Path of Exile 2 The Third Edict: 6 strongest league starter builds for 0.3

Path of Exile 2 is getting its first official league, Rise of the Abyssal, on August 29, 2025. With a new league, it's easy to get confused about your league starter. Grinding Gear Games aims to strike a balance, allowing players to explore builds rather than following the meta. The studio has made numerous buffs to existing skills and passives, along with introducing new ones.

In this article, we have listed six builds that sound like one of the strongest league starters you can get in patch 0.3 based on the changes.

Note: Most recommendations are based on the changes revealed by Grinding Gear Games.

---

Best league starter builds to try in Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict

Patch 0.3 is all about making weaker things strong rather than nerfing the stronger ones to the ground. As such, the older builds may still be very viable once the update is live. However, the list of early changes also revealed numerous strong buffs that will undoubtedly make the league more interesting.

Here are a few strong league starters we recommend:

1) Ancestral Cry Warrior

Warcries and Forge Hammer can create massive AoE fissures (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Path of Exile 2’s patch 0.3 is bringing new fire-based skill gems, with notable ones being Forge Hammer and Ancestral Cry. The first one allows you to throw a flaming hammer at enemies that inflict damage in a small AoE and Ignite enemies. Use the ability button again to recall the hammer.

While it doesn’t seem special on its own, using a Warcry while it’s on the ground will explode the hammer to make volcanic fissures. For the duration of the Warcry, any slam skill will activate the fissures, allowing you to deal damage in a much larger area.

Ancestral Cry acts as a cherry on top. While you ignite enemies, you’ll gain Glory, which is required to use this skill. Once active, every attack will be Ancestrally Boosted, and the fissures you create will activate just by walking over them.

---

2) Hollow Palm Monk

Monk gets the much-awaited buffs (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

There’s a reason why everyone likes a good fist-fight in video games, and until patch 0.2, Path of Exile 2 didn’t have much to offer despite having a Character Class based around it. That was until Grinding Gear Games announced the Hollow Palm Technique. Widely believed to be a new Ascendancy, it is a new Keystone for Monk.

It allows you to unleash all of the Quarterstaff attacks with your bare hands. However, changing the method of fighting for the same skills isn’t enough. Using Quarterstaff attacks with the Keystone provides additional benefits.

As for the Ascendancy, both Invoker and Acolyte of Chayula are getting significant changes, with the latter getting more focus. If you like playing around with Chaos, the Acolyte of Chayula will be a great pick, while Invoker specializes in playing around with elements.

---

3) Lightning Arrow Deadeye

Lightning Arrow remains the best bow-based league starter (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Lightning Arrow is not getting any change and remains as strong as ever for the Ranger. The support skill in the build, Lightning Rod, is getting a change in benefits provided by quality from an increased radius to boost the chance of additional Burst on Impact, which is also nothing of note.

The change, however, is coming to the Deadeye Ascendancy, where her Avidity Notable passive now grants a 50% chance to gain additional Frenzy Charge when you game one. Previously, it was a 30% chance to gain maximum Frenzy Charges.

You also cannot mark two enemies with Called Shots, but instead, use a meta skill to mark multiple and chain projectiles to them. Pairing this with the Critical Weakness from Bullseye (Eagle Eyes), there is a lot of potential for increasing the damage.

---

4) Totem Warbringer

Let ancient Karui warriors take on the battlefield with Warbringer (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Totems aren’t the fastest way to play Path of Exile 2, but when paired with Warbringer, they are fun and can inflict a lot of damage. The Third Edict update is bringing a host of changes to both, which will allow you to create the long-dreamt totem army.

The restriction on the number of Ancestral Warrior Totems is no more at the cost of increased Endurance Charges. It takes three charges to raise a totem, which may sound a lot until you realize there are new support gems to generate Endurance Charges. However, you’ll also need a good weapon, as the totems now share the stats of the one you hold.

With each totem, you can raise an Ancestral Spirit through the Warbringer passive, Answered Call. The accuracy bonus from Dexterity for the spirits now provides increased attack speed. This change comes with a reduction in the base attack speed of totems.

---

5) Minion Army Witch

Command even stronger minions as a Witch (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Minions have always been a comfortable way to league-start in Path of Exile 2, and things are likely to get better. The latest update is adjusting the Spirit cost of different Specters you raise and has made changes to multiple minions on the damage and defense front.

A heavy focus is on Specters, with multiple expensive ones getting a cost cut and a significant increase in damage. There is also a new quality of life, allowing you to summon your army more easily using Unearth on corpses of your dead minions.

Similar to the Monk, the Ascendancy choice between an Infernalist and a Lich depends on you. Infernalists have damage mitigation, and their pet hound ignites enemies in a larger area. On the other hand, Lich can utilize Energy Shields and Power Charges to increase damage.

---

6) Elemental Overload Stormweaver

More elemental combinations coming with Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Gone are the days when you had to select an element to build upon in Path of Exile 2. Rise of the Abyssal League is bringing changes to how they interact with each other using Elemental Infusion. Previously, only the combination of Fire and Lightning was available using Spark Firewall.

In the new update, picking up Elemental Infusions will empower the next ability and combine the two elements. Alongside that, the three elemental curses are now a single Skill Gem to help you take advantage of all elements.

And who’s better than taking advantage of all the elemental changes other than the Stormweaver? Her passive, Tempest Caller, is getting a cooldown reduction, while Rain Dancer is reworked as Multiplying Squalls, allowing an additional Elemental Skill. Many other changes are also based around the Elemental Infusions, making her a good pick.

---

Check out our other guides and articles on Path of Exile 2:

• Path of Exile 2: 5 biggest changes in patch 0.3, The Third Edict
• Path of Exile 2 The Third Edict: 0.3 walks back all the Skill nerfs in 0.2, and then some
• Path of Exile 2's Support Gem rule change in 0.3 is a big buff to all builds
• Path of Exile 2 The Third Edict: Biggest expected features that didn't make the cut
• Path of Exile 2 Rise of the Abyssal League mechanics, explained