Titan Slam Leveling Build

Build Introduction

This build is specifically catered to leveling using the Titan Ascendancy. It combines the heavy-hitting damage of Leap Slam and Rolling Slam, and synergizes by triggering the fissures that activate when Forge Hammer is hit by a slam or aftershock.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Ascendancy

You will be able to select your Ascendancy after completing the Trial of Sekhemas during Act 2. This build makes the Trial extremely easy, so get it out of the way as early as you unlock it. This leveling build was made specifically for Titan; if you wish to use another Ascendancy, Path of Exile 2 now allows you to respec, and it can be done at any point after completing the initial Trial during the campaign.

The two major nodes we’ll be taking for Titan are:

• Earthbreaker – 25% chance for Slam Skills you use yourself to cause Aftershocks. This is paramount for increasing our damage output. Not only will the Aftershocks continue to damage enemies by themselves, they’ll also trigger the fissures off Forge Hammer every time they activate.
• Mysterious Lineage – 15% extra Health. Pretty simple, helps us stay alive.

There’s an argument to be made for taking Crushing Impacts into Surprising Strength; however, this should only be done if you have a high chance of causing Aftershocks from other sources. If you complete Trial 3 (this is not taken into consideration for the build on this page), feel free to remove Mysterious Lineage and place the points into Crushing Impacts and Surprising Strength with the extra Ascendancy Points you have.

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General Leveling Advice

We can not stress enough how important it is to check vendors for gear. Getting a good mace will make all the difference in the world for your leveling experience. Vendors reset their inventory every time you level, so check back frequently to see if there’s an upgrade. Alternatively, use the gamble vendor to see if you can pull a good weapon that way, if you have spare gold.

Ensure you’re completing all important side quests. It’s very easy to pass up free passive points while running through campaign maps. In case you need a list of all permanent stat boosts during the campaign, you can find those on our guide using this link!

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Leveling Passive Tree

The Passive Tree below can be followed through to the end of the Interlude and into early maps. Beyond that point, you should swap to an endgame setup. Follow along as you level using the arrows on the left and the right of the progression slider at the top of the Passive Tree.

Skill Gems

Listed below are all Skill Gems that should be used during the leveling process. There may be a slight variation depending on which Act you’re currently progressing through. Notes for each Act will be listed below the Skill Gem tool.

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Act I Notes

The beginning area will force Rolling Slam onto us, but we’ll carry this with us all the way into endgame. Use this as your main damage source. It’s a bit slow (for now), and will move your character forward, so take care when aiming this that you won’t be rolling into an AoE.

Once you enter Clearfell Camp, you’ll be handed a Skill Gem that should be used to unlock Boneshatter. Adding this to your skill bar will show you when enemies are “Primed for Heavy Stun” by placing a glowing white symbol above enemies’ heads. Use Rolling Slam to lower enemy health and build up stun, then smash them with Boneshatter to deal heavy AoE damage.

Your first Level 3 Skill Gem should be used to pick up Armour Breaker. This is a fantastic skill that works as a way to get rid of white mobs with small AoE explosions as you break their armour. This skill can also be used for bossing, breaking their armour in order to deal much more damage with your ancestrally boosted slams.

Your first Spirit Gem will come from the Freythorn zone. Grab Herald of Ash as your choice in order to make your map clearing much faster.

Skill Rotation:

1. Use Armour Breaker to chip away at low-health mobs.
2. Use Rolling Slam to finish off most mobs, and build up stun on healthier mobs.
3. Finish off enemies with Boneshatter who are Primed for Stun to Heavy Stun them and proc the explosion.

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Act 2 Notes

Lesser Jeweler Gems start dropping from mobs during this Act, but they’re rare. We’ve included a third Support Gem as an option; however, do not feel like these are necessary just yet; they’re just extra in case you’re lucky.

You’ll gain access to a new tier of Skill Gems with Act 2, allowing you to slot in Leap Slam and Infernal Cry. Leap Slam is huge and provides a lot more mobility to the build. This lets you chase down agile bosses and progress maps much faster. Infernal Cry will get much more used in Act 3, but for now, it adds some useful AoE and empowers our other attacks with extra fire damage.

It should be noted that Armour Break will only give a damage boost to damage if it is physical… unless you take the passive node “The Molten One’s Gift“. Since “Avatar of Fire” is taken early in progression, you lose that damage boost momentarily. Armour Breaker can still be used, as the Support Gem Armour Explosion still helps clear out enemies.

