Amazon Twister Leveling Build

Build Introduction

The Twister Amazon excels at clearing all enemies within multiple screens and killing bosses. Twister launches a swarm of projectiles that pierce through all enemies. The projectiles bounce off terrain to hit enemies repeatedly to deal devastating damage.

The ranged playstyle of the Twister Amazon is extremely safe due to the constant Chill and Freeze applied to enemies. The downside is the lengthy skill rotation required to maximize damage output.

This leveling build is viable in solo self-found mode and extremely effective as a league starter. It can be used to level a new character for any endgame builds involving Amazon or Ritualist.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Video Guide

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Ascendancy

Select your first Ascendancy after completing the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2. The trial is not difficult, so complete it within the level range of 20-30. During the early access of Path of Exile 2, you have the option between Amazon and Ritualist. This choice is permanent and should be made with your endgame build in mind!

Amazon

The Amazon is the most popular class due to the massive damage increases within its Ascendancy nodes.

Allocate Amazon Ascendancy points in the following order:

1. Critical Strike is capable of guaranteeing Critical Strikes on every hit if scaled appropriately. Stack Accuracy, Critical Strike Chance, and Critical Damage Bonus to optimize this Ascendancy node.
2. Penetrate grants Added Physical Damage that synergizes with an Accuracy stacking build. Accuracy Rating is required on your weapon to gain the bonus, so skip this node if you do not yet have the appropriate weapon.
3. Predatory Instinct provides more damage against Rare and Unique enemies.
4. In for the Kill enhances Predatory Instinct to grant Movement Speed and Skill Speed against Rare and Unique enemies.

Ritualist

The Ritualist is not usually recommended due to the randomness of granted monster modifiers. The Amazon provides much stronger benefits.

Allocate Ritualist Ascendancy points in the following order:

1. Unfurled Finger with Reduced Mana provides an additional Ring Slot.
2. Mystic Attunement increased the bonuses gained from your equipped Rings and Amulets.
3. As the Whispers Ask unlocks the Ritual Sacrifice skill. Cast the skill on Rare monster corpses to gain one of its modifiers.
4. As the Whispers Demand enables Ritual Sacrifice to be cast on yourself to gain a random monster modifier.

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Progression Basics

Path of Exile II’s campaign is not meant to be taken lightly. The best way to get gear while leveling is by checking the vendors every time you visit a town after leveling up. The gear you can get from vendors scales with your level, making it a great option for finding upgrades, especially weapons. 

Check for the following items from vendors:

1. Spears with a focus on Levels to Cold / All Skills and Cold / Spell Damage. A Wand and Focus combination can provide more stats, but obtaining 2 optimal items is more difficult while leveling.
2. Any gear with Maximum Life, Resistances, or Energy Shield.

Crafting currency can be used on decent gear, but keep in mind that you might be able to trade currency for better items. Consider searching the trade site to buy upgrades with your Exalted Orbs, especially for weapons.

Do not forget to pick up loot and vendor it for gold. Gamble the gold at vendors for a chance at receiving gear upgrades, focusing on your most outdated items.

Kill enemies in groups to gain experience efficiently. Skipping too many enemies can cause you to be under-leveled, putting you at a disadvantage later on.

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Act I

Start your new character by picking up Whirling Slash from the chest in the first zone, and then craft Twister with the first Level 1 Uncut Skill Gem you receive in town. Cast Whirling Slash 3 times to build the maximum stage of Whirlwind, and then cast Twister to consume the Whirlwind. The build is not dependent on the damage of Whirling Slash, so you can keep its Skill Level lower to reduce mana consumption.

Craft Frostbolt with the first Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem you obtain. Frostbolt creates Chilled Ground to grant 50% extra Cold damage to Twister. Keep Frostbolt at Level 3, since increasing its level will increase its Intelligence requirement.

Craft Barrage (Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem) to repeat a cast of Twister 2 times for maximum coverage and damage output. Frenzy charges are not utilized until later.

