Path of Exile 2: Warrior leveling guide (0.3.0)

Path of Exile 2’s Warrior class is your average Tank that goes around hitting everything with a mace. Although fun, leveling as a Warrior in Path of Exile can feel slow. The starting Skill Gems he gets aren’t the best at mobbing. The game is introducing some melee gems with patch 0.3, but at the moment, we don’t know their requirements and availability. For this reason, we will be opting for a traditional leveling option.

This guide will show you everything you need to level up as a Warrior. While you can go a different route, this is the most efficient way.

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Boneshatter Warrior leveling in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.3

If the Forge Hammer and Ancestral Cry Skill Gems are available starting in Act 1, you may be in luck, but for now, you must make do with the Boneshatter and Infernal Cry combination.

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Boneshatter Warrior gem setup and gameplay

Boneshatter and Infernal Cry (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Here are the main leveling Skill Gems you require:

• Boneshatter: Reach - Magnified Effect
• Rolling Slam: Martial Tempo - Magnified Effect
• Infernal Cry: Cooldown Recovery - Premeditation
• Herald of Ash: Magnified Effect - Vitality
• Shield Charge: Ingenuity

The idea behind the build is to activate your Infernal Cry, use Rolling Slam on enemies to prime them for a Stun, and hit them with Boneshatter. Herald of Ash will cause a chain explosion, taking down the group of enemies surrounding you.

Shield Charge is a quality-of-life skill you may not need in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.3, which also introduced Sprinting. However, that may not be the most ideal option, as you can get stunned out of a sprint by enemies. Shield Charge also got buffed and can be used with almost no cooldown. The skill also prevents you from getting knocked, while also dealing damage.

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Skill Gems to add during mid-game Boneshatter Warbringer

Volcanic Fissure and Sunder (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

After completing the Trials of the Sekhemas, ascend into the Warbringer Ascendancy and progress towards Warcaller‘s Bellow and Greatwolf’s Howl. These two Notables will grant better AoE and cooldown for warcries. As for new skills, here’s what you’ll be using:

• Sunder: Martial Tempo
• Volcanic Fissure or Forge Hammer (if available): Magnified Effect

Sunder is mainly used to break enemy armor, allowing you to deal more damage. With patch 0.3, it afflicts the enemies with the Sundered Armour debuff instead of guaranteeing a critical hit. The debuff makes the enemy take 20% additional physical damage.

Volcanic Fissure also got a buff and covers more AoE, allowing you to take down enemies much faster. However, if you have Forge Hammer accessible, use that with Warcries to create even larger fissures that can be activated using your slam skills.

For an alternate Warrior build, check out: Thorns Warrior build guide (0.3.0)

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Gear setup for Warrior leveling in Path of Exile 2

Here are the main stats you should aim for:

• Helmet: Armor - Attribute
• Amulet: Spirit - Life - Resistances
• Chest: Life - Attribute - Armor - Resistances
• Gloves: Armor - Attribute - Resistances
• Rings: Resistances - Added Damage (Elemental) - Mana Regen
• Belt: Resistances - Life/Mana
• Boots: Movement Speed - Life - Life Regen
• Weapon: Raw Damage - Attack Speed - Increase Level of all Melee Skills

The stats on all Body Armor you use are on a needs basis; as such, you may not require all of the mentioned modifiers. As a general rule of thumb, focus on stacking HP, as you are bound to get hit when surrounded.

Recovery mods on the gear are a good way to regain some health during the fight, and so is Vitality as a persistent support buff. Spirit should not be an issue, as you won’t need much to sustain Herald of Ash, but if you plan to add more later in the game, we recommend having some on the amulet.

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Warrior passive tree setup in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.3

Boneshatter Warrior passive tree (Image via PoB || Grinding Gear Games)

The passive tree will receive several new node clusters, which will significantly alter your pathing. You can use the image above to guide your progress. Note that you don’t need to pick the same nodes. Find out what your build is lacking and fill the gap, as you can respec everything later.

Assuming you choose the Warbringer Ascendancy, pick up Warcaller‘s Bellow, Greatwolf’s Howl, and Anvil’s Weight. These Notables don’t directly boost your damage, but they enhance the damage you do with various skills in your build.

Switching to a totem build as you progress through the game should also be easy if you are going with the Warbringer Ascendancy. However, you will need to respec the passive tree and have access to Uncut Skill and Support Gems.

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Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features:

• Path of Exile 2 0.3 patch notes: Everything new in The Third Edict
• Path of Exile 2: 5 biggest changes in patch 0.3.0
• 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: 0.3 walks back all the Skill nerfs in 0.2, and then some