How to Level Any Class or Build Quickly within Hours in PoE 2 using Pillar of Caged God

Leveling in Path of Exile 2 can be a real grind, but what if there was a way to level any class or build in just 6 to 8 hours? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, thanks to the Pillar of the Caged God, you can breeze through the campaign and get straight to the endgame without suffering through slow, painful leveling phases.

This method works for any class, any build, and any playstyle, making it the perfect universal leveling strategy. Plus, once you have the gear, you can reuse it over and over again on any new character you create. Let's break down how to level any class or build quickly within hours in PoE 2 using Pillar of Caged God, and how is this so effective.

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Why Use Pillar of the Caged God for Leveling in PoE 2?

The Pillar of the Caged God is one of the best leveling weapons in PoE 2, thanks to its unique scaling mechanic.

Instead of relying on high base damage, this quarterstaff increases its weapon damage based on your Strength, allowing you to level efficiently with minimal investment.

Why This Method Works So Well

1. Insane Damage Scaling – Gains 10% increased weapon damage per 5 Strength, meaning the more Strength you stack, the harder you hit. Just equipping Strength-based gear can massively boost your DPS.

2. Tanky While Leveling – Strength naturally increases maximum life, making you bulkier without needing heavy defensive passives. This allows you to level comfortably without worrying about survivability.

3. Works for All Classes – Any class can use this strategy by following a simple passive tree focused on Strength stacking. Whether you're playing a Ranger, Monk, or Marauder, this method remains viable.

4. Reusable Leveling Setup – Once you assemble the required gear, you can reuse it on every new character you create, making future leveling faster and more cost-efficient.

5. Smooth Playstyle – No need for complicated skill swaps or awkward leveling phases. Just stack Strength, equip Pillar of the Caged God, and dominate enemies all the way through the campaign.

This setup makes leveling painless, powerful, and accessible for any build or class—perfect for players who want to reach endgame content quickly.

The Best Passive Tree Pathing for Leveling in PoE 2

Maximizing damage and survivability while leveling is all about stacking Strength efficiently and picking up key passive nodes that boost your clear speed and durability.

Acts 1-3: The Early Game Setup

1. Beeline towards Beef and Bridge Strength – These nodes provide massive Strength bonuses, increasing your weapon damage significantly.

2. Pick up Unbending – This passive grants a huge life boost, making your character tanky while leveling.

3. Grab Two-Handed Weapon Damage Nodes – Depending on your starting position, take any nearby two-handed weapon damage nodes to enhance your attacks.

For a detailed explanation of which nodes to pick for which class, you can check out this amazing video guide:

Acts 4-6: Transitioning into Endgame Viability

1. Head towards Polymathy and Jack of All Trades – These nodes further amplify your attribute stacking, enhancing both offense and defense.

2. Pick up Adrenaline Rush and Attack Speed Nodes – Faster attacks mean quicker clears and better boss damage output.

3. If Playing Monk or Ranger, Grab Escape Velocity – This node significantly boosts movement speed, making map progression much smoother.

This passive tree setup is universal and works with any class, making it the best all-around leveling strategy for a smooth campaign experience.

The Ultimate PoE 2 Leveling Gear Setup

Since this PoE 2 best leveling build relies on Strength stacking, every gear choice is focused on maximizing Strength while providing extra damage and survivability.

Here’s the best setup for fast and efficient leveling:

Core Weapon

• Pillar of the Caged God – The heart of the build, scaling damage based on Strength.

  • Try to get a Corrupted version with Added Lightning, Fire, or Cold Damage for even more damage. Here's how to make level 21 corrupted gems in PoE 2.

  • Ensure it has two sockets to insert damage-boosting runes.

Helmet Choices

• Greymake Brimmed Helm (Level 5+) – Provides high attribute bonuses early on.

• Veil of the Night (Level 20+) – Multiplies max life by 50% while setting resistances to zero. Despite the downside, the raw HP boost makes it surprisingly tanky!

Chest Armor

• Fox Shade (Level 5-26) – Grants high evasion, making Act 1 enemies much easier to handle.

