Path of Exile 2: Weapon Sets & Skill Points Guide

Weapon Sets and Skill Points are two of the most important features you need to know about in Path of Exile 2.

Weapon Sets allow you to equip multiple weapons, giving you versatility in combat. Skill Points, on the other hand, are used to unlock Passives that greatly buff your character. There are even Weapon Set Skill Points, which are specifically tied to your different Weapon Sets!

If you want to know everything about them so you can plan your build out, read on. We’ll give you the rundown on Weapon Sets and Skill Points in Path of Exile 2.

Weapon Sets & Skill Points Guide | Path of Exile 2

Weapon Sets 101

One of the first things you might notice when equipping gear in Path of Exile 2 is that you can swap between two different Weapon Sets. They are represented by the “I” and “II” labels above your weapons in the Equipment menu.

You can then freely swap between Weapon Sets whenever you wish, even during combat. We’ve covered how to swap between Weapon Sets before, but the gist of it is that you just need to press the X key on PC. For console players, you’ll need to use the “Toggle Weapon Set” Skill.

The main purpose of Weapon Sets is to allow you to have two different setups to cover different situations. For example, a bow for ranged attacks in one set and a sword and shield for melee combat in another set. It’s important to have a lot of options when dealing with all the different types of foes in this game!

Skill Points and Weapon Set Skill Points Basics

The first thing you should know about Skill Points in Path of Exile 2 is that they come in two flavors: standard Skill Points and Weapon Set Skill Points. You’ll get both as you progress through the game, mostly from leveling. Completing certain quests and secrets also gives you Skill Points.

Note that Skill Points in Path of Exile 2 are exclusively used on the Passive Skills tree. Active Skills are learned through the Skill Gems system.

You can use the standard Skill Points to learn any Passive Skills and keep their effect permanently, no matter what your equipment is.

The Weapon Set Skill Points, on the other hand, are used to learn Passive Skills that are only in effect when you use either Weapon Set 1 or Weapon Set 2. They’re not active across both Weapon Sets! This does let you further specialize each Weapon Set you have for different situations.

For example, you can have your Weapon Set 1 focus on Skills that raise Strength to use two-handed melee weapons, while your Weapon Set 2 focuses on Intelligence for casting magic. There are a lot of possibilities here, depending on what build and playstyle you prefer.

How Weapon Set Skill Points Allocation Works

To assign Skill Points to specific Weapon Sets, you just need to select them from the top right corner of the corner. The number outside the parentheses shows you how many Weapon Set Skill Points you have remaining while the number inside the parentheses shows your total points.

Now, the next part can be a bit confusing, but Weapon Set Skill Points rely on you having standard Skill Points as well. If you have 10 Weapon Set Skill Points but 0 Skill Points, you won’t be able to allocate the Weapon Set Skill Points. It doesn’t matter how many Weapon Set Skill Points you still have.

However, allocating a Skill Point as a Weapon Set Skill Point essentially splits it. Using another example, let’s say that you allocate 5 Skill Points to Weapon Set 1. It will consume all 5 Skill Points as normal. You can then also allocate 5 Skill Points to Weapon Set 2, though, even if you used up all your standard Skill Points.

Essentially, allocating a Skill Point to a Weapon Set lets you use it for both sets. Consider it a 2-for-1 deal on Skill Points! For a few more details, check out our guide on how to use Weapon Set Skill Points.

How the Passive Skills Tree is Distributed

Last but not least, it’s important to understand the basics of how the Passive Skills Tree is set up in Path of Exile 2. As of this writing, it has 6 different branches off of the starting point in the center. Each one of these branches is tied to 2 of the different starting classes in the game, and they also focus on specific stats.

You can see the distribution in the screenshot above, but the Passive Skills Tree is set up as follows:

• Up Left – Strength and Intelligence. Templar and Druid classes.
• Up – Pure Intelligence. Witch and Sorceress classes.
• Up Right – Intelligence and Dexterity. Monk and Shadow classes.
• Down Right – Pure Dexterity. Ranger and Huntress classes.
• Down – Strength and Dexterity. Mercenary and Duelist classes.
• Down Left – Pure Strength. Warrior and Marauder classes.

It’s also worth noting that stat nodes in this game are color-coded. Dexterity is green, Strength is red, and Intelligence is blue.

Mind you, these are the pure basics of the Passive Skills Tree and how it’s distributed. Nonetheless, this is a good starting point for you to start figuring out what direction to head in. If you’re at a complete loss, just follow the path started by your class choice! You can refund Skill Points and respec later on to make changes, anyway.

That’s everything you need to know about the basics of Weapon Sets and Skill Points in Path of Exile 2. We hope this helps you plan your builds out when you’re starting out in the game!