As Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 Patch Return of the Ancients draws ever closer, the need for players to find the best build guides for the early stages of the league is becoming increasingly apparent, as they all want to climb the leaderboards as soon as the league starts and strive to reach the top.
However, another build approach has emerged: find a build that can be played from the beginning of the league to the end, and only need to make minor modifications to skill gems or gear to achieve a single playstyle that can be used throughout the entire league.
Unfortunately, due to the significant changes made to the original content in POE 2 patch 0.5.0, there aren’t many builds that meet this requirement to date. However, POECURRENCY.com has found one – Explosive Witchhunter, which boasts excellent combat performance throughout the early, mid, and late game.
If you also have the idea of completing the game with a single build, you might as well follow the guide provided by POECURRENCY here to gain a detailed understanding of this Explosive Witchhunter build, and master its skill rotation and challenge strategies applicable in the latest leagues.
Pros & Cons
First, as usual, we’ll analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the Explosive Witchhunter build available in Path of Exile 2 0.5.0. Note that this analysis is based on its performance in the original league; there may be some changes in 0.5.0, but not significant ones.
Among the many builds in the game, Explosive Witchhunter build stands out because it can complete the first Pinnacle Boss encounter in SSF entirely with pure dropped POE 2 currency, gear, and other build options. Moreover, when you reach Endgame, it can sweep away thousands of enemies with just one skill button, demonstrating its power.
This kind of build, which can be advanced so deeply in single-player mode, is highly sought after in any map run in squad mode, so there is no situation where it cannot find a matching squad to explore.
Once Explosive Witchhunter build is added to a team that fits its playstyle, other DPS can take a backseat, as its extremely high single-target damage is enough to solo bosses, and the rest can simply provide buffs or support.
Meanwhile, you’ll see that its damage output and speed are extremely high, capable of clearing out all the monsters in a medium-tier difficult map in just a few minutes. Most importantly, it’s incredibly durable; it can complete a map run or a specific loot farming session almost without taking any damage.
However, its drawbacks cannot be ignored. The throwable grenades that this build relies on require a significant number of skill gems to maximize their effectiveness. Also, each grenade deals independent damage; there are no combos or stacking bonuses, so everything depends on the grenade’s inherent affixes.
In summary, if you can overcome the need to set up numerous gear setups just to make the grenades more damaging, then Explosive Witchhunter build will be your most dazzling presence in PoE 2: Return of the Ancients. All of this assumes you have sufficient currency reserves. If you find that troublesome in farming, feel free to visit POECURRENCY.com.
We have a comprehensive selection of PoE2 currency for sale, each orb listed at the most affordable price. Most importantly, our delivery is incredibly fast and secure, giving you a significant advantage from the very beginning of the league to face all the challenges that follow. Just a heads up, there will be some great discount codes available after patch 0.5.0 is released, so don’t miss out!
Skill Options
Having discussed the advantages and disadvantages of POE 2 Explosive Witchhunter build, let’s move on to the main topic: the build options it contains, starting with skill gems. Typically, each league update introduces new skill gems or removes some less frequently used ones.
So the skills we recommend here are based on the previous league’s content. If there are any discrepancies, you can customize and modify them according to your gameplay needs. Below is a list of skill gems and supporting gems recommended by POECURRENCY.com for use in Explosive Witchhunter build.
Explosive Grenade – Level 14
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Multishot II
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Elemental Armament II
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Short Fuse I
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Magnified Area II
Explosive Shot – Level 14
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Multishot II
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Elemental Armament II
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Deliberation
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Magnified Area II
Flash Grenade – Level 14
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Stun I
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Multishot II
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Magnified Area II
Gas Grenade – Level 14
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Multishot II
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Elemental Armament II
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Deliberation
Voltaic Mark – Level 9
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Mark of Siphoning II
Cluster Grenade – Level 14
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Multishot II
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Elemental Armament I
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Deliberation
Oil Grenade – Level 14
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Short Fuse I
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Persistent Ground II
Herald of Ash – Level 12
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Cannibalism I
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Herbalism I
Wind Dancer – Level 12
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Knockback
Overall, the skill gems and support gems aren’t particularly high level. As long as you don’t excessively pursue high difficulty by challenging the optional bosses, you should be able to collect them all before POE 2 0.5.0 Interludes end.
Gear Options
Similarly, the gear setup in Explosive Witchhunter build for patch 0.5.0 may be subject to nerfs or buffs after the official release. However, you don’t need to worry too much. Based on POECURRENCY.com’s long-standing understanding of developers, there will only be minor modifications, not major overhauls, so this setup will remain valid.
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Helmet – Cowled Helm
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Main Hand – Cannonade Crossbow
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Left Ring – Prismatic Ring
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Right Ring – Topaz Ring
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Amulet – Stellar Amulet
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Body – Knight Armour
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Gloves – Buckled Wraps
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Belt – Rawhide Belt
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Boots – Lattice Sandals
This gear setup is perfectly adequate for completing the interlude in the latest PoE 2 league. If you want to continue playing this style into the late endgame, you’ll need to make some adjustments, such as replacing the helmet with the more defensive Constricting Command, both the left and right rings with Breach Rings, and the boots with Atziri’s Steps for greater mobility.
Passive Tree
The last point concerns the selection of passive skill nodes in Explosive Witchhunter build that promote skill rotation or enable continuous triggering. Since there are already over 1,500 nodes to choose from in Path of Exile 2, this section will no longer be a recommendation, but rather provides a few suitable options for activation.
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Remorseless
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Ricochet
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Colossal Weapon
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Overwhelm
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Curved Weapon
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Fast Metabolism
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Crushing Judgement
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Authority
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Giantslayer
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Spray and Pray
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Run and Gun
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Forces of Nature
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Adrenaline Rush
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Repeating Explosives
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Grenadier
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Volatile Grenades
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Demolitionist
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Efficient Loading
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Sand in the Eyes
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Reusable Ammunition
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Full Salvo
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Blinding Flash
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Rapid Reload
The above are recommendations for all the main build options in Explosive Witchhunter build currently available in Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 Patch Return of the Ancients, usable from the early stages of the league to the late endgame. While some of these options may change after the official release, the overall power of the build will remain largely the same. Therefore, it’s definitely worth trying!