Ranger Lightning Arrow Leveling Build

Build Introduction

The Lightning Ranger is the strongest build in Path of Exile 2 at the moment. It that can take advantage of Shock and Electrocute to output insane damage while crowd-controlling enemies. It plays extremely well with the new WASD movement in Path of Exile 2 and spends most of its time evading enemies and killing from afar. With Patch 0.3.0 there are a few changes that have only made the Ranger even stronger!

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Ascendency

At the end of Act II, you can select your first Ascendancy. Your options are Deadeye and Pathfinder. This choice is permanent so make sure you take time to determine which way you want to go. Deadeye is recommended for this build, but Pathfinder can still perform alright.

Deadeye

The Deadeye Ranger is one of the strongest ascendancies in the game with a focus on Frenzy Charges, Speed, and gaining advantages based on distance from monsters. If you want to ascend as a Deadeye Ranger, we recommend the following nodes in order:

1. Gathering Winds – The value from this node is insane and builds perfectly with the idea of the Ranger to not get hit. Tailwind gives a boost to Movement Speed, Skill Speed, and Evasion and builds up stacks so long as you do not get hit. By far one of the best nodes of the class to take and the first for this build.
2. Point Blank/Far Shot – This is a node where you choose whether to increase damage to nearby enemies or further away enemies. At first, Far Shot seems to be best for a Ranger. However after learning about the distance in Path of Exile 2, Point Blank actually ends up feeling stronger due to 7 meters in distance being too far away.
3. Endless Munitions – An additional projectile is extremely high value in this build so gaining them from the implicit on the bow and this node are both extremely valuable.
4. Wind Ward – Due to the squishy nature of this build, having additional damage reduction is valuable and can help you survive in tough situations.

Pathfinder

The Pathfinder is often used for a different build style using concoctions. For this reason, Deadeye is highly recommended for this build. That being said, it can still be a viable ascendency for the Lightning Ranger though Pathfinder plays much better with a Poison build.

1. Relentless Pursuit – To further go along with Running Assault, Relentless Pursuit continues doubling down on survivability by avoiding getting hit by preventing slows from affecting the Ranger.
2. Running Assault – Due to the fragility of this build, getting hit can lead to difficult situations or death. Running Assault allows full utilization of WASD movement to shoot on the run and keep distance from enemies, making it an ideal skill.
3. Practical Remedies/Thawing Campfire – Allows you to become Immune to Freeze which frees up a Charm Slot.
4. Sustainable Practices – A nice boost to your Effective Hit Pool, especially if you have stacked Evasion really high and are not playing with as much Energy Shield.

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General Advice for Leveling

Path of Exile II’s campaign is not meant to be taken lightly. The following tips are things to keep in mind throughout the campaign and are applicable to all characters. This will help you have the smoothest leveling experience possible

• Pick up Magic (blue) and Rare (yellow) items to sell or disenchant.
• Check Vendors often (every time you return to town or level). Use vendor search feature to highlight rares/desirable stats.
• Collect socketed/superior items to salvage so you can add sockets/quality to gear.
• Dont skip secondary content (guaranteed drops, etc).
• Use the Gambler for Bows first and other gear second.
• Don’t spam dodge roll.
• Dont rush. If you are feeling overwhelmed fall back and level/grind for items instead of moving forward.

The most important thing to look for while leveling is an upgraded Bow whenever possible. The more damage output here, the easier the game will be. Additionally, gaining any additional projectiles will also massively increase overall damage.

For this reason, currency should often be used on found and vendored bows whenever possible. Gaining % Increased Physical Damage, + to Level of All Projectile Skills, and Added Damage are the best affixes to search for along the way. In trade leagues, searching for these bow upgrades is a great idea during any break or when DPS starts to feel low.

This build uses Dexterity as the primary attribute and you will want around 100-130 Spirit by end game depending on Skill Gems chosen.

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Gear Progression and Stat Priority

Here we will have a section outlining stats to prioritize when upgrading your gear, notable leveling Uniques. Prioritize what stats on gear, what makes a good item, charms and what to use.

Slot	Affixes	Notes
Main Hand	1. Increased Physical Damage 2. + to Level of All Projectile Skills 3. Added damage 4. Increased Attack Speed	Using currency on Bows is generally the best strategy as you play through the game to try and roll a higher damage Bow. Additionally, in trade league that should be first priority for upgrades. Look for a Bow with the implicit of Fires an Additional Arrow for a big damage increase.
Off Hand	1. Increased Damage with Bow Skills 2. + to Level of All Projectile Skills 3. Added (any) damage 4. Increased Attack Speed	The second most important piece of gear on the Ranger, bringing in even more damage. Prioritize right behind the Bow slot.
Helm	1. Maximum Life 2. Dexterity 3. Evasion 4. Resistances	Armor is going to be the same for all main pieces, looking to find more Life, Stats, Resistances, and Evasion. Remember by Maps you will want Resistances maxed or near maxed out!
Body Armour	1. Maximum Life 2. Dexterity 3. Evasion 4. Resistances	Armor is going to be the same for all main pieces, looking to find more Life, Stats, Resistances, and Evasion. Remember by Maps you will want Resistances maxed or near maxed out!
Gloves	1. Added Damage 2. Maximum Life 3. Dexterity 4. Evasion 5. Resistances	Armor is going to be the same for all main pieces, looking to find more Life, Stats, Resistances, and Evasion. On gloves you can get some Added Damage as well to boost Damage up.
Boots	1. Movement Speed 2. Maximum Life 3. Dexterity 4. Evasion 5. Resistances	Boots are going to be the same as other pieces of armor but Movement Speed is extremely important as the Ranger can be fragile and staying away from enemies is super important for this build.
Rings	1. Added Damage 2. Maximum Life 3. Stats 4. Resistances	Continuing the theme of glass cannon, Added Damage on Rings can help boost up your killing. Beyond that, the usual survivability is a great addition on any Ring with lots of Resistances and life possible.
Amulet	1. Added Damage 2. + to Level of Projectile Skills 3. Maximum Life 4. Stats	Similar to Rings, but the higher + to Level of Projectile Skills the better for increasing damage output.
Belt	1. Maximum Life 2. Resistances 3. Stats	A great slot to really stack up Resistances and help cap them.

