Looking for a League Starter? We’ve got you Covered!

With the Path of Exile 2 Return of the Ancients update just around the corner, and Grinding Gear Games holding a free weekend alongside it, many of you may be wondering, “How do I get started in Path of Exile 2, and where can I find a reliable, powerful build to play?”. Well, we decided to bring together a selection of the most popular, most powerful, and most exciting builds for you to browse through!

8 League Starters and Why You Should Play Them

KingdomTwelve’s Galvanic Shards Mercenary

Playing this Tactician build for new players or returning players comes with great tools to make your leveling experience smooth! The fact that it can Pin enemies on hit and also prevent them from attacking gives you a minimum 4-second window to DPS down enemies while they are immobilized.

Galvanic Shards paired with Herald of Thunder will wipe full screens with ease. This build also makes light work of bosses starting in Act 3 once you unlock Stormblast Bolts. You’ll be able to kill bosses in one shot or within several seconds for the second half of the campaign!

GhazzyTV’s Companion Zoo Spiritwalker

A build utilizing the new Spiritwalker Ascendancy, this build starts out strong with Twister until Act 3 before swapping into a Minion playstyle featuring a Spiritual Bear Companion, Wolf Pack, and even the ability to tame a Unique Beast Boss!

Later on, you will add even more additional Beasts to your army, and will lead your Zoo through maps while being able to focus on staying safe. If you’ve been looking for something fresh and new, this may be the build for you!

Lexyu’s Ice Nova Snap Sorceress and Witch

The Ice Nova leveling build is our top recommendation for a new Sorceress Spellcaster character in the Return of the Ancients league. Ice Nova is capable of killing entire packs of enemies in one hit, especially when empowered by Cold Infusions generated from Snap.

The build also utilizes Frost Darts to deal devastating single-target damage to destroy bosses. This has been a very consistent performer for multiple leagues now, so if you want to devastate your foes with icy magic, why not check it out?

POEGuy’s Totem Warbringer

POEGuy is a totem master, and his Totems Warbringer has been a consistent top performer and beloved build for many leagues. This league start build guide leads directly into his Endgame Mortar Cannon build, which is great for players who want to press a low number of buttons and have a tanky character that can clear all content in the game.

If you love the idea of a 1-button build that creates totems that launch massive AOE blasts all over your screen, and you want a well-structured, well-supported guide from leveling right through to the very pinnacle of content, this is an excellent option!

EMP’s Grenade Gemling Legionnaire

Sticking with the explosive theme, EMP’s Grenade Gemling Legionnaire dials this up to 11. Using a variety of Grenade skills to provide utility and manage cooldowns, this build comes online very fast and has very smooth progression all the way from level 1 to 70.

Explosive Grenade will combo with Gas Grenade and Oil Grenade to create explosions and leave Burning Ground everywhere, and Incendiary Shot will give you even more control over triggering these effects. Gemling also received changes and buffs this League, and so it should be even stronger than before!

Llarold’s Stampede Titan

If your power fantasy is to be an immortal battering ram, trampling over your foes and shrugging off damage, Llarold’s Stampede Titan is the build for you. With a more traditional approach to Warrior gameplay, you will be stunning everything around you with devastating high-impact attacks, Stampede‘ing through packs and finishing off bosses with the incredibly cool Hammer of the Gods.

ExiledRatLord’s Bleed and Poison Ritualist

Moving over to the hyper-mobile, high-skill fantasy, you have the Ritualist from ExiledRatLord. This build leverages incredibly strong damage over time effects from skills like Rake, and then turns them into chaining, screen-clearing explosions with Herald of Blood and Herald of Plague.

This lets it not only clear zones quickly, but also drain Boss life bars rapidly while darting in and out of melee. Evasion and Deflection will make it so you rarely get hit in the later stages of the game. It even comes with the option to explore adding Tamed Beast Bosses with an Ascendancy swap if they turn out to be an exciting option!

Lollash’s Ice Strike Monk

Last, but not least, is one of my personal builds: The Ice Strike Monk. A classic build played since 0.1, it starts off a little weak in Act 1 but quickly comes online and has a very smooth progression throughout the campaign. Ice Strike and Tempest Bell combined with the Hollow Pam Technique keystone will make taking down bosses safe and comfortable, and Shattering Palm will let you blow huge packs of enemies with icy explosions.

Originally designed for Invoker, the new Martial Artist ascendancy has been added to the guide to provide some flexibility in choice, so you can pick whichever one you vibe with the most!

But Wait! There’s More!

There are many other powerful, league-start viable build guides on site, so even if none of the excellent options showcased here captured your imagination, be sure to check out all of the guides on our the POEVault page.

From all of us at POEVault, we wish everyone a successful, smooth, and fun league launch! May your loot drops be exciting, your boss kills clean, and your build a blast to play!