In thisPath of Exile 2article, we will be taking a look at how to put togetherthe Smashing Titan Warrior buildfor you to use to get into the late game or endgame of the game.
Path of Exilehas become notorious for the sheer number of skills and build possibilities available, and the sequel follows suit with an extensive skill tree and a multitude of skill gems.
This guide is here to help you get through all that and lay out a path for you to follow as you reach the end of the campaign and prepare for your cruel playthroughs or endgame.
Introduction
The Smashing Titanis aWarrior buildtaking advantage of our strength to do high damage with your slam skills, dealing damage over a huge area while also having great crowd control. This build focuses on quickly taking down groups of enemies with powerful slams and earthquakes, taking full advantage of the mace weapon.
Starter Class
Firstly, for this build, our base starter class isthe Warrior class, which is one among the seven available at the time of making this guide.
On the expansive skill tree,the Warrior classwill start on the southwest side. This side of the skill tree consists mainly of passives related to armor, stun buildup, totems, and flat melee damage. For this particular build, we will be focusing on getting nodes that increase our melee damage in order to maximize our damage output.
Passive Skills
For the passive skill tree, this build is relatively straightforward, as we will be focusing mainly down the southwestern part of the tree, emphasizing increasing our melee damage.
We will be taking nodes such asBrutal and Smashalong the way, increasing our damage and stun buildup. We will also be taking the Reverberating Impact node, as it will increase the area of effect of our attacks, enhancing our slam skills.
We will be taking all the nodes from one of the earlier two-handed weapon damage skill groups that we come across, as this will increase our damage when using two-handed weapons by up to 100%.
If you prefer using one-handed weapons, you can take the skill group on the opposite side, which will give 50% increased damage in addition to an increase in attack speed when using one-handed weapons.
Following this group, we will take theCircular Beefpassive skill group that will give us a total of 57 points in the Strength attribute, which will go a long way in both increasing our maximum life value and the damage scaling.
After this skill group, we will continue along the axis until we reach the outer ring of the skill tree. Initially, we’ll work our way through a branch which will increase our Strength value by going forthe Brute Strength node.
This branch will increase our Strength attribute by a total of 48 while also increasing our damage by 1% for every 15 points in our Strength attribute, enabling this build to scale easily into the late and endgame.
After Brute Strength, we will work our way toward a nearby skill group which will increase the effectiveness ofthe Jagged Groundswe will be inflicting with our skills by going forthe Spike Pit and the Perforation passive nodes.
The Spike Pitand the corresponding minor nodes will increase the magnitude of theJagged Groundand increase the damage taken by enemies within the grounds, whilePerforationand the corresponding nodes will increase the chance to inflict bleed and aggravate that bleed when enemies are caught within theJagged Ground.
The next group of skills will greatly increase the damage we do with this build, as they will increase the damage we deal with mace weapons. In addition to the increase in damage, it will allow you to cause aftershocks when using your mace skills, helping you with mapping and clearing mobs as you progress through the game.
Your path down the skill tree will mostly be a straight shot down the southwestern branch and will focus mainly on taking nodes that increase our melee damage. In addition to the above-mentioned skill groups, we can also work towards nodes that give us armor or give us more Rage, which will help us scale into the late game.
For this build, we will go with the Titan ascendancy for the Warrior.
This is because we’re taking theEarthbreaker, which will give all our slam skills a 25% chance to cause aftershocks, which helps with our damage output, andAncestral Empowerment, which will increase the damage by 30% and the area of effect by 20% of all second slam skills we use by ancestrally empowering them.
Active Skill Setups
For the active skills for this build, we will be using the mace weapon — either two-handed, as the two-handed variety works really well with this build — and you can opt for the one you prefer.
The main rotation of the skills for this build will be very simple, relying on skills that can be used from the start of the game. First, we will be using theEarthquakeskill a lot as the beginning part of our main damage source for this build.
This skill will create aJagged Groundarea when struck, which will slow enemies as well as deal damage.