However, the unique one-handed mace, Sculpted Suffering Warpick, is available at Level 22. This removes the need for Armour Breaker and can then be replaced with Mace Strike for a higher damage output. This unique is very cheap, but could be more expensive on day 1 of a league launch. The Skill Planner above was made with this item in mind.

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Act 3 Notes

Act 3 is where we’ll be able to unlock Forge Hammer to ramp up our damage and clear speed. From here on out, your rotation should look similar to what is listed below.

• Throw your Forge Hammer.
• Shout with your Warcry (currently Infernal Cry)
• Alternate between Leap Slam and Rolling Slam in order to trigger fissures.

This rotation is fairly expensive when it comes to Mana. Having rings that provide Mana on hit largely circumvent this heavy requirement; otherwise, plan to drink potions regularly.

After killing Ignagduk and gaining more Spirit, Herald of Ash should be augmented to provide Mana and Health regen, with Mana being the priority.

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Act 4 and Beyond

The playstyle going forward does not change much. The difference here is you’ll have access to Seismic Cry, opting to drop Infernal Cry. Seismic Cry has much more synergy with the build, popping stuns after you throw your hammer, and eliminating most white mobs from Wraeclast entirely by doing so. You’ll also gain an extra Aftershock from your next slam after using this warcry, which is very useful for clearing large clumps of enemies.

The Spirit Gem Scavenged Plating has been added to the build, but it isn’t mandatory at this point. It’s been added under the assumption you have access to a bit more Spirit through a necklace. It’s preferable that you enable this buff prior to getting to endgame maps.

At any point, feel free to slot in Ancestral Cry. This warcry will provide a lot of extra damage for burst windows when you really need it by converting all damage done to Fire and avoiding the damage reduction entirely from “Avatar of Fire“. This build was tested without the warcry, since it does make it very button-heavy, so it’s up to you if you decide you want to use it or not.

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Rotation

• Buff yourself with Ancestral Cry (if available).
• Use Forge Hammer and aim for the middle of a group of enemies.
• When within range, shout with Seismic Cry to pop stuns and make your hammer explode.
• Jump into enemies with Leap Slam, then follow up with Rolling Slam. Alternate between these two slams until all enemies are dead, or repeat the process if Forge Hammer has expired and enemies are still alive.
• Finish any lingering enemies off with Mace Strike. For bossing, Mace Strike works well during periods where the boss is stunned, helping to conserve Mana while keeping damage consistent.

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Gearing Progression

This build was tested entirely with dual-wielded maces. Early on, feel free to use a two-handed mace, as you should be using whatever the best option is that the game gives you. Later on, you’ll want to aim to get a Sculpted Suffering Warpick, which limits you to one-handed weapons. A shield should not be used for this.

Offensive Modifiers

• Added or Increased Fire Damage (Added other damage is also okay, just not preferred)
• Attack Speed
• Increased Stun Duration
• Gain Health/Mana on Hit/Kill

Defensive Gear

• Armour
• Maximum Life
• Resistances

Runes

The main priority for sockets will be to keep your resistances as close to, or above, the resistance cap as possible. Armour does a lot of work against Elemental Damage, but resistances are still paramount for survival.

Weapon sockets should be used for adding Fire Damage or main stat. This setup uses a lot of Support Gems, so some extra Strength or Dexterity can go a long way.

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Campaign Buffs

• Valley of the Titans Altar (Act 2)
  • 30% increased charm charges gained. This can be swapped later.
• Venom Draught (Act 3)
  • This selection should be made based on what you plan on playing for endgame. Mana Regeneration is nice, but not all builds use Mana and it could be wasted.
• Halls of the Dead (Act 4)
  • Largely up to the player, these are permanent. Our suggestion is to take the elemental resistance for all three.
• Qimah (Interlude 2: The Stolen Barya)
  • 15% Global Defenses. This can be swapped later.

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

Flasks and Charms

While leveling, you will find several flasks and Charms. Upgrade your flasks as you go along, and if you fail to find flask upgrades, check vendors to buy them with gold.

Modifiers to look for on your flasks and charms:

• Health and Mana Flasks
  • Prefix: Increased Amount Recovered
  • Suffix: # Charges gained per second
• Charm
  • Staunching Charm
  • Stone Charm.

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Changelog

September 8th, 2025: Guide created for Path of Exile II Patch 0.3.