Skills will just about always be stronger than your basic attacks in Path of Exile 2. Skills vary greatly depending on the weapon you have equipped, but all of them use the same general method for aiming to make hitting your target easier no matter how many characters and classes you play.
Most of your skills will use Mana, so it's important to not miss and let that Mana go to waste, luckily there are some systems in place to help make sure that doesn't happen too often. Here's how to aim your skills and also how to use the Attack in Place system.
How To Aim Skills In Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 lets players move in one direction while facing in another. On console, the direction you face is determined by your right joystick, and depending on your movement settings on PC, you'll probably use the mouse to face in different directions. Whenever you activate a skill, it will be used in whatever direction your character is facing. If you're only moving and not also facing a different direction, the skill will simply be cast forward in the direction you're moving.
Many skills can be cast while moving and facing different directions. If you are using the controls to face a specific direction, your skill will be used in a more manual style of aiming, making it much easier to miss. If you often find yourself missing skills because you're also moving, the game gives you the option to enable Attack in Place.
Path of Exile 2: How To Upgrade Armor & Weapon Quality
In Path of Exile 2, Armor Quality and Weapon Quality is an upgradable stat that improves the other base stats of that piece of gear.
How Does Attack In Place Work In Path of Exile 2
Attack in Place can be activated on any and all skills you wish but is naturally turned off. When active, every time you use that skill, your character will stop moving and you'll only be able to change the direction you're facing. This has a range of uses depending on your class and the build you're using, but the benefits for melee skills make it worth activating on your more devastating skills.
- Go to the skills menu.
- Select the skill you wish to activate Attack in Place on.
- Select the skill and go to, "Skill Options"
- In the next menu will be the toggle for Attack in Place for only that skill.
Attack in Place doesn't stop a movement that is part of the skill, such as the second attack from 
Rolling Slam, though it does prevent your character from moving through enemies if the skill can be activated while moving, such as the first jump of Rolling Slam. Not every skill should use Attack in Place, though it is highly recommended you experiment with it to see if you land more skills. When your character stops moving, they will lock on to the nearest enemy, making aiming more automated without changing the controls you have to use while fighting.
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
