Path of Exile 2 - Skills
The skill archetypes and combat specializations of Path of Exile 2. Because skills are granted through socketed Active Skill gems that can be freely combined with Support gems, the game has no fixed per-character skill list; these entries describe the broad combat archetypes a build draws from and h...
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of 11 entries
· updated 2026-09-15
| Name | Type | Description | Weapon Type | Cost | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melee Strike & Slam Skills | Weapon Skill | The core melee attack archetype: gear-based strikes and heavy slam abilities that convert a weapon swing into a damaging cone, shockwave, or seismic aftershock. | Swords, Axes, Maces, Flails | N/A (skill-gem based) | Equip an Active melee Skill gem on a melee weapon attack slot |
| Projectile & AoE Spell Skills | Special Skill (Spell) | The direct-damage caster archetype: fire, cold, and lightning spells that launch projectiles or erupt in area-of-effect bursts, stacking elemental ailments. | Wands, Sceptres | Mana per cast | Socket Active spell gems; typically requires Intelligence |
| Minion & Summoning Skills | Special Skill (Summon) | The Witch's signature archetype: abilities that raise undead minions, totems, or animated weapons to fight on the player's behalf. | Sceptres, Wands | Flat mana / spirit reservation | Active minion Skill gem; scaling via minion passives |
| Curse Hex Skills | Special Skill (Support) | Debuff-applying hexes that weaken groups of enemies by reducing their resistances, making them take more damage, or impairing their threat. | Wands, Sceptres | Mana per cast | Equip an Active curse gem and keep it in range of enemies |
| Bow Attack Skills | Weapon Skill | The Ranger's ranged attack archetype: spread-shot volleys, piercing arrows, elemental arrows, and movement-covering shots. | Bows | N/A (skill-gem based) | Equip an Active bow Skill gem on a bow |
| Crossbow & Grenade Skills | Weapon Skill | The Mercenary's unique ranged archetype: skills keyed to the crossbow's chamber-loaded ammunition, letting the user swap between sniper bolts, area grenades, and fragmentation bursts. | Crossbows | N/A (skill-gem based; ammo-reload economy) | Equip Active crossbow Skill gems and manage chambered ammunition types |
| Movement & Mobility Skills | Special Skill (Utility) | Utility abilities for repositioning: dashes, blinks, rolls, and leaps that break enemy targeting and cover ground. | All (off a movement slot) | Mana or cooldown | Socket a movement Active gem into a skill slot |
| Aura, Buff, and Support Gem Mechanics | Passive / Support System | The meta-layer of the skill system: aura and chant abilities that grant persistent bonuses to the player and nearby allies, and Support gems linked to Active gems that add damage, projectiles, ailments, or utility to the base skill. | All | Reservation (mana or spirit) for auras | Link Support gems to Active skill gems; reserve mana for persistent auras |
| Trap & Mine Skills | Weapon Skill (Utility / Damage) | Area-control archetype that deploys throwable traps and remote mines rather than directly attacking. | Crossbows, Bows, Throwing | Cooldown or mana per placement | Equip Active trap or mine Skill gems and time placement against enemy movement |
| Totem Skills | Special Skill (Summon) | Archetype that summons stationary totems which autonomously channel a linked skill at nearby enemies, acting as turrets. | All (spell or attack totems) | Spirit reservation and/or mana per summon | Socket an Active totem Skill gem linked to the skill the totem should perform |
| Chaos & Poison Damage-over-Time Skills | Special Skill (DoT) | The ailment-stacking archetype built around chaos damage and poison: skills that apply stacking poison or chaos decay which tick away enemy life over time rather than bursting on hit. | Bows, Claws, Wands, Sceptres | Mana per cast | Equip Active chaos or poison gems; scale duration and ailment effect passives |
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