Path of Building

Professional Path of Exile players know Path of Building sets them apart from amateurs. Most casual players focus on in-game mechanics, but success depends on proper build planning well before the first map.

The community fork of Path of Building gives players amazing control over character development that you won’t find in the base game. New features keep coming to the community fork while the original version stays unchanged. The PoB Community Fork Team and LocalIdentity will release major updates on January 13th to support Path of Exile 2. Players will see simple skills, passives, ascendancies, and items in these updates, and more calculations and features will roll out later.

Players can import other people’s builds and see exactly how to follow specific build paths. This tool helps newcomers and veterans alike. They can see complete skill trees, make better gear choices, and know their exact damage output before spending any in-game resources. Advanced techniques and hidden features in this powerful tool often surprise even experienced players.

Getting Started with Path of Building

Both new and experienced players need the right tools to understand Path of Exile’s technical aspects. The Path of Building community fork stands out as the best tool to plan and optimize builds.

Download and install the community fork

Getting the Path of Building community fork is simple. You can visit pathofbuilding.community or go to the GitHub repository. The Download button gives you access to the latest version. You’ll find two options – a standard installation wizard and a portable zip file that gives you more flexibility.

The program checks for updates on its own and shows the status in the bottom left corner. This helps a lot when a new Path of Exile league starts, as developers release multiple updates to match game changes.

The community fork gets regular updates from dedicated Path of Exile players, unlike Openarl’s original Path of Building. It also supports Path of Exile 2, which makes it a great way to get ready for both game versions.

Understanding the interface and tabs

Path of Building shows a blank canvas when you first open it. The screen splits into two main parts – you’ll see calculations and stats on the left, with an interactive skill tree on the right.

The program’s features are organized in these key tabs:

• Tree Tab: Shows your character class, ascendancy picks, and passive skill choices. You can use “Power View” to see which nodes work best for your build.
• Skills Tab: Lists your active skills and support gems in socket groups. Players can try different combinations to see what works.
• Items Tab: Lets you edit or test different gear setups. You can switch between rare or unique items and see stat changes right away.
• Config Tab: Has settings for enemy types, resistances, flask uptime, and other variables to test real boss or map damage.

These tabs help players design passive trees, experiment with support gems, and compare stats without spending their in-game currency.

Why pros prefer the community fork

Pro players choose the community fork instead of the original version. The original Path of Building is outdated now, while the community fork keeps adding new features.

The community fork’s calculations are accurate for complex mechanics like impale, shock, and elusive effects – something the original version can’t handle properly. This accuracy helps players fine-tune their endgame builds.

Every major Path of Exile content creator uses the community fork. This version takes good features from the original and adds support for new game mechanics.

The fork gives you exact damage numbers that often show differences between the game’s misleading tooltips and actual performance. Players can test their builds and see changes instantly before they spend their currency in-game.

Creating Your First Build from Scratch

Building your first character from scratch in Path of Building is your first step to become skilled at Path of Exile. You’ll find a more rewarding experience by understanding how to craft a character matching your playstyle instead of just following guides.

Choosing your class and ascendancy

Your build’s foundation starts with the right class and ascendancy choice. Path of Exile features seven core classes with distinct starting attributes. Pure attribute classes include Witch (Intelligence), Marauder (Strength), and Ranger (Dexterity). Hybrid classes combine two attributes: Shadow (Dexterity/Intelligence), Duelist (Strength/Dexterity), and Templar (Strength/Intelligence). The Scion stands unique by balancing all three attributes.

The class selection appears at the top center of your Path of Building screen. Each class comes with three ascendancy options, except the Scion who has just one. You’ll get eight ascendancy points in total. New players should turn on “Show Node Power” in the ascendancy tree. This feature helps you spot nodes with the best offensive (red) and defensive (blue) benefits.

Setting up your main skill and supports

The “Skills” tab lets you set up your primary attack or spell after picking your class. Start by clicking “New” to create a socket group, then pick your main skill gem from the dropdown. Add support gems next to boost your main skill’s effectiveness.

