PoE 2 Best Ranger Builds - Best Ranger Leveling & Endgame Builds in Path of Exile 2

In Path of Exile 2 early access, the Ranger class stands out as one of the most versatile and exciting choices for leveling and endgame content. With its focus on agility, evasion, and ranged combat, the Ranger provides a variety of builds that cater to different playstyles.  Here we will break down the best Ranger builds for leveling and dominating endgame content.

Best Ranger Builds in Path of Exile 2

Rangers in Path of Exile 2 excel at long-range combat, utilizing bows and projectiles to deal significant damage while maintaining their mobility. The class shines in both single-target bossing scenarios and mapping due to its ability to scale damage efficiently. The Ranger offers three main ascendancy options: Deadeye, Pathfinder, and Raider, each bringing unique strengths to different builds.

Below, we’ll go over the best Ranger builds. Each build will be rated for leveling, mapping, and bossing, alongside detailed recommendations for PoE 2 skill gems, gear, passive trees, and gameplay tips.

1. Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Leveling
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Mapping
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Bossing

This build focuses on poison damage with Poisonous Concoction, utilizing the Pathfinder ascendancy to sustain flask charges and enhance damage. With excellent single-target DPS, fast map clear, and unparalleled mobility, the build excels in clearing all endgame content. Leveraging corpse explosions, poison proliferation, and chaos damage scaling, this build is beginner-friendly yet offers room for optimization for advanced players.

Skill Gems

• Poisonous Concoction + Deadly Ailments + Void Manipulation + Unbound Ailments + Greater Multiple Projectiles (GMP) + Swift Affliction
  

• Dark Effigy (Wither Totem): Withering Touch + Spell Totem for applying Wither stacks, increasing chaos damage taken by enemies.

• Vine Arrow: Swift Affliction + Faster Projectiles for poison synergy and damage amplification)

• Despair: Blasphemy or Hex Bloom for automatic curse application.

• Dash + Second Wind for traversal.

• Shield Charge (optional for offhand setup): Covers ground quickly during mapping.

• Auras and Buffs: Clarity, Wind Dancer, Ghost Dance

Passive Tree

Damage Nodes

• Chaos and Poison Scaling: Focus on nodes like Method to the Madness, Hunter’s Gambit, and Master Toxicist.

• Projectile Damage: Amplify poison output with Deadly Draw and related nodes.

• Flask Nodes: Pathfinder-specific flask nodes like Druidic Rite and Alchemist Genius increase flask sustain and offensive power.

Defense Nodes

• Evasion/Energy Shield Synergy: Ghost Dance, Wind Dancer, and Acrobatics for evasion scaling. Energy shield nodes like Ethereal Feast and Arcane Will for survivability in the endgame.

Weapon-Swap Nodes

• Allocate points to maximize evasion and movement speed when swapping to offhand (e.g., Fleetfooted).

Gear:

• Widowhail (Mandatory): Provides increased bonuses from equipped quiver, scaling Poisonous Concoction gem levels and damage.

• Queen of the Forest (Chest): Converts evasion to movement speed, ensuring unmatched mobility.

• Corpseweeds (Boots): Creates poison clouds from exploded corpses, adding significant AoE damage.

• Snakebite Gloves (Optional for Bossing): Increases poison stacks on enemies, boosting single-target damage.

• Quiver: +2 to all projectile skill levels, attack speed, and chaos-related modifiers.

• Helmet: High energy shield and resistances. Prioritize Evasion + Energy Shield hybrid bases.

• Rings: Use crafted Breach Rings with chaos damage, chaos resistance, life, and evasion rating.

• Amulet: +3 to all projectile skill levels with life and energy shield scaling.

• Belt: Focus on life, resistances, and increased flask charges gained.

• Jewels: Prioritize increased poison magnitude, chaos damage, and flask-related modifiers.

Gameplay

Use Poisonous Concoction to clear packs while corpse explosions (Corpseweeds) proliferate poison damage across mobs. Swap to offhand setup for maximum movement speed, using Queen of the Forest and evasion scaling. Maintain flask uptime with Pathfinder’s passive bonuses to ensure smooth skill usage. 

2. Poison Gas Arrow Pathfinder

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Leveling
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Mapping
⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Bossing

This poison-focused Ranger build specializes in applying devastating damage over time through poison clouds, allowing you to clear packs of enemies effortlessly. It excels at quickly eliminating trash mobs while kiting tougher enemies and bosses with slows, debuffs, and poison explosions. The build provides smooth leveling, strong endgame mapping, and decent bossing capabilities.

Main Skill Gems (Support Gems):

• Gas Arrow (Scatter Shot, Comorbidity, Deadly Poison)

• Dark Effigy (Withering Touch, Chaos Mastery, Magnified Effect)

• Vine Arrow (Sap Thief, Replenishing Roots, Expanse)

• Plague Barrier (Expanse, Chaos Mastery, Magnified Effect)

• Despair (Blasphemy, Increased AoE, Chaos Mastery)
  

Passive Tree:

Focus on poison mechanics and survivability:

• Damage Nodes:

  - Harness the Elements: Increases poison damage and duration.

  - Escalating Toxins: Boosts poison magnitude and damage over time.

  - Crippling Toxins: Improves poison chance and slows enemies.

• Defense Nodes:

  - Life and evasion nodes to improve survivability.

  - Energy Shield nodes for synergy with Ghost Dance.

Gear:

• Weapons: Use a high physical damage bow with modifiers like +1 to Projectile Gems and Attack Speed.

