In Path of Exile 2, managing resistances is crucial for character survival, as they mitigate damage from various elemental and chaos sources. However, certain game mechanics and build strategies allow players to bypass or reduce the impact of enemy resistances, thereby enhancing offensive capabilities.

Resistances in Path of Exile 2

Players' resistances start at 0% and can be increased up to a default cap of 75% through gear, passive skills, and other modifiers. Notably, as players progress through the campaign, a -10% penalty to resistances is applied at the completion of each act, culminating in a total penalty of -60% by the end of the acts. This design ensures that players continually seek gear upgrades to maintain optimal resistance levels.

• Ignoring Resistances means your damage cannot be modified in any way by any resistance stats.

In Path of Exile 2, the ability to ignore or reduce enemy resistances can dramatically enhance your character's damage output, especially when tackling challenging endgame content. Mechanics such as elemental penetration, curses that lower resistances, and conditional effects like ignoring resistances when an enemy is frozen are powerful tools for optimizing your build. To fully utilize these mechanics, players often need to acquire specialized gear, skills, and support gems, many of which can be obtained through trading or crafting using PoE 2 currency. This currency, including items like Chaos Orbs and Divine Orbs, is the backbone of the economy, enabling players to improve their builds and refine their strategies.

Mechanics for Ignoring Enemy Resistances

Certain skills and mechanics in Path of Exile 2 enable players to bypass or diminish enemy resistances, effectively increasing damage output:

• Resistance Reduction: Abilities or curses that lower an enemy's resistances can make them more susceptible to damage. For instance, applying a curse that reduces an enemy's fire resistance makes them take increased fire damage.
• Penetration: Some skills or support gems provide elemental penetration, allowing a portion of the player's damage to bypass the enemy's resistances. It's important to note that in Path of Exile 2, penetration cannot reduce an enemy's resistance below zero. Therefore, while penetration is beneficial, its effectiveness is capped once the enemy's resistance reaches zero.
• Conditional Effects: Certain mechanics grant the ability to ignore enemy resistances under specific conditions. For example, some builds can cause their hits to ignore enemy elemental resistances when the enemy is affected by ailments like freeze. In such scenarios, while the enemy's resistances are ignored, additional penetration effects do not further increase damage since penetration does not drive resistances into negative values in Path of Exile 2.

When it comes to upgrading gear or purchasing rare items, having sufficient PoE 2 gold—or its equivalent in in-game currency—is essential. Players who invest in farming and trading can quickly amass the resources needed to craft powerful equipment or trade for unique items that complement resistance-ignoring builds. Leveraging a strong understanding of both PoE 2 currency mechanics and effective gameplay strategies can ensure your character excels against even the most resistance-heavy foes, paving the way for a smooth journey through the game's toughest challenges.

Tips

When designing a build that leverages resistance-ignoring mechanics, consider the following:

• Skill Synergy: Choose skills and support gems that complement the resistance-ignoring mechanics. For instance, combining cold damage skills with effects that freeze enemies can maximize the benefit of ignoring resistances.
• Enemy Immunities and Ailments: Be aware of enemies that are immune to certain ailments or have high resistance values. In such cases, relying solely on resistance-ignoring mechanics might be less effective, and incorporating a mix of damage types or additional debuffs could be advantageous.
• Balancing Offense and Defense: While focusing on maximizing damage output through resistance-ignoring mechanics, ensure that your character's defenses, including your own resistances, are not neglected. Maintaining a balance between offense and defense is key to survival in the challenging environments of Path of Exile 2.

Understanding and utilizing mechanics that allow your character to ignore or reduce enemy resistances can significantly enhance your build's effectiveness in Path of Exile 2. By carefully selecting skills, support gems, and gear that synergize with these mechanics, you can create a powerful character capable of overcoming even the most resistant foes.

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