What it is
Maxroll is an editorial multi-game guides site (PoE 1, PoE 2, Diablo 4, Last Epoch, D2R, Lost Ark) operated by a team of top players writing original content. The PoE 2 section (maxroll.gg/poe2) covers everything from the league-start guide for the current patch to endgame builds with their PoB exports, plus their own web planners for passive tree and atlas tree.
Unlike collaborative wikis, Maxroll has an editorial line: every guide is signed by one or more authors, reviewed before publishing, and maintained with explicit updates when GGG changes balance.
What problem it solves
PoE 2 is complex and canonical information is scattered across the official site (sparse on docs), reddit (chaotic), Discord (ephemeral) and creator videos (not searchable). For a player starting or returning to the league who needs "a solid build I know works" or "what do I do first in endgame", searching across sources takes hours.
Maxroll concentrates that into one edited, consistently formatted site. A Maxroll build guide includes gear progression, gem links, passive tree with priority order, atlas tree and budget tier — everything you need to run the build from campaign to mid-tier endgame without jumping between 5 sources.
Differentiation
Compared to Mobalytics (its closest competitor), Maxroll has a longer history in the PoE ecosystem and more editorial depth: guides are more detailed and authors are well-known creators. Mobalytics wins on breadth (more community builds) and tools like an integrated tier list / build tracker.
Compared to poe.ninja (which gives aggregated data without opinion), Maxroll is the opinionated version: each guide represents the author's informed opinion, with explicit reasoning for why this item, this node, this skill. Maxroll tells you what to do; poe.ninja tells you what others are doing.
What people use it for
Pick a league-start build: days before a patch launches, Maxroll publishes its tier list with builds ranked by viability, ease of leveling, budget. Acts as initial filter against the dozens of builds creators post.
Follow a build step by step: each top guide has gear progression sections (what to look for per act), starting and mid-game gem links, passive tree with leveling order. Lowers the bar for players who don't want to theory-craft.
Plan atlas tree: Maxroll has its own web atlas planner (maxroll.gg/poe2/atlas-tree) where you can design and share your tree without installing anything.
Campaign leveling guides: the comprehensive league-start guide covers Acts 1-4 and Interludes, with permanent rewards, hidden caches, optimal pathing — useful for fresh starts and alts.
News and patch breakdowns: editorial coverage of each GGG announcement with analysis of what changed and which builds win or lose.
Who this isn't for
If you're after niche or experimental builds, Maxroll will be conservative — its editorial line favors tested, replicable builds, not the latest weird creation from a theory-crafter. For that, reddit, Discord or specific creators are better.
If you need primary data (mod weights, exact damage formulas, drop rates), Maxroll isn't the site. For that go to poedb / poe2db. Maxroll uses that data, but presents conclusions, not underlying tables.
How it's used in practice
- Go to
maxroll.gg/poe2. The home highlights the current patch and top league-start builds. - Tier List (
/builds) ranks builds per category: SSF-friendly, league-start, endgame-meta, etc. One click takes you to the full guide. - Any build guide has side navigation: Overview → Skills → Gear → Passive Tree → Atlas → Endgame. Read in order if starting the build, skip sections if already advanced.
- At the end of every guide is the PoB import code or link, ready to open in Path of Building.
- The atlas tree planner is a standalone web app — usable for sharing builds via URL.
Honest limitations
English only. No localization. Technical terminology (cluster jewels, anointments in PoE 1 vs equivalents in PoE 2, etc.) requires vocabulary handling.
Editorial bias favors popular builds. A build the team doesn't play or test internally probably won't show up in the tier list. This avoids filler but also leaves out viable niche builds.
The site has ads and newsletter prompts. It's free, monetized via display ads and email captures. Not invasive but present.
You depend on the team's editorial cadence. When a build is nerfed mid-league, there can be lag between the nerf and the guide update. Maxroll generally updates within days, but not instantly.
Wide coverage ≠ infinite depth. Not all classes get the same level of detail. Most popular classes (typically Witch, Monk in PoE 2) have more builds; others may be under-covered.
How to start
No registration needed. Go to maxroll.gg/poe2. If starting a character, open the Tier List and sort by "Best League Start" or "Best for Beginners". Read the top guide top-to-bottom once before playing; keep the tab open while leveling for quick reference.
To integrate into your workflow: bookmark the builds section for your favorite class and check it whenever the league changes. Maxroll doesn't need a daily visit — its value is as edited reference, not as a timeline.