As Grinding Gear Games’ much-anticipated sequel, Path of Exile 2 not only inherits the dark style and complex system of the previous game, but also redesigns many core mechanisms.

Among them, the innovation of Passive Skill Tree is undoubtedly one of the focuses of players’ attention. We will explain to you how Path of Exile 2 passive skill tree works so that you can master this complex system.

PoE 2 Passive Skill Tree Works

Many RPGs attract players through fascinating storylines, satisfying combat, and even the temptation of shiny items. Although PoE 2 has these advantages, its core is your power.

It feels good to slap someone in the face with Mace, but it’s even better to slap someone in the face with Mace and unlock several passive skill tree nodes at the same time. These buffs will amplify the most basic actions.

We have prepared builds for all PoE 2 classes, including Warrior, Sorceress, and even Monk. Because PoE 2 passive skill tree is so massive, knowing where you are headed in this RPG is more important than in most games. As hard as it may seem at first, the web of PoE 2 nodes will be the foundation for your climb to the top.

Passive Skill Tree

PoE 2 is a branching set of unlockable character nodes, which can seem daunting at first, with over 1,500 individual passive buffs for characters to use, but PoE 2 goes some way to making this easier to understand. For example, while every PoE 2 class shares the same tree, they all start in a specific section, and all of the nodes in that section are useful to that class.

At the beginning of the game, you can’t go wrong when choosing which passive nodes to unlock. You can get a skill point to unlock a node every time you level up. In the early stage, these skill points will gradually improve your basic abilities.

Things like increased melee damage are always good choices early on. You can take a step forward in the passive skill tree by unlocking nodes, and think of it as a fixed track with branching options as you progress.

If you accidentally go in the wrong direction, or just don't like how your build is going, you have the opportunity to spend some POE2 Currency to reconfigure your passives.

It’s worth noting that although you start in a specific part of the passive skill tree based on your class, you can develop in any direction as long as you have enough points to unlock the nodes.

Three types of nodes constitute PoE 2 passive skill tree. They are Attribute Nodes, Notables, and Keystones. We’ll cover them in more depth next.

Attribute Nodes

Attribute Nodes are an important part of any PoE 2 build, often simply adding some aspect of a character’s attributes. For example, if you spend a skill point to unlock the Skill Speed ​​node, your attack and cast speed will increase by 3%.

These increases stack as you progress through the tree, and as we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of Attribute Nodes that will benefit your character in the beginning, so you’ll want to unlock these early on as much as possible.

You may come across an Attribute Node that gives you a choice of attributes that give a flat bonus, and you can choose the attribute you think will benefit your character. For example, you can choose between a +5 to Strength, Intelligence, or Dexterity, and if you’re playing a class that relies on melee damage, it might be worth choosing Strength increase.

Notables

Sometimes, you’ll reach a node that’s a little bigger than a normal Attribute Node, and that’s a Notable. Notables are nodes that are bigger boosts to one aspect of your character, but are usually more subtle. Notables can also tweak the functionality of some of your skills, which can be very useful for players who are starting to lean towards a certain playstyle.

Repeatable Explosives is an example of a Notable. This Notable gives your Grenades a 20% chance to explode a second time. Obviously, if you don’t use Grenades in your build, then Notable is useless. But for players who rely on high burst damage from throwable Explosives, this could be a game changer.

There are other Notables, such as Shrapnel, which gives your projectiles a 30% chance to penetrate enemies and a 30% chance to ricochet onto the terrain. If you have a PoE 2 Support Gem on your crossbow that increases projectiles, and then unlock Shrapnel Notable, you could potentially have a Shotgun-like weapon that can instantly shred hordes of enemies.

Keystones

Keystones are the largest and most unique unlock nodes in PoE 2 passive skill tree. They offer powerful bonuses, but often come with specific drawbacks. Keystones are nodes that you must build around in order for them to work.

For example, Mind Over Matter Keystone shifts all damage you take into your mana pool before it affects your health, but it has the drawback that your mana regeneration rate is reduced by 50%. For it to work effectively, you have to seek out and unlock nodes that not only increase your mana pool but also increase regeneration rate. Otherwise, you’ll be left with nothing but health but no ability to use.

Some Keystones, like Pain Attunement, increase your chance of a critical strike when you’re low on health, but decrease it when you’re close to full health. While this isn’t necessarily a big adjustment to your build path, it may require you to change up your playstyle a bit. Keystones have a proportional risk and reward, but if you can get any of them to work in your build, they can be incredibly powerful.

Now that you know how PoE 2 passive skill tree works, it won’t be hard to build the most powerful character you can. See you in-game!