In Path of Exile 2, the way you grow your character’s strength feels completely different now. Skills don’t sit in your chest armour anymore – instead, gems go straight into your weapons and gear, which means every item you pick up could change how you play. The big game-changer is the support gems, because they don’t just tweak a skill – they can totally reshape it. Stick something like Added Fire Damage onto a heavy physical hit and suddenly you’re throwing out a skill that blends physical and burning fire damage in one swing. Or try Elemental Proliferation if you’re into ignites – one flaming strike can start an entire chain reaction across the screen. You’ll figure out pretty fast that swapping one support for another can make the game feel completely new, so it’s worth experimenting with different setups using your PoE 2 Items.

Then there’s the passive skill tree – it looks huge and maybe even a bit scary at first, but it’s basically where you carve out your own style. Most players hunt for groups of nodes that push their main strategy forward. If you’re smashing things up close, go after nodes that stack your physical or elemental damage depending on your weapon. Want your crits to hit like a truck? Grab crit chance and crit multiplier clusters. If you’re all about damage over time, those poison, ignite, or bleed scaling passives are worth every point. You’ll also run into keystones that literally define your build – stuff like Elemental Overload, which trades crit damage for a massive elemental boost, or Perfect Agony, that lets crits scale your ailment damage. These aren’t just small perks – picking one can change the way your whole build works.

Gear is where it all comes together. A high base damage weapon is great, but it’s the mods that turn it into something special. Maybe you go for faster attack speed so you can unleash a flurry, maybe more elemental damage for better burning or freezing effects, or a boost to crit chance so you see more big hits. Rare items can be crafted to fit exactly what you need, but don’t ignore uniques – some come with effects you’d never get anywhere else and can slot perfectly into your build idea. The most satisfying setups are the ones where your skills, passives, and gear aren’t just strong on their own – they make each other better.

It’s easy to get caught up in grabbing gear just because it looks strong, but smart planning pays off more. Save up your currency for the one upgrade that moves the needle – maybe a weapon with the perfect mods, maybe that unique which unlocks a whole new combo for your skills. When all three layers – skills, passives, and gear – click together, you’ll feel the difference instantly. And if you’re patient and make those choices carefully, using tools like u4gm PoE 2 Items can be the thing that pushes your build from good to genuinely powerful.