PoE 2 Tier List (0.2.1) - New Best Endgame Builds in Dawn of the Hunt

With the Patch 0.2.1 rolled out in Path of Exile 2, we will see a huge amount of changes coming to the Endgame. Which builds will be meta for endgame running in the Dawn of the Hunt league? Based on all new content coming in the patch and the current state, in this PoE 2 Tier List, we are going to update the new best build for mapping and bossing easily!

PoE 2 Tier List - Top 10+ Best Builds after 0.2.1 Patch

The upcoming plans for patch 0.2.1 have the new chase socketables, endgame rewards, unique items, crafting sock builds, rituals, corrupt essences, and a lot of things being reworked.  And they'll 100% have us lock back in and make a new build! If you are one of them, then the following builds may be worth a try. These builds are picked based on the raw power, versatility, and sheer fun gameplay, can melt bosses and clear maps like a god!

1. Lightning Spear Deadeye – High-Speed Projectile Mayhem

This build is all about high-speed projectile mayhem. You will be flinging lightning spears like a Zeus having a bad day, with chain and pierce enhancements making each cast feel like a lightning storm across the screen. As a Deadeye, you're maximizing your projectile speed, accuracy, and multi-target coverage. With the right passive tree choices, you will be boosting the crit chance and elemental penetration. What makes the build really shine is how smooth and kinetic the gameplay feels. No clunky animations, no wind-up, just constant satisfying zaps. Pair it with gear that boosts elemental damage, projectile modifiers, and a touch of evasion for survivability.

2. Crossbow Witch Hunter – Tactical Ranged Destruction

This build proves that ranged weapons aren't just for rangers anymore. It leans into the unique mechanics of the crossbows, slower, heavier-hitting projectiles that can be modified with elemental types and special bolts. This build plays like a tactical shooter. Choose your bolts: explosive for AoE, grasp for control, and piercing for single-target penetration. Combined with traps and curses from the Witch Hunter tree, you become a battlefield tactician. You’re not just spamming attacks; you're setting up devastating combos and zoning enemies with deadly intent.

3. Chaos Damage Over Time Lich – The Withering Curse

If watching enemies slowly wither away as they chase you is your thing, then this build is going to feel like home. It’s centered around chaos-based skills like Bane, Essence Drain, and Wither. Thanks to the powerful synergies with the Witch Lich ascendancy, you're gaining energy shield regeneration, increased dot multipliers, and curse enhancements that ramp up the suffering. This is one of the safest builds for hardcore players. Keep moving while your damage works passively. It’s the dead by a thousand small curses, all stacking and suffocating enemies with relentless decay.

4. Kitava Armor Breaker – Devastating Melee Power

This is a powerhouse build that trades finesse for raw devastation. You're wielding a two-handed weapon—preferably axe or mace and smashing through armor with every swing. This build takes advantage of new skills like Armor Rend and slam enhancements. Each attack lowers enemy armor, leading to massive crit spikes. The Kitava ascendancy enhances physical damage and introduces infernal-themed mechanics like fire trails and burning ground. It’s brutal, visceral, and has some of the best impact sounds and visuals in the game.

5. Twister Amazon – Elemental Chaos in Motion

This build channels elemental chaos by summoning small tornadoes that whip across the screen, damaging enemies in their path. It's a highly mobile caster archetype using agility and clever placement over brute force. The Twisters deal mixed elemental damage, often lightning and physical, and scale beautifully with projectile and spell modifiers. The Amazon Ascendancy offers dodge, elemental penetration, and damage boosts to movement skills, adding a hit-and-run flavor. This playstyle is like controlling a living storm, fast-paced, fun, and visually stunning.

6. Storm Weaver – The Cold Control Build

Also known as the “chillw webs only” build, this setup revolves around cold-based spells like Stormbind, Ice Nova, or the new skill Calderifra Storm. You use energy to charge up areas and detonate them in icy destruction. The Storm Weaver ascendancy enhances cold penetration, critical strikes with spells, and chilling ground effects. It’s methodical, strategic, and beautiful to watch like painting the battlefield in frost. It rewards clever timing and precise targeting.

7. Lightning Arrow Deadeye – Classic Reborn

This is a classic that's made a strong comeback in PoE 2 with updated projectile mechanics and better scaling. Lightning Arrow fires a single arrow that chains lightning bolts to nearby enemies. With Deadeye enhancements to projectile speed, number of projectiles, and chain potential, it becomes a screen-clearing laser show. It’s excellent for mapping and beginner-friendly, but with enough depth to scale into endgame content.

8. Bleed Blood Mage – Blood-Powered Carnage

This build fuses self-sacrifice and overwhelming damage. Instead of traditional mana, many of your skills cost life. You trade blood for power. Using skills like Blood Lance, Sanjing Spear, and bleed-enhancing curses, you cause enemies to rupture and bleed with massive physical over-time effects. It’s gritty, powerful, and surprisingly tanky once it gets going. You’ll want to stack max life, regen, and armor, or simply avoid incoming damage to stay alive.

9. Thorns Warbringer – Reflective Tank

This is a tanky, reflect-based build that shines with simplicity and brutal efficiency. Centered around the Torm’s mechanic, it deals flat damage back to enemies when you're hit. Thanks to unique items like Crown of the Pale King, this reflected damage isn’t limited to melee, it applies to all types of hits. Your gameplay loop is simple: dive into a pack and let them hit you. Use Rapid Assault and Armor Breaker to weaken stronger enemies. It’s a passive-aggressive build literally.

10. Lightning Spear Amazon – Agile Storm Mage

Unlike the Deadeye version, this Amazon build focuses more on mobility, agile base scaling, and dodge rather than crit stacking. Lightning Spear is modified with totems or echo effects, casting multiple versions in quick succession. The Amazon passive tree boosts movement speed, dodge, and elemental avoidance. It plays more like a reactive, fluid spellblade than a turret. It’s a great build for skilled players who want a high skill ceiling and flashy, explosive gameplay.