Path of Exile (PoE) is renowned for its incredibly deep and intricate build system, allowing players to craft an almost infinite number of character builds. As an POE 2 Currency action RPG with an almost endless variety of skills, passive trees, and equipment interactions, it’s no surprise that PoE has captivated millions of players worldwide. With the highly anticipated release of Path of Exile 2, this deep complexity is set to expand even further, introducing new mechanics, skill gems, and a fresh storyline.

In this guide, we will cover the concept of build guides in Path of Exile 2, offering tips for creating your own optimal character, understanding the new systems, and how to excel in different types of content, such as mapping, boss fights, and league-specific challenges.

What is a Build in Path of Exile 2?
A "build" in Path of Exile refers to the combination of a character's class, skills, passive tree, items, and the synergies between them. In PoE 2, this concept remains largely unchanged, but with the introduction of new mechanics, there will be more variety than ever before. You can craft a build for offense, defense, or a mix of both, depending on your preferred playstyle. Some builds focus on fast clearing speed for maps, while others are designed specifically to tackle endgame bosses. Understanding the different elements of a build is essential to optimizing your character and gameplay.

Core Components of a Build
Class and Ascendancy:
The class you choose in PoE dictates your starting position on the passive skill tree. PoE 2 will introduce some changes to the class system, though the core idea remains. Each class has unique ascendancy classes that provide a distinct set of powerful passive skills and buffs. Some ascendant classes focus on elemental damage, while others enhance physical damage or defense. Choosing the right ascendancy is pivotal to your build’s success.

Passive Skill Tree:
The heart of any build in PoE is the passive skill tree, which provides a massive web of interconnected nodes that grant various bonuses to your character. These bonuses can range from increased damage, to more life and energy shield, to unique effects like poison damage or elemental resistances. The tree’s layout is intricate and allows for a variety of creative builds, with each build typically aiming for key nodes to synergize with its main skill.

Active Skill Gems:
Active skill gems are the spells and abilities your character uses. The PoE 2 update will introduce new skill gems, adding even more variety to your options. Gems can be linked to support gems to modify their effects. For example, adding an "Increased Area of Effect" support gem to a spell might increase its range, while adding a "Minion Damage" support might change the way minion-based builds behave.

Items and Equipment:
Gear in PoE 2 plays an equally crucial role in shaping your build. Weapons, armor, rings, and accessories can all provide powerful stat boosts and unique modifiers that enhance your chosen skills. Unique items, in particular, can completely change the way a build functions. For example, a unique item may grant a special skill gem that cannot be obtained through regular means or modify a skill in such a way that it changes your playstyle.

Flasks:
Flasks provide buffs, healing, and special effects during combat. Flask management is key to surviving tough encounters, as they can provide much-needed recovery or increase damage for short bursts. Understanding the synergies between your flasks and build is essential for taking on endgame content efficiently.

Types of Builds in Path of Exile 2
There are numerous types of builds in PoE, ranging from casual builds to hardcore, min-maxed ones meant for the most difficult content. Below are some of the main categories:

1. Mapping Builds
Mapping builds are designed to help you clear maps (PoE’s endgame content) as quickly and efficiently as possible. These builds often focus on increasing your movement speed, clearing speed, and area-of-effect (AoE) damage.

Skill Choice: For mapping, skills that can hit many enemies at once, like Cyclone, Tornado Shot, or Glacial Cascade, are often preferred.

Defense: Since you’ll be constantly encountering large groups of monsters, it’s crucial to focus on efficient crowd control and sustain. Many mapping builds prioritize life, energy shield, or evasion to stay alive during large-scale combat.

Offense: Mapping builds typically rely on cheap POE2 Currency high burst damage for clearing waves of enemies. Choosing the right weapons and items that enhance AoE damage or grant movement speed is essential.