Path of Exile 3.29 has buffed numerous existing skills and items, leading to a surge of new builds crafted around them, or updates to older ones, during the current league. Ethereal Knives Chieftain build is one such example.

Based on the changes PoE 3.29 brings to Ethereal Knives (EK), we will introduce new crafting and utilization strategies for this build in the current Curse of the Allflame league.

Ethereal Knives Changes

If you haven't used Ethereal Knives before, don't let the name mislead you into thinking it's a weapon. As a spell, EK launches multiple flying knives in an arc in front of you, dealing physical damage to enemies.

These knives do not hit the same target, and their launch angle and trajectory are fixed; they do not change based on your own positioning.

Path of Exile 3.29 has comprehensively optimized this skill. Specific improvements include an increased projectile cap and higher critical strike chance, as well as boosted added damage and physical damage at maximum skill level.

Additionally, the bonus previously granted for increasing Ethereal Knives level, which used to increase the number of projectiles, has been changed to increase projectile speed by 0-20%.

Impact on Chieftain in 3.29

Among the changes to Ethereal Knives, the base critical strike chance has increased from 6% to 10%. This makes the skill highly viable for Ascendancy classes that possess strong spellcasting capabilities but lack critical strike chance, such as Chieftain.

Furthermore, in previous leagues, the 10-mana-per-second cost for casting skills as a Chieftain was a significant nuisance. However, the new Reclaimed Malignance jewel introduced in 3.29 allows you to offset this cost.

The importance of Ethereal Knives

Beyond the critical strike boost for Chieftain, Ethereal Knives can now be paired with Nemesis to handle single targets, effectively doubling your single-target damage output.

The daggers thrown by this skill do not all return in the same way. Some will fly past you and continue moving backward, while others stop just in front of you; however, a single hit from a returning dagger on a target is all it takes.

This is because the skill inherently features random fluctuations in base projectile speed, meaning the speed varies. This is precisely why Ethereal Knives Chieftain build requires stacking a significant amount of projectile speed.

Which pieces of gear are essential?

Chieftain-exclusive notable passive, Valako, Storm's Embrace, allows you to max out your Fire, Cold, or Lightning resistances. With the introduction of Skin of the Lords in PoE 3.29, stacking these resistances has become much easier.

While the item itself grants a random Keystone passive from the skill tree, the more important aspect is consuming PoE currency to reroll its modifiers to obtain increased Elemental and Chaos resistances.

To make it work in tandem with Valako, Storm's Embrace, you first need to push your Fire resistance to 200% above the cap. Since the resistance bonuses from Skin of the Lords are additive, this provides a significant advantage when dealing with mechanics that lower fire resistance.

This mechanic is crucial for PoE 3.29 Ethereal Knives Chieftain build because, historically, Skin of the Lords did not allow for socket color modification, making it nearly impossible to roll the correct color combination.

However, following the launch of Curse of the Allflame league, socket color restrictions were removed. This means you now have much greater freedom to use Skin of the Lords, or any other gear requiring specific mechanical interactions, in your build.

Another indispensable piece of gear for this build is Subsume the Source helmet. It allows you to socket up to four Abyss Jewels, all with significantly enhanced effects.

This enables you to drastically boost your fire resistance using just one or two slots, while dedicating the remaining slots to jewels that increase cast speed, such as those granting increased cast speed if you haven't dealt a critical strike recently.

Note, however, that once these jewels are socketed, they cannot be changed. Furthermore, you don't need to rely on RNG to gamble for the right modifiers on this helmet; you can simply use an Orb of Annulment to reroll it until only the specific modifier you want remains.

As a weapon, Nebulis Void Sceptre grants an 8% bonus to Fire, Cold, and Lightning damage for every 1% you exceed the maximum resistance cap. This is particularly effective when playing as a Chieftain.

Since this build uses Chieftain ascendancy, handling maximum physical damage hits can be an issue, meaning the build's overall tankiness isn't exceptionally high. However, equipping Defiance of Destiny amulet can help you mitigate smaller physical damage hits.

If you have a Headhunter, you can gain Soul Eater effect; if you have a Mageblood, you can utilize a Silver Flask, either option will significantly elevate the build's performance.

More buffs from potential synergies

Beyond the basic skill and gear interactions, Path of Exile 3.29 Ethereal Knives Chieftain build features reliable synergy with Pinpoint and Overload Intensity supports.

Simply put, Pinpoint provides Intensify effect. As Intensify stacks increase, the number of projectiles decreases, but you gain a more damage multiplier; combined with Cast Mastery, this can stack up to four times.

