With the numerous players exploring the Path of Exile 2, there is a wave of powerful new builds, whether you prefer swift melee combat, devastating ranged attacks, or commanding an army of minions. This article dives into five top-tier PoE 2 builds across various classes, covering the strengths, playstyles, main skills, gear, passive tree, and more.

Best Path of Exile 2 Builds 2025 (Monk, Ranger, Witch & Mercenary)

These five Path of Exile 2 builds represent a diverse range of playstyles and offer overpowered options for different classes. Experiment with different combinations of skills, gear, and ascendancies to find the perfect build that suits your preferences and dominates the game in 2025.

1. PoE 2 Poison Mercenary Build

The first one is a Mercenary build in Path of Exile 2 that is designed for players aiming to maximize damage output through poison effects, focusing on skills like Plague Bearer, Gas Arrow, and Snipe. This mercenary setup excels in quickly eliminating trash enemies while maintaining fast movement, making it highly effective for speed farming. For rare enemies and bosses, the build utilizes a combination of poison skills, providing both fun and powerful burst damage. The build emphasizes stacking poison for high DPS, supported by a carefully selected passive skill tree and gear designed to enhance projectile damage, evasion, and overall survivability.

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Barrage + Perpetual Charge + Premeditation

• Herald of Plague 

• Sniper's Mark + Inspiration + Profusion

• Poisonburst Arrow + Corrosion + Comorbidity + Deadly Poison + Chain

• Plague Bearer + Chaos Mastery + Physical Mastery + Magnified Effect

• Gas Arrow + Persistence + Scattershot + Font of Mana

• Snipe + Heft + Envenom + Window of Opportunity + Longshot + Arcane Tempo

• Rain of Arrows + Withering Touch + Inevitable Critical

• Wind Dancer

• Blink

Gear

• Expert Face Mask

• Expert Shortbow

• Advanced Studded Vest

• Penetrating Quiver

• Bloodstone Amulet

• Ruby Ring

• Topaz Ring

• Advanced Doubled Gauntlets

• Mail Belt

• Advanced Embossed Boots

• Ultimate Life Flask

• Thawing Charm

• Amethyst Charm

• Ruby Charm

• Ultimate Mana Flask

Passive Tree

2. PoE 2 Flicker Strike Monk Build

The second one - a Flicker Strike build for the Monk class in Path of Exile 2 offers an optimal setup for players who want to focus on Invoker ascendancy. This Monk build is centered around the powerful skill Flicker Strike, which allows for rapid, devastating attacks on enemies. By generating massive amounts of frenzy charges through the synergistic effects of freezing and electrocuting enemies, players can convert these charges into power charges with the Resonance Keystone. This setup enables staggering burst damage, often leading to one-shot eliminations as players dash through hordes of enemies. Defensive strategies focus on enhancing physical damage reduction and shield charges, amplified by the Grim Feast buff, ensuring survivability amidst chaotic engagements. The build incorporates a range of support gems and skills to enhance damage output and utility, it is formidable for both mob farming and boss encounters.

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Flicker Strike + Perpetual Charge + Close Combat + Heavy Swing + Heft + Concentrated Effect

• Tempest Flurry + Electrocute + Rage + Martial Tempo + Inspiration + Neural Overload

• Charged Staff + Persistence + Conduction + Primal Armament + Rising Tempest

• Herald of Thunder + Cold Infusion + Glaciation + Ice Bite

• Ghost Dance + Fast Forward

• Grim Feast + Clarity + Cannibalism

• Herald of Ice + Cold Mastery + Magnified Effect + Lightning Infusion + Innervate

• Wind Dancer + Pin + Lockdown

• Tempest Bell + Overabundance + Rageforged + Potential

• Combat Frenzy + Profusion

Gear

• Expert Feathered Tiara

• Expert Wayfarer Jacket

• Crescent Quarterstaff

• Unset Ring

• Serpent’s Egg

• Breach Ring

• Utility Belt

• Expert Threaded Shoes

• Expert Spiral Wraps

• Ultimate Life Flask

• Ultimate Mana Flask

• Golden Charm

• Stone Charm

• Thawing Charm

Passive Tree

3. PoE 2 Explosive Shot Ranger build

This Path of Exile 2 Ranger build utilizes explosive shot skills to unleash devastating area damage, effectively clearing hordes of enemies with ease. Central to this build is the Three Dragons Solid Mask, a cost-effective headpiece that enhances your character performance by converting fire damage into shock chance, thanks to a recent buff. The build also utilizes Shock Burst Rounds as a primary single-target damage dealer, which triggers a powerful pulse upon hitting shocked enemies. With a focus on maximizing projectile damage and employing a variety of support gems, this build is structured to optimize both clear speed and damage output. The Deadeye ascendancy complements the playstyle by increasing movement and attack speed, while carefully chosen passive skills and gear further augment the build's effectiveness.

