In Path of Exile 2, no class starts with innate Spirit, which can leave some players wondering how to acquire more. This new resource is particularly essential for Witch class skills, as they reserve Spirit to summon persistent minions. However, you’ll still need a small amount of Spirit to activate your first Buff Gems. Our guide will show you how to obtain it.
What is Spirit in Path of Exile 2
Spirit is a new resource in Path of Exile 2 that is used to reserve auras, meta gems, and summon minions, replacing Mana for aura reservations. While you won’t start with any Spirit, you’ll be able to increase this resource throughout the campaign by using specific boss drops and equipping certain items.
Your character’s Spirit is automatically reserved whenever you activate a meta gem on your skill bar, including auras. If you don’t have enough Spirit, you won’t be able to activate the skill or meta gem. There are no restrictions on the number of auras or meta gems you can equip, as long as you have enough Spirit to support them.
Minions work slightly differently. To summon revivable minions, you must open your skill tab and allocate Spirit to the skill gem. On your skill page, you’ll see a minion count next to the gem’s level, where the DPS meter usually appears. Clicking the plus icon will summon additional minions at the cost of Spirit, and you can reduce the number of minions by clicking the minus icon.
How to Get More Spirit in Path of Exile 2
In Path of Exile 2, there is more than one method to acquire more Spirit. At the start of the game, every character begins with zero Spirit, meaning you won’t be able to use any Spirit Gems initially.
Thankfully, players will accumulate at least 30 Spirit early on in Act 1. After that, it’s up to you to find ways to gain more.
Below, we’ve outlined the methods available to boost your build’s Spirit:
Infernalist
One way to increase your Spirit in Path of Exile 2 is by playing as the Infernalist, an Ascendancy for the Witch class. This option becomes available once you progress to the endgame with your Witch and unlock the ability to select an Ascendancy. This choice grants access to a new skill tree with additional nodes, including one called “Beidat’s Will.” This node boosts your Spirit by one per 25 maximum life.
If you have a high life stat, you can gain extra Spirit without needing specific gear or defeating certain bosses. However, the node reserves part of your life for Spirit, meaning you’ll be trading health for Spirit. If you’re comfortable with this trade-off, it can be a valuable node to acquire as an Infernalist Witch.
Additionally, selecting this route allows you to pick more life-boosting nodes later, giving you the opportunity to offset the life loss from Beidat’s Will while still benefiting from the increased Spirit.
Gears
Another way to boost your Spirit in Path of Exile 2 is by equipping gear that specifically increases it. When you acquire new gear, whether it’s a weapon or armor, check its affixes by hovering over the gear’s icon. If any affix increases Spirit, it might be worth considering for your build.
Two excellent examples of gear that increase Spirit are a Sceptre, which provides a +100 boost to Spirit, and a Solar Amulet. The Sceptre can make a significant difference, though it’s a one-handed weapon meant for your off-hand.
If your build relies on a two-handed weapon or a shield in the off-hand, you may not be able to equip a Sceptre. In this case, alternatives like the Solar Amulet or any other gear with a Spirit boost can help fill the gap.
For those struggling with gear luck, orbs that add extra affixes to items might offer a random Spirit boost. Additionally, you can try purchasing gear from the random gear vendor, hoping to find something with a Spirit affix.
Defeating Bosses
In Path of Exile 2, one of the primary ways to increase your Spirit is by defeating specific bosses that drop items which boost your Spirit when consumed.
For example, in Act 1, you’ll undertake the “Ominous Altars” quest in the Freythorn region. The objective is to destroy and cleanse three altars scattered across the map. After completing that, you’ll face a final altar guarded by a boss named “The King in the Mists.”
Although The King in the Mists can be challenging, once defeated, they will drop an item called the “Gembloom Skull.” When consumed, this item increases your Spirit by 30, allowing you to equip one Spirit Gem in Act 1. However, you’ll need more Spirit boosts to equip additional gems.
There are many other bosses in Path of Exile 2 that drop Spirit-boosting items. Not all of these are story bosses, so be sure to keep an eye on your map for boss icons in the regions you’ve explored. If the boss icon is faded, it means the boss is ready to be fought. While there’s no guarantee that a Spirit-boosting item will drop, you may receive other valuable gear instead.
If you’re interested in tracking down these Spirit-boosting bosses, here’s a list of all the ones that drop such items:
1. The King in the Mists
- Freythorn (Act 1)
- +30
2. Ignaduk, The Bog Witch
- The Azak Bog (Act 3)
- +30
3. Ignaduk, The Bog Witch (Cruel Difficulty)
- The Azak Bog (Act 3)
- +40
How to Use Spirit in Path of Exile 2
Unlike resources like HP and mana that constantly deplete and replenish, Spirit in Path of Exile 2 gradually increases as you progress through the campaign. Starting at zero, it will take time to build up a significant amount of Spirit. While it’s fine to manage without Spirit for a while, you’ll eventually need it to unlock powerful permanent buffs or support for your minions.
To allocate Spirit, you must first equip a Spirit-based skill and activate it. If the skill involves summoning persistent minions, make sure to click on it and select the “set minion count” option. This allows you to choose the number of minions you want, as long as you have enough Spirit. This system of allocating Spirit is known as “Spirit reservation,” functioning similarly to the life and mana reservation mechanics from the original Path of Exile.
Spirit can be used to activate Auras, equip Meta Gems, and summon persistent minions that stay with you permanently instead of disappearing after a while.
