One of the most consequential decisions in Path of Exile comes early in your journey. In Act 2, you’ll encounter three powerful bandits: Alira, Kraityn, and Oak. You can choose to help one of them or kill all three. This single decision permanently affects your character’s stats and can define your entire build’s potential.
The problem? Most new players don’t understand the long-term impact of their choice. They help the first bandit they see and regret it later. Experienced players, however, know that the right bandit choice can be worth hundreds of currency or provide critical stats your build needs.
This complete Path of Exile bandit guide explains every reward, shows which bandit suits each class and build type, and reveals whether you can change your choice later.
What Are Path of Exile Bandits?
Path of Exile bandits are a core mechanic introduced in Act 2 during the story campaign. When you reach the Bandit Camp, you’ll encounter three unique NPCs, each with their own faction and goals. At this critical moment, you must decide for each bandit: will you help them achieve their goal, or kill them to prevent it?
Your three options are:
- Help Alira – Support her in establishing a trading empire
- Help Kraityn – Assist him in building a rebel camp
- Help Oak – Defend the ancient forest with him
Alternatively, you can kill any or all of them. Most experienced players recommend helping one and killing the other two, though some builds benefit from killing all three for the kill reward.
This choice is permanent for that character. You cannot undo it without using special items called Bandit Respec Orbs, which are expensive and rarely worth the cost.
Complete Bandit Rewards Table
Understanding what each bandit offers is the foundation of making the right choice. Here’s the complete breakdown:
| Bandit | Help Reward | Kill Reward | Best For |
| Alira | +1 Power Charge, +1 Maximum Power Charge | +5% Elemental Damage Taken | Spell builds, elemental damage, casters |
| Kraityn | +1 Frenzy Charge, +1 Maximum Frenzy Charge, +8% Attack/Cast Speed | +8% Attack and Cast Speed | Attack builds, bow builds, attack speed stacking |
| Oak | +40 Life, +8% Physical Damage Reduction | +10% Physical Damage Reduction | Life-based builds, tankies, melee characters |
Important notes:
When you help a bandit, you receive the help reward and nothing else. When you kill a bandit, you receive only the kill reward. You cannot receive both rewards from the same bandit.
Most builds follow a pattern: help one bandit and kill the other two. The most common strategy is to help the bandit whose reward benefits your build most and kill the rest for their kill rewards.
Which Bandit Should You Help? The Complete Decision Guide
The right bandit choice depends entirely on your build type, class, and playstyle. Let’s break this down by category.
Should You Help or Kill Alira?
Help Alira if:
- You’re playing a spell-based build (Witch, Shadow, Templar)
- Your build relies on elemental damage (freeze, shock, ignite)
- You want reliable damage scaling from power charges
- You’re playing elemental damage stacking builds
- You benefit from crit multiplier through power charges
Power charges provide +40% crit multiplier each. For caster builds that already have high crit chance, power charges multiply this into massive damage. Spell builds often generate power charges through skill gems or passives, making Alira’s charge a natural fit.
Kill Alira if:
- You’re playing a physical damage build (Marauder, Duelist, Ranger)
- Your build doesn’t generate or scale power charges
- You want the +5% elemental damage taken (rarely useful, but viable for some niche builds)
- You need the kill reward space for Oak or Kraityn
Most physical and attack-based builds kill Alira because power charges don’t scale their damage effectively.
Should You Help or Kill Kraityn?
Help Kraityn if:
- You’re playing an attack-speed dependent build (bow builds, fast attack builds)
- Your damage comes from hitting frequently rather than hard
- You’re playing frenzy charge focused builds
- You want consistent +8% attack and cast speed bonus
- You’re doing fast attack weapon builds or attack speed stacking
Frenzy charges grant +5% attack and cast speed and +5% movement speed each. Combined with the help reward of +8% attack and cast speed, Kraityn becomes incredibly valuable for builds that rely on attack frequency.
Kill Kraityn if:
- You’re playing a slow, hard-hitting build (two-handed weapons, slow spells)
- Your damage scales better from other sources
- You prioritize survivability over attack speed
- You want the +8% attack and cast speed kill reward for specific builds
The choice between helping and killing Kraityn is actually complex. Many builds benefit from the kill reward alone (+8% attack speed), so helping vs killing depends on whether frenzy charges synergize with your build.
Should You Help or Kill Oak?
Help Oak if:
- You’re playing a life-based build
- You want maximum survivability and tankiness
- You’re planning a hardcore character
- Your build struggles with early game survival
- You’re new to Path of Exile and want the safety of extra life
The +40 life from helping Oak is substantial, especially in early maps. It’s the most beginner-friendly choice because raw life applies to every character.
Kill Oak if:
- You’re experienced and confident in your defenses
- You want the +10% physical damage reduction for optimal tankiness
- You’re playing a dodge/evasion build that doesn’t stack armour
- You prioritize the extra kill rewards from other bandits
Interestingly, many experienced players kill Oak and use other defensive layers instead. The +40 life is nice, but veteran players often prefer the flexibility of the kill reward.