Thanks to Overload Intensity, Ethereal Knives has become more reliable in 3.29 league. Each stack of Overload Intensity grants +2.1% base critical strike chance, stacking up to three times.

In fact, this optimized Ethereal Knives Chieftain build is just one possibility; given the skill changes in PoE 3.29, you can also craft other related builds and experiment with different playstyles!

Path of Exile 3.29 Curse of the Allflame series has 40 challenges, but you only need to complete 36 to unlock all the core cosmetic rewards.

Similar to previous series, PoE 3.29 Challenges cover multiple aspects. For players who want to collect this season's limited content, planning challenge order is more important than blindly completing all the tasks.

This PoE 3.29 Curse of the Allflame Challenge Guide will organize your strategy to help you obtain all cosmetic rewards faster.

Cosmetic Rewards

After completing 36 Challenges, you can unlock all the major PoE 3.29 Cosmetic rewards, including a special slime-style Back Attachment, a unique Portal Effect, an Eel Pet, and an Oceanic Weapon Effect.

Among the rewards, Portal Effect and Oceanic Weapon Effect are the most valuable, as they significantly alter the visual effects of your PoE character entering the map and attacking.

Early Game Challenges

Most early PoE 3.29 challenges are relatively simple, such as Beginner's Basics, Act Adversaries, Possessive Pantheons, and Deep Dive. These tasks primarily require you to complete campaign process and experience Curse of the Allflame League mechanic.

League Mechanic can be accessed through Sovereign near waypoint. You'll need to use Dead Man's Sulphur for crafting and complete the relevant Voyage content. These tasks are essentially part of the normal Path of Exile progression and don't require additional time investment.

In Ingrained Increases and Legendary Leagues challenges, you need to repeatedly complete different League Mechanics. The most recommended method is using scarabs. Strongbox, Shrine, and Essence are all very easy to complete; you simply need to use the corresponding Scarab to enter the map.

If you need to complete more League Encounter challenges, it's recommended to choose those that are easily triggered repeatedly, such as using Scarabs to add Strongbox, Shrine, and Abyss mechanics to the map.

For Harvest-related challenges, you can combine them with Atlas Tree nodes to increase the Harvest spawn rate and Lifeforce rewards, while also obtaining a large amount of Path of Exile Currency.

Atlas Accomplishment requires you to complete all Non-Unique Maps and obtain a Bonus Objective. This challenge usually completes naturally as you farm PoE Atlases.

Utilizing Trade Sites

The best way to improve challenge efficiency is to make good use of trade sites. For example, Peddler's Produce requires you to complete multiple vendor recipes. A relatively simple method is to directly consult the official PoE wiki, exchange for basic gear with 20% quality through trade sites, and then sell it to a vendor.

For example, reaching 20% ​​Quality on a regular Armor will grant you Armourer's Scrap, 20% Quality on a regular Weapon will grant you Blacksmith's Whetstone, and 20% Quality on a Flask will grant you Glassblower's Bauble. These recipes don't require crafting; you can simply exchange materials on trade site to complete them.

Chromatic Crafting requires you to equip 15 different colored sockets. Many players try to craft them themselves, but it's unnecessary. The easiest way is to obtain 6-socket gear from trade site, find multiple different colored socket combinations, equip them, and challenge will be completed automatically.

Remarkable Realms requires completing 15 unique maps. Most unique maps can be obtained directly from trade site. I don't recommend Hall of Grandmasters because PvP characters there are very difficult to deal with, and some NPCs even have defenses close to those of real player gear. Choose low-priced, low-difficulty PoE Unique Maps.

Corrupted Crystals Challenge requires completing multiple Corrupted-related objectives. The fastest way is to acquire numerous Level 20 Gems through trade site. Use Vaal Orb to corrupt, then equip these gems. This will allow you to quickly meet Corrupted Gems requirement, which is more efficient than upgrading Gems yourself.

Boss and Encounter Challenges

Taxing Tasks require completing multiple special Paths of Exile Encounters. I recommend Abyssal Depths, Blighted Maps, Breach Marshal, and Expedition Logbooks.

Expedition Logbook is very simple; just enter PoE map and activate 10 Remnants. You don't need to actually complete the entire logbook. Blighted Maps are also suitable for quick completion because they require no high investment; ordinary maps suffice.

Bountiful Bloodlines require defeating multiple special bosses. You can choose Trialmaster, King in the Mists, and Feral. Other bosses such as Katarina, Lysia, and Delve Boss are more costly to challenge and are not recommended as targets.

