PoE 2 Best Totem Builds - Top 5 Totem Builds for Leveling & Endgame in Path of Exile 2

Totem builds are a cornerstone of Path of Exile 2, offering players a unique playstyle where summoned constructs handle most of the combat. These builds are versatile, allowing players to focus on positioning, strategy, and survival while their totems deal damage, apply debuffs, or provide support. So today, we introduce the Top 5 Totem Builds in Path of Exile 2, showcasing their strengths, mechanics, and gearing strategies to help you dominate maps and bosses.

PoE 2 Best Totem Builds - Top 5 Totem Builds for Leveling & Endgame in Path of Exile 2

Totem builds revolve around summoning stationary constructs that inherit your offensive stats to perform attacks or cast spells. They are popular for their hands-off approach, keeping enemies at a distance while you stay safe. In Path of Exile 2, totem mechanics remain a reliable choice for bossing and mapping due to their scalability and tactical advantages.

Some key aspects of totem builds include:

• Offense: Totems scale with your offensive stats, such as +levels to skills, increased attack speed, and skill effect duration.

• Defense: Your totems take the brunt of attacks, allowing you to focus on survival.

• Scaling: Supports like Overabundance and passives that add additional totems can vastly increase your damage output.

• Variety: From melee-focused totems to spell-based ones, there are multiple playstyles to choose from.

Below, we outline the Top 5 Totem Builds, each with a unique gameplay loop and gear focus.

1. Shockwave Totem Warbringer Build

This build features Shockwave Totem paired with the Warbringer ascendancy, creating a tanky and beginner-friendly setup. Its simplicity, combined with strong survivability and scaling potential, makes it a great choice for new players.

• Pros: High survivability, budget-friendly, excellent for early mapping and bossing.

• Cons: Moderate damage scaling compared to other builds.

Core Mechanics:

• Main Skill: Shockwave Totem linked with Brutality, Martial Tempo, Concentrated Effect, and Heft.

• Gear Priority: Focus on gear with +levels to melee skills and high life regeneration.

• Utility: Use Overabundance to summon an additional totem, enhancing your damage output.

Playstyle:
Summon totems in clusters to clear packs efficiently. Against bosses, pair Shockwave Totem with resonating strike to break armor, maximizing your damage potential. Use gear like Rise of the Phoenix for its life regeneration and defensive benefits.

Check out how to set up the Shockwave Totem Warbringer Build

2. Hammer of the Gods Sunder Totem Titan Build

This Titan-based build uses Sunder Totem for colossal physical damage while leveraging Titan’s defensive ascendancy. It’s a great option for players wanting a tankier melee totem build.

• Pros: High durability, strong single-target damage.

• Cons: Slower map clearing compared to spell-based builds.

Core Mechanics:

• Main Skill: Sunder linked with Upheaval, Brutality, and Heavy Swing.

• Defensive Layers: Titan’s ascendancy provides armor scaling and life bonuses.

• Utility: Use Resonating Strike Totem to break enemy armor, enabling guaranteed critical hits.

Playstyle:
Position totems strategically for maximum Sunder overlap. With Titan’s bonuses to armor and life, you can tank difficult encounters while your totems decimate enemies.

Check out how to set up the Sunder Totem Titan Build

3. Shockwave Totem Gemling Legionnaire Build

This build uses Shockwave Totem, enhanced by the Gemling Legionnaire ascendancy for massive strength scaling and survivability. It boasts some of the highest effective life and regeneration in any totem build.

• Pros: Exceptional survivability (8k+ life), strong damage scaling, efficient gearing.

• Cons: Requires careful attribute stacking.

Core Mechanics:

• Scaling: Stack strength on every gear piece to maximize life and damage.

• Main Skill: Shockwave Totem linked with Brutality, Martial Tempo, and Magnified Effect.

• Utility: Use Blasphemy + Temporal Chains for added crowd control.

Playstyle:
Focus on strength stacking to unlock the full potential of this build. With 2,000+ life regeneration per second and excellent damage, this build excels in both maps and bossing. It’s also budget-friendly due to the accessibility of required gear.

Check out how to set up the Shockwave Totem Gemling Legionnaire Build

4. Dark Effigy Totem Infernalist Build

This hybrid build uses Dark Effigy Totem to combine chaos and lightning damage into a unique playstyle. By applying multiple chaos DoTs, the totems unleash a barrage of projectiles that shred enemies.

• Pros: Great single-target damage, unique mechanics.

• Cons: Requires managing multiple abilities, moderate clear speed.

Core Mechanics:

• Main Skill: Dark Effigy supported by Arc Mage, Inevitable Critical, and Ancestral Urgency.

• Chaos Application: Use Contagion and Essence Drain to apply chaos DoTs.

• Utility: Flame Wall boosts projectile damage, while Eye of Winter applies critical weakness.

Playstyle:
Place totems and apply chaos DoTs to enemies, letting Dark Effigy’s projectiles deal damage. Use Flame Wall and Eye of Winter to amplify your overall damage output against bosses.

Check out how to set up the Dark Effigy Totem Infernalist Build

5. Molten Blast Totem Titan Build

This Titan-based build uses Molten Blast Totem, a fire-based melee skill, to clear maps effectively with bouncing projectiles. It’s visually satisfying and excellent for players who enjoy fire-themed builds.

• Pros: Strong clear speed, reliable single-target damage, high survivability.

• Cons: Limited adaptability outside the Titan ascendancy.

Core Mechanics:

• Main Skill: Molten Blast supported by Scattershot, Primal Armament, and Fire Infusion.

• Defensive Layers: Max block chance and life regeneration for sustain.

• Gear Priority: Dual-wield +level melee skill maces with low stat requirements.

Playstyle:
Place totems at mid-range to maximize projectile overlap. The Titan ascendancy ensures high durability, making this build reliable for both clearing maps and tackling bosses.

Check out how to setup the Molten Blast Totem Titan Build