Best Bandit Choices by Path of Exile Class
Each of the seven classes has unique scaling and natural synergies. Here’s the optimized bandit choice for each:
Witch
- Recommended: Help Alira
- Why: Witches are naturally caster-focused. They deal elemental and chaos damage through spells. Power charges scale crit multiplier on spells, making Alira’s reward incredibly valuable.
- Alternative: Kill all three for maximum offensive scaling if you’re doing a high-damage, low-defense build.
Shadow
- Recommended: Help Kraityn or Help Alira (depends on build)
- Why: Shadows are versatile. Physical attack builds benefit from Kraityn’s attack speed and frenzy charges. Spell-based Shadow builds (like elemental spells or chaos) prefer Alira.
- Note: If playing a crit-focused attack build, Alira’s power charges can work, but Kraityn is usually superior.
Ranger
- Recommended: Help Kraityn
- Why: Rangers are the archetypal bow and attack-speed build. Kraityn’s frenzy charges and attack speed bonus directly multiply damage for bow-based Rangers.
- Alternative: Alira works for spell-focused Rangers (rare but viable), especially for elemental builds.
Duelist
- Recommended: Help Kraityn or Kill All
- Why: Duelists split between fast attack builds and slower, harder-hitting melee. Fast attack Duelists love Kraityn. Slow, tanky Duelists often kill all three for raw damage output.
- Alternative: Help Oak if playing a defensive, life-stacking Duelist.
Marauder
- Recommended: Kill All or Help Oak
- Why: Marauders are the tanky strength-stacking melee class. They rarely benefit from power or frenzy charges. Killing all three maximizes damage. Alternatively, helping Oak for the life provides extra survival.
- Most meta: Kill all three for pure damage output.
Templar
- Recommended: Help Alira
- Why: Templars are spellcasters and hybrid caster/attackers. They benefit immensely from Alira’s power charges.
- Alternative: If playing a tanky aura-stacking Templar, helping Oak for life can be optimal.
Scion
- Recommended: Depends on build (Alira for spells, Kraityn for attacks, Oak for tanks)
- Why: Scions are the most versatile class. Your choice entirely depends on your specific build path. A Scion can become anything, so analyze your individual build rather than relying on class defaults.
Best Bandit Choices by Build Type
Forget class for a moment. Let’s look at actual build archetypes and what works best:
Spell/Caster Builds
- Best choice: Help Alira
- Spellcasters scale damage through gem levels, spell damage scaling, and crit multiplier. Power charges from Alira provide both crit chance and multiplier through tree pathing. Almost all spell-based builds benefit significantly from Alira’s reward.
- Examples: Fireball Witch, Lightning Conduit Templar, Chaos Orb builds
Melee Attack Builds (Fast)
- Best choice: Help Kraityn
- Fast attack builds like dual-wielding, claws, or fast weapons benefit enormously from frenzy charges and the additional attack speed. Kraityn directly multiplies your damage output.
- Examples: Lightning Strike Ranger, Flurry Duelist, Fast Attack builds
Melee Attack Builds (Slow/Two-Handed)
- Best choice: Kill all three
- Slow, heavy-hitting builds don’t generate frenzy charges naturally and don’t benefit from attack speed. Killing all three grants +8% attack speed as a kill reward, plus additional passive benefits. Some players choose to help Oak for survivability instead.
- Examples: Earthquake Marauder, Cleave Duelist, Boneshatter
Minion Builds
- Best choice: Help Alira
- Minion builds scale through the minion damage scaling, gem levels, and crit. Alira’s power charges benefit your character’s ability to support minions through crit. The +1 power charge is valuable for minion crit builds.
- Examples: Raise Spectre Witch, Summon Raging Spirit, Minion builds
Bow Builds
- Best choice: Help Kraityn
- Bow builds are the archetypal attack speed builds. Frenzy charges and the additional attack speed make Kraityn the obvious choice.
- Examples: Split Arrow Ranger, Lightning Arrow Ranger, Tornado Shot
Evasion/Dodge Builds
- Best choice: Help Kraityn or Kill All
- Evasion builds don’t need Oak’s life/armour as much. They benefit from attack speed or prefer killing all three for damage output.
- Armour/Life Tank Builds
- Best choice: Help Oak
Tank builds that stack armour and life benefit most from Oak’s +40 life and +8% physical damage reduction. This choice is clear-cut.
Can You Change Your Bandit Choice Later?
Yes, you can change your bandit choice, but it’s expensive. Here’s what you need to know:
How to Reset Your Bandit Choice
You need an item called a Bandit Respec Orb. These are dropped by bandits when you defeat them in maps under specific conditions or can be purchased from other players.
To reset your choice:
- Travel to the Bandit Camp in Act 2
- Use the Bandit Respec Orb on the bandit you want to change
- You can then choose to help or kill them again
- This gives you their new reward
Cost Analysis
Bandit Respec Orbs typically cost 15-25 Chaos Orbs early in a league. Later in the league, they become cheaper. This is usually not worth the currency cost unless you’re completely changing your build or farming bandits for currency.
