Best Warrior build for Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 ^[1] gives players the freedom to go for multiple types of builds. However, not all of them are equally good. While some builds are fairly technical and require players to learn various mechanics to accurately play as them, others are straightforward. One of the most straightforward builds in Path of Exile 2 is definitely the Warrior build.

Today, we’re here to go through everything players need to know about the warrior build in Path of Exile 2. This includes an overall overview of the build as well as most of the build’s core mechanics. We’ll also go through other important things like the key skills, gem setup, skill trees, gears, and stats that will hopefully help you construct your ideal build.

Without any more delay, here is the best Warrior build for Path of Exile 2. Of course, you’ll likely require a bunch of orbs if you want to gather the required skills and gear for your Warrior character. To make this easier, we highly recommend you check out Eloking’s Path of Exile 2 marketplace. Where buyers meet sellers.

An overview of the warrior build in PoE 2

The best Warrior builds in Path of Exile 2’s early access revolve around the Ancestral Warrior Totem and the Sunder skill, according to well-regarded build maker Palsteron. This build uses dual-wielded two-handed maces with the Giant’s Blood keystone, granting players +14 to melee skills. Combining those items with a +3 amulet, +2 gloves, and a Prime of Belief allows the build to reach the skill gem hard cap of level 40, resulting in high multiplicative damage.

Although warriors aren’t incredible, unlike other classes, this build gives users a powerful and unique playstyle that can work in screen-clearing and boss-killing situations.

Core Warrior mechanics in PoE 2

The core mechanic of the build is the Ancestral Warrior Totem, which uses Sunder as its primary attacking skill. Sunder creates rolling sissures to deal damage in a sequence of areas, making it a great thing to have for clearing waves of enemies and focusing on a single target. 

Players can boost the build’s damage by the Titan’s Hulking Form ascendancy, which converts 51% of mana costs to health, and the Inspiration support gem, which reduces skill costs by 40%. This combination lets players utilize Sunder totems to destroy enemies while sustaining themselves through health and mana regeneration.

A great thing about this build is its use of weapon-swapping mechanics. Path of Exile 2’s weapon set skill points allow players to customize up to 24 passive tree points per weapon set. The build takes advantage of this by snapshotting totems by dropping them with dual two-handers for damage, then swapping to a one-handed weapon and shield for survivability and speed.

Key skills and gem setups

The build uses two setups for Ancestral Warrior Totem. One setup is for map clearing, and the other is for boss fights.

Ancestral Warrior Totem for clearing:

• Sunder: Creates rolling fissures for area damage.
• Martial Tempo: Grants 25% more attack speed.
• Upheaval: Adds two additional fissures for supported skills but reduces attack speed by 20% and damage by 40%.
• Inspiration: Reduces skill costs by 40%.
• Magnified Effect: Increases area of effect by 40% of support skills.

This setup prioritizes increasing attack coverage, allowing the totems to one-shot most enemies, even rare monsters.

Ancestral Warrior Totem for bosses:

• Sunder: Primary damage skill.
• Concentrated Effect: Increases area damage by 40% but reduces the area of effect of supported skills.
• Brutality: Boosts physical damage by 35% at the cost of chaos and elemental damage of supported skills.
• Heavy Swing: Increases melee physical damage by 35% but reduces the attack speed of supported skills.
• Bloodlust: Adds 30% more melee physical damage against bleeding enemies of supported skills.

This setup focuses on raw damage to defeat difficult bosses. Players can ignore Bloodlust if a 6-link setup is too expensive.

Armour Breaker

• Demolisher: Breaks 40% more armor.
• Break Posture: Applies daze when breaking armor for supported skills.
• Lacerate: Supported skills have a 50% chance of inflicting bleeding.
• Rage: Grants 3 rage on melee hits for supported skills.

Armor Breaker works well with Sunder’s ability to consume fully broken armor for guaranteed critical hits, making it essential during boss fights.

Orb of Storms

• Persistence: Increases supported skill’s effect duration by 40%.
• Font of Blood: Grants 2% life regeneration per second for supported skills.
• Font of Rage: Supported skills can make a font of rage to grant 2 rage regeneration per second.
• Font of Mana: Supported skills make a font of mana to increase the mana regeneration rate by 40%.

Orb of Storms gives players numerous buffs like better rage, life, and mana regeneration, making it great for bosses.

Passive Tree and Ascendancy

The passive tree focuses on increasing totem damage, survivability, and resource management. Some important points include:

• Price of Freedom and Blood Rush: Convert 51% of skill costs to life. Players should combine it with a Deep Trance anoint on their amulet.
• Ancestral Artifice and Watchtowers: Increase maximum totems to three.
• Giant’s Blood: Enables dual-wielding two-handers for +14 to melee skills.
• Polymathy: Provides essential strength and intelligence for gear requirements.
• Block chance clusters: Players must use all 24 weapon swap points with this tree. Taking block chance clusters with swapped points increases survivability.

For the Ascendancy, players should choose the Titan class for its Hulking Form since it enhances the build’s effectiveness. Users must go for these nodes:

• Crushing Impacts: Enhances stun chance, synergizing with Armor Breaker and Sunder.
• Earthbreaker: Exploits a unique interaction with Split the Earth for repeated attacks.

Gear and stats

The build needs the following gear for the best results:

• Maces: +7 to melee skills (necessary), strength, and reduced attribute requirements.
• Shield: Crest of Ardura for mapping or Svalinn for tougher fights.
• Body Armor: High energy shield with life and resistance.
• Helmet: Atziri’s Disdain with % life regeneration corruption.
• Gloves: +2 to melee skills, life, mana, and attack speed.
• Boots: Prioritize movement speed (35% is ideal), life, and resistances.
• Amulet: +3 to melee skills, life, mana, and mana regeneration.
• Rings: Mana, life, accuracy rating, mana regeneration, resistances, strength, or intelligence.
• Jewels: Prism of Belief with +1 to Ancestral Warrior Totem, plus additional damage or utility mods.

FAQs

What is the Warrior archetype in Path of Exile 2?

The Warrior in Path of Exile 2 is a strength-based archetype that focuses on powerful melee attacks, high durability, and strong crowd control. Warriors excel at using heavy weapons like maces, axes, and swords, relying on brute force and physical damage. They also benefit from heavy armor and endurance-based defensive mechanics, making them ideal for players who prefer a tanky, up-close combat style.

What are the best skills for a Warrior build?

Warriors in PoE 2 thrive with high-impact melee skills like Cleave, Ground Slam, and Whirlwind, which deal massive area-of-effect damage while maintaining mobility. Meta-skills like Cyclone can enhance attack sequences by automating multi-skill combos, making combat smoother and more efficient. Defensive skills such as Endurance Cry and Iron Skin also play a crucial role in keeping Warriors alive during tough encounters.

How should I gear my Warrior for maximum effectiveness?

The best Warrior gear prioritizes high armor, life regeneration, and resistances to mitigate incoming damage while maximizing strength-based bonuses. Weapons should focus on high physical damage, attack speed, and added melee effects like life leech or bleed. Accessories and passives that enhance fortify effects, endurance charges, and damage reduction are essential to maintaining both offense and defense in prolonged fights.

References

1. [1] "Official PoE 2 website". pathofexile2.com. Retrieved February 22, 2025