How to respec in Path of Exile 2

The shadowy hooded figure who can help you respec in PoE2 — (Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

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Respec passives
Respec Ascendancies

Using the Path of Exile 2 respec feature lets you reset your colossal passive skill tree and reallocate your points to switch up your build. The problem is unlocking this option comes several hours into the game and only after you've met the Hooded One, a special NPC that appears at the Clearfell Encampment. And if you want to respec your Ascendancy points, it's even more trouble. So, below I've explained how you can unlock this shady merchant in Path of Exile 2 and respec both your passive and Ascendancy skills, as well as what the costs of doing so are - nothing's free, after all.

How to respec passive skills in Path of Exile 2

To respec in Path of Exile 2, you need to progress the main plot until the point where the Hooded One appears at the Clearfell Encampment hub area. The Hooded One allows you to respec your Passives at any point, though there is a cost involved for doing so. Every skill point you respec will cost you gold, a cost dependent on how deep the skill is in the skill tree, so this is a system you don't want to use too liberally, or else you risk becoming a rather poor adventurer.

To unlock the Hooded One and the respec system, you need to progress the main plot until you reach the Mysterious Shade quest and beat the Lachlann of Endless Lament boss fight. This should happen for most players somewhere between level 10 and level 15, roughly 4-5 hours into the game after you conclude the tutorial and beat the Path of Exile 2 Bloated Miller, depending on your behaviour and skill level.

How to respec Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 druid player transformed into wyvern — (Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

You can respec your Path of Exile 2 Ascendency points, but it's not as simple as resetting your passive skill tree as described above (the process also used to be a lot more complicated but was simplified with the Return of the Ancients 0.5.0 update). Planning ahead with your build is definitely the best option to avoid a respec, but if you really want to reallocate your Ascendancy points, you'll need lots of gold and must do the following:

Re-attempt an Ascendancy Trial with a relevant relic item of any area level and with any number of trials:
For the Trial of the Sekhemas, you need a Djinn Barya and you only need to complete the first floor of the Trial.
For the Trial of Chaos, you need an Inscribed Ultimatum and must complete the whole Trial.
Speak to the relevant NPC in the Trial's treasure room and pick the 'Change Ascendancy' dialogue option. You'll then be presented with every Ascendancy available to your Path of Exile 2 class.
Select the Ascendancy you want to change to, then press 'Change' at the bottom of your screen to refund all your spent Ascendancy points. Note that you can see the cost in gold for changing your Ascendancy based on how many points you've spent at the top of this menu and by hovering your cursor over the 'Change' button.
Re-allocate your Ascendancy points for your new Ascendancy.

You can repeat this process if you aren't happy with your new Ascendancy, but just remember that you must pay that gold fee based on the number of spent Ascendancy points every time you do so, and you need a new relic to begin the Trial - although Path of Exile 2 trading may be able to help you get a new one. If you're trying out a new Ascendancy, spend only a few points on it at first so that you can get a cheaper respec if you don't like it.