The 1500-node grid, explained
Every class shares the same passive tree. You start at a different point on the grid. Your build picks ~120 nodes by level 100. Respec is paid in gold and gets expensive late, so read a build guide before clicking.
How you get passive points
1 point per character level from level 2 onwards (so 99 points from levels alone at level 100).
Bonus points from skill point quests in the campaign (~22 extra points total across the campaign and Atlas). Most beginners miss 4-6 of these. See Campaign walkthrough.
Node types
Small dot. Usually +10 to one attribute or a tiny stat. You take these to connect to better nodes. Don't worship them, just pass through.
Larger dot. Specific stat like “8% increased Lightning Damage”. Usually clustered around a Notable. Take the ones you need on your way through.
Hexagonal node with a name and a unique bonus (“Whispers of Doom”, “Heart of Lightning”). The reason you travel to a cluster. Always your priority.
Square node with a game-changing rule. Chaos Inoculation sets your life to 1 and makes you immune to chaos. Eldritch Battery spends Energy Shield before mana for spells. Keystones define a build, never take one casually.
Empty hexagon. Slot a jewel item to get its stats applied to the surrounding nodes (some jewels) or as a flat bonus (most jewels). Build-defining once you reach the endgame.
Some nodes require attribute thresholds (e.g. 20+ Int) to fully activate. The tree provides them automatically as you travel.
Ascendancy
A separate small wheel attached to your starting area. Unlocked through the Trial of the Sekhemas (Act 2) and Trial of Chaos (Act 3). 2 points per Trial, 8 total by the end of the campaign. Two more from endgame trials at level 75+.
Witch ascendancies: Blood Mage, Infernalist, Lich.
Sorceress ascendancies: Stormweaver, Chronomancer.
You commit to one ascendancy permanently on first trial completion. Choose well. The deep-dives: Stormweaver, Blood Mage.
Respec
Open the passive tree (P), right-click a refunded node, pay gold. The cost scales with your level: cheap in early Acts, painful at level 90+. A single full reset at level 95 costs tens of thousands of gold.
The Atlas tree is separate and respecs free at Doryani. Don't confuse the two.
During the campaign, NPCs hand out free respec points after key quests. Save them for when you actually rebuild, not for the first trip-up.
Building a path
The naive approach (take every shiny node you see) wastes 30+ points by Act 4. The structured approach:
- Open your chosen build guide. It will share an importable tree.
- Identify the 2-3 first Notables you target. That gives you a path direction.
- Travel toward the first Notable. Pick small nodes that match (damage type, life, mana) on the way.
- Hit the Notable, take its closest 1-2 small nodes, then start traveling to the next.
- Save Keystones for late. They lock you into a playstyle.
Importing a tree from a guide
Build guides (Maxroll, Mobalytics) share trees as a long URL or import code. PoE 2 does NOT have an in-game import yet (datamined for a future patch). Until it ships, the workflow is:
- Open the build guide tree in a browser.
- Note the Notables and Keystones in order.
- Allocate them yourself in-game, comparing side-by-side.
Path of Building Community is the standard offline planner. Most guides export a PoB code you can paste. PoB Community supports PoE 2 but is community-maintained, so expect rough edges and patch-lag.
Caster keystones worth knowing
- Eldritch Battery. Spells consume Energy Shield before mana. Core for many caster builds that stack ES.
- Chaos Inoculation (CI). Life set to 1, immune to chaos. Pairs with massive ES pool. Ends Blood Mage life-cost mechanics.
- Acrobatics. Spell-suppression-style evasion bonus, less armour. Glass-cannon-friendly.
- Pain Attunement. Low life = more spell damage. Risky but synergises with Blood Mage life cost.
Each comes with a heavy downside. Take only when your build guide tells you to, and only when your gear can absorb the cost.