When Should You Respec Your Bandit Choice?
- After a major build pivot: If you respec your tree from spell to attack, your bandit choice might become suboptimal
- When farming bandits for currency: Some players reset bandits repeatedly to farm them for profit
- League switching: If you’re switching from hardcore to softcore, you might adjust your choices
Most players simply live with their initial choice. It’s rarely worth respecting unless you’re playing at endgame with significant currency to spare.
Farming Bandits for Currency: Advanced Strategy
Experienced players sometimes farm bandits repeatedly as a currency generation method. Here’s how it works:
You can reset bandits using Bandit Respec Orbs, fight them again, and collect their rewards multiple times. Some players do this in specific configurations to maximize profit.
This strategy requires:
- Consistent bandit respec orb supply
- Knowledge of profitable bandit encounters
- Understanding of your character’s survivability against bandit fights
For most players, this is not worth the effort. However, if you’re already running Act 2 repeatedly for other reasons, farming bandits can be a secondary income stream.
Path of Exile Trade Helper and Bandit Optimization
Modern Path of Exile trade tools can help you validate your bandit choice against current meta builds. Here’s how to use them:
Using Trade Tools to Verify Your Choice
- Check your build on Path of Building: Import your character and test bandit choices. See how much damage/survivability each choice provides
- Use price checkers: Verify if your build’s required items are attainable with your chosen bandit rewards
- Compare builds on Path of Building: Look at what experienced players chose for similar builds in the current league
This data-driven approach removes guesswork from the decision.
The Meta Bandit Choice in 2026
Current meta analysis shows:
- Alira is the most popular choice overall, especially for spell-based leagues
- Kraityn dominates attack-speed and bow build leagues
- Oak is underrated but excellent for hardcore players
- Kill all three remains viable for damage-focused builds without specific scaling needs
The meta shifts with league mechanics and balance changes, but these patterns remain relatively consistent.
Common Bandit Choice Mistakes
Avoid these common errors:
- Mistake 1: Helping a bandit that doesn’t synergize with your build simply because they’re the first one you encounter.
- Mistake 2: Following outdated guides from years ago. Meta shifts, and what was optimal in 2023 might not be in 2026.
- Mistake 3: Not considering that you’ll farm this choice again if you play multiple characters. Your choice on character one informs character two’s strategy.
- Mistake 4: Ignoring the kill rewards. Sometimes killing all three provides better overall value than helping one.
Optimize Your Path of Exile Experience Beyond Bandits
The bandit choice is important, but your overall Path of Exile experience depends on more than just character mechanics. Stable connection and low latency matter tremendously, especially when trading with other players or farming in high-action content.
When you’re running challenging maps or trading with players across regions, connection consistency determines whether you can execute your build effectively. High ping and packet loss can ruin your carefully optimized build, causing deaths in critical moments or failed trades.
ExitLag optimizes your Path of Exile connection by analyzing your network routes in real time and selecting the fastest path to game servers. This reduces latency, eliminates packet loss, and ensures your bandit choice translates into reliable performance when it matters most.
With optimized connection stability, your bandit choice investment pays off fully. You’ll experience the stats you earned without connection-related interference.
TryExitLagfree for 3 days and see how connection optimization enhances your build’s potential. Your bandit choice is only as good as your ability to execute it flawlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bandits
Can I help multiple bandits?
No. You must choose to either help or kill each bandit individually. However, helping one and killing the other two is the most common strategy.
What happens if I kill all three bandits?
You receive all three kill rewards: +5% elemental damage taken, +8% attack and cast speed, and +10% physical damage reduction. Some builds benefit from this approach more than helping one bandit.
Is there a “best” bandit choice?
No universal best choice exists. Your choice depends entirely on your class, build type, and playstyle. Alira is the safest choice for new players, but experienced players optimize based on their specific build.
Can I see my bandit choice in the character sheet?
Yes. In your character sheet, scroll to the bottom and you’ll see your bandit rewards listed. This helps confirm your choice and reminds you what you selected.
Do bandits affect endgame play?
Absolutely. Your bandit choice’s impact is consistent from Act 2 through endgame. A suboptimal choice early affects your character for the entire game.
Should new players help Alira?
Yes, Alira is the safest beginner choice. New players benefit from the extra power charge providing survivability through crit scaling, and it’s a good default that works for multiple builds.
Making Your Bandit Choice
Your Path of Exile bandit choice is a permanent decision that shapes your character’s potential. Here’s the quick decision process:
- Identify your build type: Spell? Attack? Melee? Bow?
- Check the rewards table: What does each bandit offer your build?
- Research your specific build: Look at Path of Building imports from experienced players
- Make your choice: Help the bandit whose reward scales best with your build, kill the rest
- Optimize everything else: Connection, gear, tree pathing to maximize your build’s potential
The bandit choice is just one piece of the puzzle. Combined with solid gear, proper passive tree pathing, and optimized connection stability, your build reaches its full potential.
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