Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 Best Leveling & Mapping Builds (Dawn of the Hunt)

Path of Exile 2 offers deep character customization with various ascendancies, skill gems, and items. The upcoming new classes and ascendancies will bring more build possibilities. As we get closer to the 0.2.0 Patch, we are going to recommend some powerful PoE 2 0.2.0 builds that are good for leveling, map clearing, and boss killing in the Dawn of the Hunt league.

PoE 2 0.2.0 Best Builds for Leveling, Mapping & Bossing

The Path of Exile 0.2.0 Patch (Dawn of the Hunt) is a major update that will bring significant changes and new features to the game. One of the biggest changes is the introduction of new Ascendancy classes, each base class is going to have three Ascendancy options instead of two. The patch also introduces several unique items that can redefine gameplay mechanics. The Atlas Passive Tree will also be expanded, giving players more choices to customize their endgame experience. For fast leveling and farming in the PoE 2 new patch or new league, here are some starter-friendly builds with the best setup.

PoE 2 0.2.0 Sorceress Build

The Sorceress leveling build for Path of Exile 2 is an excellent choice for league starters, especially with the upcoming 0.2.0 patch. Utilizing powerful skills like Frost Bomb and Freezing Shots, players can easily freeze and eliminate enemies without relying on high-tier gear or extensive trading. The build excels in crowd control and damage output, providing a smooth leveling experience throughout the campaign. This build will perform well from early on to the endgame.

Gear

Go with a Gelid Staff for this Sorc build, Apprentice’s Gelid Staff of Talent grants you the Freezing Shots skill, a projectile attack that costs no mana. This can significantly enhance your mana sustainability, allowing for continuous damage output without the need for frequent mana recovery. Additionally, the staff's freeze buildup mechanic enables you to immobilize enemies when you deal sufficient damage, providing exceptional crowd control and improving your survivability in challenging encounters. If you don’t find this staff from vendors, you can opt for a basic Gelid Staff and enhance it using Orbs of Augmentation or Transmutation to improve its stats. Focus on acquiring magic properties, as you can later use Regal Orbs or Alchemy Orbs to elevate its quality. Look for gear with increased cast speed, energy shield, and life, as these will enhance your survivability and damage potential.

Apprentice’s Gelid Staff of Talent

Twig Circlet of Plunder

Sanguine Hexer’s Robe

Beast Mitts (Stocky Mitts)

Sanguine Rawhide Belt

Eagle Knuckle (Iron Ring)

Key Skills

• Frost Bomb: When deployed, it applies Cold Exposure to enemies, reducing their cold resistance by 20%. This effect not only enhances your damage output but also allows you to deal massive damage when the bomb explodes, making it a powerful tool for clearing out groups of enemies efficiently throughout the leveling process.

• Freezing Shots: Freezing Shots is another key skill that complements the Sorceress's arsenal. This projectile attack allows you to freeze enemies on impact, providing excellent crowd control. By immobilizing foes, Freezing Shots creates opportunities for follow-up attacks, ensuring you can safely eliminate enemies while maintaining control over the battlefield. 

• Cold Snap: Deals damage to frozen enemies and increases area control.

Gem Links

• Flame Wall: Enhances Spark damage when used strategically.

• Frost Bomb + Spell Cascade + Controlled Destruction

• Freezing Shards + Arcane Tempo + Deep Freeze

• Cold Snap + Unleash + Magnified Effect

• Grim Feast

Passive Tree

• Spell Damage and Cold Damage: The build starts by prioritizing nodes that increase spell damage and cold damage. This foundation ensures that your primary skills deal substantial damage to enemies throughout the campaign.

• Energy Shield Focus: Moving along the tree, you will encounter nodes that boost energy shield capabilities. Investing in faster energy shield recovery and maximum energy shield is crucial for enhancing your survivability, especially in tougher encounters. This allows your build to absorb more damage while dealing with enemies.

• Cold Spell Enhancement: The tree also provides options to increase the level of all cold spells, which significantly enhances the effectiveness of your primary skills. This includes nodes that boost cold exposure effects, making your attacks even more potent against enemies.

• Curse Duration and Effects: There is also the option to integrate curse duration and effects into your build, which can support an alternative skill setup.

You can choose to enhance critical damage and critical strike chance, which will improve your overall damage output. Alternatively, you can focus on elemental damage nodes that benefit all your spells, not just cold ones. While the initial setup is robust for leveling, the passive tree allows for adaptations in the late game. If desired, you can switch to a lightning-based build, such as Stormweaver, without needing to overhaul your entire passive tree.

Leveling & Progression Tips

• Early Game: Your primary focus should be on establishing a solid foundation with your skills. Use Frost Bomb to apply Cold Exposure to enemies, reducing their cold resistance and increasing your damage output. Position the bomb strategically to lure enemies into its radius. Use Freezing Shots to freeze enemies outside of the bomb’s area, and finish them off with Cold Snap. 

• Endgame: You'll want to incorporate additional skills like Frost Wall and Hypothermia into your rotation. Use Frost Wall to create barriers that can protect you or control enemy movement. Setting up Frost Bomb and then placing Frost Walls allows you to explode the walls together with the bomb for massive area damage. Your rotation should consist of deploying Frost Bomb, following up with Frost Walls, and then utilizing Cold Snap on frozen enemies. Focus on maximizing your area of effect and damage output to handle tougher bosses and endgame content effectively. 

PoE 2 0.2.0 Monk Build

This is an Invoker Cast on Dodge build that focuses on automatic skill triggering through dodge mechanics, utilizing the Invoker's ascendancy skill "The Soul Springs Eternal" for energy-free casting. The build requires specific gear including a spirit-enchanted scepter, a shield with soul core sockets, and strategic jewel placement. It is recommended to use eight magic jewels and three specific unique jewels. While it's possible to use rare jewels as a budget alternative, this will result in notably lower DPS compared to the unique ones. It operates by using blink movement to trigger skills automatically, maintaining sustainability through 100 ED spirit and mono recovery. The gear can be obtained through both direct purchase and cost-effective crafting, it is relatively budget-friendly except for the dual par requirements.

Gear

The Soul Springs Eternal

Sacred Flame (Shrine Sceptre)

Mahuxotl's Machination (Omen Crest Shield)

Carrion Corona (Expert Feathered Tiara)

Temporalis (Silk Robe)

Apocalypse Nails (Expert Sombre Gloves)

Trampletoe (Trimmed Greaves )

Pandemonium Twirl (Breach Ring)

Soul Noose (Lapis Amulet)

Ingenuity (Utility Belt)

Jewels

• The Adorned Diamond: This jewel is particularly effective at enhancing the corrupted line modifiers present on the magic jewels, creating a synergy that surpasses what you could achieve with rare jewels. 

• Against the Darkness Time-Lost Diamond: The Time Lost Diamond is particularly noteworthy as it must be placed in a specific position within your passive tree to grant five notable passive skills.

• Megalomaniac Diamond: Allocate 2-3 random Notable Passive Skills when socketed in a Jewel Socket on the Passive Skill Tree

Skill Gems and Support Gems

• Blink -> Ingenuity -> Arcane Tempo -> Energy Barrier -> Unbreakable -> Clarity

• Cast on Dodge, Frost Wall, Bone Cage -> Ambush -> Concentrated Effect -> Inspiration

• Cast on Dodge, Frost Wall, Frost Wall, Spell Cascade -> Spell Echo -> Fortress

• Grim Feast

• Mana Remnants

• Unbound Avatar