Path of Building helps by sorting support gems based on damage increase. You should verify these calculations carefully based on what you want your build to achieve. This tool helps you plan skill gem links and see how different socket arrangements affect your character.

Building your passive skill tree

Path of Exile’s passive skill tree stands as one of its most complex systems. It features 1325 skills that give passive bonuses to your character. You get one passive skill point each time you level up, plus extra points from completing quests.

The tree contains five different node types:

• Small passive skills (minor bonuses and attribute gains)
• Notable passive skills (major bonuses)
• Masteries (specialized bonuses unlocked after allocating notables)
• Keystones (most important bonuses with corresponding drawbacks)
• Jewel sockets (slots for socketing jewels)

A search function sits at the bottom of your screen. Use it to find specific passive skills by keyword, like “increased maximum life”. This helps you plan efficient paths through the tree that balance offensive power with defensive needs.

Saving and organizing builds

Saving your work becomes crucial once you’ve set up your character’s framework. Click “Save” and give it a descriptive name that includes the game version you’re planning for. This way, you can come back to refine your concept without starting over.

The tree management system in Path of Building offers advanced organization features. You can keep multiple skill trees in one build file, which helps you plan progression trees or try different pathing options. The “Manage trees” function lets you copy your default tree and create alternatives with unique names.

You can quickly compare different trees by hovering over options in the dropdown menu. This shows statistical differences instantly without switching screens. It’s a great way to test small changes or explore completely different approaches to your build concept.

Optimizing Gear and Gems Like a Pro

Skilled players stand out from average ones by knowing their way around gear and gem choices in Path of Building. Players can make the most of their character’s potential without wasting currency by understanding equipment options and support gem combinations.

How to review unique vs rare items

Path of Building helps players make smart choices between unique and rare items. Rare items usually give better basic stats like life, resistances, and raw weapon damage. But unique items come with special modifiers you can’t find on rares, making them perfect for specific builds.

Most unique items – about 90% of them – won’t help you in endgame builds. Path of Building lets you see exactly how different equipment choices affect your character instead of just guessing. Some uniques are just better than even the best rare items – take Soul Mantle for spell totem builds or Perseverance belt for attack-based champions.

The community fork of Path of Building supports all unique items and their modifiers, so you can compare rare and unique options accurately. This feature is a great way to see if a unique’s special properties are worth more than a rare item’s raw stats.

Crafting realistic rare gear

Path of Building lets you create realistic equipment setups instead of dreaming about perfect gear you’ll never get. You can apply catalysts, create influenced items, and sort mods by prefix or suffix. This helps you avoid planning builds around theoretical items that would cost thousands of divines.

Here’s how to create practical rare items in Path of Building:

1. Pick a reasonable base item
2. Add realistic affixes based on your budget
3. Try different combinations to balance offense and defense
4. Keep different gear sets to compare costs versus performance

Choosing the right support gems

Support gem selection becomes simple with Path of Building’s automatic DPS sorting feature. The tool shows the highest DPS options first when you pick support gems. You can find the best gem combinations without doing complex math yourself.

The skill tab lets you try different support gems and see how they affect your damage right away. Remember to check the DPS box when picking skill gems. Just don’t blindly pick the highest DPS option – some combinations like Combustion and Elemental Focus don’t work together.

Path of Building calculates complex skill and support interactions better than the game itself. This accuracy is crucial for planning endgame builds.

Using item filters and DPS sorters

Path of Building’s advanced filtering and sorting tools go beyond simple comparisons. The “Find DPS” feature helps you spot the best gear upgrades within your budget. Try adjusting minimum weight settings until you see fewer than 10,000 results in your price range.

The tool also shows detailed breakdowns of your effective health against different damage types, aura and curse effects, and recovery rates. These numbers help you focus on the right stats when looking for upgrades.

These sorting and filtering tools help you make informed decisions about which gear and support gems give you the best value for your investment.

Advanced Configuration and Hidden Features

The Configuration tab is Path of Building’s core feature that turns a basic skill planner into a precise simulation engine. It mirrors your actual in-game performance accurately.

