All weapon types in Path of Exile 2: Which ones are available in Early Access?
If you want to survive in Path of Exile 2, you need good weapons — that’s just a fact. However, just because you have the ability to equip a specific weapon, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should use it. For example, sure, with the right intel, you could equip a Wand as a Mercenary, and conjure up skeletons. However, the stats on that weapon probably won’t feed into what you’re doing in that Class, and you’ll be weaker, as a result.
None of the weapon types in Path of Exile 2 are bound to a particular Class or Ascension. It’s all up to you what you wind up equipping. However, when you roll a Class, you’ll be given a weapon that is connected to that Class — again, as the Mercenary and a Crossbow, or the Witch and a Wand.
All weapon types available in Path of Exile 2 Early Access period
All Classes begin in Path of Exile 2 with specific weapon types they’ll be equipped with. One could assume that each Class is created with a weapon type in mind, but that’s not entirely accurate. For example, Mercenaries can use Bow skills instead of Crossbow skills — however, they’d have to equip the right stats/skills to do so.
With that in mind, all the Classes in Path of Exile 2 do have specific weapons that they tend to do better with — these weapons have stats and skills that enhance their Classes' particular playstyles. That doesn’t mean you’re bound to them forever. Regardless, the list of all weapons, and who they work well with, is below.
Available weapon types in Early Access
- Bow - Ranger (Dex)
- Crossbow - Mercenary (Str/Dex)
- Quarterstaff - Monk (Int/Dex)
- Staff - Sorceress (Int)
- Mace - Warrior (Str)
- Wand - Witch (Int)
- Sceptre - Witch (Int/Str)
- Shield (off-hand) - Warrior (Str)
- Focus (off-hand) - Witch (Int)
As a Witch, I could equip a Shield, or a Staff, if I had the correct stats for it. It wouldn’t be advised, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibilities. Sorceress players could also run a Wand and Focus if they wanted, but Staves seem to scale better for them, and offer skills they can use. It’s also worth noting that every weapon will have a level and stat requirement — if you don’t meet those, you can’t equip it in the first place.
While you can wield anything, it’s important to equip things that synergize nicely with your stats, attacks, and overall game plan. However, one of the great things about Path of Exile 2 is that you can do pretty much whatever you want in terms of builds and gameplay.
Path of Exile 2 weapon classes coming soon (and not in the Early Access release)
You may notice that some notable weapons are missing from the list above. That’s because the Early Access launch doesn’t have all the Classes, Ascensions, or weapons available at the start. It’s likely this stuff will show up at a later date, to make balancing all of this much easier. Here are the weapons that are coming later on:
- Flails
- Axes
- Swords
- Spears
- Claws
- Traps
Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features
- Jonathan Rogers on why Path of Exile 2 is harder than the first game
- Path of Exile 2: All returning League mechanics confirmed so far
- Path of Exile 2 Ascension Trials, explained