• Pariah’s Embrace (Level 26+) – Offers +50 Spirit, all attributes, and reduced mana cost, helping with sustain.

Gloves

• Painter’s Servant – Converts all your damage into three elements, allowing Herald skills to trigger more consistently for effortless screen clears.

Boots

• Illuminous Pace (Level 1-16) – Boosts movement speed for early-game mobility.

• Wake of Destruction (Level 16+) – Adds huge amounts of flat damage and applies Shock, making enemies take more damage.

Amulet

• Surefooted Sigil – Increases dodge roll distance by +1 meter, making rolling faster than running!

  • Anoint with Viciousness for extra attack speed, making combat much smoother.

Belt

• Meginord’s Girdle – Grants +50 Strength, which directly scales your damage output.

Rings

• Start with 2x Blackheart Rings (Level 1-20) for easy early-game damage.

• Then move to Rage Hold Topaz Ring.

• Upgrade to high Added Damage rings to maximize DPS.

How to Find the Best Rings:

1. Use a trade search filter for rings.

2. Set the max level to your current level.

3. Sort by highest added damage.

4. Buy the best DPS rings within your budget.

With this gear setup, you’ll breeze through leveling, ensuring a smooth and fast campaign experience every time!

Best Skills to Use While Leveling Any Build or Class in PoE 2

Your skill setup will evolve as you progress, ensuring maximum efficiency at every stage of the game.

Here’s the ideal breakdown:

Act 1: Early Game Clear

• Use Glacial Cascade as your main attack for solid area damage.

• Link it with Upheaval, Martial Tempo, and Rage to boost damage and attack speed.

• Pick up Tempest Bell early, but reserve it only for boss fights due to its high burst potential.

Act 2+: Unlocking Your True Power

When you have a second skill gem, you are going to pick up Tempest Bell, which is Act 2. For this, you will use Concentrated Effect, Overabundance, and Close Combat. 

• Swap to Stormwave as soon as you hit level 22—this skill is a straight upgrade over Glacial Cascade. Uphavel, and Martial Tempest as before, but for the third, we are going to use Ice Bite. 

• Use Tempest Flurry to quickly generate combo stacks, then drop Tempest Bell on bosses for massive instant damage.

• Start using Herald of Ice + Herald of Thunder, which will trigger chain explosions across the entire screen, drastically improving clear speed. The following are the ones to pick for it.

The Tempest Spells are your go-to spells for bosses, and you won't be using them for anything else. Using Tempest Flurry to generate the combo. Level 22 and beyond, you will be using Stormwave for clearing, and using Tempest Flurry for bosses, and then do your best to hit the bell. 

Pick Herald of Ice and go for the following links

Act 6: Transitioning to Endgame

• By this point, the Pillar of the Caged God leveling setup has done its job.

• You can now swap into your desired endgame build, using the currency and gear you’ve accumulated along the way.

This streamlined skill setup ensures you power through the campaign with minimal effort, making leveling faster and smoother for any build!

Final Tips & Advanced Strategies

1. Use a Market Tracker – Keep an eye on the prices of key gear pieces to grab them at the lowest possible cost. Market fluctuations can create great opportunities to buy cheap and sell high.

2. Join Trading Discords – Being part of a trading community gives you real-time updates on market trends, price shifts, and profitable deals. You can also get tips from experienced traders on when to buy or sell.

3. Avoid Panic Selling – Prices of items and gear fluctuate constantly. If the market dips, hold onto your items instead of selling at a loss. Patience is key to maximizing profits.

4. Test with Small Investments – Before committing fully, try the strategy on a fresh character or with a small amount of currency. This helps you understand how it works without taking big risks.

While you are at it, check out our PoE 2 Endgame Crafting Guide to craft the BiS Gear.

Conclusion

With this setup, you can level any character quickly and efficiently, without frustration. This is a foolproof strategy that works across all classes, saves time, and makes leveling a breeze. Try it once, and you’ll never go back to slow leveling again.

Enjoy the grind, and see you in Wraeclast!