Using the Configuration tab effectively

Path of Building needs proper setup to work at its best. Default settings rarely show your build’s true performance. You need specific combat settings like curse effects, flask uptime, and conditional buffs (Power Charges, Onslaught) to get accurate calculations. Players should adjust these settings based on real gameplay scenarios instead of using default values.

Simulating boss fights and map mods

Most players use “Shaper/Guardian” or “Sirus” as the standard to compare how well their builds work. Smart players only enable reliable buffs like flask effects and avoid temporary damage boosts from Vaal skills. You should manually set shock values, exposure effects, and specific debuffs that matter in boss fights to get the right numbers.

Understanding node power and efficiency

The “Show Node Power” feature gives you a clear picture of optimization options through color-coded passive nodes. Red highlights show offensive strength while blue indicates defensive power. This visual guide helps you find the best paths through the skill tree. Every point you spend should give maximum value.

Tracking resistances and stat caps

Path of Building calculates resistance penalties correctly as you progress (-30% after Act 5, -60% after Act 10). Players often forget to set their bandit choice – Alira’s help gives +15% to all elemental resistances in the Configuration tab. Your elemental resistances should be 20% over the cap to handle map modifiers in endgame content.

This deeper knowledge of configuration options helps you plan builds more precisely. You can spot potential problems before spending your currency in-game.

Importing, Exporting, and Sharing Builds

Knowing how to import and export builds are the foundations of Path of Building’s community success. Players learn from experts and get valuable feedback on their creations through this sharing system.

Importing builds from pastebin or pobb.in

You can import builds into Path of Building with just a few clicks. Look for the “Import/Export Build” button in the upper left corner of your screen. The “Import from website…” button sits at the bottom section of the popup dialog. Just paste your pastebin URL or pobb.in link into the field and click Import. Raw code works too – paste it straight into the import field without visiting pastebin.

Exporting your build for feedback

Sharing your creation starts with the Import/Export tab where you click “Generate.” This step creates your build’s code. The “Share with Pastebin” option gives you a compact link that makes sharing easier. Make sure your configuration settings look right before sharing so others see how your build really performs.

Using Path of Building for PoE2 builds

The Path of Building Community Fork supports Path of Exile 2 builds. In spite of that, you’ll need to set things up manually since automatic importing isn’t ready yet. PoE2 builds need equipment added by hand – copy items with Ctrl+C from the game and paste them into PoB’s Items tab. The same goes for gems and passives until full API integration arrives.

Troubleshooting common import issues

Outdated Path of Building versions or privacy settings cause most import problems. An “Account profile is private” error means you should check your Path of Exile privacy settings – make sure all boxes stay unchecked. On top of that, it helps to include your account tag during character imports. The latest PoB version or a quick restart often fixes stubborn issues.

Summing all up

Path of Building is what sets casual Path of Exile players apart from those who dominate endgame content. In this piece, we’ve seen how this powerful tool enables players to plan, test, and perfect their builds before spending any currency in-game. On top of that, it has proven to be a great way to get continuous updates and accurate calculations that the original version can’t match.

You need practice to master Path of Building, but it’s worth the effort. Players who use this tool well can dodge expensive mistakes, optimize their passive trees, and pick the perfect mix of gear and support gems. The tool lets you simulate real-life boss fights and map conditions, which leads to smarter choices instead of costly trial-and-error in the game.

The tool works with Path of Exile 2, making it future-proof as the franchise grows. Players can now plan for both game versions and maximize their advantage whatever Path of Exile experience they choose. So, learning Path of Building’s advanced features will benefit you across the entire game.

Note that Path of Building works as both a learning platform and optimization tool. Newcomers can import builds to learn game mechanics, while veterans can fine-tune their creations to redefine the limits of performance. This tool gives serious exiles the precision and flexibility they need to succeed, whether they’re creating from scratch or tweaking existing builds.

Path of Building might look daunting at first, but it becomes second nature with practice. The planning you do before entering Wraeclast often determines if your build fails or becomes a league-starter that reaches red maps. After all, knowledge equals power in Path of Exile – and Path of Building remains your most powerful knowledge tool.

Here are some FAQs about the path of building: