • scaling potential in endgame is questionable; might require to discard the build completely and start over with anything else.
    
  • flexibility is absent, since one or several items are required and won't work without it.

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a mechanic-driven path centers on utilizing a specific in-game mechanic, or system as the foundation of the build. This can include effects such as ailments, triggers, minions, traps, or other unique gameplay mechanics that define how the character functions. It is similar to Skills-driven type.

this strategy provides creative freedom (within expected boundaries of the game) and can produce original builds that stand out from expected archetypes. Mechanic-driven builds often scale well linearly, but could require extensive research and can struggle without synergy between all components.
use this approach when you want to explore or master a particular game mechanic. It’s ideal for players who enjoy role playing, experimenting with different interactions, or building around particular ideas.

1. Choose a mechanic you want to build around.
   
2. Pick skills and gear, (ascendancy, unique items, PST nodes) that directly support the chosen mechanic.
   
3. Campaign progression
   
   • Skills: use ones that directly support or activate the chosen mechanic.
     
   • The PST: path towards nodes that support the chosen mechanic.
     
   • Gear: preferably, prioritize items that support the chosen mechanic.
     
   • Ascendancy: pick whichever will help you progress most smoothly.
4. Endgame progression
   
   • Skills: perfect or swap skill gems according to the chosen mechanic.
     
   • The PST: finalize for maximum synergy with the chosen mechanic.
     
   • Gear: perfect around the chosen mechanic.
     
   • Ascendancy: refine ascendancy branch.

• Pros:
  
  • flexible build directions.
    
  • usually linear scaling of skills.
    
  • largely unaffected by patch changes.
• Cons:
  
  • requires knowledge of specific game mechanics.
    
  • often less effective than other build types.
    
  • might require specific gear to work smoothly.

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a meta-driven path centers on following or adapting the most efficient, powerful, or popular builds in the current game state. It is not a distinct mechanical path like the others, but rather a general idea to follow what others like.

this strategy offers expert level of effectiveness without deep planning or testing. However, it comes with extremely limited creativity and may lose viability as soon as patches shift the meta, nerf or remove certain interactions.
use this approach if your goal is to achieve maximum performance with no prep time, or clear content with minimal experimentation. It’s ideal for players who prefer proven setups over personal experiments.

1. Study current league's community builds.
   
2. Choose a meta build you prefer.
   
3. Replicate the chosen build.

• Pros:
  
  • proven performance,
    
  • minimal planning required,
    
  • established scaling and relevance.
• Cons:
  
  • not fun,
    
  • depends on other players; late start in league,
    
  • changes with the patches.

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a mixed path combines two or more development strategies to create a synergistic result. In this path, no single component defines the build. Effectiveness comes from how different systems interact.

this strategy allows deep customization and higher performance ceilings. However, it is also the most complex type to plan and requires clear understanding of game mechanics.
use this approach when you understand how multiple build elements complement each other. Mixed choice is common among experienced players who aim for synergies that cannot be achieved through a single focus.

there is no clear, systemic approach to this type of planning. It often comes naturally for experienced players. It requires a decent understanding of all game mechanics involved in particular builds, as well as ability to leverage it to your advantage.

• Pros:
  
  • exceptionally flexible
    
  • exceptionally powerful
• Cons:
  
  • difficult to manage
    
  • requires advanced knowledge and experience

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