Path of Exile 2: PoE 2 Skill Tree guide

All the details on the Passive Skill Tree, including weapon specialisation and how to respec

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

Overwhelmed by the Passive Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2? Path of Exile 2 features a gigantic Passive Skill Tree that looks more like a series of constellations than anything else. Newcomers to the franchise will be struck speechless by the many skill nodes available for customisation, and they might also be confused by the weapon specialisation and respec systems.

The good news about this Passive Skill Tree is that it’s much more intimidating upon first glance than it is in actuality. No node on the skill tree is useless, and you can change them at will as long as you’ve got extra gold to spare. If you’re still intimidated, read on - in this guide we’ll provide a complete guide to PoE 2’s Passive Skill Tree, including how to respec.

Path of Exile 2 Passive Skill Tree: Everything you need to know

In Path of Exile 2, all classes share the same giant Passive Skill Tree, which is filled with various nodes. You gain a Passive Skill Tree point every time you level up, and you can exchange a point for a node to strengthen your character. The nodes do everything from offering boosts to the game’s key Attributes to powering up summonable minions.

For in-depth explanations of the various aspects of the Passive Skill Tree, click on one of the following:

• Passive Skill Tree Attributes
• Passive Skill Tree node types
• Path of Exile 2 weapon specialisation
• How to respec in Path of Exile 2

Passive Skill Tree Attribute locations

While all of Path of Exile 2’s classes share the Passive Skill Tree, their starting routes are pre-determined, as each section of the tree roughly corresponds with one of the game’s three Attributes - Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. While the classes start in different places, it’s theoretically doable for a single class to take every single node on the tree, or for an Intelligence-specialising Sorceress to make her way down to the Strength section and become melee-focused. Anything is possible!

Use this handy screenshot to figure out the location of nodes corresponding to the game’s three Attributes. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

• The upper left section of the tree is home to Intelligence and Strength skills. Hybrid characters, such as a Warrior who wants to dip into spellcasting, will be at home here.
• The top middle section of the tree is home to Intelligence skills. Pure spellcasters, like the Sorceress and the Witch, should pick skills here.
• The upper right section of the tree is home to Intelligence and Dexterity skills. The Monk starts here, as he perfectly exemplifies this combination of spellcasting and fast movement.
• The bottom left section of the tree is home to Strength skills. A purely Strength-focused Warrior will do well here.
• The bottom middle of the tree is home to Dexterity and Strength skills. The Mercenary starts in this section, as he begins the game with both of these traits.
• The bottom right section of the tree is home to Dexterity skills. The Ranger will begin choosing their skills in this section.

Passive Skill Tree node types

Here’s an example of all of the different nodes on the Passive Skill Tree, highlighted for your convenience. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

Nodes on the Passive Skill Tree encompass the following types:

• Attribute nodes : These feature a cross symbol and let you add +5 to your Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence.
• Minor nodes : These feature a specific icon and give a small bonus to a particular stat or skill - for instance, the Spell and Minion damage node, which grants 8% increased spell damage and 8% increased damage to minions.
• Major nodes : These are usually connected to Minor nodes, feature the same icon, and give a larger bonus to the same stat or skill - for instance, the Power of the Dead node, which grants 15% increased damage and 3% increased attack and cast speed to minions.
• Keystone nodes : These are unique nodes that can often be found at the intersection of other nodes, or at the end of a particular path of the Passive Skill Tree. They confer the biggest bonuses - for instance, the Raw Destruction node, which grants 16% increased Spell Damage, 16% increased Damage to minions, and +10 to Intelligence.

Path of Exile 2 weapon specialisation

In Path of Exile 2, you can switch up your chosen skills to align with your weapon specialisation , which refers to whatever weapon you’ve currently got equipped. This system grants you an excellent degree of flexibility. You can have one set of Strength-based nodes active for a sword, for instance, and an entirely different set of Dexterity-based nodes active for a bow that you keep for backup just in case a little range is necessary.

In order to assign different skills to different weapons, you’ll need Weapon Set Passive Skill Points . These are acquired from completing Path of Exile 2’s optional bosses and side quests and obtaining a Book of Specialisation , a rare item that instantly gives you two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points.

You can check how many Weapon Set Passive Skill Points you have by opening up the Passive Skill Tree and looking in the upper right corner. You’ll see Weapon Set I and Weapon Set II , and a number listed in brackets next to each which represents the number of Weapon Set Passive Skill Points you can allocate to each weapon. Any nodes you select for a different weapon will appear connected by a different colour on the Passive Skill Tree.

Here you can see a gold path between nodes representing skills assigned to weapon 1, while a green path denotes skills assigned to weapon 2. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

How to respec in Path of Exile 2

You aren’t locked into your skills in Path of Exile 2. Once you’ve progressed past a certain point in Act I and saved the Hooded One - the cryptic figure nailed to a tree in the game’s introduction - you’ll be able to visit him in town and select the Refund Passives option.

This mysterious fellow serves as your respec option. But it’ll cost ya. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

The cost of refunding passives changes depending on how far into the Passive Skill Tree you’ve progressed, but be prepared to pay at least 247 gold per node in the early game. This might seem a bit pricey at first, but it’s a small amount to pay for the ability to completely respec your character if need be.

That concludes our look at everything you need to know about Path of Exile 2’s Passive Skill Tree. If you need more assistance, check out our guide on what to do first in Path of Exile 2 , our class tier list , our guide to crafting , and our rundown of character Attributes .

Path Of Exile 2

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

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