In thisPath of Exile 2article, we will be taking a look at how to put togetherthe Arcane Ranger buildfor you to use to get into the late-game or end-game of the game.Path of Exilehas become notorious for the sheer amount of skills and build possibilities available in the game, and the sequel follows suit with an extensive skill tree and a multitude of skill gems.
This guide is here to help you get through all that and lay out a path for you to follow as you reach the end of the campaign and prepare you for your Cruel playthroughs or endgame.
Introduction
The Arcane Rangeris a ranged build using the bow, where we will be taking advantage of our ranged skills to take down our enemies with a multitude of different arrow shots. And for this build, we will be focusing on increasing our projectile attacks, maximizing both our damage and attack speed when using the bow.
Starter Class
For this build, we will be starting withthe Ranger Class, which is one of the seven available for now. At the time and on the expansive skill tree, the Huntress class will start on the southeast side, similar to the Huntress.
This side of the skill tree consists mainly of passives related to Evasion, attack speed, and flat increase in projectile damage, which we will be investing our points in to bring out the damage potential when using the bow.
Passive Skill Tree
For the progression through the passive skill tree, we will be looking to maximize our damage output, and as such, we will go down the offensive pathway. But we will be taking the attack speed nodes of the offensive route and go throughthe Honed InstinctsandClean Shot nodes.
Then we would go straight down the southeastern axis and then go for the first of the core groups that greatly improves the effectiveness of using the bow, which isthe Master Fletching nodeand the corresponding nodes.
These will boost the bonus effects we gain from quivers and help with our damage output as they take full advantage of using the bow as the main weapon.
Afterwards, we will go for the nearby branch withthe Precision Salvo passive node.
This group of passive skill nodes will increase our attack speed, accuracy rating, and our projectile speed, which will contribute to increasing our overall damage per second (DPS) when using the build.
Next, we will take the opposite branch of skill groups, which will increase the damage output when using our elemental arrows by going forthe Primal Sunderingside of the skill branch.
These nodes will increase our elemental damage, as well as increase our attack area when using skills with area of effect, leading to better crowd control.
Continuing on, we will take the northern axis at the next branching path and go for the group of passive skill nodesthat will increase our penetrationusing different elements, as well as increasing our elemental damage output.
Additionally,the Surging Currents and Snowpiercer nodesalso give us +10 to Dexterity and Intelligence respectively, allowing us to slot more support gems of the corresponding types, as well as giving us some beneficial stats such as accuracy and mana.
After investing in this node of skills, we will continue down the axis of the southeastern part of the skill tree up to the gem slot, and from here we will go up to the next group of passive skill nodes that will bring out the most efficiency when using this build.
This is the group withthe Split Shot, which will allow our arrows to fork and split into two more arrows upon hitting a target, andTrick Shot nodes, which allow our arrows to chain from hitting the terrain. These nodes greatly increase the area of coverage when using the bow weapon and make it significantly easier to clear out mobs.
Although we have the option to go for piercing shots as well, piercing and forking our projectiles do not really complement each other well, so we will be going for only one of them.
After our area coverage nodes, we will go for the second group of passive nodes that give us additional bonuses from our quivers withthe Wrapped Quiver node.
When taking nodes in this branch, do keep in mind that you do not need to take all the corresponding nodes, as one node is increased arrow speed, while another is reduced arrow speed. Taking both essentially cancels each other out, so you only need to choose one.
Lastly, we will be going forthe Falcon Technique node.
Investing in this node significantly boosts attack speed and will allow us to scale easily into the end game, as it increases our attack speed by scaling off of our Dexterity stat. Investing in this branch already gives us6% flat increase in attack speed, as well as +15 to Dexterityalong the way, which will contribute to our damage output.
These skill nodes form the base for this build, and from here, as you level up, you can tailor the build to be either more offensive by investing in the bow passive skill group, the elemental damage branches, or the critical chance branches.
You also have the option to go the more defensive route by investing in branches concerning evasion or movement speed, making the build more flexible depending on your preference of playstyles.
During my playthrough with this build, I chosethe Deadeye Ascendancypath forthe Rangerand invested my points inthe Gathering Winds and Wind Ward nodes.
This gives our build some survivability by means of Tailwind, which is a stacking buff thatincreases our movement speed, attack speed, skill speed, and evasion rating per stack.
