Path of Exile 2 retains most of the basic mechanics of its predecessor, including its level cap of 100. Getting there is going to be a grinding task, but there are some simple tips to bear in mind for new and returning players.
While early levels can be gained within a matter of a few hours in Path of Exile 2, the final stretch to 100 could take several hundred hours based on player skill. This guide is everything there is to know about leveling up quickly and efficiently in Path of Exile 2.
XP-bonus Gear
Acquire and retain items that offer any measure of bonus to XP. Every bit counts, especially when those bonus percentages are applied to large chunks of XP rewards.
Play The Campaign
Your best bet to leveling up quickly, at least to around level 50, is simply to play the currently available Acts 1-3 in the Early Access campaign. Path of Exile 2 is a carefully balanced game, and progression has been mapped out to ease players into each of the six Acts. For now, on normal difficulty, players will reach close to level 50 in Act 3, readying them for the game’s true endgame content, and even better leveling opportunities.
Players will have also unlocked Cruel difficulty, which is a kind of New Game Plus mode, by the end of Act 3. Cruel Acts 1-3 can then be repeated with harder enemies and correspondingly higher rewards including XP. This re-run will take players close to level 70.
Side Questing
Path of Exile 2 emphasizes gear alongside levels when it comes to tackling content. Side quests put a great deal of rewards in the path of the player, aside from the experience itself. Everything from skill points to gems, Spirit, and Gold is up for grabs, all of which will come in handy in the leveling process. Zones/regions have non-scaling enemy levels, so ideally you will tackle these side quests as soon as possible to avoid the reduction in XP value for your time and effort.
Side Bosses
These optional bosses may seem unnecessary, but they have the same utility as general side questing. Their completion rewards all contribute towards the end goal of leveling, especially the loot items, some of which are critical player upgrades, such as permanent increases to Spirit.
Co-op/Party Leveling
While enemies and the XP that they grant do not scale with player level, there are ways to exploit certain mechanics for quick leveling. Partying up with a higher level friend can open up access to high level areas for massive XP gains without the player ever even having to actively be in combat.
Additionally, enemies do scale both in level and in actual numbers based on party member count, with a corresponding bonus to XP gain.
Party members can also split combat duties, focusing on specialist behaviour such as crowd control or dealing boss damage, or completing different objectives concurrently.
Mob Grinding
It is possible to be slightly under or over-leveled in certain areas due to content not scaling with player level. This can lead to opportunities for grinding high-density mobs for XP, based on player preference for difficulty versus time spent. Farming zones up to three levels higher than your own offers the highest possible XP returns but can prove challenging. On the other hand, steamrolling through monster mobs of the same level or one level lower can provide mindless and effortless action for lesser returns.
Death XP Penalty
While not a leveling tip, it bears mentioning that there is a penalty to XP for dying beyond a certain point in level progression. This is not applicable during the campaign and for an early portion of the endgame.
That is every known way to level up fast in Path of Exile 2.
