No matter what class or build you're pursuing in Path of Exile 2; taking damage is inevitable. There are a lot of ways to avoid damage, such as worrying about the enemy's accuracy and your evasion, or your armor vs their damage, but the energy shield will always be your first line of defense when an attack goes through.
The energy shield is represented by the blue bar over your orb of health in the bottom left corner of the screen and can be one of the best defenses, depending on how you use it. Here are all the ins and outs of the energy shield; and how to upgrade it if you want.
Path of Exile 2: All Currencies & Upgrade Materials
This list of all Currency items in Path of Exile 2 details all PoE 2 Currencies in the game and describes what each Currency does.
How Does The Energy Shield Work In Path of Exile 2
The energy shield is the blue line that surrounds your health orb, and the damage received will first be taken from the Energy Shield before getting to your health. Your energy shield total can be seen next to your health in your stats menu. Think of your energy shield as a second health bar over your first, with the only major difference being the regeneration factor.
After not taking damage for four seconds, your energy shield will begin to regenerate back to full. This can be done while in combat, and even when fighting a boss, making dodging incoming attacks very important.
Your energy shield can even take on damage from most ailments and is a worthwhile thing to upgrade no matter what your build is. Your recharge rate can also be upgraded, though this only upgrades how fast your energy shield regenerates after the initial four seconds of not taking damage have passed.
Anti-Energy Shield Damage
Your energy shield will absorb just about all incoming damage normally, except for Chaos. Chaos damage will deal double damage against your energy shield, making it twice as lethal as if it were just damaging your health. Ailments from Chaos damage such as bleeding and poison will also ignore your energy shield and damage your health directly.
Path of Exile 2: What To Do With Extra Loot
Players in Path of Exile 2 will get a ton of loot, here are all the things you can do with the extra pieces you don't equip.
How To Upgrade Your Energy Shield In Path of Exile 2
You can upgrade the maximum capacity and recharge rate of your energy shield through passive skills and bonuses on gear. In the passive skills menu, both the maximum and recharge upgrades are found along the tree starting at the top of the central circle. Energy Shield upgrades are just as effective on less magic-focused characters as those who do use a lot of magic, making some of these passive upgrades viable on just about any class.
Path of Exile II
- Released
- December 6, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Nudity, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Language, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
- Developer(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
- Publisher(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Path of Exile
- Early Access Release
- December 6, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash, MMORPG