Active Skill Setup
For the active skills for this build, we will be taking full advantage of the two elemental attacks that are easily available to the bow, which are the ice and lightning elements.
The first skill we will be using a lot in our build isthe Lightning Arrow skill.
This skill fires off a charged arrow that will fire off chain lightning to nearby enemies on hitting a target. Although this skill by itself is not powerful, it forms part of the core tool of dealing with mobs for this build.
The second skill that forms the core of our mob-clearing skill combo isthe Lightning Rod.
This skill will shoot down an arrow that will remain on the ground for a period of time, which will send out lightning bursts. Much likethe Lightning Arrow, this skill by itself, while dealing damage, is not efficient at dealing massive amounts of damage quickly.
But combining these two skills will allow us one of the most efficient tools to clear out mobs of enemies, as the lightning bursts fromthe Lightning Rodarrows on the ground can be triggered usingthe Lightning Arrow skill, and the charged arrow fired off using the skill will chain additional times from the rod arrows in the ground.
These two skills work in tandem to create a shocking lightning damage field on the ground, allowing you to deal huge amounts of damage that is triggered by the lightning bouncing off of each other as you shoot charged arrows into the rod arrows.
In addition to these skills,the Stormcaller Arrowis a great skill to use, especially when fighting against bosses.
Striking a target with this arrow will leave it in place for a short duration, where lightning with a high chance to shock will come down and strike the target afterwards. This is a great skill to rotate with yourLightning Arrowwhen you’re fighting against bosses, allowing you to deal precise lightning damage as opposed to wide area shots.
Another great lightning damage arrow to use with this combo of skills isthe Shockchain Arrow.
This arrow will release a shockwave upon hitting shocked enemies and continue on as long as it keeps hitting shocked enemies.
This is effective to use withLightning Arrow and Stormcaller Arrow, as they both have a high chance to shock the targets, making it easier to trigger shockwaves and easily wipe out groups of enemies.
For our other element, ice, there aren’t as many skills, but those we have are extremely useful. The first isthe Escape Shot, which will allow us to jump back, creating distance from our enemies while firing off a shot that causes massive freeze buildup that can stop most enemies in their tracks.
Our other ice-related skill isthe Freezing Salvo, which is great at dealing with both bosses and mobs of enemies.
When firing, this skill will shoot off all the icy missiles, which will accumulate passively—the amount of which will go up as you level up the skill gem. These missiles are extremely efficient at dealing burst damage and are the perfect tool to use when fighting against bosses.
Our last ice arrow skill,the Ice Shot, might not cover as much area as the Salvo, as it will fire a chilling arrow that will release ice shards upon hitting a target, but it is a good option for hitting long-distance targets and if you want a more directly hitting ice attack against an enemy.
These skills give us all the necessary tools to deal with any adversity that might come our way, with the Lightning Rods, Arrow, and Shockchains being excellent mapping tools, whileFreezing Salvo and Ice Shotgive us means to deal with single targets effectively.
Support Gems
Concerning the support gems, we will be aiming to amplify the core three skills of our build to make using these simple and effective for dealing with all your enemies.
Forthe Lightning Arrow skill, we will be usingthe Martial Temposkill first, which will increase the attack speed of our skill by 20%.
While the skill by itself is not slow, this support gem greatly increases the efficiency of clearing out mobs.
We will also be putting inthe Lightning Infusionsupport gem with this skill, as this will increase our lightning damage output when using the skill.
For our second skill,the Lightning Rod, we will be looking to amplify the area of coverage of the lightning bursts it gives off, and as such, we will be usingthe Magnified Effect, as this support gem will increase the area of effect by 30%.
We will also be usingthe Persistence gemto increase the time our Lightning Rod arrows stay on the ground, making it easier to cause lightning bursts and chains.
For ourStormcaller skill,we will be usingthe Lasting Shocksupport gem.
This gem will increase the duration of the shock our skill inflicts at the cost of having 35% less chance. This trade-off is worth it since the skill already has a high chance to inflict shock, making the reduction negligible.
We will also be usingthe Executesupport gem with ourStormcaller skill, allowing us to deal more damage to enemies that are already low on life.
For our next skill,Shockchain Arrow, we will be usingthe Chainand Innervate support gems.
