How Path of Exile 2 Hits a Grand Slam With One Power Fantasy

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 2, 2025 6 Views 7 Min Read
How Path of Exile 2 Hits a Grand Slam With One Power Fantasy

Summary

  • Unique Items, Ascendancy classes, and Keystone passives change gameplay in Path of Exile 2.
  • Giant’s Blood Keystone allows wielding two-handed weapons in one hand, offering unique build choices.
  • Giant’s Blood has drawbacks, but it unlocks offensive options in the game, helping reduce bosses’ impact.

One could argue that one of the most fun or even the most important parts of the Path of Exile 2 experience, much like its predecessor, is building out characters following specific concepts and power fantasies. These don’t have to be tied to one’s starting class and chosen Ascendancy, either, as the Witch’s Chronomancer Ascendancy proves that even non-melee-focused classes can wield two-handed weapons and fight at close quarters. Path of Exile 2‘s builds will evolve further in the future, as the game is supposed to launch six more base classes with their associated weapon types and Ascendancies, taking things to the next level. Still, even now, players can use a unique and well-implemented power fantasy that not many games include.

The best ways to change how to play Path of Exile 2 are Unique Items, Ascendancy classes, and Keystone passives on the skill tree. This is because these three possible build choices all have the ability to change the rules of the game, such as The Everlasting Gaze Unique amulet allowing players to add a percentage of their Mana to their Energy Shield, which works even if one picks the Eldritch Battery Keystone. Yet, a great power fantasy the game offers is tied to the Giant’s Blood Keystone, which allows players to use two-handed weapons in one hand.

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Why Path of Exile 2’s Itemization Needs One Major Rune Change

Path of Exile 2 has various systems in place to define how items work, and Runes may need one important change moving forward.

How Giant’s Blood Changes Path of Exile 2’s Rules

It’s not uncommon to see fictional characters wield comically large weapons in a single hand, at times even in video games, and this Path of Exile 2 Keystone passive does exactly that. Giant’s Blood is located in the bottom-left part of the skill tree, and it allows players to wield two-handed weapons in one hand, meaning they can either dual-wield two huge weapons or wield one with a shield. This is an incredible feat in the game and an equally powerful Keystone, though sacrifices must be made.

Giant’s Blood can also be obtained with the Treefingers Unique Item, which unlocks the Keystone regardless of the players’ current place on the skill tree. These gloves can be used as early as level 11.

Giant’s Blood’s Drawbacks in Path of Exile 2 Explained

Much like most of the Keystones in Path of Exile 2, Giant’s Blood comes with a drawback, which is that players need three times the attribute requirements of any two-handed weapon they intend on using. For example, a level 38 Crumbling Maul that can normally be used with 88 Strength requires players 252 Strength instead, with Giant’s Blood unlocked, which can be a daunting task. Even Path of Exile 2‘s Unique Items like Meginord’s Girdle and The Vertex can only help so much, and a Giant’s Blood build will need to spec into attributes one way or the other.

Why Giant’s Blood is a Great Keystone in Path of Exile 2

The Passive Skill Menu With Life Regeneration Selected

Even with the drawbacks, Giant’s Blood is a great buildcrafting tool because it unlocks many options. Normally, two-handed weapons come with the downside of not allowing players to use Path of Exile 2‘s shields and foci, thus giving up some defenses for what is typically more offense. In the case of Giant’s Blood, players once again have the opportunity to choose between going ultra-offensive by dual-wielding two-handed weapons or using one with a shield.

Not only that, but there will be more scenarios where Giant’s Blood becomes even more interesting further down the line when weapon types like Swords and Spears are added, as there will also be more Uniques to choose from. As it stands, Giant’s Blood can make Path of Exile 2‘s bosses feel less imposing, as they are usually much bigger than the player character. Instead, dual-wielding two-handed weapons or using them with a shield helps reduce the visual impact of the bosses’ size, to a degree, while also giving players new tools that were never previously available in Path of Exile.

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