Leveling Uniques

Gloves – Hand of Wisdom and Action – if using this Unique, Intelligence becomes an extremely useful stat and is worth getting on your tree/items. It is not necessary though and will require a substantial shift in your stats/gear so only use these if you are prepared!

Bow – Widowhail – Can be useful if using an extremely powerful Quiver, though once you can run a Dualstring Bow that will takeover usually.

Boots – Wanderlust – Great early Movement Speed and removes the worry of Slows.

Flasks and Charms

Stone Charm – Preventing being Stunned is critical in allowing the Ranger to escape.

Thawing Charm – Helps prevent being Frozen to keep the Ranger moving away from danger

Life/Mana Flasks – Increased Amount Recovered (Saturated) is generally the best for this build, however other options can work as well.

Jewels

Jewels might not be a priority while leveling but list some affixes to look out for

Best	Good
Recover % Mana on Kill	Increased Shock Duration
Increased Lightning Damage	Dexterity
Increased Attack Speed	Increased Magnitude of Shock
increased bonuses gained from Equipped Quiver	Increased Movement Speed
Increased Projectile Damage	Increased Chance to Inflict Ailments

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Leveling Passive Tree

Skill Gems

Act I

In Act I you should focus on getting your Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod Skills. These skills will be combined, with Lightning Rods being placed down first and Lightning Arrows being shot into them. Overleveling and farming extra gear and levels will always be helpful in Path of Exile 2, especially for this character which can fall a bit behind on DPS if rushing too quickly.

Increasing your shot speed is vital to laying down more damage so getting Rapid Attacks I supporting Lightning Arrow is key. Additionally, any added Lightning or Physical damage will be helpful so always make sure to seek items with these additions. One important note is picking up the Chain I Support Gem to flex in during Boss fights. It will significantly increase your DPS in the early areas until your character gets strong enough.

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Act II

Make sure you are checking vendors for bows and picking up any bow upgrade that you can find. Once a good bow is found, place two sockets in it (if it doesn’t have them already) and add lightning elemental damage runes. This will be a large damage boost and help your character keep up with clearing mobs as they enter the screen. Increased Damage on your Bow and Quiver are the most helpful ways to improve your character so always check those pieces of gear first.

For early game bosses you can either take a little bit of time and positioning to keep spamming Lightning Arrow and Rods. Herald of Thunder is a nice boost but make sure it is activated after putting the gem in or you will not get the bonus. Barrage and Voltaic Mark can also be used now to help with Shocking and dealing extra damage to tanky Rares and Bosses.

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Act III

Your core loop for skills will still remain pretty similar for this act but with additional support slots on your skills as you use Jeweller’s Orbs. Adding Elemental Armament I to almost every Lightning Skill of yours will be a large DPS increase and should be the main Support gem to focus.

If you have extra spirit reservation you can add Vitality to Wind Dancer or look at other supports that may feel helpful.

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Acts IV+

At this point simply continue to add Support gems as you are able to increase the sockets of your Skills. Focus on increasing Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod first followed by Herald of Thunder. After that, you can pick and choose whatever Skill you want. Tornado Shot is also a nice addition of a Skill here for bossing.

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Quest Reward Choices

Act 2 – 30% Increased Charm Charges Gained
Act 3 – Grants 30% Increased Elemental Ailment Threshold or 25% Increased Mana Regeneration Rate if having Mana issues still
Act 4 – Resistances for all choices
Act 5 – Movement Speed or Elemental Resistances if needed

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Skill Rotation

Lay down Lightning Rods and then fire Lightning Arrows into them. Barrage has a low cooldown and is really nice to use to shoot multiple Lightning Arrows at a boss for quick burst damage. Placing Tornado Shot down on a boss is a nice additional DPS boost as well, but you will probably not use this Skill outside of boss fights.

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Progressing into Endgame

By the time maps come along, the Ranger will be clearing content extremely quickly. Survivability will start to become a big concern though so really make sure to top up your gear and get your resistances as close to max and a lot of life on gear.

This guide is mostly meant to get you to early maps. Progressing from there on out, will require you to follow the Endgame guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to follow these Support Gem placements?

No! One of the nice things about Path of Exile 2 is that there are a million ways to shift the build up and still be successful. Feel free to move Supports around based on what you are enjoying and what is feeling best at the time.

Where should I focus my Currency?

All Currency should first and foremost go towards rolling any bows you find. Getting a strong Bow is the most important way to increase DPS and keep your character competitive with the areas around. After that comes your quiver, followed by the rest your gear which is mainly going to be used for survivability.

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Changelog

September 3rd, 2025: Guided updated for Patch 0.3.0 after launch
August 29th, 2025: Guide updated for Patch 0.3.0
May 8th, 2025: Updated for Patch 0.2e
April 1st, 2025: Guide created for Path of Exile II, Early Access