The Chainsupport gem will allow ourShockchain Arrowsto bounce to additional targets, and Innervate will increase the damage output if it kills a shocked enemy. Since we will be targeting shocked enemies with this skill already, Innervate is a great support gem for this skill.
For ourEscape Shot, we will be aiming to increase the effectiveness of our slowing effect to provide more crowd control.
To that end, we will be usingthe Encumbrancesupport gem, which will increasethe Slow Magnitudethat will be inflicted by our shot. We will also be usingthe Frost Nexussupport gem with theEscape Shot skillto form chilled ground, making it easier to slow enemies that are chasing us.
Next, with ourFreezing Salvo skill, we will be usingthe Accelerationsupport gem, which will increase our projectile speed by 40%.
This greatly increases the speed the Salvo deals damage upon releasing, as it shortens the travel time the shots stay in the air.
We will also be slotting inthe Cold Infusionsupport gem to ourFreezing Salvo skill,as we will be using this skill as our main ice damage-dealing skill against bosses.
For ourIce Shot,we will be usingthe Scattershot gemandthe Deep Freezesupport gems to maximize our effectiveness with this skill.
The Scattershotwill allow us to fire off an additional arrow with ourIce Shot, allowing us to increase our freeze buildup and damage more targets with the skill, andthe Deep Freezewill make it so that the freeze lasts longer upon triggering with the Ice Shots.
Forthe Spirit Gem, we will be usingthe Wind Dancerfor this build, as this gives us increased evasion while there are charges, in addition to the knockback fromthe Galeforcewhen you are attacked.
Although it doesn’t seem significant, these wind charges really give added survivability when surrounded by a lot of enemies.
Another Spirit Gem,the Herald of Thunder, goes great with this build as well, as it will allow us to inflict shock on our enemies with all of the skills for this build.
The Herald of Thunderskill will call down a lightning bolt whenever we kill a shocked enemy, adding to our damage output when clearing mobs using this build.
This setup with the active skills and support gems will maximize our effectiveness at clearing out mobs and fighting bosses.
Gears and Equipment
This build does not require any specific Uniques to perform well and can function with decent gear of the yellow rare rarity.
Among the different bows,the Dualstring Bowworks really well, as it allows us to fire an additional arrow with all of our skills, greatly increasing the area of effect and damage of most of our skills.
When you are putting your gear together, this build benefits greatly from gear with bonuses to physical damage, as our skills scale with our physical damage.
The build also benefits from quivers with great stats because we have invested in passive nodes that will give us additional bonuses from our quivers.
If we use aFire Quiver, we will be able to deal all three types of elemental damage when using this build using regular arrow shots without having any fire-element-related skills.
Leveling Guide
The build is efficient at dealing with groups of multiple enemies and will give you little trouble while dealing with mobs using our lightning skills.
As you level up, it is beneficial to haveat least 1–3 Intelligence attribute nodessince this will allow us to equip more Intelligence support gems, in addition to increasing the mana pool, and you’re able to start investing into more attack speed or critical chance to increase your damage output even further.
Mapping and Bossing
This build is capable during both mapping and bossing; you will not run into much trouble. You can kite around the boss and deal a lot of damage with your myriad of elemental arrows. The different types of damage options available to us make it easier to deal with bosses regardless of their resistances.
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In this article, we’ll be taking a look at how to put together The Sniper Build for getting into the endgame
In addition, efficient gameplay involves regularly alternating betweenLightning Rods and Lightning Arrowto deal with mobs of enemies while mapping, and usingStormcaller and Shockwaveto effectively clear out huge mobs within short amounts of time.Escape Shot and Ice Shotprovide reliable traversal and crowd control options, while Freezing Salvo allows us to deal massive burst cold damage in a short amount of time.
Endgame Scaling and Optimization
Endgame scaling is enhanced through cluster jewels that increase attack speed, movement speed, and critical chance. The build has great options to scale by investing into either pure attack damage or critical hit chance and damage, while benefiting from high-Dexterity gear to further boost attack speed and damage with a high degree of versatility, which allows the build to be tailored to your preferred playstyle.
This build performs well in SSF and Hardcore, thanks to its high damage and high mobility. It is not reliant on expensive uniques and offers great damage without many drawbacks.
So, this wraps up my guide for the Arcane Ranger build guide forPath of Exile 2. I hope you found this guide helpful, and if you have any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section.
