Path of Exile 2 Gear Guide: Understanding Equipment Slots

GamesGuidesPath of Exile 2Beginner's Equipment Guide

PoE 2 Beginner's Equipment Guide

This guide will help you get started with understanding the different types of items your character can equip in Path of Exile 2. We’ll cover the basic stats these items can have and their importance. In PoE 2, equipment is often referred to as “gear,” while craftable equippable items are known as “bases.”

Below, you’ll find an image showcasing the various equipment slots available for characters in the game.

Thank you for your interest in our guide, if you don't want to waste your time on routine, then we recommend you to use our boosting services. For you a bonus of 20% discount by promo code GAID20.

Most gear in Path of Exile 2 has an Attribute Requirement—Dexterity, Intelligence, or Strength—which affects its base stats. These attributes influence the type of defense the item provides or the damage it deals. Some items combine two or more Attributes, known as “hybrids,” making them distinct from “pure” Attribute gear. Here are some examples:

Armours

In this context, "armour" refers to Gloves, Boots, Body Armour, and Helmets, not the Armour stat that reduces Physical damage. These armour pieces offer a base defensive stat, which can be enhanced through modifiers on the item or boosts from your Passive Skill Tree.

Types of Armour and Their Defenses:

Dexterity: Evasion Rating
Strength: Armour
Intelligence: Energy Shield
Dexterity/Strength: Evasion/Armour
Strength/Intelligence: Armour/Energy Shield
Intelligence/Dexterity: Energy Shield/Evasion

Base Defenses

Let’s break down some of the new terms mentioned earlier:

Evasion Rating: This stat increases your chance to dodge incoming attacks. It’s often referred to simply as “Evasion.”
Armour: A stat that reduces the damage taken from Physical attacks.

Energy Shield: This is an advanced mechanic deserving its own guide. For now, think of it as a protective barrier over your Life. Equipping an item with Energy Shield will add a light blue section to the right side of your Life Orb.

"The light blue crescent on the right-hand edge of the player’s Life Orb indicates the presence of an Energy Shield."

The highlighted item stats show the base defenses it provides, such as Evasion Rating or Energy Shield, which correspond to the item’s Attribute Requirements (e.g., Dexterity or Intelligence).

Note: Some low-level items may lack Attribute Requirements but could still have a Character Level requirement.

Below are examples of various items, showcasing their base stats and how they align with their Attribute requirements.

PoE 2 Boot Bases

PoE 2 Helmet Bases

PoE 2 Glove Bases

Armour Modifiers

Armour pieces with different Attribute requirements can roll unique modifiers based on their type.

For example, two pairs of Boots may share a similar pool of modifiers—offering bonuses such as increased Maximum Life, Resistances, or Movement Speed. However, Dexterity-based Boots can roll a modifier like “+50% increased Evasion Rating,” while they cannot roll “+50% increased Energy Shield.”

Similarly, a Strength-based Body Armour might roll modifiers that increase Armour but won’t have options to boost Evasion Rating or Energy Shield. Hybrid equipment, such as Dexterity/Strength Gloves, can roll modifiers for Armour, Evasion, or a hybrid Armour/Evasion stat.

While there’s more to explore about gear modifiers, the key takeaway for beginners is: if you want to specialize in a specific defense type, like Evasion Rating, use items aligned with the appropriate Attribute—such as Dexterity-based gear.

Jewellery

In Path of Exile 2, “Jewellery” refers to Rings, Amulets, and Belts. These items always feature a useful implicit modifier that enhances your character’s stats.

Implicit Modifiers

An implicit is a built-in modifier specific to an item type, independent of its Rarity or item level. For more on modifiers, check out our Introduction to PoE 2 Item Modifiers Guide!

Rings

Rings typically have implicits that boost Resistances. For example:

Sapphire Ring: Increases Cold Resistance
Topaz Ring: Increases Lightning Resistance
Ruby Ring: Increases Fire Resistance

You can also find Rings with implicits that enhance multiple Resistances or grant offensive bonuses like Increased Cast Speed. Rings are versatile and can roll both offensive and defensive modifiers to improve stats such as Life, Resistances, and damage.

During the campaign, prioritize using Rings to boost your Resistances—even Normal Rarity Rings can be very effective for this purpose!

Amulets

Amulets often feature implicits that increase Attributes:

Lapis Amulet: Boosts Intelligence
Jade Amulet: Boosts Dexterity
Amber Amulet: Boosts Strength

Some Amulets provide increases to multiple Attributes or offer niche benefits, such as Life Regeneration or boosts to Spirit. Since Support Gems now require +5 of a specific Attribute, equipping even a simple Amulet can help you meet Attribute requirements, enabling the use of additional Support Gems or equipping higher-requirement items.

Like Rings, Amulets are valuable even at Normal Rarity, especially during the campaign.

Belts

Belts offer implicits that enhance both defensive and offensive stats. While not many Belt bases are revealed yet, examples include:

Plate Belt: Grants a flat increase to Armour

It’s likely that other Belts will boost Evasion Rating, Energy Shield, Life, or damage. Additionally, Belts increase your Charm capacity—up to a maximum of 3—providing critical protection against deadly ailments. This defensive layer is vital and should not be overlooked!

