Path of Exile 2, the action-packed sequel to Grinding Gear Games’ beloved RPG, immerses players in the grim world of Wraeclast, where survival demands cunning builds and relentless combat. With its vast skill tree and intricate mechanics, the game offers endless ways to craft powerful characters. The Warrior class, known for its methodical, heavy-hitting style, often struggles with a slow early game, leaving some players wanting more speed and flair. However, one build shatters these limitations, earning the title of “broken” for its ability to slam through enemies with devastating ease. Dubbed the Leap Slam/Boneshatter Titan, this Warrior build combines explosive area-of-effect (AoE) damage, stun mechanics, and robust defenses to dominate both the campaign and early endgame. This article breaks down how to create this unstoppable force, detailing the skills, passives, gear, and strategies that make it so powerful, and why it stands out as a must-try playstyle.
The Warrior’s Triumph: A Build That Redefines Power
The Warrior in Path of Exile 2 thrives on wielding massive two-handed maces to deliver crushing blows, but its slow attack animations and limited mobility can make early levels feel clunky. The Leap Slam/Boneshatter Titan build transforms this archetype into a screen-clearing juggernaut, offering a playstyle that’s both intuitive and immensely satisfying. By focusing on two core skills—Leap Slam for mobility and stun, and Boneshatter for massive AoE damage—this build excels at wiping out packs of enemies and tackling bosses with minimal effort. Its strength lies in stacking stun buildup, physical damage, and armor explosion Ascendancy bonuses, creating a character that feels nearly invincible.
What makes this build so “broken” is its ability to scale quickly, requiring only modest gear to achieve devastating results. Unlike builds that demand rare uniques or complex setups, this Warrior build is accessible, making it ideal for players at any skill level. Its combination of high damage, crowd control, and surprising tankiness ensures it can handle everything from Act 1 mobs to early endgame maps, making it a standout choice for conquering Wraeclast.
Crafting the Titan: Core Components
To build this powerhouse, you’ll need to optimize your ascendancy, skills, passive tree, and gear. Here’s the blueprint:
Ascendancy: Titan
The Titan ascendancy is the heart of this build, enhancing strength, stun potential, and durability. Key nodes include:
Crushing Blows: Boosts stun buildup and damage, setting up Boneshatter’s AoE explosions.
Giant’s Blood: Allows wielding a two-handed mace with a shield, increasing damage while adding block chance for defense.
Hulking Form: Increases life and armor, ensuring you survive close-range combat.
Titan’s focus on raw power makes it superior to Warbringer, which leans on warcries that don’t synergize as well with this slam-heavy playstyle.
Core Skills and Support Gems
The build revolves around a straightforward skill combo:
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Leap Slam: A mobility skill that stuns enemies and triggers armor explosions. Support with:
Brutality: Amplifies physical damage.
Stomping Ground: Adds AoE and stun buildup.
Momentum: Boosts damage after movement.
Boneshatter: The primary damage skill, unleashing a massive AoE explosion on stunned enemies. Support with:
Magnified Effect: Expands AoE for screen-wide clears.
Heft: Increases physical damage.
Herald of Ash: Adds fire damage and enemy explosions on death.
Perfect Strike: A single-target skill for bosses, delivering high-damage charged attacks. Support with:
Window of Opportunity: Enhances damage against stunned targets.
Fire Infusion: Converts some damage to fire for synergy with Herald of Ash.
Infernal Cry: A warcry that triggers explosions and applies Ignite for extra clear speed.
Ancestral Warrior Totem: Deals passive damage and applies Maim to slow enemies. Support with:
Tremors: Adds AoE pulses for crowd control.
Passive Skill Tree
The passive tree prioritizes strength, stun, and physical damage. Focus on:
Mace Damage and Stun: Nodes near the Warrior start for mace damage and stun duration.
Two-Handed Weapon Damage: Boosts damage for Leap Slam and Boneshatter.
Life and Armor: Nodes like Fortified Flesh (+15% life) and Iron Bastion for survivability.
Area of Effect: Nodes like Shockwave Amplification to enlarge Boneshatter’s explosion.
Fire Damage: A few nodes to enhance Herald of Ash and Infernal Cry.
Avoid heavy investment in attack speed early, as mace skills benefit more from raw damage due to their slow animations.
Gear and Attributes
Gear is key to unlocking the build’s potential:
Two-Handed Mace: Choose a high physical damage base (e.g., Titan Maul) with +% increased physical damage. Uniques like Anvil’s Weight (adds armor explosion) are excellent.
Shield (with Giant’s Blood): A tower shield with +life, +armor, and +block chance. The Doomgate Shield with stomping ground effects is a solid choice.
Armor: Prioritize high armor and life on chest, helm, gloves, and boots. Uniques like Cultist Hammer (+fire damage) boost Herald of Ash.
