Read! You will never get stuck in PoE2 Campaign!

Welcome, Exiles, to the brutal yet rewarding world of Path of Exile 2! Whether you're a fresh-faced adventurer stuck in the campaign or an aspiring conqueror aiming to dominate pinnacle bosses, this guide is your roadmap to success. Gear progression is the backbone of your journey, and making wise choices early can set you up for a smooth ride through Wraeclast.

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Why Gear Progression Matters in Path of Exile 2

In Path of Exile 2, your gear defines your power. Unlike relying solely on RNG, strategic gear choices and upgrades can make or break your campaign and endgame experience. Poor gear progression often leaves players struggling against tough bosses like the Dreadnaught or stalling in early acts. This guide breaks down actionable steps to optimize your gear from Act 1 to endgame maps, ensuring you're always ready for the next challenge.

Attention: In the early stages of the campaign, resistance is crucial. Ice resistance is important in the first act, while electricity resistance is important in the second and third acts. Having resistance amulets in your warehouse is crucial for clearing the campaign!

Act 1: Laying the Foundation

Starting fresh in Act 1, your gear is basic, and your resources are limited. Here's how to make the most of it:

Item Types and Upgrades

• White Items: These have no modifiers. Use Orbs of Transmutation to add one modifier and Orbs of Augmentation to add a second. For example, if you find gloves with 40 evasion (compared to your current 10 evasion), upgrade them if your current gear feels weak. Prioritize affixes like +maximum life (e.g., +20 life) or elemental resistances (e.g., cold resistance for Clearfell's final boss).

• Blue (Magic) Items: These have up to two modifiers. Equip them if they're better than your current gear, or sell them to vendors for currency.

• Yellow (Rare) Items: Disenchant these at Yuna (Act 1 NPC) to earn Regal Shards (10 shards = 1 Regal Orb). Regal Orbs upgrade blue items to rare, adding a new modifier—crucial for mid-campaign power spikes.

Tips for Act 1

• Use a Loot Filter: Download a leveling loot filter tailored to your class (available online or through community Discords). Filters highlight valuable items, saving you time.

• Focus on Damage Nodes: In your passive skill tree, prioritize damage nodes like skill speed, attack damage, or elemental damage (e.g., lightning or cold). Avoid critical hit chance or damage nodes during the campaign—they're less effective early on.

• Conserve Orbs: Orbs of Transmutation and Augmentation are limited early. Use them sparingly when upgrades significantly boost your stats.

By the end of Act 1 (level 15), your gear should include basic upgrades with life or resistance affixes, and your skill tree should emphasize raw damage.

Act 2: Preparing for the Dreadnaught

Act 2 ramps up the difficulty, especially with the Dreadnaught boss. Here's how to stay ahead:

Gear Upgrades

• Check Area Levels: Act 2 starts at level 18, offering better gear drops than Act 1. Look for items like the Dual String Bow (for archers) at level 28, which fires two arrows for faster clear speed.

• Vendor Shopping: Each level-up refreshes vendor inventories. Check vendors for items with added elemental damage or increased physical damage. Use a filter search like “adds" for elemental damage or “increased physical" to spot these mods quickly.

• Prioritize Life: For survivability, seek gear with +maximum life (e.g., +40 life on boots). Avoid focusing on armor or evasion—life is king in the campaign to survive boss one-shots.

• Farm Modern Quarry: This Act 2 area has a high chance of dropping Armourer's Scraps, which boost armor quality (e.g., +20% armor, evasion, or energy shield). Run this area multiple times by resetting the instance (Shift + left-click on PC or hold the instance manager button on consoles).

Dreadnaught Strategy

• Craft Strong Weapons: By late Act 2, you should have 5–10 Regal Orbs. Use them on high-base weapons (e.g., Dual String Bow for rangers). Upgrade white or blue bases with Transmutation and Augmentation Orbs, then apply a Regal Orb to make them rare. If you have an Exalted Orb, use it to add another modifier for a massive power boost.

