Selecting a character class in an expansive Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) like Path of Exile II can present quite a challenge. Each class exhibits its unique strengths and weaknesses, catering to various playstyles. For beginners or those less familiar with ARPGs, understanding these nuances can be crucial for enhancing the gaming experience.
In this guide, we’ll delve into the Ranger class, known for its combination of simplicity and overwhelming strength. This class caters perfectly to players who may lack extensive experience in ARPGs or are new to Path of Exile.
While the Ranger may start off somewhat vulnerable, with the right configuration, she can dish out tremendous damage from afar, effectively eliminating bosses in mere moments. So, prepare your arrows, tighten those bowstrings, and brace yourself to obliterate foes!
Skills & Support Gems
Primary Skills
Lightning Arrow serves as the cornerstone of this build, allowing you to bind your most essential abilities to the mouse buttons for efficient gameplay. Simply charge your arrows with lightning and send them soaring into enemy ranks, causing electricity to arc between targets. It’s effective against hostile groups, although less optimal for boss encounters. Nonetheless, this ability is incredible throughout the entirety of the game!
- Suggested support gems for Lightning Arrow: Martial Tempo, Ice Bite, Overcharge, Primal Armament.
For the Endgame progression, select your support gems based on availability during the campaign, as their significance grows as you progress.
Lightning Rod becomes your second vital skill, available right from the start. This skill remains essential through the game’s duration, so be sure to assign it a convenient key. Lightning Rod fires an arrow that embeds in the ground temporarily; any subsequent Lightning Arrow shots will trigger the rod, unleashing extra lightning damage in its vicinity.
To navigate through both Maps and the campaign, deploy a few rods followed by Lightning Arrows to handle enemy clusters. Pair this with Scattershot for added rods, creating significant crowd control, especially against bosses.
- Recommended support gems for Lightning Rod: Scattershot, Concentrated Effect, Close Combat, Rising Tempest.
Orb of Storms serves as your key boss elimination tool. While its initial damage might appear low, its true strength lies in triggering other effects around it. Positioning an orb around a boss and launching your Lightning Rods will unleash a devastating chain reaction of damage. If the boss moves, simply reposition your orb and reload your rods; Lightning Arrow is less relevant in these moments.
- Optimal support gems for Orb of Storms: Chain, Persistence, Unleash, Overabundance.
Cast on Shock is a crucial addition that automates some complex interactions. Although it may require a substantial Spirit investment, the outcome is worth it—ideal against tougher bosses. By connecting Ball Lightning into a support slot for this skill, you’ll accumulate charges by shocking opponents. Once the charge reaches 100%, it will auto-cast Ball Lightning.
With an Orb of Storms active and multiple lightning rods triggering simultaneously, you can unleash a barrage of Lightning Balls via Cast on Shock, effectively clearing out any bosses. Though it might seem intricate initially, it becomes second nature with practice. Adjust your support gems between Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod to optimize damage for boss encounters.
- Support gems for Cast on Shock: Ball Lightning, Impetus, Deceleration, Energy Retention.
Additional Abilities
Herald of Thunder complements your build by enhancing shock damage. Any enemy slain while shocked will activate a zapping effect around the area. Be sure to equip this when you gain access to Spirit from the King in the Mists.
Herald of Ice is a vital component, working in tandem with your Lightning gems to create chaos on your maps. The interactions between Lightning and this Herald will annihilate everything in sight, which is why Ice Bite pairs perfectly with your Lightning Arrow.
Voltaic Mark is useful against bosses early on, applying a mark that increases vulnerability to lightning damage—as effective as it sounds.
Wind Dancer passively enhances your evasion, a critical feature for the Ranger, who prefers to avoid damage rather than absorb it.
Grim Feast is something to consider later in the game once you acquire superior gear and skill points. It focuses on bolstering Energy Shield, which, when combined with Evasion and Acrobatics, allows for enhanced survivability.
