Path of Exile 2 | Ranger Build Guide

For me, the Poison Ranger Build turned out to be a really successful setup that is focused on stacking huge poison damage while being fast and nimble. Very good at finishing maps quickly and effectively and is powerful enough to defeat tough monsters with ease. If you're looking for a really farmed DPS build or just something that can be used in literally any type of content, this Poison Ranger is really perfect for the job.

This will be the focus of the Toxic Poison in this build: an exact delivery of damage over time by poison effects, shredding big groups of opponents in a very short amount of time thanks to Gas Arrow and Divine Arrow. For bosses or other more formidable opponents, it turns into Plague Barrier and Toxic Growth-melting health bars while keeping mobility and control.

Skill Gems and Setups 

This build will combine skill gems to increase poison damage and utility. The center of this build is the Gas Arrow; it incorporates hard skills such as Armor Explosion and Corrosion, and also Persistence. All of these things combined create a deadly poisonous cloud that will set up some serious poison damage.

In contrast, Toxic Growth is a powerful secondary skill backed up by Martial Tempo, Soul Thief, and Concentrated Effect, making it perfect to pop in a single area and destroy packs of monsters with tougher opposition. Divine Arrow is now a channeled ranged poison blast empowered with Bursting Plague, Comorbidity, and Long Shot. 

Rain of Arrows slams on constant area-of-effect damage to Withering Touch, Maim, and Envenom, all applying critical debuffs in its wake. Also, Plague Barrier turns on with Vile Expansion, Magnified Effect, and Chaos Mastery active for maximum utility and poison amplification.

Finally, Vine Dancer, with Clarity, Cannibalism, and Precision, will significantly improve survivability and smoothness during fights. Most of your core gameplay is built around Gas and Divine Arrows, while most of the other talents mostly provide situational utility that will help you be in control.

Leveling Strategy

Leveling is very smooth, with this build scaling seamlessly up to full poison potential. In the early game, I'd recommend Rain of Arrows with Maim and Envenom to clear the packs properly. A single target that works reliably would be a Barrage with Armor Explosion and Corrosion. You'd transition into adding poison into your toolset with Divine Arrow, supported by Bursting Plague and Long Shot as you develop.

Last but not least, Venom worked well in Freezing Salvo during the early boss CC setup. The whole point of leveling is to provide mobility and judicious application of your core AoE and ST skills, hence efficiency in clearing and surviving in all parts of the campaign.

Passive Skill Tree and Ascendancy

This build could be a bit tricky to navigate through the passive skill tree, but the build has a focus on evasion, poison damage, and poison duration. Begin with some evasion nodes such as Blur and Eagle Eye, then continue to Harness the Elements in order to attain the maximum poison burst damage. Keep piling evasion, poison duration, and damage by prioritizing nodes such as Escape Velocity and Freedom of Movement.

Start with Contagious Contamination, followed by Overwhelming Toxicity, then Running Assault and Relentless Pursuit. They focus on poison stacking and staying mobile, which is critical to handle the slower combat pace at Path of Exile 2's level. Keep to it to reach peak performance while avoiding diverging, as each is picked to improve synergy.

Gear recommendations

Optimal gears in this build would focus on physical damage, poison, and survivability. Expert Short Bow: Due to the great scaling bonuses that raise physical damage, attack speed, and accuracy, this weapon probably stands out as one of the best in this class.

For defense, look for evasion-based equipment with high life and resistance. A good base would be an Advanced Guarded Helm with evasion and reduced attribute requirements. After Expert Pathfinder Coat, your chest will need to provide evasion and resistance. Gloves- for example, Advanced Section Bracers- should focus on precision, resistance, and survivability. Boots with increased movement speed, evasion, and resistance, such as Expert Ice Boots, are crucial.

Rings and amulets must be resistant, accurate, and tough. The Emerald Ring is for accuracy and immunity to cold, the Sapphire Ring is due to immunity to elements, and the Gold Amulet is good because of the properties and item rarity in this set. Never forget that the improvement of the weapon, evasion, and resistance is also necessary in keeping up with the hardness of the game.

Charms grant resistance and sometimes even situational value; they are perfect to complement your build. A Ruby Charm would increase fire resistance, a Sapphire Charm would increase cold resistance, and a Topaz Charm would increase lightning resistance. Try wearing different charms depending on the resist types of monsters you're fighting. More often than not, the right charm at the right time will multiply your survivability, especially against bosses.

Gameplay and Skill Rotation

Gameplaying for this is quite simple yet effective: just use Gas Arrow and Divine Arrow on normal mobs to create poisonous zones that cause consistent poison damage over time. Save up poison with Toxic Growth and then blow it up with Plague Barrier on bosses and rare enemies. All these, put together, achieve the highest possible harm output while still keeping safety due to mobility.

Always maintain all of your movement skills and utility, using Rain of Arrows and Vine Dancer whenever necessary. This will give you a very well-rounded rotation so you can adapt to any environment with ease and consistency in every encounter.

Finally...

This is just one Poison Ranger build that will dominate Path of Exile 2. It is just full of heavy poison damage with great mobility. If you follow every aspect of skill sets, passive tree pathing, and gear recommendations within this section, then it is going to be far easier to deal with anything Wraeclast throws at you. Prioritize your gear upgrades, tailor your talents to your needs, and, above all, never stop sticking to the strategy.

Also, check our Path of Exile 2 Review and other guides below:

• Path of Exile 2 Class Guide | Which Class Should You Pick
• Path of Exile 2 | Monk Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Warrior Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 Beginner's Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Witch Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Mercenary Build