PoE2 Build Tanks T4 Arbiter Using Energy Barrier and CI

The Immortal Ignite Tank That Beat T4 Arbiter of Ash

A new community showcase is making waves in the Path of Exile 2 subreddit. Reddit user u/h9jo posted a short video demonstrating a Chaos Inoculation (CI) Energy Shield build that tanks a T4 Arbiter of Ash fight with ease, using a clever setup centered around Energy Barrier support and the Gloamgown unique body armor.

Here is what makes it tick:

• Core defense: ~7–8k Energy Shield, low stun threshold, and frequent stuns to trigger Energy Barrier.
• Main synergy: Gloamgown’s ES regen combined with Energy Barrier creates a near-constant ES recharge loop.
• CI + Ignite combo: Chaos Inoculation makes the build immune to chaos damage, while Incinerate delivers high Ignite DPS.

For mapping, the build uses a high-APS (Attacks Per Second) Sky Slaver weapon for speed, with bossing gear swaps that focus on Consecrated Ground generation and ES sustain.

Damage comes from Incinerate igniting the ground, followed by Whirling Slash to absorb the burn and spread it while moving.

The build also uses a corrupted Focus item with 24% elemental damage taken as chaos, which works perfectly with CI to mitigate large elemental hits – a major reason it can survive high-damage boss mechanics.

Tanking T4 arbiter
byu/h9jo inPathOfExile2

However, not every build can facetank the Arbiter. If you want to know what this boss actually does, our Arbiter of Ash Boss guide has you covered.

Why the Community Is Talking About It

This build triggered a wider conversation about defense scaling in PoE2:

• Armor and life-based setups still feel weak despite recent buffs.
• Energy Shield stacking, especially when paired with CI, continues to outperform other defenses.
• Many players joked that this will “100% get nerfed” in a future patch.

Some players love how creative and tanky the build is. Others feel it kind of breaks the game by letting you ignore boss mechanics completely.

GGG’s Balance Philosophy Questioned Again

Reddit responses reflect frustration with what many see as an overreliance on one-shot mechanics in PoE2:

• Players say tanky builds are not rewarded nearly as much as they should be.
• Some feel GGG often chooses slow, overly “elegant” fixes instead of quick, effective ones.
• Several expect nerfs to Energy Barrier or Gloamgown rather than buffs to underperforming defenses.

You can check out the full breakdown video on YouTube.

For now, this build seems to stand as one of the tankiest setups we have seen so far in PoE2, and a reminder that creative defense stacking can still bend the rules… until GGG steps in.

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