As we all know, Path of Exile has always been an MMO game known for its duplication system and classes, so for some new players who have just started the game, how to quickly master a powerful class is a difficult problem. But don’t worry, here we will share a key class in POE 2, Sorceress, and talk about how to better master her best Ascendancy, Stormweaver, so that you can smoothly start your adventure in POE 2.
Stormweaver is an exciting subclass built around elemental damage and resource management. This guide will help you decide if Stormweaver is the right choice for your character so that you can make an informed decision about your build and class.
By understanding what Stormweaver Ascendancy has to offer, you’ll be better able to decide if it fits your desired play style and goals. Whether you’re new to Path of Exile 2 or a seasoned veteran looking to learn more about Stormweaver, we’ve got you covered and can help you create the best Sorceress build possible with the lowest POE2 Currency budget.
How Does Sorceress Work?
Let’s talk about Sorceress. As one of the six classes available in PoE 2 Early Access, Sorceress is the quintessential spellcaster, specializing in devastating elemental magic and powerful area of effect skills. This class is Intelligence-based, which means it excels at scaling spell damage, casting speed, and energy shield defense.
Players who choose Sorceress can expect a playstyle centered around using spells to take out enemies while managing resources like mana and energy shields.
Sorceress deals primarily elemental damage and has access to skills that utilize the elements of fire, cold, and lightning. Each of these elements has a unique effect. Fire focuses on burning enemies over time, cold slows and freezes enemies, and lightning shocks enemies to increase their damage. A defining characteristic of a witch is her ability to specialize in one element or combine multiple elements for a hybrid build.
In terms of gameplay, Sorceress is able to cast powerful area of effect spells. Her high damage output and map clearing potential make her the preferred class for most players looking to quickly farm POE 2 Currency.
However, she is also known for being fragile or like a glass cannon, with low base health and limited physical defense compared to other classes. As such, Sorceress players must manage positioning carefully and frequently invest in some Chaos Orbs to re-roll their energy shield and resistance stats to improve their survivability.
Despite her fragility, Sorceress can mitigate incoming damage with her utility skills and unique passive abilities, making her survivability largely dependent on proper gear and skill selection.
Stormweaver Ascendancy Passive
With an understanding of what Sorceress has to offer, let’s turn our attention to one of her Ascendancy abilities, Stormweaver. This specialization takes Sorceress’ strengths to new heights by amplifying elemental damage, shock mechanics, and critical strikes.
Now, let’s take a deep dive into all 10 Stormweaver passive abilities and discuss how they can shape your build and play style.
1. Scouring Winds
The first passive skill is Scouring Winds, which causes your Exposure effect to reduce enemy resistance by an additional 20%. This is very powerful for builds that often apply Exposure.
For example, spells like Orb of Storms or Elemental Storm in POE 1 can easily trigger Exposure, making this passive skill essential for maximizing elemental damage. If your build involves cold, fire, or lightning damage, Scouring Winds ensures that enemies take more damage.
2. Tempest Caller
Next up is Tempest Caller, one of Stormweaver Ascendancy’s Keystone Passives. It grants the active skill Elemental Storm, a spell that creates a static storm at a target location. The element of the storm is determined by the highest elemental damage type from the strike that triggered it.
Elemental Storm triggers on spell critical strikes, making this passive ideal for crit-based builds. For example, if you use Arc or Ball Lightning with a high critical chance, you can continuously trigger powerful Elemental Storms that deal huge area damage.
3. Rain Dancer
The third passive skill, Rain Dancer, enhances the skill by increasing the cooldown recovery rate of Elemental Storm by 150%. This means you can cast Elemental Storm more often, making it an indispensable spell for builds that rely on fast casting.
Especially when combined with Tempest Caller, Rain Dancer allows you to maintain near-constant coverage of Elemental Storm, further increasing your AOE potential.
4. Heavy Snows
Additionally, Heavy Snows skill introduces a unique mechanic where enemies can be affected by two instances of chill at once. It also increases your cold base magnitude, allowing you to slow down enemies by up to 35%.
This is a huge change for cold based builds as it provides unparalleled crowd control. With Heavy Snows, you can significantly hinder enemy mobility, making it easier for you to survive tough encounters.
5. Shaper of Winter
The fifth passive skill, Shaper of Winter, synergies perfectly with Heavy Snows. It ensures that all damage dealt by hits will have the coldness added to it, regardless of the element.
In practical terms, this means that your Lightning or Fire spells can now apply powerful Cold, creating a hybrid build that exploits both damage and crowd control. For example, a build centered around Ball Lightning will now both slow down enemies while also dealing high lightning damage.
6. Strike Twice
Strike Twice is another passive ability of Stormweaver, which allows the enemy to be affected by two instances of shock at the same time, but reduces the shock duration by 50%. For a build focused on high shock duration, this tradeoff is worth it, as applying two shocks simultaneously significantly increases the damage taken by the enemy. A skill like Arc that hits frequently is perfect for taking full advantage of this passive skill.
7. Shaper of Storms
Shaper of Storms is a must-have skill for Lightning-focused builds. It ensures that all hit damage has an increased shock chance, even for non-lightning skills. This allows mixed element builds to benefit from shock, which increases the damage taken by enemies.
For example, a build using Fireball can still deliver a shock to an enemy while adding fire and lightning damage. Therefore, Shaper of Storms is crucial to maximizing the elemental synergy between different skills.
8. Constant Gale
The eighth passive skill, Constant Gale, gives you Arcane Surge buff, which increases casting speed by 10% and mana regeneration by 20%.
This passive skill is perfect for a mana-intensive build, as it provides consistent sustain and increases your ability to cast spells. For example, a build that uses high-cost skills like Elemental Storm or Ball Lightning will benefit greatly from Constant Gale.
9. Force of Will
Force of Will synergizes directly with Arcane Surge, increasing its effectiveness by 1% per 15 maximum mana. This makes it especially powerful against builds that invest heavily in mana, such as those that use Mind Over Matter or mana-based damage scaling.
With enough mana invested, Force of Will can significantly increase your casting speed and resource regeneration, making it a core passive skill for mana-intensive Stormweaver builds.
10. Heart of the Storm
The final passive skill, Heart of the Storm, provides a defensive mechanism that allows you to reclaim 40% of elemental damage in the form of an energy shield. This is extremely useful for surviving element-heavy encounters, especially for builds that require a high energy shield investment. Heart of the Storm provides much-needed durability to the fragile Sorceress, making it a must-have choice for endgame survival.
Stormweaver Game Style
Stormweaver is the best choice for players who like elemental builds, and its lightning spells, critical strikes, and impact mechanics bring an ultimate visual treat to everyone. Beyond that, its skills offer both offensive and defensive options, making it adaptable to a variety of play styles.
However, it’s worth noting that Stormweaver is best suited for players who enjoy active, fast-paced play. You’ll have the most success in this Ascendancy if you frequently apply elemental ailments, hit enemies hard, and are happy to invest in POE 2 Exalted Orbs to scale your build’s mana or crit.
All in all, Stormweaver Ascendancy is a great choice for players looking for a high-damage caster with a focus on elemental synergy and crowd control. Its passive ability provides a powerful tool for clearing maps and dealing with bosses, making it a strong contender for end-game content.
While Sorceress can be fragile, careful planning and investing in defense can make this class a strong and rewarding choice. If you’re ready to harness the power of the storm and crush your enemies, Stormweaver is the perfect Ascendancy game you won’t want to miss!
