I've been messing around with Goratha's Entangle Sorceress in PoE 2's 0.4 "The Last of the Druids" patch, and it's the first caster I've played in ages that doesn't feel like a turret. You're constantly moving, planting vines, swapping, and looking for the next pack to "feed." If you're gearing on a fresh league start, it's the kind of setup where a little PoE 2 Currency can smooth out early pain points, but the play pattern is the real hook.
How the Loop Actually Feels
The idea is simple, but it doesn't play simple. You throw down Entangle to spread vines, then you drop Thunderstorm over the mess. The vines aren't just scenery. With Accelerated Growth kicking in, they ramp up and then pop, and that pop is the payoff: chunky physical bursts that erase whole screens when you've got the rhythm. It's not the usual "cast once, watch a projectile." It's more like you're priming the ground, then flipping a switch. You'll notice packs don't just die, they collapse in waves.
Damage Scaling That Surprises People
What makes it nasty is how many angles it hits from. The explosions push physical damage hard, so Impale and Armour Break start to matter in a way most spell builds never care about. Meanwhile Thunderstorm is doing the dirty work: Shock is going out, and suddenly tanky rares feel way less stubborn. A lot of folks assume it's a clear-only gimmick, but bosses get bullied too as long as you keep your setup tidy. Miss the timing, though, and it looks weak for a second. Then it snaps back.
Gearing, Swaps, and the Early Mana Wall
There's a catch: you can't half-play it. Weapon swapping isn't optional if you want consistent Shock uptime, and poor positioning will get you clipped while you're "gardening." Early mana is rough, no sugarcoating it, so you chase Intelligence nodes, mana regen, and anything that keeps you casting without chugging nonstop. Cast speed also changes everything. Low cast speed feels like pushing a shopping cart with a busted wheel; get enough of it and the whole rotation turns smooth, fast, and kinda addictive.
Why It's a Great Starter (With One Big Warning)
The nice part is you don't need some insane shopping list to start deleting maps. Solid rares with the right rolls carry you for a long while, and you can upgrade piece by piece without bricking the build. Defensively it's more stable than it looks, too: the Djinn summons body-block, vines slow, and most threats die before they ever get in your face. Just don't get cocky on physical reflect, because it'll punish you fast, and that's where planning ahead matters when you're looking at poe 2 buy options for safer swaps and upgrades mid-progression.
