Passive Skill Tree

The Passive Skill Tree is a vast, interconnected web of passives in Path of Exile 2 that allows players to customize their character's skills and attributes. It serves as the primary progression system for character development, providing access to numerous bonuses, such as increased damage, survivability, or utility. Players allocate Passive Skill Points on the Passive Tree by levelling up or completing certain quests, enabling deep build customization and unique playstyles.

Passive Tree Nodes

Passive Tree Nodes are individual points on the Tree that grant specific bonuses when allocated. Nodes come in various types:

• Attribute Nodes (Travel Nodes): Adds +5 to any attribute selected. This node can be changed to a different attribute for the same gold cost as respecing 1 passive. The nodes that are dependent on this passive point do not need to be respeced for this change.
• Jewel Socket Nodes: Specialised nodes that allow players to insert jewels, granting bonuses or effects to enhance their character's build.
• Keystone Nodes: Dramatically alter gameplay mechanics, often providing powerful benefits alongside drawbacks.
• Small Nodes: Provide minor stat boosts, such as increased damage or life.
• Notable Nodes: Unlock after allocating Small Nodes in a cluster, allowing players to select additional specialised bonuses.

Nodes are interconnected, and players must allocate points in a path to reach desired nodes.

Passive Skill Points

Passive Skill Points are points earned by levelling up or completing specific quests in Path of Exile 2, which can be allocated on the Passive Skill Tree to unlock nodes. These allow players to enhance their character's attributes, skills, and synergies, providing the foundation for build customization and progression.

Passive Skill Tree Sections

The Passive Skill Tree is divided into distinct sections, each indirectly associated with one of the game's three primary attributes: Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. These sections influence the types of bonuses and playstyles available in each area and dictate the starting points for characters based on their class:

• The southwest section of the passive tree is focused on Strength; it proves bonuses to mechanics such as fire damage, armour, melee combat, endurance charges, block, warcries, and life leech.
• The southwest section of the passive tree is focused on Dexterity; it proves bonuses to mechanics such as lightning damage, evasion, ranged attacks, Frenzy charges, deflection, accuracy, and flask recovery.
• The southwest section of the passive tree is focused on Intelligence; it proves bonuses to mechanics such as cold damage, chaos damage, energy shield, spells, minions, power charges, mana, and curses.
• The passive skills available between these sections are hybridized between the two.

This structure ensures that starting positions reflect each class's core identity, while the flexibility of the Passive Skill Tree allows for highly customized builds that can explore other sections as desired.

Refunding

Refunding, commonly referred to as a "respeccing", is the process of reallocating passive skill points. Players can remove previously allocated nodes on the tree by spending Gold, with the cost increasing as the character's level rises. This system allows for build adjustments, experimentation, and correcting mistakes in skill allocation while balancing accessibility with resource management.

Refund cost per level

Level	Gold Cost
1	15
2	19
3	25
4	31
5	39
6	46
7	60
8	73
9	85
10	98
11	113
12	128
13	145
14	163
15	182
16	211
17	225
18	241
19	257
20	273
21	290
22	308
23	326
24	344
25	364
26	384
27	404
28	425
29	447
30	470
31	493
32	517
33	542
34	567
35	593
36	620
37	648
38	676
39	706
40	736
41	767
42	799
43	832
44	866
45	900
46	936
47	973
48	1010
49	1049
50	1089
51	1130
52	1172
53	1215
54	1259
55	1304
56	1351
57	1399
58	1448
59	1498
60	1550
61	1603
62	1657
63	1713
64	1770
65	1829
66	1889
67	1950
68	2014
69	2078
70	2145
71	2213
72	2282
73	2354
74	2427
75	2502
76	2578
77	2657
78	2737
79	2820
80	2904
81	3089
82	3281
83	3480
84	3686
85	3899
86	4120
87	4349
88	4585
89	4829
90	5081
91	5509
92	5952
93	6412
94	6889
95	7383
96	7895
97	8425
98	8974
99	9542
100	10129

Weapon Specialisation

Certain quest items like the Book of Specialisation or quest rewards grant two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points, which can be allocated separately to each weapon set, with the exception of keystone passives and jewel sockets. This system provides flexibility for builds that utilize multiple weapon setups or prefer to invest in general passives. You can also allocate these passive points as regular passives instead.

Each character can gain up to 24 Weapon Set Passive Skill Points throughout the course of the campaign. The Witchhunter passive Weapon Master converts up to 100 regular passive points into weapon set passive points.

If you allocate points to both weapon sets, refunding these points requires removing one from each weapon set to reclaim a single normal Passive Skill Point.

See also

Ascendancy class: An advanced speciality passive tree characters gain by completing Ascension trials.

Version history

Version	Changes
0.3.0	Added 8 new clusters between the Warrior and Witch/Sorceress areas of the Passive Tree. Added 15 new clusters to the Warrior area of the Passive Tree. Added 23 new clusters to the Mercenary area of the Passive Tree. Added 17 new clusters to the Ranger/Huntress area of the Passive Tree. Added 17 new clusters to the Monk area of the Passive Tree. Added 25 new clusters to the Witch/Sorceress areas of the Passive Tree. Sources of increased Area of Effect have been lowered by approximately 25%. Sources of Daze Buildup have been replaced with chance to Daze on Hit, with adjusted values. Sources of reduced Reservation of Skills instead now grant increased Reservation Efficiency. Many existing clusters have also received updates. These changes may result in your existing passive tree being forcefully refunded if you had allocated nodes around the areas where the layout changed. A small Attribute Passive Skill has been removed on all of the outward highways between class starting locations.
0.2.0	With the addition of the Huntress and other new game mechanics we've added passive support for these throughout the Passive Skill Tree. There are many new clusters, mostly in the Huntress/Ranger area of the tree, and many existing Passive Skills have been updated. These changes may result in your existing passive tree being forcefully refunded if you had allocated nodes around the areas where the layout changed. Added new Blind-related clusters. Added new Volatility-related clusters. Added new Ranged and Melee-related clusters. Added new Hazards-related clusters. Added new Companion-related clusters. Added new Presence Radius and Aura-related clusters. Added new Parry-related clusters. Added new Banner-related clusters. Added new Bleeding-related clusters. Added new Thorns-related clusters. Added a new Quiver-related cluster. Added a new Crimson Assault Keystone Passive Skill to the south-east of the Ranger and Huntress' starting location. Crimson Assault causes Bleeding you inflict to be Aggravated, and Base Bleeding Duration to be 1 seconds. Added a new Trusted Kinship Keystone Passive Skill to the south-east of the Ranger and Huntress' starting location. Trusted Kinship allows you to have two Companions of different types, causes Companions to have +1 to each Defence for every 2 of that Defence you have, and also causes you to have 30% less Defences. The following Notable Passive Skills have been removed, you will no longer be able to Instil them, but existing ones will still function: Break Focus, Hold Focus, Lasting Concoctions, No Escape, Pinned Down, and Potent Concoctions. 12 Jewel Sockets have been removed from the Passive Skill Tree. Existing characters with Jewels in these removed sockets can reclaim their Jewels to their main inventory using the new /reclaimjewels chat command. Notable Passive Skills in the starting areas of each class can no longer be instilled (or found on Unique items like Megalomaniac). This does not fix existing items where instilled notables in the Sorceress/Witch starting area could display incorrectly on the item due to the notables being different on Witch compared to Sorceress and other classes.
0.1.0	Introduced to the game.