Path of Exile: Best Weapons for Early Game Leveling and How to Find Them
Why Weapons Matter in Early Game
In Path of Exile, most skills scale directly from your weapon’s base damage. A good weapon not only speeds up monster clears but also reduces mana costs because fewer hits are required. For melee builds, weapon upgrades are absolutely essential; even caster builds benefit early on from wands, scepters, or staves with added spell damage.
While you’ll eventually transition into a crafted or unique weapon later in the campaign, early game power spikes come from knowing which bases and uniques are strong, and how to upgrade them at the right times.
Best Early Game Weapon Choices
1. Two-Handed Axes and Maces (Melee Builds)
For Marauder, Duelist, or Templar melee builds, two-handed weapons provide massive damage per hit. They make skills like Ground Slam, Earthshatter, and Sweep feel impactful.
Recommended bases:
Stone Axe → Woodsplitter → Poleaxe
Gavel → Stone Hammer → Rock Breaker
Unique options:
Limbsplit (2H Axe, level 13): Reliable early leveling unique with high damage and built-in culling strike.
Wideswing (2H Axe, level 18): Increases AoE, making skills like Sweep clear entire packs.
2. One-Handed Weapons + Shield (Melee or Hybrid Builds)
Some builds benefit from speed and defense. A one-handed sword or axe plus shield gives faster attack speed and survivability.
Recommended bases:
Copper Sword → Longsword → Broad Sword
Hatchet → Cleaver → Tomahawk
Unique options:
Redbeak (Sword, level 1): Very strong for Act 1, offering a damage bonus while low life.
Aurumvorax (Sword, level 17): Solid stats and great resistances for smoother progression.
3. Bows (Ranger and Projectile Builds)
Bow builds scale heavily from weapon damage early on. A good bow determines whether skills like Split Arrow, Rain of Arrows, or Lightning Arrow feel powerful or weak.
Recommended bases:
Crude Bow → Short Bow → Long Bow
Grove Bow → Recurve Bow
Unique options:
Silverbranch (Bow, level 1): Excellent starter bow with +1 to bow skill gems.
Storm Cloud (Bow, level 9): Extremely fast attack speed; shines with elemental bow skills.
4. Wands, Scepters, and Staves (Spellcasters)
Spellcasters rely on weapon affixes rather than base damage. Look for wands, scepters, or staves with +1 to Spell, Fire, Cold, or Lightning Gems.
Recommended bases:
Driftwood Wand → Goat’s Horn → Quartz Wand
Iron Sceptre → Bronze Sceptre
Unique options:
Lifesprig (Wand, level 1): One of the best caster leveling uniques; provides +1 to spell gems, life, and regen.
Axiom Perpetuum (Sceptre, level 10): Strong crit caster option for leveling through early acts.
5. Claws and Daggers (Dexterity or Hybrid Builds)
Rogues and assassins benefit from fast-hitting weapons. Skills like Dual Strike, Viper Strike, or Blade Vortex thrive on crit-based claws and daggers.
Recommended bases:
Glass Shank → Skinning Knife → Carving Knife
Nailed Fist → Blinder Claw → Awl
Unique options:
Mightflay (Claw, level 35): High damage and strong leech—perfect for sustaining through Acts 4–5.
Ungil’s Gauche (Dagger, level 20): Cheap and fast, excellent for crit-based setups.
How to Get Early Game Weapons
Vendor Recipes
Path of Exile’s vendors allow you to craft basic leveling weapons via recipes:
+1 to Spell Gems Wand/Sceptre/Staff: Vendor a magic wand/sceptre/staff + any elemental skill gem (fire/cold/lightning) + Orb of Alteration.
+1 Physical Damage Weapon: Vendor a weapon + Rustic Sash + Blacksmith’s Whetstone. Great for melee weapons.
These recipes ensure you can always craft a reliable damage upgrade in Act 1–2.
Quest Rewards
Many quests in early acts reward unique or rare weapons. For example:
Breaking Some Eggs (Act 1) often rewards wands and bows.
The Caged Brute (Act 1) can reward melee weapons like maces or swords.
Always check quest reward lists for your class before skipping.
Farming Bosses and Zones
Certain uniques are more likely to drop in early zones:
Hillock (Act 1, Twilight Strand): Can drop low-level uniques like Redbeak.
Merveil (Act 1 boss): A good farming target for caster gear early on.
Running these encounters a few times can yield solid upgrades.
Trading (if available)
In trade leagues, many leveling uniques are extremely cheap. For just a few alchemy or chaos orbs, you can buy staples like Lifesprig, Silverbranch, or Limbsplit. This is one of the fastest ways to smooth your leveling.
Weapon Upgrade Timeline
Act 1–2: Focus on vendor-crafted +1 wands for casters, Silverbranch/Storm Cloud for bow users, and Redbeak/Limbsplit for melee.
Act 3–4: Transition into stronger uniques like Axiom Perpetuum, Wideswing, or Aurumvorax.
Act 5–6: Look for Mightflay, Ungil’s Gauche, or solid rare bases with high rolls.
By Act 7, you should begin preparing for your endgame weapon transition, either through crafting or farming bases.
Final Tips for Leveling Weapons
Upgrade Regularly – Don’t cling to outdated gear. Replace your weapon every 10–15 levels if possible.
Use Vendor Recipes – They guarantee usable upgrades without RNG.
Don’t Overspend Early – Save currency for maps and endgame crafting.
Experiment – Early game is forgiving; try different weapons and uniques to learn what feels best for your build.
Conclusion
The early acts of Path of Exile are dramatically easier with the right weapons. Whether you’re swinging Limbsplit, blasting spells with Lifesprig, or raining arrows with Silverbranch, having the correct tools ensures smooth leveling. Use vendor recipes, quest rewards, and buy POE orbs cheap uniques to stay ahead of the curve, and you’ll blaze through the campaign with minimal downtime.
Mastering weapon progression early not only saves frustration but sets you up for a powerful transition into mid-game and beyond.
———— Sep-10-2025 PST ————