• Armor: Prioritize evasion and energy shield hybrid gear, focusing on Life and Resistances.

• Gloves: Snakebite Gloves: Adds two extra poison stacks and boosts damage output significantly.

• Quiver: Bonus to Physical Damage, Attack Speed, and Projectile Damage.

• Boots: Movement speed is crucial for kiting and dodging.

• Accessories: Rings and amulets with Chaos Damage, Poison Duration, and Resistances.

Gameplay:

Spam Gas Arrow while moving to create overlapping poison clouds. Poison proliferation will quickly clear packs. Against rare enemies or bosses, maintain poison stacks using Gas Arrow and debuff with Dark Effigy and Despair. Use Vine Arrow for regeneration and Plague Bearer for burst poison damage. Stay mobile to avoid damage, and let your poison clouds do the work. Never stand still! Utilize Momentum for damage bonuses while moving. Evasion and Ghost Dance ensure you can avoid and recover from incoming hits.

3. Explosive Shot Deadeye

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Leveling
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Mapping
⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Bossing

This beginner-friendly crossbow build specializes in explosive area damage to clear packs and devastating single-target DPS for bosses. Utilizing the synergy between Explosive Shot and Shockburst Rounds, this build thrives on applying Shock to enemies, amplifying damage and enabling incredible burst potential. The build is easy to gear, has high mobility, and uses Evasion or Energy Shield scaling for survivability in endgame content.

Skill Gems:

• Explosive Shot (Scatter Shot, Ignite Proliferation, Fire Penetration)

• Shockburst Rounds (Concentrated Effect, Added Lightning Damage, Elemental Focus)

• Voltaic Mark (Blasphemy, Increased Duration, Elemental Weakness)

• Herald of Thunder (Increased AoE, Elemental Damage, Added Cold Damage)

• Herald of Ice (Increased AoE, Elemental Proliferation, Added Cold Damage)

• Herald of Ash (Burning Damage, Increased AoE, Added Fire Damage)

• Emergency Reload (Increased Duration, Faster Casting, Increased Cooldown Recovery)

• Wind Dancer (Increased Duration, Evasion Support, Gem Quality Focus
  

Passive Tree:

• Damage Nodes: Focus on Projectile Damage, Crossbow Damage, and Attack Speed. Nodes like Flash Storm, Lightning Rod, and Surging Currents amplify your Shock and damage scaling.

• Defense Nodes: Build Evasion for early game with nodes like Beastial Skin. Transition to Energy Shield in endgame for tankiness with nodes like Flow State and Essence of the Mountain.

• Weapon-Swap Nodes: Use Path of Exile 2’s weapon-swap system to reallocate points between clearing (e.g., Adrenaline Rush) and bossing (e.g., Lightning Rod).

Gear:

• The Three Dragons Helmet (Mandatory): Converts Ignite to Shock for fire skills, enabling Explosive Shot to Shock enemies and activate Shockburst Rounds.

• Crossbow (Core Weapon): Look for high Physical Damage, Attack Speed, and Projectile Damage. Additional bolts improve clearing.

• Body Armour: Focus on Evasion or Evasion + Energy Shield hybrid gear. For Energy Shield transformation, use Expert Waxed Jacket.

• Jewels: Prioritize Shock Chance, Shock Duration, and Damage with Crossbows.
  

• Accessories: Rings, amulets, and belts with Life, Resistances, and Attributes.

Gameplay:

Use Explosive Shot to create massive explosions that clear enemies. Heralds enhance your clear speed with elemental explosions. Apply Voltaic Mark to mark and shock the boss. Then, use Shockburst Rounds for massive damage. Reset with Emergency Reload if needed. Rely on Evasion early game and transition into Energy Shield with Grim Feast in endgame for tankiness. Always stay mobile to avoid damage. Use weapon-swap nodes to optimize damage or survivability depending on the situation.

4. Cast On Shock Lightning Deadeye

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Leveling
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Mapping
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Endgame Bossing

This alternative Lightning Deadeye Ranger build focuses on automated damage using Cast on Shock with Ball Lightning. It allows you to stay mobile while triggering ridiculous amounts of damage around you. The key is using Ball Lightning to rapidly proc Lightning Rods for massive damage. Other skills like Lightning Arrow, Herald of Thunder, and Voltaic Mark provide additional shocks and damage.

Skill Gems:

• Ball Lightning (Cast on Shock, Deceleration, Impetus)

• Lightning Arrow (Fork, Marshall Tempo, Conduction)

• Lightning Rod (Primal Armament, Scatter Shot, Magnified Effect)

• Storm Caller Arrow (Overcharge, Coursing Currents, Lightning Exposure)

• Voltaic Mark (Persistence, Innervate, Lightning Mastery)

• Wind Dancer (Clarity)

Ascendancy:

Deadeye. Key nodes are Tailwind and Endless Munitions for extra projectiles.

Passive Tree:

Focus on intelligence nodes for Cast on Shock requirements. Take projectile damage, lightning damage, shock chance and effect. Acrobatics is a strong defensive option.

Gear:

Prioritize a bow with high physical damage, +projectiles, and attack speed. Stack attributes, max life, and resistances on other gear. Movement speed on boots is important.

Gameplay:

Lay down Lightning Rods and cast Lightning Arrow to proc them. Use Ball Lightning on Cast on Shock to automate huge damage. Apply Voltaic Mark for shocks. Kite bosses while continuing this rotation.