Resistances and Defenses
Focusing on layered defenses is essential for the Ranger due to her fragile nature. Start by maximizing Evasion to dodge incoming physical attacks from both bosses and lesser enemies. Once you acquire Acrobatics and reach around 70% evasion, you’ll effectively avoid a wider range of attacks.
Next, prioritize your resistances. Given the penalties encountered after completing all six acts, achieving high resistance levels is mandatory—especially against elemental damages frequently found in T15 maps. Ideally, strive for a base resistance around 50% to ensure survival; anything above that can serve as added protection. Items like amulets, rings, and boots can provide these resistances.
Essential Gear
Unique Items
Widowhail proves to be an excellent choice, though its effectiveness hinges on your quiver quality. If your quiver underwhelms, it may be better to opt for a Dualstring Bow offering substantial physical damage enhancements.
However, if you find a high-quality quiver with attributes like increased damage, speed, or elemental bonuses, Widowhail becomes a formidable, low-cost option. Pair it with Elemental Soul Cores or storm runes for optimal performance.
Hand of Wisdom and Action is another must-have item due to its substantial damage enhancements. With increased attack speed correlating with your dexterity and additional lightning damage relating to intelligence, these gloves perfectly align with your build’s requirements. Don’t hesitate—acquire this item at once!
Ingenuity is a worthy investment for stat augmentation when you perform in conjunction with your gloves. Aim to find one on the cheaper side if currency is a concern.
Atziri’s Disdain becomes invaluable during later stages when facing overwhelming foes, delivering a significant boost to your Energy Shield—essential for maintaining high survivability in PoE2.
Additional Equipment Considerations
For rings and amulets, focus on resists, flat damage boosts, and bonus intelligence. Remember, intelligence is critical when using your gloves. Prioritize additional Spirit on your amulet to enhance your Cast on Shock ability against bosses.
If you’re having difficulty clearing maps with your heralds, consider replacing one of your rings with a Polcirkeln for optimization.
Look to enhance your Body Armour with Evasion and Energy Shield, while your boots should provide movement speed and additional resistances.
Ascension Choice
Be sure to choose the Deadeye Ascendancy in Act II. This class provides numerous passive bonuses to significantly enhance your damage output. The other Ascendancy is more tailored for poison builds, which is outside the scope of our focus.
- First, acquire Gathering Winds, which grants the Tailwind passive, facilitating movement and skill speed boosts, as well as evasion enhancements.
- Next, select Point Blank to amplify damage against nearby targets.
- Then opt for Endless Munitions to increase the number of projectiles you fire.
- Finally, consider Wind Ward, offering up to a 30% damage reduction based on your Tailwind stacks.
All these passive enhancements are beneficial, providing straightforward boosts without additional activation requirements.
Passive Skill Tree Route + Anoint
Our passive skill tree may appear somewhat dispersed, but its strategic selections are vital.
Focus on these essential passive nodes regardless of your game stage:
Master Fletching—Prioritize all nodes within this branch to boost the effectiveness of your quiver, particularly enhancing your Widowhail Bow’s performance.
Enhance Reflexes and Bestial Skin are strategically close, providing substantial enhancements to your evasion and dexterity statistics.
Coming Calamity grants further boosts to your Herald abilities, allowing for chain effects that increase area damage output.
Falcon Technique—Additional attack speed is always beneficial.
Unbound Forces—This node will dramatically amplify the magnitude of shock and chill effects, strengthening your overall crowd control and building up Cast on Shock charges.
Pierce the Heart benefits anyone utilizing a bow, enhancing damage and granting the ability to pierce an additional target. This may be revised later in your build’s lifecycle.
For amulet anointing, consider Patient Barrier for substantial Energy Shield gains or Doomsayer to bolster Herald skill efficiency if needed.
While the passive tree offers numerous routes toward building your character, focusing on these basics will significantly enhance your experience within PoE2. Once familiar with the fundamentals, feel free to explore further customization options!
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