• Test DPS: Equip and unequip weapons to compare DPS in your skill menu. For example, a crossbow with 35k DPS on Plasma Blast is far better than one with 5k DPS.

• Don't Hoard Currency: Spending currency on gear upgrades is more valuable than saving it. A strong weapon can carry you through Act 3 with minimal changes.

Act 3: Cruising Through with Smart Upgrades

If you've followed the Act 2 strategies, Act 3 is manageable with your existing gear. Focus on these:

• Check for Upgrades: Look for items with +spirit or other bonuses from defeating bosses (indicated by skull icons with a plus sign).

• Don't Overcomplicate Builds: If you're struggling, you might be using an inefficient build. Follow a beginner-friendly build guide to understand skill synergies and gear priorities.

Act 4: Unlocking the Trade Market

Act 4 introduces the trade market and hideout, opening new avenues for gear upgrades:

• Unlock Your Hideout: Speak to Ange, clear Vakapanu Island, and unlock your hideout. Use the “/hideout" command or waypoint to access it.

• Currency Exchange: Ange enables currency trading. Exchange less valuable orbs (e.g., Armourer's Scraps) for Exalted Orbs or Chaos Orbs. For example, 12 Armourer's Scraps might trade for 10 Exalted Orbs.

• Trade Market: Search for weapons or armor by level (e.g., level 45–50 quarterstaffs for monks). Sort by DPS and set a budget (e.g., 1 Regal Orb). Avoid overpriced items with inflated DPS from runes or quality—check “true DPS" by subtracting rune bonuses (e.g., a 680 DPS staff might be ~400 DPS without runes).

• Socket Upgrades: Buy Jeweller's Orbs for 4-socket gear (e.g., costing 5 Exalted Orbs). These enhance your skills significantly.

Endgame: Dominating Maps and Beyond

Once you reach endgame maps, gear progression shifts to sustaining resources and tackling high-tier content:

• Rush High-Tier Maps: Move to tier 12–15 maps quickly, as they drop better loot. Avoid lingering on low-tier maps (e.g., tier 1–11), which yield inferior rewards.

• Boss Maps and Tablets: Defeating map bosses often drops higher-tier Waystones or Precursor Tablets. Use tablets in towers to unlock boss maps, which speed up Waystone progression. Buy tablets on the trade market if needed (e.g., 1 Exalted Orb each).

• Cleanse Corruption: Clear corruption areas in maps to earn Atlas skill points. Invest in nodes that increase Waystone quantity and item rarity for better drops.

• Unique Maps: Complete unique maps like Fractured Lake for extra Atlas points to boost your progression.

• Crafting and Trading: Most endgame gear comes from drops or crafting, but the trade market is perfect for filling gaps. Use filters to find high-life armor (e.g., +200 life) or high-DPS weapons within your budget.

FAQs About Gear Progression in Path of Exile 2

What's the best way to upgrade white items in Act 1?

Use Orbs of Transmutation to add one modifier and Orbs of Augmentation for a second. Focus on affixes like Maximum Life or Elemental Resistances for survivability.

Should I save my currency or spend it during the campaign?

Spend currency on gear upgrades to progress faster. Hoarding orbs won't help if you're stuck on bosses like the Dreadnaught.

How do I know if a weapon is better?

Equip and unequip weapons in your skill menu to compare DPS. For example, a weapon with 35k DPS is better than one with 5k DPS for the same skill.

Why is life more important than armor or evasion in the campaign?

Life increases your survivability against boss one-shots, while armor and evasion are less effective early on. Look for +maximum life on gear.

How do I sustain Waystones in endgame maps?

Focus on boss maps, cleanse corruption for Atlas points, and invest in Atlas nodes that boost Waystone quantity. Trade for Precursor Tablets if needed.

Thanks for Reading

Mastering gear progression in Path of Exile 2 is about making informed choices, from upgrading white items in Act 1 to crafting overpowered weapons for the Dreadnaught and beyond. By following these tips, you'll breeze through the campaign and dominate endgame maps. Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for more guides and strategies to conquer Wraeclast!