Activate Herald of Ice once you obtain 30 total Spirit from defeating The King in the Mists (Freythorn, Act 1). Shattered enemies will explode to deal additional damage, but Freezing enemies highly depends on your Cold damage output.

By the end of Act 1, achieve the starter Gem Setup listed below:

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2
Whirling Slash	Martial Tempo	Rage
Twister	Acceleration	Persistence
Frostbolt	Arcane Tempo	Encumbrance
Barrage	Premeditation	Perpetual Charge
Herald of Ice	Cold Infusion	Magnified Effect

Execute the following damage rotation once you obtain all the listed Skill Gems:

1. Cast Barrage to repeat the next cast of Twister 2 times.
2. Cast Frostbolt to create Chilled Ground to grant 50% extra Cold damage to Twister.
3. Cast Whirling Slash 3 times to build the maximum stage of Whirlwind.
4. Cast Twister to consume the Whirlwind and Barrage buff.

Passive Tree during Act 1:

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Act 2

Continue through Act 2 for Lesser Jeweller’s Orb to start dropping from Level 25 monsters. Use the first Lesser Jeweller’s Orbs you obtain to add Retreat as a third Support Gem for Twister.

Optionally, craft Glacial Lance (Level 7 Uncut Skill Gem) for another Skill to deal quick damage.

The added Support Gems are numbered in order of crafting priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2	Support Gem 3
Whirling Slash	Martial Tempo	Rage	–
Twister	Acceleration	Persistence	1. Retreat
Frostbolt	Arcane Tempo	Encumbrance	–
Barrage	Premeditation	Perpetual Charge	–
Glacial Lance (optional)	2. Ice Bite	3. Execute	–
Herald of Ice	Cold Infusion	Magnified Effect	–

Follow the main questline to gain access to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Complete the trial to ascend the class of your character.

Passive Tree during Act 2:

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Act 3

Level 2 Uncut Support Gems start to drop from monsters in Act 3. Add the Level 2 Support Gems in the table below to the Skill Gem setup.

Craft Elemental Sundering (Level 11 Uncut Skill Gem) if you do not mind adding another optional button to the build. Cast Elemental Sundering on Frozen enemies to finish them off.

Craft and activate Combat Frenzy once you obtain another 30 Spirit from defeating Ignagduk, the Bog Witch (The Azak Bog, Act 3). If you find a Level 8 Uncut Spirit gem earlier, prioritize Combat Frenzy over Herald of Ice. Frenzy charges are granted from Freezing enemies and then consumed by Barrage for additional repeats of Twister.

The added Level 2 Support Gems are numbered in order of crafting priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2	Support Gem 3
Whirling Slash	Martial Tempo	Rage	–
Twister	Acceleration	Persistence	Retreat
Frostbolt	Arcane Tempo	Encumbrance	4. Rime
Barrage	Premeditation	Perpetual Charge	2. Ingenuity
Glacial Lance (optional)	Ice Bite	Execute	8. Longshot
Elemental Sundering (optional)	5. Pursuit	6. Concentrated Effect	7. Close Combat
Herald of Ice	Cold Infusion	Magnified Effect	3. Primal Armament
Combat Frenzy	1. Profusion	–	–

Follow the main questline to gain access to Ultimatum in the Temple of Chaos. Complete Ultimatum to gain 2 additional Ascendancy points.

Passive Tree during Act 3:

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Progressing Beyond Act 3

Level 3 Uncut Support Gems start to drop from Level 53 monsters in Cruel Act 2. Unlock the 4th sockets with Greater Jeweller’s Orbs, if you get lucky enough for them to drop.

Salvo is the most important Level 3 Support Gem, supporting Twister to significantly increase its projectile count. Replace Retreat with Salvo if you do not yet have the 4th socket unlocked.

Craft and activate Wind Dancer with Precision once you obtain the final 40 Spirit reward from defeating Ignagduk, the Bog Witch, in Cruel Act 3. Wind Dance enhances survivability with more Evasion Rating and Knockback.

