3 Best SSF Builds in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt
18.03.2025 - 15:55:07
Game Guides , Path of Exile 2
It is without question that Grinding Gear Games will implement a lot of balancing adjustments in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. Some builds will definitely be affected by this, such as the Spark Stormweaver and the Ice Strike Invoker. These builds are quite popular right now due to their ability to take advantage of certain mechanics to their fullest extent, so much so that others do not share the same spotlight as them.
Well, that is not what we are going to discuss here today. This article will provide you with what we believe are the best SSF builds in PoE 2 Patch 0.2.0. So, if you want to run things solo once Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt goes live, then you need to read this article to completion!
While you’re at it, you might want to take a look at what we offer in our PoE 2 Store. We have a vast array of rare items, uniques, and any Path of Exile 2 currency you can think of! In the event that you want to hop out of the SSF environment, you will have items at the ready if you purchase them from us. That’s a 100% guarantee!
Best SSF Builds in PoE 2 Patch 0.2.0
To be clear, this article was written before GGG released any sort of balancing changes in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. While this may seem like pure speculation, we actually have all the information we need to form our recommendations for the best builds in PoE 2 solo-self found. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Skeletal Arsonist Infernalist
We have played the original Path of Exile 1 back in the day—from the early stages of the game to what it is now. In our experience, GGG does not nerf minion builds to the ground. Sure, you can see a nerf here and there, but they often survive no matter what a new major update brings. That is pretty much our take on the first build we are going to talk about here—the Skeletal Arsonist Infernalist.
The Skeletal Arsonist has actually been nerfed in the past, where GGG increased the Spirit reservation cost of this minion skill by a considerable amount (from 25 Spirit to 39 Spirit). Although many disliked this nerf, a lot of players were able to circumvent that by simply getting more Spirit from gear.
Speaking of which, Patch 0.2.0 will actually introduce a new unique shield called the Prism Guardian. Basically, it is similar to the Infernalist’s “Beidat’s Will” ascendancy node, albeit it provides 1 additional Spirit per 50 HP (instead of 25).
With the Prism Guardian equipped, you must do your best to raise your maximum life as high as you possibly can. This is so that you can potentially summon three or even four additional Skeletal Arsonists on top of what you already have prior to equipping the said unique shield.
Okay, so why the Skeletal Arsonist and not the Skeletal Sniper? The reason why we believe the Skeletal Arsonist will be more popular next update is that it just works so much better than the Skeletal Sniper. Of course, you can summon more archers on the battlefield with the same amount of total Spirit, but the fact that the arsonists deal more damage (and have better AoE at that) makes them the obvious choice for a minion build.
Since you are playing in an SSF environment, we highly recommend that you read our PoE 2 Spirit Guide so that you will know how to get more without trading items with others.
Apart from the Prism Guardian, you need a well-rolled Rattling Sceptre as well. This particular weapon allows you to summon a couple of Skeletal Warriors free of charge! These minions can help take the heat off of you, as well as provide cover for the arsonists to do what they’re good at—burning enemies to a crisp!
What constitutes a good Rattling Sceptre, you ask? For one, it has to have “+3-5 to All Minion Skills.” This is because minion skills, in general, deal more damage at higher skill levels. Besides that, minions can greatly benefit from the mod, “Allies in Your Presence Deal % Increased Damage.” You can create a respectable sceptre yourself by using an Orb of Alchemy and slamming it with PoE 2 Exalted Orbs.
If you do not like to have your Skeletal Arsonists have all the fun, you even have the option of adding the Detonate Dead skill. Wait until your arsonists pile up the corpses and then use DD to make them explode! Leave Detonate Dead at level 7 to keep its mana cost low.
Do you want a reliable build that is less likely to get nerfed in PoE 2 Patch 0.2.0? Then the Skeletal Arsonist Infernalist is one of them!
Lightning Arrow Deadeye
Wait, isn't the Lightning Arrow Deadeye a very popular build in Path of Exile 2, so much so that it might get nerfed hard in Patch 0.2.0? While there is speculation that this is to be the case, we have a couple of reasons why the build won't be gutted in the next update.
Much of the fear of this build getting nerfed comes from the two herald skills it uses, namely Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder. Both of these can work together nicely, creating screen-wide explosions that can decimate any monster within their area of effect.
However, Lightning Arrow is already good by itself when clearing packs of monsters. And, historically speaking, GGG has never made adjustments to Lightning Arrow that rendered this skill useless in PoE 1. That is why there is a good chance that Lightning Arrow is safe from any harmful changes in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt.