This ground will also erupt in an aftershock by itself, dealing a second source of burst damage. But the main crux of this build is when we pair this skill with the next skill,the Shockwave Totem.
As theShockwave Totemslams the ground repeatedly, it will also trigger the aftershock of ourEarthquake skill, allowing us to deal massive amounts of huge area damage with this amazing combo.
Since this damage scales with Strength, and both the area and damage are increased by nodes such as attack area, this particular combo scales really well into the late game.
Another one of the skills we will be using quite often isthe Rolling Slam, which will perform two strikes that will both damage and cause a lot of stun buildup.
Although this skill by itself does not cover a huge area, it is still great for cleaning out concentrated groups of enemies. In addition, the Rolling Slams will also trigger aftershocks fromthe Jagged Groundleft by ourEarthquakeskill, adding to the damage of both skills.
The next skill which will allow us to easily finish off huge groups of enemies isBoneshatter.
This skill works extremely well because it will send a shockwave that will amplify your damage by a sizable amount, allowing it to deal extreme amounts of burst damage to groups of enemies.
The next skill which is great for dealing with both bosses and mobs isthe Supercharged Slam skill.
This is a channeled skill that you can charge up to 3 stages and will unleash powerful shockwaves upon slamming, dealing massive damage in a huge area, which is guaranteed to take out mobs and build a huge amount of stun against bosses.
Another great skill to use isthe Stampede skill, as you will charge through most enemies, leaving Jagged Ground which your Shockwave Totems can trigger for aftershocks, allowing you to build up stun quickly and deal damage in a huge area.
Lastly, the active skill that will give this build versatility isthe Ancestral Totem skill.
When equipped with non-channeled mace skills, this totem will summon anAncestral Spiritthat will use slotted skills, giving you access to some skills without you having to use them yourself.
Slotting inthe Molten BlastandVolcanic Fissureskills works really well because the Molten Blast will give a ranged option, allowing the totem to damage enemies from range, and the Volcanic Fissure will not only initially damage with the fissures caused by the spirit — those fissures can be triggered to release lava that will also deal additional damage in tandem with our aftershocks, allowing us to combo off both skills.
Spirit Gems and Skills
For this build, there are two options for Spirit skills, which are a specific set of skills that use Spirit as a resource to equip and use.
The first is theHerald of Ash, and this persistent buff will cause an explosion that ignites every enemy in range whenever you Overkill an enemy.
Owing to the massive amount of Strength we have and the damage scaling with the attribute, we can Overkill mobs of enemies easily.
The other useful Spirit skill is theTime of Needskill.
This is an aura-type skill that will restore life and heal from curses and ailments at regular intervals, which is really great for survivability when using this build, as we have little in the way of bolstering our survivability when using this build.
Support Gems
For this build, we will be looking to maximize the effectiveness of our slam skills, enabling us to deal with our enemies swiftly.
For our first skill,Earthquake, we will be using thePersistenceand theMartial Temposupport gems.
The Persistencesupport gem will increase the duration for whichthe Jagged Groundremains on the ground from our strikes, and the Martial Tempo support gem will allow us to strike faster with our skill.
Next, with theShockwave Totem, we will be using theOverabundanceand theJagged Groundsupport gems.
The Overabundance gem will allow us to put down two of the Totems at the same time, allowing us to trigger aftershocks from our Jagged Grounds over a wider area, while the Jagged Ground support gem will give the Totem itself a 50% chance to spawn the Jagged Ground, adding to the number of aftershocks triggered.
Regarding ourRolling Slamskill, we will slot in theOverpowersupport gem and theUnabatingsupport gem.
The Overpowersupport gem will increase the stun buildup of the skill, allowing us to quickly combo into a stun, and theUnabatingsupport gem will help with our sustain by increasing the armor by 25% as we are rolling across mobs of enemies.
For theBoneshatterskill, using the support gemImpact Shockwavereally helps, as it increases the shockwave released from the heavy stun when using the skill.