Jewelry: Rings and amulet with life, resistances (aim for 75% elemental), and +strength. A Polcirkeln Ring with Herald of Ice can aid clearing.
Flasks: Use an instant-recovery life flask, granite flask for armor, and sulphur flask for damage, with +charges gained for uptime.
Attributes: Aim for 700+ strength by level 60 for damage and life scaling, 100 dexterity for accuracy, and 50-70 intelligence for mana and totems.
Playstyle: Smashing Through Enemies
This build’s playstyle is simple yet exhilarating:
Mob Clearing: Leap Slam into packs to stun and trigger armor explosions, then use Boneshatter to obliterate stunned enemies. Herald of Ash and Infernal Cry clean up stragglers. Place Ancestral Warrior Totem for passive damage.
Bossing: Start with Leap Slam to build stun, then hit with Perfect Strike for single-target damage. Boneshatter works if the boss is stunned. Use Infernal Cry for extra explosions. Leap Slam out of big attacks.
Survivability: Maintain 9,000+ armor and 3,500+ life by level 60. Use flasks proactively and totems to draw aggro.
The Leap Slam-to-Boneshatter combo feels like unleashing a shockwave, with entire packs vanishing in a fiery blast, making every fight visually spectacular.
Early Game Progression
The Warrior’s early levels (1-30) can feel sluggish, but strategic choices smooth the path:
Levels 1-12: Use Rolling Slam with Brutality and Stomping Ground for clears, and basic attacks for bosses. Equip a high-damage mace and stack life regeneration on gear.
Levels 12-20: Unlock Leap Slam and Boneshatter, adding Herald of Ash for speed. Grab mace and stun passives, and a +armor chest. Beat Act 1’s boss with Perfect Strike after stunning.
Levels 20-30: Ascend to Titan after Act 1’s trial, taking Crushing Blows. Use a shield with Giant’s Blood. Craft gear with life and resistances. Clear Act 2 by leaning on stun and Boneshatter’s AoE.
By Act 3 (level 30-40), the build feels unstoppable, melting bosses in seconds with well-timed combos.
Mid-to-Late Game Power
In Cruel difficulty and early maps (levels 40-60), the build scales effortlessly:
Gear Upgrades: Farm rare maces and shields with +life and +physical damage. Craft +resistances to hit 75% elemental caps. Look for uniques like Anvil’s Weight.
Passive Tree: Expand into fire damage for Herald of Ash and AoE for Boneshatter. Add life regeneration and armor nodes.
Skill Optimization: Use high-quality support gems (e.g., 20% quality Magnified Effect) to boost Boneshatter’s AoE.
By level 60, you’ll clear Tier 8-10 maps, one-shotting weak mobs and quickly downing bosses with Perfect Strike.
Why This Build Feels “Broken”
This build earns its “broken” label through:
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Massive Clears: Boneshatter’s AoE, Herald of Ash, and armor explosions clear screens in one hit, rivaling ranged classes.
Robust Defenses: Giant’s Blood, high armor, and life make it forgiving, even in melee range.
Low Gear Needs: It shines with crafted rares and a few uniques, keeping costs low.
Stun Dominance: Crushing Blows and Leap Slam lock enemies, simplifying fights.
Weaknesses include slow animations, which can struggle against fast enemies, and the need for capped resistances to avoid map one-shots. Endgame (Tier 14+ maps) requires heavy investment.
Why It Stands Out
The Leap Slam/Boneshatter Titan excels because it transforms the Warrior’s slow start into a thrilling, high-impact playstyle. Its accessibility ensures anyone can pick it up, while its scaling keeps it relevant into maps. The visceral satisfaction of leaping into a pack and watching it explode in a fiery blast captures the essence of Path of Exile 2’s combat. The build also proves the Warrior’s potential, showing that with the right setup, it can rival any class for power and fun.
Tips for Mastery
Perfect the Combo: Chain Leap Slam into Boneshatter fluidly, interrupting Leap Slam’s animation with Boneshatter for speed.
Focus on Stun: Prioritize stun buildup on gear and passives to trigger Boneshatter reliably.
Craft Wisely: Add life and resistances at the crafting bench, conserving regals.
Dodge Big Hits: Use Leap Slam to escape telegraphed boss attacks, despite your tankiness.
Experiment: Try Molten Blast with Scattershot for fire-based clears if dexterity allows.
The Warrior’s Legacy
As Path of Exile 2 evolves in early access, the Warrior may see tweaks to mace animations or armor scaling. For now, this build showcases the game’s depth, turning a challenging class into a devastating force. Whether crushing Act bosses or tearing through maps, the Leap Slam/Boneshatter Titan delivers a power fantasy that’s hard to beat. Grab your mace, leap into battle, and let Wraeclast feel your wrath.