Unlocking the full potential of your character in Path of Exile 2 hinges on mastering the art of respeccing-rewinding your passive skill tree choices to craft the perfect build. But before you can reshape your destiny, you must first complete a challenging Act 1 quest to revive The Hooded One, the key NPC who grants you the power to refund your passive points for a gold cost. Whether you want to experiment with new strategies or correct early missteps, this guide reveals exactly how to respec your character across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, ensuring your journey through Wraeclast is as dynamic as your ambition.
Here’s when you unlock respec and how to respec in Path of Exile 2.
How to respec in Path of Exile 2
To respec in Path of Exile 2, you must first progress through the main story until you unlock The Hooded One NPC at the Clearfell Encampment by completing the Act 1 quest “The Mysterious Shade,” which involves defeating several bosses and reviving The Hooded One. Once unlocked, you can speak to The Hooded One at any time to refund your passive skill points by paying a gold cost that varies depending on how deep the skills are in the tree. Note that this respec system only applies to passive skill points; you cannot respec your Ascendancy points or class choices except by redoing specific Ascendancy trials for the former. This system allows players to experiment with different builds while requiring thoughtful planning due to the gold cost involved.
To respec in Path of Exile 2, you must first complete the “Sorrow Among Stones” quest in Act 1 to revive The Hooded One at Clearfell Encampment. Reaching this point in Path of Exile 2 can take a couple hours if you’re rushing, or roughly five hours if you’re taking your time.

Once The Hooded One has been revived, you can interact with them to respec your skill points in exchange for gold.
Respeccing can be very costly early on, as you won’t have a lot of gold on your first character and the gold cost scales exponentially per level. Luckily, your gold will carry onto your other characters, so you will rack up a ton of gold as long as you’re not playing hardcore or solo self-found.

How can I unlock the respec system early in Path of Exile 2
To unlock the respec system early in Path of Exile 2, you must complete the Act 1 questline involving Una, specifically the quest called “The Mysterious Shade.” This quest requires you to reach the Cemetery of the Eternals (a Level 7 area), defeat several bosses, and retrieve Count Lachlann’s Ring. Completing this quest revives The Hooded One, an NPC located in Clearfell Encampment, who then enables you to refund passive skill points for a gold cost.
In summary:
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Progress through Act 1 until you reach the Cemetery of the Eternals.
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Complete the “Sorrow Among Stones” quest, which leads to “The Mysterious Shade.”
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Defeat bosses and obtain Count Lachlann’s Ring.
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Return to Una to unlock The Hooded One.
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Interact with The Hooded One in Clearfell Encampment to respec your passive skills by paying gold.
This process typically takes around 4 to 5 hours of gameplay depending on your pace.
What is the main quest needed to unlock respec in Path of Exile 2
The main quest needed to unlock the respec system in Path of Exile 2 is “The Mysterious Shade” in Act 1. Completing this quest involves reaching the Cemetery of the Eternals, defeating several bosses, and obtaining Count Lachlann’s Ring. After finishing the quest, you return to Una, which triggers the revival of The Hooded One, an NPC in Clearfell Encampment who enables you to refund passive skill points for a gold cost.
