How to Survive in Path of Exile 2
Image Credit: Grinding Gear Games, Path of Exile 2 (POE2)
Surviving in Path of Exile 2 can be tough, but if you focus on a few key things, you’ll have a much easier time shrugging off damage and lasting longer in battle.
1. Pay Attention to Resistances
Resistances are super important because they help you take less damage from different types of attacks like fire, lightning, and cold. During the campaign, you can get permanent resistance boosts. These add 10% for fire, cold, and lightning in Acts 1, 2, and 3, and another 10% in Cruel difficulty. That’s 20% total for each type of resistance.
Here’s why that matters: as you progress through the game, your natural resistances will drop. For example…
Act 1: No penalty
Act 2: -10%
Act 3: -20%
Cruel Act 1: -40%
Cruel Act 3: -50%
If your resistances go negative, enemies will hit you even harder. Focus on boosting resistances for the acts you’re playing:
Act 1: Cold resistance
Act 2: Lightning resistance
Act 3: Fire resistance
Save jewelry (rings and amulets) with resistances. Even swapping gear for a specific boss can make a big difference. Example: if a boss does a lot of cold damage, use a ring with high cold resistance.
2. Use the Right Armor for Your Class
Armor works differently depending on your class. Each stat—Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence—matches a type of defense:
Strength: Increases armor, which reduces physical damage.
Dexterity: Increases evasion, which helps you dodge attacks.
Intelligence: Boosts energy shield, which acts as a second health bar.
Pick armor that fits your character. For example:
Ranger (Dexterity): Focus on evasion, but add some armor to survive big hits.
Warrior (Strength): Prioritize armor to take less physical damage.
Witch (Intelligence): Use energy shield to absorb damage before your health takes a hit.
It’s okay to mix defenses. Example: you rely only on evasion, a single big hit could knock you out. Adding some armor can help reduce the damage.
3. Keep an Eye on Your Gear
Your gear needs to match your stats. Example: if a bow requires 90 Dexterity, make sure your character has enough. Changing gear that gives bonuses to your stats might make you unable to use your skills, so double-check before swapping items.
Save jewelry and other items that boost important stats or resistances. You can also upgrade items using crafting materials to add helpful mods.
4. Prepare for Boss Fights
Every act has tough bosses that deal specific types of damage. Adjust your gear to match:
Act 1 (Cold Damage): Equip items with cold resistance.
Act 2 (Lightning and Fire Damage): Focus on lightning resistance, but don’t ignore fire.
Act 3 (Fire Damage): Prioritize fire resistance.
Switching gear for a fight can make it much easier. Example: adding 20% resistance to the boss’s damage type can save you from getting one-shot.
5. Other Tips
Energy Shield: This is great for magic-based classes, but it doesn’t protect against bleeding or poison.
Armor: Helps reduce physical damage from big enemies.
Evasion: Avoids hits altogether but isn’t reliable for every fight.
Chaos Damage: Be careful! This type of damage ignores energy shields.
Final Blurb
If you focus on resistances, picking the right gear, and preparing for each act, you’ll have a much better chance of surviving Path of Exile 2. Good luck, and happy grinding!
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