Mercenary Challenge

Mercenary content in Curse of the Allflame is also a key focus of challenge. For example, tasks like Savage Sellswords, Claim items with Infamous Modifiers, and Complete maps with Mercenary Scarabs can all be solved using Mercenary Scarabs.

When encountering a mercenary, hold down Alt to view equipment affixes and look for items with Infamous or Infamous Modifiers. If you want to increase the number of rare monsters in Path of Exile, you can also use Adversary Scarabs.

High-Tier Map Challenges

Trustworthy Teachers require you to complete POE Tier 16 maps with at least 80% item quantity. A relatively stable method is to improve Map Modifier Effect and Quantity nodes in Atlas.

It's recommended to use Sulphite Scarabs for Niko missions or Bestiary Scarabs for Einhar missions. These can be completed quickly on Strand maps because of their short routes and high monster-clearing efficiency.

Modified Maps and Excruciating Echoes Challenges are typically completed as the game progresses. You should choose maps like Mesa with simple boss routes to quickly defeat the boss and complete the challenge.

Excruciating Echoes requires Memory content and a high PoE Item Quantity. You can choose Memory of Trauma because the boss drop rewards are valuable, reducing cost pressure.

The last few challenges usually belong to PoE Endgame phase, requiring extensive farming of T16 maps and demanding a certain level of character strength, map yield, and skill. For Level 100 Challenges, you can use Beyond Atlas Tree, Red Altars, and multiple Scarabs to increase map density and improve experience output per map.

For Nightmare Maps Challenges, it's recommended to choose maps with simple boss mechanics and clear routes, such as Fortress. Compared to other complex maps, Fortress makes it easier to find the boss and reduces the probability of failure because of map mechanics or travel time.

If your build lacks survivability when tackling challenging Path of Exile maps, choose map affixes that better suit your playstyle and pair them with special Scarabs to reduce the pressure from map modifiers, increasing the stability of completing challenges.

If your goal is simply to obtain all cosmetics, I don't recommend forcing yourself to complete all tasks. You can choose to skip Horrific Halls, Apex Assailants, and Intrigued Interlopers. These challenges either require extremely high PoE build strength or are significantly more costly.

Horrific Halls, in particular, requires completing 100% of Delirious Nightmare Map and achieving 150% Item Quantity, which is very demanding for most builds.

Not all 40 challenges in PoE 3.29 Curse of the Allflame are worth completing. If your goal is to unlock all cosmetic rewards, completing 36 is sufficient. With proper planning, even average players can reliably obtain all seasonal cosmetic rewards.

Just yesterday, marking the critical one-week milestone since the official launch of Path of Exile 3.29, the studio released Patch 3.29.1, the first major update for Curse of the Allflame league.

To be honest, the arrival of 3.29.1 was expected to be a pivotal turning point for the current expansion, delivering the comprehensive adjustments players had long awaited regarding rewards, combat density, and the overall gameplay experience.

In reality, however, while the patch introduced useful quality-of-life (QoL) features and targeted enhancements for specific systems, it left a significant portion of the player base deeply dissatisfied. By seemingly overlooking core feedback and failing to resolve issues stemming from newly introduced mechanics, the update ultimately proved underwhelming and even disappointing.

Notable QoL Optimizations and Mercenary Improvements

Fair is fair: Patch 3.29.1 was not without its highlights. Ducat, a brand-new currency type first introduced in patch 3.29, has been well-received by many players. This update also introduces a new Ducat: UKatoa's Ducat.

Ukatoa's Ducat allows players to convert the implicit modifier on a non-unique amulet into any other Eldritch implicit modifier. This offers an exciting and highly valuable option for players dedicated to build theorycrafting and Allflame crafting.

Beyond the new Ducat enhancement, Patch 3.29.1 included various minor fixes and refinements designed to smooth out the day-to-day gameplay experience.

Most notably, the developers implemented substantial improvements to Mercenary system; Mercenaries below level 83 received significant boosts to both damage output and overall survivability. For Luminary players who previously struggled with Mercenary support, this means a much smoother progression through the early and mid-game stages. 

Furthermore, to reduce the tedious grind involved in min-maxing builds, the developers added a base utility skill slot for mercenaries in Patch 3.29.1 and increased the spawn rate of Infamous Mercenaries in Tier 16 maps by 50%. For players tackling endgame content, acquiring a top-tier mercenary companion is now significantly easier than before.

The core issue remains: the disappointing drop rate of Abyss mechanic

Despite the welcome quality-of-life improvements mentioned above, the player base's overall reception of Patch 3.29.1 remains overwhelmingly negative due to how Abyss mechanic was handled.

