Introduction
In Path of Exile 2, a character’s defenses are built around Evasion, Armor, and Energy Shield. Evasion helps avoid enemy attacks, Armor reduces physical damage, and Energy Shield provides an extra layer of damage absorption. Acrobatics is a key Keystone passive for Evasion builds, significantly boosting your ability to evade hits. This becomes especially crucial in the late game, where it offers vital protection against powerful bosses and high-damage area attacks.
Understanding Evasion in PoE 2
Evasion is an important defense mechanic in Path of Exile 2 that helps players avoid enemy attacks. It primarily protects against two types of attacks: Strikes and Projectiles. Strikes are direct physical hits, like melee attacks, while Projectiles are ranged attacks such as arrows or magic projectiles.
Evasion works by giving players a percentage chance to avoid these attacks, which is displayed in the character’s stats. The higher the Evasion rate, the greater the chance to avoid incoming hits, improving survivability. In higher difficulty or late-game scenarios, Evasion becomes crucial for reducing the risk of fatal damage, especially when facing enemies with high burst damage.
The Role of Acrobatics
Acrobatics is a Keystone passive that extends Evasion to all “hit” damage, not just Strikes and Projectiles. This means that, with Acrobatics, players can avoid nearly all types of incoming damage that would normally count as a “hit.” This significantly boosts your defensive capabilities, especially in situations where traditional defenses like Armor or Energy Shield might fall short.
Clarifying Misconceptions
Acrobatics does not make you immune to damage. Instead, it increases your chances to evade hits, particularly in crucial moments. For example, it can help you avoid devastating one-shot mechanics or area-of-effect (AoE) damage from bosses, where Evasion typically wouldn’t apply. In these cases, Acrobatics provides an essential layer of protection against high-damage and non-strike attacks, such as AoE attacks or death effects.
Maximizing the Evasion Effect of Acrobatics
Evasion Cap and How to Reach It
The maximum Evasion cap in Path of Exile 2 is 95%. With Acrobatics, you can get very close to this cap, which significantly enhances your ability to avoid hits. However, reaching this cap requires a combination of high-Evasion gear and passive skill tree points that boost Evasion.
Evasion Stacking
To maximize your Evasion, focus on stacking Evasion from various sources. This includes equipping gear with high Evasion ratings (such as evasion-based armor) and choosing passive skills that directly increase your Evasion. You can also consider Ascendancy bonuses and support gems that enhance your Evasion, allowing you to reach higher Evasion values and get closer to that 95% cap.
Evasion’s Diminishing Returns
It’s important to note that Evasion has a diminishing returns effect. This means that with each successive hit you take, your chance to evade decreases. For example, after evading your first hit with a 95% chance, your second hit may have a slightly lower evasion chance, and the third hit even lower. This makes it crucial to avoid taking too many hits in quick succession, as the likelihood of evading diminishes over time. Proper positioning and movement are key to ensuring that your Evasion remains effective throughout the battle.
When to Choose Acrobatics
When Acrobatics is Applicable
Acrobatics is most effective when your character is built around Evasion and you have the necessary resources to make it work. It’s ideal for players who are focusing on Evasion-based defenses and want to maximize their ability to avoid damage, especially in high-stakes encounters like boss fights or high-damage areas. However, due to its significant Evasion penalty, it’s best suited for the later stages of the game when you have access to high-level gear and a well-developed passive skill tree.
High Evasion Gear and Skill Points Required
To fully benefit from Acrobatics, you’ll need to stack significant amounts of Evasion from both your gear and passive tree. This often means equipping specialized armor that boosts Evasion and investing in passives that further increase it. Acrobatics requires compensating for a 70% Evasion penalty, so your character must reach at least 80% Evasion with Acrobatics active to make it worthwhile.
Acrobatics for Late-Game Characters
Acrobatics is primarily a late-game choice, best suited for characters with high-end gear and an optimized skill tree. At this stage, your character should be fully equipped with BiS (best-in-slot) gear, all four ascendancies, and around 120+ skill points. This allows you to respec your tree to accommodate the Evasion deficit and make the most out of Acrobatics. It is not a choice for beginners or early-game characters due to the gear and points required to make it effective.
Tips and Strategies
Maximizing Acrobatics
- Movement is Key: Stay mobile to avoid multiple hits in quick succession, which lowers your evasion chances.
- Prioritize Evasion: Focus on Evasion gear and passives to ensure Acrobatics works at its best.
Build and Respec Around Acrobatics
- Respec Your Tree: Allocate points to Evasion and remove less useful defensive passives.
- Specialized Build: Focus on Evasion-focused gear and Ascendancies to maximize Acrobatics’ effectiveness.
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Conclusion
Acrobatics serves as a powerful survival tool in the late game, enhancing your ability to avoid damage, particularly from high-impact attacks like boss AoEs or death effects. However, it is most effective when combined with a well-optimized Evasion build, requiring high-quality gear and a carefully allocated passive skill tree.
When optimizing an Evasion-based build, players need to balance Acrobatics with other defensive attributes like Armor and Energy Shield. While Acrobatics offers substantial protection, it’s important to ensure that your character’s defenses are well-rounded to withstand a variety of threats, especially in the challenging endgame scenarios of Path of Exile 2.
