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There is a big shift in how you build and rebuild your character between Path of Exile 1 and 2. Respeccing your build was often mandatory at certain points and you had to plan around that while playing. Before, you would go for Passive Refund Points from specific quests during the campaign, or you had to rely on getting Orbs of Regret. That is no longer the case in PoE2, with the new system more accessible than ever. We’ll explain how it works in the game’s sequel.
How to refund passive skill points to respec in PoE2
You can interact with The Hooded One and ask him to refund your passives. Captured by VideoGamer
Click on any allocated passive to refund that point for gold. Captured by VideoGamer
In Path of Exile 2, you can refund points on the passive skill tree by spending gold. The cost gets progressively higher the more you do it, so it pays off to plan out your build’s path in advance. Otherwise, you’ll end up farming gold just to pay for respecs, leaving you with little left to spend on listing auctions or gambling for gear. However, note that refunding passives is not available from game start – you’ll have to unlock it first. Here’s how to do it.
How to unlock passive skill point refunds
Refunding passives is a service provided by The Hooded One. If you’ve watched the cinematic trailer, you’ll recognize him as the spectre that gets stabbed and left to hang on a tree near the end. Therefore, you have to rescue him, here’s how:
- Start the Secrets in the Dark quest after reaching Clearfell in Act 1.
- Explore the Grelwood map until you find the hanging tree called Tree of Souls. Then summon Una to progress the quest.
- Una will send you to Red Vale to collect three Runes of Power from the battlefield.
- Each rune is found by interacting with a red obelisk. This will summon a pack of monsters that you have to eradicate before getting one of the Runes. The final rune is protected by The Rust King boss, so be ready for a fight.
- Collect all three Runes of Power (each is a different piece of ancient equipment) and bring them back to Renly who will reforge them.
- Return to the Tree of Souls – use the nearby waypoint for convenience – and stick the reforged runes around the base. This will release the shade from the tree. Speak to Una again to get the next quest, The Mysterious Shade.
- She will task you with going through the Grim Tangle and reaching the Cemetery of the Eternals. There, your goal will be to find the Count’s grave past the Memorial Gate.
- To unlock the gate, you need to complete the Sorrow Among Stones quest for Lachlann, who you meet just as you arrive at the cemetery. Explore the two mausoleums he sends you to and bring back the two relics.
- This will open the gates where you have to face another boss to progress further.
- After that, pick up the Count’s Ring and return to Clearfell. Give the ring to Una, who will use it to heal the shade.
- With that done, you can now speak with The Hooded One.
With the long questline complete, you can now interact with The Hooded One any time you’re in the hub to refund your passive points. In addition, he will identify the items in your inventory for free, like our very own Deckard Cain.
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