Path of Exile 2 is an immersive, action-packed RPG that offers both new and returning players a deep, challenging experience. With complex mechanics and a vast world, players often find themselves navigating difficult obstacles, particularly during the early stages of the game. As you progress, leveling up your character becomes crucial to overcoming tougher enemies and unlocking new content. One of the best ways to keep pace with the game's difficulty is by farming experience (XP) in maps that suit your current level and gear. In this article, we'll break down some of the best places to farm XP in Path of Exile 2, from Act 1 to the endgame, with some tips on making the most of your farming sessions. And, as you work on building your character, don't forget about POE 2 Currency, which can be a great help for upgrading gear or modifying maps for better XP returns.
1. Best Act 1 Farming Maps: Ogham Village and Hunting Grounds
The first act in Path of Exile 2 can be a steep challenge, especially for those who haven't fully equipped their character or leveled up enough. A tough difficulty spike can occur at the transition between Act 1 and Act 2, particularly when facing Geonor, the Act 1 boss. If you're stuck or need a break from progressing the campaign, Ogham Village is an excellent map to farm. The map layout is relatively easy to navigate, and the Executioner boss can be taken down for solid XP gains and useful loot.
Additionally, the Hunting Grounds map is an essential location for farming early on, especially after defeating the Crowbell boss. Defeating Crowbell gives you valuable passive skill points, so it's worth revisiting this map to farm XP and gear. While the XP returns may not be as high as later stages, these maps are a great option for building your character early.
2. Best Act 2 Farming Maps: Keth and Lost City
In Act 2, the game ramps up the difficulty with new mobs and challenges. Clearing maps in this stage will help you prepare for the tougher fights ahead. Keth is a great map for farming in Act 2. It offers an optional boss, Kabala the Constrictor Queen, who is relatively easy to defeat compared to some of the other encounters in this area. Once you've cleared Keth, you can also run the Lost City, an additional map tied to Keth, where you'll face off against the optional boss Ninth Treasure of Keth. These maps offer high XP returns, and because they can be repeatedly generated by entering new instances, they're ideal for farming.
3. Best Act 3 Farming Maps: Jungle Ruins and Utzaal
As you move into Act 3, or Cruel difficulty for those replaying the game, farming maps becomes essential for preparing for more challenging enemies and the final boss. Jungle Ruins is an early Act 3 map that features the Mighty Silverfist boss, along with several other elite enemies. Clearing these enemies provides solid XP and loot drops. If you're looking for a bit more challenge, Utzaal, the large map before the final boss, is a great place to farm. The Viper Napuatzi fight in Utzaal offers a dense mob layout and can be a great XP farm if you're able to defeat the Napuatzi fight efficiently.
4. Trial of Chaos
One of the signature features of Path of Exile 2 is the Ascendancy class system, which rewards players with passive skill points as they complete the game's trials. The Trial of Chaos, located after Act 3, is an excellent place to farm XP, loot, and Vaal items. While the trial itself is designed for acquiring Ascendancy points, it also allows you to re-run it for additional XP and loot drops. Compared to other trials like the Trial of Sekhemas, which focuses more on avoiding damage than combat, the Trial of Chaos offers more opportunities for combat, making it a more XP-friendly choice. You can re-run this trial with an inscribed ultimatum from Act 3 onward.
5. Farming Endgame Maps
Once you hit the endgame in Path of Exile 2, you'll still have plenty of leveling to do to optimize your character's build. Early endgame maps are the best place to grind for XP, as they feature larger mobs and higher-level enemies that provide significant experience. Waystones are key here—these items can be modified with magic or rare modifiers to enhance your maps. The best modifiers for XP farming include prefixes like increased mob density or boosts to elite enemy spawns. These mods ensure you have more monsters to fight, increasing your XP returns.
Additionally, endgame farming also ties into earning POE 2 Currency, which can be used to upgrade your gear and improve your chances of surviving higher-tier maps.
6. Farming Expeditions: Logbook Excavations
Expeditions are an interesting addition to the Path of Exile 2 endgame and provide an excellent farming opportunity. Once you begin seeing excavations spawn on maps, you can focus your efforts on completing these activities. In particular, Logbook Expeditions are one of the most rewarding farming opportunities. Players can access these once they meet the NPC Dannig and complete excavation objectives.
Logbook Expeditions involve larger excavations with up to 20 explosives placed at strategic points, and they generate Remnants and Runic monsters, which can spawn large packs of enemies to farm for XP and loot. These expeditions are an excellent way to gain experience while engaging in a more complex, strategic form of farming.
7. Farming Breach Events
Breach events are another prominent farming activity in the endgame of Path of Exile 2. These events summon hordes of monsters into the map, making them a rich source of both XP and valuable loot. Players can trigger Breach events by completing specific map objectives or using Path of Exile 2 Currency to enhance their maps. Breaches are especially effective for farming XP if you use Waystones that increase mob density or improve the chances of elite enemies spawning.
Farming Breach events in high-level maps is an excellent way to farm experience, as the quantity of monsters and loot scales with your map's modifiers. Be sure to save your best Waystones for maps that are guaranteed to have Breach events to maximize your returns.
8. Farming Simulacrum Events
The Simulacrum event is another powerful XP farming activity in the late game. This event involves waves of monsters that must be cleared within a set time frame. The event is notorious for its high mob density, making it an excellent way to farm XP if you can clear the waves effectively. While most players focus on Simulacrum Splinters and loot from these events, the early tiers of Simulacrum can still provide substantial XP for players working toward the final stages of their builds.
Simulacrum events are particularly useful for players looking to level up their character as they finalize their build. Players who can efficiently clear the first few tiers of the event will reap the benefits of quick XP gains, even before completing their final builds.
Final Thoughts
Farming XP in Path of Exile 2 is a critical part of progressing through the game, especially as you move toward tougher bosses and challenges. Whether you're in the early stages of Act 1 or deep into the endgame, the right maps and activities can make leveling up much smoother. From farming POE 2 Currency to upgrading your gear and Waystones, XP farming plays a significant role in shaping your character. By targeting high-mob-density areas and engaging in strategic farming activities like Logbook Expeditions and Breach events, you'll be well on your way to becoming a powerhouse in Path of Exile 2.
MMOexp POE 2 Team