As is well known, Abyss mechanic was originally introduced from Path of Exile 2 and was once a fan-favorite feature; however, the version implemented in PoE 1 suffers from a severe lack of rewards.

Prior to the release of Patch 3.29.1, the developers explicitly acknowledged that Abyss content was underperforming in terms of combat density, gameplay experience, and rewards, promising major adjustments within a few days.

Unfortunately, the actual adjustments fell far short of expectations. They attempted to address the reward issue merely by tweaking Abyssal chests: reducing the frequency and quantity of low-tier item drops, improving the quality and quantity of rewards from specific chests, and buffing Greater Abyssal Chests to yield small amounts of Chaos Orbs and Scarabs.

While the experience of opening chests has improved slightly, this stopgap measure completely ignores the most critical problem: Abyss monsters themselves drop almost nothing.

Abyss monsters in PoE 3.29 appear to be affected by an extreme negative loot multiplier. Even in a heavily enhanced T16.5 map (with over 200% item quantity bonus, nearly 200% item rarity bonus, high pack size, and additional currency drop multiplier), the drops on the ground are minimal after activating Abyss Scarab of Crystals and spawning hundreds of magic monsters. 

When a high-investment map spawns hordes of monsters yet fails to yield even a basic crafting currency item like an Orb of Alteration, it indicates that the issue isn't merely about low drop rates or poor quality; rather, there is a fundamental flaw in the drop mechanics, one that simple adjustments to chest rewards cannot fix.

A Regression in Loot Drop Patterns

This phenomenon has reignited strong community dissatisfaction regarding the balance between rewards from specific locations or chests versus rewards from killing monsters.

In fact, back in PoE 3.28, many players had already expressed strong discontent with the status quo where the vast majority of valuable loot was locked inside static chests rather than dropping dynamically from slain monsters. If everyone is simply farming POE currency through treasure hunting, what is the point of putting in the effort to level up characters, optimize builds, and conquer endgame bosses?

Fortunately, the developers recognized this flaw at the time and took proactive measures in Patch 3.28 to restore the base drop rates of orbs from ordinary monsters.

However, they have failed to carry this approach over to Curse of the Allflame league; while Patch 3.29.1 buffs Abyssal chests, it keeps the monster drop multiplier at zero, a worrying regression.

This forces players back into a rigid spot-based farming style: slaughtering waves of monsters yields no substantial rewards, while all valuable loot is strictly gated behind the moment one clicks a chest at the end of an encounter. This disconnect undermines the core satisfaction of boss-like challenges, as defeating large numbers of dangerous enemies ought to be the primary means of obtaining rewards.

Conclusion

Ultimately, while Path of Exile Patch 3.29.1 introduces some quality-of-life improvements and enhancements to the mercenary mechanics, it fails to deliver a satisfactory experience regarding Abyss gameplay loop. 

Clearly, the developers have ignored the core issue of Abyss monster drop rates, opting instead to fall back on a reliance on chest rewards in an attempt to mask the problem, thereby rendering a potentially compelling mechanic fundamentally flawed and unrewarding, much to the disappointment of players who enjoyed the original, fluid gameplay experience of Abyss.

Unless the developers open up channels of communication and directly address the issue of base monster drop rates, Abyss content will remain a missed opportunity, leaving players with little incentive to engage with a feature that was intended to be a highlight of the expansion.

The official Path of Exile 2 developer video recently released, showcasing performance optimizations and how they addressed major performance issues and improved overall stability. However, players quickly noticed several gameplay clips that seemed to reveal unreleased new content, sparking heated discussions within the community.

These clips didn't resemble typical development or debugging footage; they looked like completed future features that had turned up in the public video. While the official Path of Exile 2 team hasn't commented, these details have led many players to speculate whether they are related to Patch 1.0.

Of course, all of this remains speculation, and the official team hasn't confirmed any new features or classes. However, considering POE 2's past practice of subtly hinting at future updates in their development logs, and with ExileCon and Patch 1.0 approaching, these hidden details might be a prelude to a future update.

Death Summary

One of the most anticipated features is the brief Show Death Summary option that flashes on the death screen. In the current Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5, players typically only have the option to return to a checkpoint after death, without knowing the exact mechanic that killed them.

The community has long hoped that Path of Exile 2 would include a death log or damage analysis feature, allowing players to clearly understand the cause of their death instead of relying solely on guesswork to replay the battle.

