Path of Building is the community calculator behind almost every Path of Exile build, and reading it well is the single biggest upgrade to how you judge a character. These guides cover it for the original game, from importing a build to reading its honest number, kept separate from the in-progress Path of Exile 2 version.
Where this sits
This is the Path of Exile half of the Games hub. Everything below is written for the original game. Path of Exile 2 has a separate, still-maturing version of the tool, covered in the PoE 2 Path of Building guides.
Open source and community maintained
Community toolTree, items, skills and calcs
What to readWhere the honest number lives
The key tabRead these in order and Path of Building goes from an intimidating wall of numbers to the most useful tool you own. Each is written for Path of Exile specifically.
What the tool is, how to install the maintained version, import a build, and read all four panels with confidence.
Why conditional buffs default off in the Config tab, and how to enable only what you truly hold in a fight.
The headline figure assumes buffs, flasks and charges you may never hold. How to read the number that survives.
Effective health, mitigation layers and recovery, read past the one big number the tool shows.
Compare two damage numbers and see the real percentage gap, once they are measured the same way.
Path of Building is a free community tool that models a Path of Exile character in full: the passive tree, the gear, the gems, and the damage and defence it all produces. It is the standard way build guides share a complete setup, because a single import code carries the whole build into the tool for you to inspect and edit. It is not made by Grinding Gear Games, and it does not touch the game itself. It reads and calculates, nothing more, which is exactly why it is trustworthy when you read it honestly.
The single most important habit is to distrust the big number at the top until you have set the conditions beneath it. That figure assumes an ideal fight, and the Config tab is where you make it match your real one.
Set the conditions before you trust the figure
Conditional buffs default off because the tool cannot know what you sustain, and enabling everything just rebuilds the inflated best case. Set a boss target, switch on only what you reliably hold, and read what remains. The reasoning is in why some buffs are not enabled and why the highest DPS may not be best.
Four steps take you from a shared code to a number you can actually plan around.
Use the actively maintained community edition, not an abandoned older build. The Path of Building guide covers which to install.
Paste the build's import code into the Import tab, and the whole setup loads at once, tree, gear and gems.
Point the calculation at a lone boss and enable only what you sustain, as covered in why some buffs are not enabled.
Judge damage and defence together, and weigh two builds fairly with the DPS Difference Calculator and build comparison.
This is PoB for PoE 1, not PoE 2
Path of Exile 2 has its own separate, still-maturing version of Path of Building, so expect rough edges and different builds. The way you read it does not change, but the tool and the imported build must both be for the right game. When you are playing the sequel, read the PoE 2 Path of Building guides, and use the Games hub to switch.
Use the actively maintained community version, which is free and kept current with each league and patch. Avoid older abandoned builds of the tool, since they give stale results. The Path of Building guide covers getting the right one.
No. It is an independent community tool, not made by Grinding Gear Games and not hosted here. It reads publicly available data and calculates, so it does not interact with the game client.
Almost always the Config tab. The default and fully enabled settings assume ideal conditions. Set a boss target and turn off what you cannot sustain, as in why some buffs are not enabled, and the number becomes realistic.
There is a separate version for Path of Exile 2 that is still maturing. The same reading applies, but make sure both the tool and the imported build are meant for the right game.
Yes, straight from your account as long as your profile is public. That lets you see your real numbers and test upgrades before buying them, which is one of the most useful things the tool does.
These are independent educational guides to Path of Building and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Grinding Gear Games or the Path of Building project. Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 are trademarks of Grinding Gear Games, and Path of Building is an independent, community-maintained tool that is not hosted here. Poe Ninja is an independent educational site, not affiliated with or endorsed by Grinding Gear Games or poe.ninja.