In of raw physical power, the Warrior is the most powerful class in Path of Exile 2 - and they only become more so as the endgame approaches. Unsurprisingly, the Warrior's main stat is Strength, which they use to hammer enemies into submission with powerful blows. They can also inflict stun, and use devastating area of effect attacks to gain control over the battlefield. The trade-off is that Warriors are also one of the slowest Path of Exile 2 classes, requiring the player to plan their attacks ahead so they can ensure they hit at the ideal time.

Like its main inspiration, the Diablo series, Path of Exile 2 is all about experimenting with different character builds, testing out different combinations of skills, gear, and Ascendancies (subclasses) to discover unique ways to play each individual class. While there are many ways to develop your Warrior throughout the game, a series of clear best options arise in the later chapters of the game. Combining those, here's the best endgame Warrior build in Path of Exile 2.

Best Equipment For An Endgame Warrior Build In PoE 2

Best Maces For An Endgame Warrior

Most PoE 2 classes specialize in one or two weapon types. For the Warrior, maces are the main method of dealing damage. Maces come in one-handed and two-handed varieties, the main difference between the two being that one-handed maces also allow you to equip shields, while two-handed maces will take up both of your weapon slots. Depending on skills, gear, and Ascendancies (see below), Warriors can either prioritize damage for a DPS build, or balance attack and defense for a tank build. Since they're better suited to a pure damage role, you're better off choosing a two-handed mace here.

Ideally, you'll want to find or buy a high-level unique mace with effects that boost the Warrior's natural talents: Strength, stun, max HP, or damage. If you do decide to go one-handed, the Olrovasara Torment Club is an excellent choice with its boosts to lightning damage and attack speed. Pair it with the Wulfsbane Painted Tower Shield for boosts to Strength, max HP, and the ability to Intimidate enemies permanently the first time you hit them. Consider using a PoE 2 loot filter to make it easier to find the things you actually need.

The Intimidated status effect increases the damage taken by the target.

Best Armor For An Endgame Warrior

As for armor, Warriors specialize in the heavy stuff: plate metal and chain mail. That means high defense, even on damage-focused builds. Still, you should look for gear that boosts your Strength and attack damage to make the most of your Warrior build. The Horns of Byden Rusted Greathelm helmet is particularly useful in that it not only boosts your Strength and increases the Rage you gain from melee attacks, but also increases the likelihood of finding rare items to fill out the rest of your inventory screen.

Best Skill Gems For An Endgame Warrior Build In PoE 2

Hammer Of The Gods

Characters in PoE 2 primarily gain new abilities by cutting Skill Gems, consumables of varying levels that allow them to unlock and slot in new skills. For an endgame Warrior, you'll most likely want to prioritize cutting Hammer of the Gods, which requires a level 13 Skill Gem. This is an incredibly powerful ability that summons a giant hammer, then slams it down on the battlefield for massive AoE damage. Just keep in mind that it takes a while to cast, so you'll want to have some good crowd control options and a sense of timing.

Seismic Cry

The Warrior also has various abilities with the suffix Cry that allow them to boost various stats. The best of these is Seismic Cry, which requires a level 11 Gem. This sends out a shockwave of damage which, if it hits a stunned enemy, boosts the damage of your next attack.

Rolling Slam

To complement the two previous abilities, you'll want to have some skills to help you stun enemies quickly and efficiently. For this, take Rolling Slam early (it only requires a level 1 Skill Gem), and upgrade it as often as possible. This skill consists of two strikes, the first of which increases enemy stun while also pushing them backwards - great for lining up a Hammer of the Gods strike.

Shield Wall

Since Warrior is a melee class, you'll often find yourself surrounded by enemies. In order to cope with the high damage, you'll want a skill like Shield Wall (level 7 Skill Gem) if you're using one-handed maces and shields. This ability summons a wall of rocks around you, which enemies will have to destroy before they can reach you. Each time they take a section of the wall down, it'll detonate, causing damage. This can give you an important opportunity to heal, or just take the pressure off for a few seconds.