Weapons

Weapons in Path of Exile 2 are undergoing significant changes to ensure each weapon type feels unique. The skills you can use directly depend on the type of weapon you wield.

Players have two main Weapon slots (one for each hand) and an alternate Weapon Swap slot for a secondary setup. This system enables various combinations, such as dual-wielding two weapons, using a large two-handed weapon, or pairing a weapon with an off-hand item like a Shield or Focus.

The Weapon Swap feature allows characters to switch seamlessly between setups for different skills. This adds complexity to the system, which is detailed further in our Dual Specialization Guide.

Weapons can generally be categorized as follows:

Strength Weapons: Deliver slow, heavy attacks with high damage per hit.
Dexterity Weapons: Focus on speed, dealing quick strikes but with lower damage per hit.
Intelligence Weapons: Enhance spellcasting and improve Critical Strike chances.

There are also hybrid weapons that combine traits from multiple categories. Let’s explore some of these weapon types further.

Maces

100% Strength

Maces are slow, heavy-hitting weapons commonly favored by Warriors. While they may lack speed, their attacks deliver devastating damage. Maces are often associated with Slam Skills, as well as abilities that break enemy armor or make it easier to Stun them.

Wands and Staves

100% Intelligence

Wands and Staves are ideal weapons for spellcaster builds, such as Sorceresses. These weapons feature an implicit Skill that can be cast for free, making them a core choice for casters.

Unlike in Path of Exile 1, Wands and Staves in PoE 2 no longer roll Attack-based modifiers. This change ensures that caster-focused builds can more easily find or craft weapons that enhance Spell Damage, Spirit, and other critical stats.

Daggers

50% Dexterity / 50% Intelligence

Daggers are fast and lethal, boasting high Attack Speed and exceptional Critical Strike Chance. They are closely tied to Poison and Chaos Skills, offering versatility for players who prefer to wield one or dual-wield two.

This weapon type perfectly represents Dexterity's connection to swift weapons and Intelligence's affinity for weapons with high Critical Strike potential.

Weapon Attribute Breakdown

The chart below outlines the balance between Attributes and Weapon types in Path of Exile 2. Each weapon type is aligned with specific Attribute requirements, reflecting their unique characteristics and gameplay roles.

For a more in-depth look at weapons, check out our comprehensive Weapons Guide available after the launch of PoE 2.

Off-Hand

The term "Off-Hand" refers to items equipped alongside a character's Main-Hand weapon. These items can serve various purposes, such as Shields for enhancing defense or a Focus to boost the damage output of spellcaster builds. Like other equipment, Off-Hand items come with Attribute requirements that determine their role and the types of modifiers they can roll.

Currently, information about Off-Hand items in Path of Exile 2 is limited. However, we know about Shields (100% Strength), Bucklers (100% Dexterity), Foci (100% Intelligence), and hybrid options like the Targe and Kite Shield. This guide will be updated with more details following the Early Access release of PoE 2 on December 6th.

PoE 2 Flasks and Charms

Another vital equipment slot to discuss is the Flask slots, which are as crucial as any other part of your gear. In Path of Exile 2, characters can equip a Life Flask, a Mana Flask, and up to three Charms that provide automatic immunity to specific ailments when triggered.

Flasks and Charms Mechanics

Flasks and Charms consume Charges when used, gaining Charges as you kill enemies. They are also fully refilled when interacting with a Well in town. These items can be Magic Rarity, allowing up to two modifiers that enhance their effectiveness. While they cannot be Rare, Unique Flasks and Charms with special effects can also be found.

New players should never underestimate the power of Flasks and Charms. They are critical to your survival and performance, deserving the same attention as your other gear.

Life Flasks

Recover a portion of Life over a set duration.

Mana Flasks

Recover a portion of Mana over a set duration.

Charms

Characters can equip up to three Charms, depending on the slots available in their Belt. Charms act as automatic counters to specific ailments when triggered. For example:

Antidote Charm: Activates when you are Poisoned, granting temporary immunity to Poison.
Other Charms: Remove effects like Freeze, Ignite, or Shock when applied.

Important: Like Flasks, Charms consume Charges when activated. If a Charm runs out of Charges, it will no longer protect you from the ailment it counters. Ensure your Charms are fully charged to maintain their effectiveness.

What Should I Look For on Each Gear Slot?

This section provides a general guideline for beginner players to understand which modifiers to prioritize on each gear slot. Keep in mind that these suggestions are generalized, and certain builds may benefit from diverging from this rule of thumb.

Body Armour, Gloves, Helmet

Focus on defensive mods like Life, Resistances, and increases to defensive stats such as Evasion, Armour, or Energy Shield. Attributes can also be valuable in these slots to meet build requirements.

Boots

Increased Movement Speed is the most important mod for Boots, as it improves battlefield mobility and enhances Dodge Roll speed. Additional useful mods include Life, Resistances, Attributes, and secondary Movement Speed bonuses.