The final changes are highlighted and numbered in order of priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2	Support Gem 3	Support Gem 4
Whirling Slash	Martial Tempo	Rage	1. Punch Through	–
Twister	Acceleration	Persistence	1. Salvo	2. Retreat
Frostbolt	Arcane Tempo	Encumbrance	Rime	4. Mobility
Barrage	Premeditation	Perpetual Charge	Ingenuity	–
Glacial Lance (optional)	Ice Bite	Execute	Longshot	–
Elemental Sundering (optional)	Pursuit	Concentrated Effect	Close Combat	5. Elemental Focus
Herald of Ice	Cold Infusion	Magnified Effect	Primal Armament	6. Cold Penetration
Combat Frenzy	Profusion	–	–	–
Wind Dancer	3. Precision	–	–	–

If you have trouble surviving, remove Dance with Death in the passive tree and equip a Shield with a high base Block Chance. This setup is ideal once you start Cruel difficulty.

Passive Tree at the end of the campaign:

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Rotation

Utilize the full Skill Rotation to maximize Twister count for coverage while mapping and damage output against bosses:

1. Cast Barrage to repeat the next cast of Twister 2 times. Any Frenzy Charges generated from Combat Frenzy grant additional repeats of Twister.
2. Cast Frostbolt to create Chilled Ground to grant 50% extra Cold damage to Twister.
3. Cast Whirling Slash 3 times to build the maximum stage of Whirlwind.
4. Cast Twister to consume the Whirlwind and Barrage buff.
5. (Optional) Cast Elemental Sundering on any Frozen enemies to finish them off.

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Gearing Progression

The Twister Huntress build equips item upgrades to enhance damage and survivability during the campaign. Damage output is completely reliant on your equipped Spear. Equipment with Evasion base types are ideal to increase survivability.

Offensive Gear

The most important item equipped is your Spear. Prioritize the following stats on your Spear, in order of importance:

1. Base Physical Damage (determined by the Item Level of the Spear)
2. Increased Physical Damage
3. Accuracy Rating (only if Penetrate is allocated in the Amazon ascendancy node)
4. Added Physical Damage
5. Increased Attack Speed
6. Critical Damage Bonus
7. Critical Strike Chance
8. Levels of all Projectile Skills
9. Dexterity

Defensive Gear

Prioritize the following stats on armor and jewelry to increase survivability, in order of importance:

1. Movement Speed (Boots)
2. Base Block Chance and Increased Block Chance (Any Shields with Evasion base type)
3. Physical Damage to Attacks (Gloves and Rings)
4. Accuracy Rating (only if Penetrate is allocated in the Amazon ascendancy node)
5. Critical Damage Bonus
6. Critical Strike Chance
7. Levels of all Projectile Skills (Amulet)
8. Resistances
9. Maximum Life
10. Dexterity
11. Evasion Rating

Socketables

Insert Runes into gear for additional stats while leveling. Prioritize Runes that provide any resistances you are lacking the most.

Dismantle unwanted equipment with sockets dropped from monsters at the Salvage Bench to obtain Artificer’s Orbs. Use the crafting material to add sockets to equipped gear.

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Campaign Buffs

Quest rewards during the campaign offer a selection of buffs to your character. Choose the following buffs for the build:

• Valley of the Titans Altar
  1. Normal — 30% increased Charge Charges gained
  2. Cruel — 15% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
• Venom Draught
  1. Normal — 25% increased Stun Threshold
  2. Cruel — 10% Chaos Resistance

For more details, check the guide on Campaign Difficulties and Permanent Stat Bonuses.

Flasks and Charms

Throughout leveling, you will frequently find various charms and flasks. Make sure to swap them out for upgrades.

Prioritize the following Flasks and Charms:

• Health and Mana Flasks
  • Prefix: Increased Amount Recovered
  • Suffix: Increased Charges or Increased Charges Gained
• Charm: Thawing Charm.

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Changelog

• April 11th, 2025: Video guide added.
• April 8th, 2025: Guide created for Path of Exile II, Early Access.