Why Two Path of Exile 2 Strategies Are Dominating The Meta

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 3, 2025 29 Views 7 Min Read
Why Two Path of Exile 2 Strategies Are Dominating The Meta



Summary

  • Path of Exile 2 offers various character build options with different Ascendancy classes and unique items changing gameplay rules.
  • Lightning-based Electrocution and Cold-based Freeze builds are dominating the current meta for controlling battles.
  • Electrocution stuns enemies with Lightning hits, while Freezing locks enemies in place, both providing effective ways to control the battlefield.

There are many ways to build characters in Path of Exile 2, and one could argue that the game’s title is tied to the story that the titular exile experiences as much as it is about the path that players carve for their specific character in terms of how it works. With Path of Exile 2‘s selection of six classes, each equipped with two potential Ascendancy classes, players have plenty of options to choose from in terms of builds – especially with Unique Items and Keystone passives dramatically changing the game’s own rules. Still, even in the face of potentially endless choices, two playstyles are dominating the current meta.

It’s hard to say how much of Path of Exile 2‘s current content will stay the same all the way until the game comes out of early access, and GGG is already making changes to the game and adjusting some outliers in terms of balancing skills. Given that the game is meant to be slower and more methodical than its predecessor, it’s fair to assume that some very fast builds may take a hit at some point in order to promote equality between them. Still, the best strategies in the game are not necessarily about being fast, but about preventing enemies from doing anything.

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

Path of Exile 2 has many tools for players to customize their builds, and a new one fulfills a very specific power fantasy.

Path of Exile 2’s Lightning and Cold Builds Are The Best in The Game

There are multiple ways in which Path of Exile 2 builds can render monsters unable to act or affect the way they act, such as cursing them with Temporal Chains to make them much slower overall or using the Pin mechanic to stun them in place. Yet, the current best ways to tackle fights are widely considered to be two: Lightning-based Electrocution builds and Cold-based Freeze builds. These two strategies are similar in what they achieve, but different in how they do it.

Why Path of Exile 2’s Electrocution is At The Top of The Meta

The goal in both cases is to stunlock enemies until they are defeated, often buying precious time for players even against bosses in order to reposition themselves, heal with flasks, or keep on dealing damage. Electrocution essentially is the Lightning and Shock version of a stun, and it is mostly used in builds that take advantage of one Path of Exile 2 Unique Item called Kitoko’s Current. What this does is make Lightning hits of all kinds, be it spells or attacks, build up Electrocution stacks on enemies until they are stunned in place. This is especially powerful when used from a distance, such as the popular Stormweaver Spark build or Deadeye Lightning Arrow build, as players are safe from harm in the meantime.

Electrocution lasts for 5 seconds in PoE 2, meaning that players have all the time they need to defeat Electrocuted enemies or stay safe as they are stunlocked.

Path of Exile 2’s Freeze Builds Explained

The other popular strategy revolves around Cold damage, which naturally builds up Freeze stacks. When Frozen, enemies are effectively locked in place and stop performing any and all actions they were in the middle of, and on top of that they can be shattered in order to deal huge AoE damage. This is particularly powerful in Path of Exile 2‘s endgame, as Frozen enemies won’t be able to deal damage to players for as long as the ailment lasts.

Some builds use the Polcirkeln Unique Ring to shatter enemies in mass explosions via Freeze and Herald of Ice.

Electrocution and Freezing Are Two Sides of The Same Coin in PoE 2

Path Of Exile 2 Stormblast Bolts

On top of that, potentially dangerous Rare monsters in maps can be Frozen in place for players to run away from them and then kill them from afar if they are affected by Path of Exile 2‘s on-death effects that may otherwise one-shot characters. As such, Electrocution and Freezing are equally powerful ways of controlling the battlefield, and for this reason, they are currently at the top of the meta for clearing high-end content. It remains to be seen if other strategies will end up stealing their spotlights, but for now, Lightning and Cold are arguably inherently better than Fire and Chaos.

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