Path of Exile 2: Getting Started (Early Access)

Path of Exile 2 rewards understanding over copying. During Early Access the strongest build changes with patches, so the durable skill is learning how gems, links and the passive tree interact — not memorising a list. This route is written to survive the next balance patch.

First steps, in order

1. Pick a class by feel first. Classes set your starting point and specialisation paths, not your ceiling — you can build very differently within one class.
2. Treat your first active skill as a learning tool. Run it for a while before deciding, so you see how its damage scales with what you link into it.
3. Build your first gem links deliberately. Add support gems that reinforce one behaviour — the tree and the links should be pulling in the same direction.
4. Spend passive points in two clusters, not seven. Dual specialisation rewards depth; thin spread is how characters stop scaling.
5. Push the campaign with the gear the campaign gives you. Resist the urge to farm; the campaign is the tutorial for how your links behave under pressure.
6. Note the patch before you change anything. If a guide is older than your client, assume the numbers moved.
7. Move into the endgame only when your links are stable. Endgame systems multiply on a working build — they do not fix a broken one.

Playing with a group

Co-op supports up to six players. The efficient split is a damage-focused character, a durable one, and utility in between, all sharing loot discipline. Agree early on how currency is pooled, because a shared economy is the single biggest co-op advantage.

What to do when 1.0 lands

The 1.0 launch on 11 December 2026 (PST) is both a milestone and a reset signal: expect balance and economy changes, expect the free-to-play switch, and expect every build guide you saved to be re-tested. Keep this page's route and re-verify the specifics after the patch.