PoE 2 Ranger - Overview, Skills, and Ascendancies

Path of Exile 2 is releasing the Ranger, one of the original 6 classes from PoE 1. Since these classes are returning, they will have a similar feel to the original game. Even still, there will no doubt be new features to enjoy for PoE 2.

The Ranger has been a powerful class in Path of Exile 1 for a while, and it will no doubt be popular with players for PoE 2. Being able to attack from range is fundamentally powerful in PoE. You’re able to deal damage from a safer distance and you have access to powerful clearing and single target skills.

In this guide, I’ll be covering everything we know about the Ranger class and how it works. Let’s jump right in.

The Ranger class is a new class with the DEX attribute. This means the Ranger will start on the lower right side of the passive tree.

This area is close to nodes with things like Evasion, Cold Damage, Crit, Bow Damage, Flask Effect, Attack Speed, and more.

As the class name suggests, the Ranger’s specialty is Bows (usually). This will give you access to all of the arrow-like skills in the game. Your offhand equipment is a quiver, giving you an equipment slot for additional stats, whether offensive or defensive.

Returning players will likely feel many similarities to PoE 1, but there is an emphasis on combining more skills together in PoE 2.

Mounts

In the recent gameplay overview, GGG teased a Rhoa Mount. From the video, we can see the Ranger riding on a Rhoa, and is able to attack while Mounted. Furthermore, attacks while mounted will have no movement speed penalty!

Some skills like Escape Shot will have a unique interaction, allowing you to fire while jumping off the Rhoa backwards to safety. While dismounted, the Rhoa will also attack enemies.

There is a drawback, though. If you take a stunning hit of damage while mounted, you’ll be knocked off. From here, your character will take some time to get back up, putting you in danger.

From this information, we can assume that this Mount is a new skill being added to PoE 2. We don’t know the exact details, but it’s a new addition to look forward to.

Here’s a look at some of the skill gems we’ve seen in these videos.

• Lightning Arrow

• Escape Shot

• Poisonburst Arrow

• Lightning Rod

• Stormcaller Arrow

• Snipe

• Vine Arrow

• Barrage

• Toxic Growth

• Electrocuting Arrow

• Sniper’s Mark

• Gas Arrow

• Rain of Arrows

• Detonating Arrow

These skills below were shown in gameplay showcases, but not in the image above from the recent playtest.

• Herald of Thunder

• Plague Bearer

• Tornado Shot

• Spiral Volley

Many of the skills we see here are either returning from PoE 1 or are spiritual successors to past skills. We have things like Lightning Arrow and Tornado Shot coming back, two of the most iconic Ranger skills from PoE 1.

Vine Arrow is new but thematically similar to Toxic Rain, shooting a plant into an area that slows and poisons enemies.

Herald of Thunder will reserve your Spirit to add Lightning Damage to your attacks.

There’s also a large variety of skills that can help you deal stronger single target damage like Barrage, Poisonburst Arrow, or Snipe. Barrage is a new enhancement skill with a cooldown. Using it will make it so your next skill fires three times.

This can be useful for a variety of situations, helping you clear faster with AoE skills or burst down a boss with a single target skill.

There are a lot of skills to learn about, and you’ll have a lot of freedom to explore what skills you utilize in your build.

Support Gems

In the official gameplay walkthrough, we’re given a look at some Support Gems. These are gems you socket into your skills to further empower them.

Here are some we’ve seen thus far.

• Multiple Projectiles

  • Supports projectile skills, making them fire extra projectiles.

• Faster Projectiles

  • Supports projectile skills, making those projectiles travel faster.

• Chain

  • Supports projectile skills and any other skills that chain, causing them to chain additional times.

• Less Duration

  • Supports any skill that has a duration, making that duration shorter

• Shock Proliferation

  • Supports any skill that hits enemies, giving it a chance to also shock nearby enemies when you shock an enemy.

There were a ton of skills revealed for the Ranger, and you can combine them in a variety of ways. Furthermore, a new dual specialization system might make build crafting for Ranger even more variable.

Lightning Rod shoots a rod into the ground that allows you to chain your lightning arcs to. In the video, Jonathan uses Lightning Rod with Multiple Projectiles and Faster Projectiles to quickly shoot rods into the ground. From there, he uses Lightning Arrow with the Chain support to deal tons of Lightning damage that bounces around the rods.

Snipe is a charge up skill that guarantees a critical hit, dealing bigger damage. Sniper’s Mark is a curse that you can apply to an enemy. When you hit this marked enemy with a critical hit, you’ll gain a Frenzy Charge, which grants you additional Attack Speed and Damage. Combining these two skills will let you generate Frenzy Charges to buff up your character.

These are just some of the interactions of the Ranger Skills showcased thus far. There are plenty more with things like Armour Break, Poison/Plant Skills, and more.

While every Class will eventually have 3 Ascendancy Classes, Early Access will start with 2 for each class. The Deadeye is your classic Ranger, specializing in Arrows/Bows and the like. The Pathfinder will have more utility with "Concoctions" and passives that affect Chaos damage.

Deadeye

[See Deadeye Ascendancy Page]

The Deadeye is your classic Bow & Arrow character, shooting a variety of Arrow Skills to deal damage. The Deadeye also has access to Tailwind, a buff that makes your character much faster.

You can also choose to deal more damage by being up close, or by shooting from far away.

Pathfinder

[See Pathfinder Ascendancy Page]

The Pathfinder can also use a Bow and Arrow, but she has more access to utility with "Concoctions." You can pick the best Concoction to match your build (Poison, Lightning, Physical, etc).

The Pathfinder also has a very unique passive that gives you extra Passive Points on your regular Skill Tree.

This wraps up everything we know about the Ranger class in Path of Exile 2.

The Ranger is a well beloved class in PoE 1, and the class looks quite powerful from the gameplay we’ve seen thus far. Being able to attack from range is a big advantage in PoE, but things may be different in PoE 2.

PoE 2 has much more emphasis on movement and dodging with the new dodge roll. Ranged classes often had a significant advantage in PoE 1, but that may change.

Even still, the Deadeye definitely fulfills the fantasy of being a fast-moving, arrow-shooting character, mowing down enemies with your volleys.

Or you can become a Pathfinder and watch packs of enemies die from Poison and other status effects.