Best ive Skills For An Endgame Warrior Build In PoE 2

Smash

Each time you level up in Path of Exile 2, you'll need to choose a ive from an expansive skill tree, traveling around it by proceeding from one unlocked node to the next. You'll want to focus mainly on ive skills that boost your Strength, as well as stun buildup or armor breaking, depending on which of the two status effects you've decided to specialize in. Smash is basically a must-have for any Warrior, increasing their attack damage by 20% - 40% on heavy stunned enemies.

Brutal

If you're planning on going for a pure stun build, make sure to grab the Brutal ive. This skill increases stun buildup, melee damage, and strength across the board.

Skullcrusher

Another important element of a stun build is Skullcrusher. This skill increases the damage you deal to heavy stunned enemies.

Best Spirit Gems For An Endgame Warrior Build In PoE 2

Overwhelming Presence

Besides level-up ives, you'll also need to find and use Spirit Gems in Path of Exile 2 in order to grant yourself various buffs. Of these, Overwhelming Presence is one of the most useful for a Warrior. It decreases nearby enemies' stun threshold, making them easier to stun, and allowing you to cash in all your stun-based attack bonuses provided by the skills recommended above.

Herald Of Ash

It's also possible to take the Warrior down a fire damage route. If that's what you prefer, you'll want the Herald of Ash buff. This makes it easier to detonate enemies, and increases the damage they take when ignited.

Ascendancies For An Endgame Warrior Build In PoE 2

Warbringer

Like every Path of Exile 2 class, Warrior has two Ascendancies (subclasses): Warbringer and Titan. Let's look at Warbringer first. This Ascendancy mostly relies on the Ancestral Warrior Totem skill, providing you with the option to trigger various bonuses when you activate it: Answered Call to summon a minion, and Wooden Wall to redirect damage to your totem.

Warbringer also boosts your Warcry skills (like Seismic Cry). The unique skill Greatwolf's Howl allows you to ignore your preferred Warcry's cooldowns, so you can activate it as often as you like (as long as you have the requisite Mana). Warcaller's Bellow also causes your Warcry to detonate nearby corpses for a little extra damage.

Finally, Warbringer allows you to break your enemy's armor more efficiently while raising your own defenses. Anvil's Weight applies 10% of your regular damage towards breaking armor, and Imploding Impacts actually allows you to reduce the enemy's armor below 0 in order to deal extra damage. Renly's Training sets your block chance to 40% regardless of your shield's stats (which isn't always an upgrade), and Turtle Charm reduces your block chance in exchange for the ability to block hits even when you aren't using Raise Shield.

Ultimately, Warbringer is a less focused, less offensive Ascendancy, and therefore isn't recommended for an endgame Warrior build. It can work with the right combination of gear and skills, but the Titan subclass is far better in almost every category.

Titan

Titan is an offensive/defensive Ascendancy that focuses on boosting your armor and max HP, while also granting you various bonuses to your Slam and stun attacks. Surprising Strength will give you an additional 40% damage against heavy stunned enemies, while Crushing Impact makes all your hits heavy stun enemies that have reached a certain stun threshold. Earthbreaker gives your Slam skills a chance to cause aftershocks, and Ancestral Empowerment boosts the damage of every other Slam attack you perform.

You'll also get an extra 15% max HP from Mysterious Lineage, and your body armor's value will be boosted by 50% with Stone Skin. These Ascendancy skills will make it easier to stay alive in the heat of battle. A more unique skill, Colossal Capacity, gives you 20 extra inventory slots at all times. As a result of its versatility and raw power, we recommend the Titan Ascendancy for endgame Warriors.

This may be the most powerful way to develop your Warrior in the endgame, but it's certainly not the only one. The class' sheer strength and the PoE 2 system's flexibility mean there are many ways to build an endgame warrior. Take all these recommendations with a grain of salt, and keep in mind that all of the above is subject to change and expansion during Path of Exile 2's early access period.