PoE2 Warrior Guide & Final Review

Time: 2025-01-21 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide Tags: #POE2WarriorGuide

In this in-depth guide, we explore the Warrior class in Path of Exile 2, offering insights into its mechanics, progression strategies, and how it stacks up against other classes such as the Mercenary and Mage. This review will give you a thorough understanding of what to expect if you choose to play as a Warrior, including gameplay tips, gear considerations, and endgame viability.

Overall impressions

Initial Experience: Contrary to some negative feedback, the Warrior class isn't inherently unplayable in PoE2. It excels at dealing damage to bosses with the right setup, but can feel underwhelming in general mob encounters, especially when compared to ranged classes.

Challenges:

Damage scaling: To maximise the Warrior's potential, careful equipment optimisation and strategic use of skills are essential. Without these, damage output can be lacklustre, especially in packs of enemies.

Skill lag: The class suffers from long skill animation delays, which can make combat feel sluggish or "heavy", less fluid than one would expect from a melee class.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

High boss damage with the right equipment and skill synergy.

Suitable for players who appreciate the tactile feel of melee combat and have the patience for slower paced gameplay.

Cons:

Slow attack animations and skill delays.

Struggles with crowd control without specific crowd clearing skills or gear.

Less popular gear, making it cheaper but harder to find quality items.

Gameplay Tips

Skill Selection:

Basic Strike & Mace Strike: Core skills for consistent damage output.

Fire Injection: Increases area damage when combined with Herald of Ash.

Swarming Strike: Great for managing groups of enemies.

Perfect Hit: Key to high-damage boss encounters, requiring precise timing with buffs such as Window of Opportunity and Eternal Flame.

Passive Tree:

Invest in melee-focused nodes that boost physical and attack damage. Aftershock is particularly useful as it provides damage even if critical hits are infrequent.

Gear and trade:

Early game: Use the in-game shop for gear until you reach level 25.

Mid to late game: Trade, focusing on high DPS items. Warrior gear may be less in demand, allowing for potentially cheaper acquisitions but limited high-end options.

PlayStation Considerations:

PS5 users should be aware of potential frame drops in high mob density scenarios. Trading on consoles may require a secondary device for communication or trading due to platform limitations.

Progression and Endgame

Leveling:

As a beginner class, the Warrior can be challenging due to its melee focus and gear dependency. The early stages may not be as smooth as with ranged classes.

High leveling:

With significant investment in gear, Warriors can become extremely powerful and capable of one-shot bosses. However, getting to this point requires significant hurdles and patience.

Old Character:

If not your first choice for a full campaign run, consider Warrior as an alternate character where gear costs are lower due to lower demand.

Miscellaneous Tips

Skill Usage: Timing skills such as Bone Smash with visual cues from the enemy can lead to effective crowd control with stuns.

Community Feedback: The Warrior appeals to a niche audience, particularly those with a penchant for melee combat or nostalgia for similar classes in other games. However, it's not universally loved due to its unique challenges.

Thank you for reading

The Warrior class in Path of Exile 2 offers a challenging but rewarding experience for those who enjoy melee combat. It may not be the best choice for new players or those looking for an easy way through the game, but with dedication, strategic equipment choices and skill management, it can provide some of the most satisfying moments of gameplay. Players looking for efficiency or less grind may find other classes more appealing, but for those who enjoy the challenge, Warrior offers a deep, engaging play style.