Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) is the long-awaited sequel to the beloved action RPG, Path of Exile (PoE), which has captivated millions with its deep character customization, complex itemization, and massive endgame. As PoE 2 approaches its release, players are eager to explore the new skills, passive tree changes, and different Ascendancies. One of the most intriguing new Ascendancies introduced in PoE 2 is the Disciple of Varashta-a mysterious and powerful class with a dark, arcane focus.

In this guide, we will explore how to effectively level your Disciple of Varashta character from the start of PoE 2, taking into account the skills, passive tree selections, gear recommendations, and gameplay tips that will make your leveling experience smoother and more rewarding. Meanwhile, you can also choose to use Poe 2 trade to assist you.

Who is the Disciple of Varashta?

Varashta is a new character associated with the Void, a mysterious and powerful force within the game's lore. As the Disciple of Varashta, players can harness forbidden arcane powers, manipulating the void to unleash devastating abilities and control over space and time. This Ascendancy promises a blend of high damage potential, effective crowd control, and powerful utility, making it a compelling choice for players who enjoy manipulating elements of the battlefield to their advantage.

The Disciple of Varashta excels at harnessing the dark forces of the Void, using skills like Void Energy, Void Flares, and Temporal Distortion. These abilities are centered around AoE damage, manipulating time, and leveraging high damage scaling as the player progresses. When leveling this Ascendancy, players need to prioritize survivability, skill synergies, and scaling elemental or chaos damage as they make their way through the game's acts.

Leveling Strategy for Disciple of Varashta

Leveling in PoE can be overwhelming, especially when playing a new character or Ascendancy. Here, we'll outline the core approach to leveling your Disciple of Varashta, broken down into key sections:

1. Choosing the Right Skills for Early Levels

The Disciple of Varashta revolves around Void energy manipulation, but you won't have access to many of your Ascendancy's specialized skills in the early acts. Therefore, it's important to choose skills that provide good damage output and synergy with Void-based skills later on.

At the start, focus on elemental damage skills that can easily scale into your void-themed abilities. Here are some excellent choices for your first few levels:

Fireball or Freezing Pulse (Act 1-3): Both of these spells are great early choices because they provide solid elemental damage, can clear packs of monsters easily, and are scalable with the passive tree.

Essence Drain (Act 3 onward): As you approach the middle of the game, Essence Drain becomes a solid pick for a damage-over-time (DoT) playstyle. This skill synergizes well with the chaos damage and Void manipulation later in the game.

Flameblast or Firestorm (Act 4 onward): These AoE skills are excellent for clearing large packs of enemies. Flameblast can be particularly strong with the right gearing, especially if you focus on spell damage and fire-based modifiers.

2. Ascendancy and Skill Choices

Once you've reached level 33 and unlocked your Ascendancy points, you can choose the Disciple of Varashta Ascendancy. Here's how to progress in your Ascendancy and the key skills to prioritize.

First Ascendancy (Varashta's Focus): This passive grants significant bonus elemental damage and increases your effective AoE radius. Early on, this gives you a major boost to your damage output.

Second Ascendancy (Void Infusion): This skill boosts your damage against enemies with low health and increases your void-based skills' damage potential.

Third Ascendancy (Temporal Distortion): This gives you access to an extremely potent time manipulation ability, allowing you to slow enemies and even freeze them at critical moments. This can be useful for controlling the pace of combat, especially in tough encounters.

Fourth Ascendancy (Void Mastery): With this, your character becomes significantly more tanky, while enhancing your damage scaling against elite and boss monsters. The synergy with Void Flares and other void-themed skills makes this a game-changer for your late-game progression.

3. Passive Tree and Notable Passives

While PoE 2 features a revamped passive skill tree, there are still certain areas and nodes you'll want to prioritize for your Disciple of Varashta character. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Elemental Damage: Since many of your early skills will be elemental-based (fire, cold, and lightning), look for elemental damage nodes that boost spellcasting and elemental attack damage.

Void and Chaos Damage Scaling: Once you unlock more Void abilities, you'll want to prioritize chaos and void damage scaling. There are many passives that boost chaos damage, as well as those that improve the effectiveness of your Void-based attacks.

Mana and Energy Shield: Since your character will be relying heavily on mana to fuel your skills and Energy Shield for defense, you should invest in nodes that increase your maximum mana pool and energy shield. Energy Shield scaling is crucial for survivability, especially when facing harder bosses.

Spell Critical Strike and AoE Damage: Disciple of Varashta relies heavily on critical strikes and AoE damage to clear large packs of enemies. Be sure to pick up critical strike chance and AoE damage scaling nodes to maximize your damage output in these scenarios.

4. Gear Choices for Leveling

Your gear choices will be influenced by your skill choices, but here are a few general recommendations for gear as you level up your Disciple of Varashta:

Wands, Staves, or Scepters: As a spellcaster, you'll want to focus on gear that boosts your spell damage. A wand or scepter can help scale your elemental or chaos damage. Look for items with bonuses to spellcasting, elemental damage, or critical strike chance.

Energy Shield and Mana Gear: Since you'll be relying on Energy Shield for defense, prioritize armor and shields that provide Energy Shield bonuses. Mana regeneration or maximum mana also becomes a key stat as you progress.

Flasks: Flasks are vital for survival, especially in the tougher acts and during boss fights. Ensure you have an Instant Life Flask and Mana Flask, and look for Quicksilver Flask for movement speed.

Skill Gems: As you progress, make sure to update your skill gems with better versions as they become available. For example, when you unlock Flameblast, link it with Increased Area of Effect, Fire Penetration, and Spell Damage support gems.

5. Tactical Gameplay Tips

Mobility and Control: With Temporal Distortion and Void manipulation, controlling the flow of combat is one of your strengths. Always make sure to have some movement skills or escape mechanisms, such as Leap Slam or Whirling Blades, to reposition quickly.

Boss Fights: For tough boss fights, take advantage of your Temporal Distortion to slow down bosses and crowd control minions. Make sure to focus on managing your Energy Shield properly, especially in high-damage phases.

6. Endgame Considerations

As you approach the endgame content, your focus will shift from leveling to optimizing your character for tougher encounters. Look to balance your damage output with survivability, taking care to invest in key nodes that increase your survivability while also maximizing your damage against bosses and tougher mobs. Be prepared for specific resistances and adapt your gear as necessary for the challenges of PoE 2's endgame.

Conclusion

Leveling as the Disciple of Varashta in Path of Exile 2 can be an exciting and rewarding experience, with a playstyle that revolves around managing both damage and utility. By choosing the right skills, focusing on elemental and chaos damage, and optimizing your gear and passive tree, you can progress through the game's acts with ease. Get ready to buy cheap POE 2 Chaos Orbs on mmoexp to help you become stronger quickly. Don't forget to adapt your strategy based on the encounters you face, and with careful planning, you'll be able to master the Void and become a powerful force on the battlefield.