The damage is further complemented by using theExecutesupport gem as well withthe Boneshatterskill, as their health will be low when their stun bar has been built up by all your other spells.
With ourSupercharged Slamskill, we will be slotting intheWindow of Opportunityand theBurgeonsupport gems.
The Window of Opportunitywill shorten the time it takes for our Slam to reach the Supercharged channeled state, and the Burgeon support gem will increase the damage it deals by up to 40% depending on the time channeled when using the skill.
Next, with ourStampedeskill, we will be using theUnbreakableand theUnyieldingsupport gems.
The Unbreakable support gem will increase the Stun Threshold for both heavy stun and light stuns, greatly lessening the probability of getting interrupted while using the skill, and the Unyielding support gem will allow us to recoup some of the damage we have taken while stampeding across our enemies.
For our Spirit gem skills, with theHerald of Ash, the support gemsMagnified EffectandEternal Flamewill increase the effectiveness of the passive.
The Magnified Effect support gem will increase the area of effect of the explosions from your Overkills, and the Eternal Flame support gem will increase the Ignite duration on the enemies, helping with clearing out mobs.
With ourTime of NeedSpirit gem skill, we will be using theVitalityandFast Forwardsupport gems.
The Vitality gemwill increase the healing from the skill, as it will also regenerate 1% of our maximum health in addition to the recovery provided by the skill itself.
The Fast Forwardsupport gem will shorten the duration between each recovery triggered by the skill, helping with our sustainability as we throw ourselves into the mobs of enemies.
Gear and Equipment
The build prioritizes a high-physical-damage two-handed mace and armor-based gear with life, resistances, and Strength.
Rare items with+1 to melee skillsorincreased stun durationmodifiers will really help when putting this build together, as they will reinforce the efficiency of this build.
Gear havinglife leechwill also help with the sustain of this build, as we will be taking a lot of damage being a melee class. Also, gear that gives additional Strength attributes and armor will help this build to scale comfortably into the endgame without running into trouble or falling off.
Leveling Guide
When going through the story and you are leveling, you can easily clean mobs by going in with aRolling Slam, afterwards finishing off with Boneshatter.
This combo will allow you to go through most of the mobs without pressure during your playthrough, as long as you don’t put yourself into a corner and get surrounded by an overwhelming number.
Path of Exile 2 The Bloodletter Build
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at how to put together The Bloodletter build for getting into the endgame
Putting nodes intostun buildupandarea of attackhelps, as it will enable you to deal with more enemies easier, as it will allow you to heavy stun using Boneshatter more easily.
As you level up, you can either start investing into somearmor nodesorlife leechto provide some survivability. One important thing to note is that, in addition to the support gems I mentioned above, this build can benefit from some moreDexteritysupport gems, and it will help if you’ve put some attribute points into Dexterity.
Mapping and Bossing
Although this build performs well in both bossing and mapping, dealing with bosses can be a challenge, being a melee class requiring you to be more mindful of the boss’s attacks.
This build has the advantage of having the option to deal consistent damage through theaftershocksof theJagged Groundsleft behind by your Earthquake skill and the Totems, allowing you to keep inflicting damage while you dodge attacks.
You will need to time your skills more carefully between the attacks and make sure to study their attack patterns, as this will be the difference between failure and success when going up against bosses.
Endgame Scaling and Optimization
Endgame scaling is enhanced throughcluster jewelsthat increaseArmor Value,Area of Attack, andAttack Damage.
The build has great options to scale by investing into eitherWarcriesorRage, and benefits fromhigh-Strength gearto further boost life and melee damage.
This build performs well inSSFandHardcore, thanks to its high damage and high survivability, thanks to the high armor value. It is not reliant on expensive uniques and offers great scaling into the endgame.
So, this wraps up my guide for theSmashing Titan Warriorbuild forPath of Exile 2. I hope you found this guide helpful, and if you have any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section.