Having said that, assuming that the herald skills do get nerfed, there is so much that this build can offer that can replace them. Chief among them is Lightning Rod—a powerful AoE skill that destroys pinnacle bosses like a hot knife through butter! We think that this skill will not receive any substantial decreases in performance given the high mana cost associated with it. You can address Lightning Rod's mana cost by wearing a couple of rings that have "Gain # Mana per Enemy Killed."
Cast on Shock is also less likely to get nerfed in the game’s next major update. Why? This meta skill already has a condition that has to be met, where you have to constantly apply numerous stacks of Shock just to gain energy to trigger socketed skills.
Furthermore, if Cast on Shock does get changes in Patch 0.2.0, it will probably be a Spirit cost adjustment from 60 to 100 Spirit. Since the herald skills are most likely not viable to use anymore, the Spirit you can save by not activating them is enough to utilize Cast on Shock instead.
If you have any reservations about starting a Lightning Arrow Deadeye in PoE 2 SSF, just know that there is a support gem that might be useful to you and that is the new Perfection Support. You can refer to our new support gems in Path of Exile 2 article to learn more about it.
Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder
While we don't normally recommend builds that require a specific ascendancy node to function completely in a solo self-found environment in PoE 2, we will make an exception for this one mainly because of the power it possesses even with modest gear.
The Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder uses a potent mix of very damaging poisons and a high critical hit chance to destroy any monster you encounter. Unlike its PoE 1 counterpart, this build can now use a bow (oddly enough). And for that, you have the Widowhail.
The Widowhail, for those who do not know, is a unique bow that greatly increases the bonuses gained from your equipped quiver. So, to maximize that, you have to equip a quiver that has "+2 to Level of All Projectile Skills." Since Poisonous Concoction has the "projectile" tag, it will be affected by the said modifier.
If you are able to achieve a level 30+ Poisonous Concoction, every monster in the game will cower at the mere sight of you! This does not occur until you have the right items, though, so you have to be diligent enough to acquire them since you're playing in the SSF league.
So, why does Poisonous Concoction work even with just self-found gear? Well, that is because of its high damage output plus its ability to critically hit enemies. That is why you are also going to use Eye of Winter to apply the Critical Weakness debuff, enabling the skill to deal more damage consistently as a result.
Anyway, what should you do to level up before you can ascend to become a Pathfinder? Funny enough, you will use Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod to progress your character in the early stages. This is because the nodes that you get early on are identical to your passive skills after the ascension.
The notable passive skills that are important to you are Crippling Toxins for greatly improving the damage of Poisonous Concoction, Pure Chaos to gain the ability to deal chaos damage (and therefore, apply Wither on hit), and Master Fletching to heavily improve the bonuses you get from your equipped quiver (similar to Widowhail).
Make sure to equip a Widowhail that has at least a 240% increased effect. The bow itself should drop frequently, but in case luck is not on your side, you can grab a normal Crude Bow and use a PoE 2 Orb of Chance on that to potentially turn it into a Widowhail.
What should you use if you do not have a Widowhail yet? Well, any high physical damage bow with at least "+3 to All Projectile Skills" should work for the time being. The higher the modifier is, the better.
Final Thoughts
Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt will certainly bring with it a bevy of balancing changes that would impact the famous builds in the current meta. However, we believe that the three builds we have mentioned today are safe from any adjustments that will impact them in a negative way. If anything, they are getting stronger in one way or another.
For instance, the addition of the new Prism Guardian unique shield in Patch 0.2.0 will provide the Skeletal Arsonist Infernalist with heaps more Spirit, thus enabling her to summon more minions to do her bidding.
The Lightning Arrow Deadeye may feel the loss of herald skills, but it should still be fine regardless. Lightning Rod and Lightning Arrow work great together and are only hampered by their increasing mana costs. Fortunately, that is easy to resolve even when you are playing in a solo self-found environment.
Despite the need for ascension, the Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder is amazing even in SSF. The reason is that you can make it work with budget gear, and if you are diligent enough in farming its endgame items, you will certainly unlock its full potential.
So, are you going to play Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt in SSF? If so, which of these three builds caught your attention? Will you try any of them? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Do not forget that we have a PoE 2 Store that is open 24/7 to satisfy all your in-game needs. Have you been trying to get your hands on the Morior Invictus for quite some time now but have never gotten enough currency to purchase one? Don’t worry, we have that and more!