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Explosive Shot + Scattershot + Conduction + Martial Tempo + Fire Penetration + Rising Tempest

• Shockburst Rounds + Concentrated Effect + Primal Armament + Lightning Infusion + Heft + Fresh Clip

• Herald of Thunder + Ice Bite + Innervate + Glaciation + Lightning Penetration

• Herald of Ice + Magnified Effect + Cold Infusion + Cold Penetration + Cold Mastery

• Herald of Ash + Fire Mastery

• Wind Dancer + Blind

• Emergency Reload + Premeditation + Ingenuity + Persistence

• Overwhelming Presence

• Voltaic Mark

Gear

• The Tree Dragons

• Expert Forlorn Crossbow

• Expert Serpentscale Coat

• Prismatic Ring

• Amber Amulet

• Expert Spined Bracers

• Ornate Belt

• Expert Lizardscale Boots

• Ultimate Life Flask

• Ultimate Mana Flask

• Stone Charm

• Thawing Charm

• Golden Charm

Passive Tree

4. PoE 2 Ice Strike Monk Build

The Path of Exile 2 Monk build is designed to immobilize enemies with rapid, long-lasting freezes, allowing for sustained damage output even against bosses. Central to this build is the Ice Strike skill, which is complemented by a variety of support gems, including Cold Infusion and Primal Armament, to enhance attack speed and cold damage. The gameplay loop emphasizes using Ice Strike to engage foes, followed by deploying the Tempest Bell to amplify damage and executing powerful skills like Shattering Palm. This Invoker Monk build excels in both crowd control and single-target damage, you can use it to freeze and obliterate enemies quickly. The overall setup includes carefully selected gear and passive skills that bolster survivability and maximize damage, ensuring strong performance in various combat scenarios.

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Ice Strike + Cold Infusion + Martial Tempo + Crescendo + Primal Armament + Inspiration

• Shattering Palm + Execute + Blind + Ice Bite

• Herald of Ice + Magnified Effect + Cold Mastery + Elemental Focus

• Ghost Dance + Fast Forward + Clarity

• Charged Staff + Perpetual Charge + Persistence + Maim

• Unbound Avatar + Fire Mastery + Lightning Mastery

• Charge Infusion

• Tempest Bell + Rage + Heavy Swing + Glaciation + Overabundance

• Wind Dancer + Culling Strike + Cannibalism + Vitality

• Combat Frenzy + Profusion + Precision

Gear

• Expert Veiled Mask

• Expert Slicing Quarterstaff

• Expert Scalper’s Jacket

• Amethyst Ring

• Azure Amulet

• Advanced Spiral Wraps

• Utility Belt

• Expert Frayed Shoes

• Ultimate Life Flask

• Ultimate Mana Flask

• Amethyst Charm

• Stone Charm

• Ruby Charm

Passive Tree

5. PoE 2 Bombarding Minions Witch Build

Moving on the the number four, one of the best Witch builds in PoE 2, this Bombarding Minions build emphasizes a powerful combination of skeletal minions, particularly the Skeletal Arsonist, to deliver both AoE and single-target damage. This build excels in clearing content rapidly while maintaining a defensive playstyle, allowing players to amass between 15,000 to 30,000 energy shields, effectively transforming the Witch into an unstoppable puppet master. By utilizing skills like Detonate Dead to explode fallen foes and enhance damage output, the build integrates a unique blend of aggressive gameplay with minion protection. Additionally, the Grim Feast buff doubles the energy shield, providing a robust defensive layer for tackling the highest-tier maps.

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Pain Offering + Font of Rage + Persistence + Ablation + Font of Blood

• Skeletal Storm Mage + Conduction + Stormfire + Overcharge + Lightning Penetration

• Skeletal Cleric + Ingenuity + Last Gasp + Minion Mastery

• Skeletal Warrior + Maim + Culling Strike + Blind + Physical Mastery

• Skeletal Arsonist + Scattershot + Heft + Fire Infusion + Feeding Frenzy + Concentrated Effect

• Grim Feast + Clarity

• Detonate Dead + Spell Echo + Brutality + Magnified Effect + Arcane Tempo

• Summon Infernal Hound + Meet Shield + Fire Exposure + Stripe Away + Splinter + Demolisher

• Flammability + Heightened Curse + Spell Cascade + Inspiration + Focused Curse

• Flame Wall + Fortress + Arcane Surge + Mobility

• Raging Spirits + Elemental Focus + Immolate + Martial Tempo + Fire Mastery

Gear

• Expert Feathered Tiara

• Rattling Sceptre

• Oaksworn

• Lunar Amulet

• Ventor’s Gamble

• Expert Altar Robe

• Expert Intricate Gloves

• Expert Feathered Sandals

• Fine Belt

• Ultimate Life Flask

• Antidote Charm

• Thawing Charm

• Dousing Charm

• Ultimate Mana Flask

Passive Tree