However, the developers have consistently stated that they will not include a death replay or summary system for POE 2. They believe that character deaths are often influenced by a combination of factors, including numerous damage sources, damage reduction calculations, damage over time, and server-side computations.

Furthermore, a complete death analysis function might expose game bugs, thus hindering the development of this feature.

However, the developers' recent stance seems to have changed. To investigate issues causing game crashes, the development team appears to have created an internal replay system for POE 2. This tool allows them to replay gameplay and more quickly identify the causes of crashes.

The current replay system is primarily used for diagnosing performance issues. Its overall interface is geared towards technical debugging and remains quite rudimentary, even displaying some development-related computational data, making it unsuitable for direct user access. However, the content revealed this time is significantly different.

In the video, a brand-new Show Death Summary button appears for the first time on Path of Exile 2 death screen, positioned right next to the respawn option. From a UI design perspective, it resembles a fully designed and ready-to-be-released feature.

While PoE 2 hasn't proclaimed plans for Death Summary, considering the revealed UI and the already completed replay system, this feature is likely already in development. However, this doesn't mean it will be released in Patch 0.5; I believe Patch 1.0 would be the most reasonable release date.

For an ARPG, this is a highly innovative feature. It would be incredibly cool if we could have a complete replay system like those in Age of Mythology, Age of Empires, or Dota 2 in the future.

Unrevealed Weapons

Besides the changes to POE 2 death screen, another detail that has sparked even more discussion is the appearance of new weapons currently unavailable in the video. In the official gameplay footage, several pieces of equipment with complete attributes appeared on the ground.

These items are not simple test models, but possess full data including real names, physical damage, critical hit chance, and attack speed. They include two two-handed swords and one dagger, which are not currently part of the regular weapon types available in Path of Exile 2.

I don't know how POE 2 developers will design these weapons to differentiate them from existing weapons; making all melee weapons unique is undoubtedly a daunting task.

It's worth noting that these equipment names contain DNT symbol. We are currently unsure what this label represents; it could stand for Do Not Trade, or it could simply be an internal testing marker used during development.

POE 2 developers haven't explained this, so its true meaning remains unknown. However, the very existence of these weapons is enough to generate a great deal of speculation among players.

New Class Speculation

Why are the appearances of swords and daggers so important? The key point is that these classes may have a direct connection to those not yet available in Path of Exile 2. According to currently available information, POE2 is ultimately planned to have 12 classes. Patch 0.5 has already released 8 classes, with the remaining four being Marauder, Templar, Duelist, and Shadow.

Among these unreleased classes, the connection between Duelist and swords is very clear. They typically represent high-speed melee combat, precise attacks, and two-handed weapon playstyles. Therefore, when two-handed swords appeared in official videos, many players immediately associated them with Duelist.

Meanwhile, Shadow is another class attracting much attention. As a typical agility-based class, Shadow was known in Path of Exile 1 for its daggers, poisons, Chaos damage, and high-speed movement attacks.

In fact, the official POE 2 team has previously confirmed that Duelist and swords will be added to POE 2 in the future. Meanwhile, the development team has stated that they hope Patch 1.0 will significantly exceed the content scale of Patch 0.5. The current Patch 0.5 already brought substantial updates to the game, especially in terms of significantly expanding endgame gameplay. 

Therefore, if they want to deliver content beyond player expectations in Patch 1.0, adding sword-type weapons and Shadow-related daggers, traps, and other mechanics could be important directions. With the addition of these new items, we will see more build options, continuously crafting new core gear using Path of Exile 2 Currency.

However, the currently revealed content does not guarantee that these new classes will be immediately released in Patch 1.0. No specific release date for any new classes has been proclaimed, so players need to remain cautious. Undeniably, the hidden information in the official video has become a recent focus of discussion within POE 2 community.

While it's not official confirmation, it at least indicates that the developers are continuing to push forward with development. POE2 has indeed experienced a relatively low period recently, with some player attention declining, and they have been addressing some core issues in the game.

However, with more content under development, the community expects PoE 2 to see recent changes. Currently, many players speculate that Gamescom at the end of the month may bring more news, including Patch 1.0 and more development information before and after ExileCon.

In Path of Exile 2, Rarity Bot playstyle is a very unique economy-focused approach designed specifically for multiplayer mapping. Instead of dealing damage by yourself, you stack Item Rarity and execute mechanics to help your party obtain higher-value loot drops.

There are not many players who choose this playstyle because your main role is supporting the team, almost like a robot following other players around. In addition, this setup was weakened in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0. Although it remains effective, the gameplay is now very different compared to the previous League.

The Core of Rarity Bot Playstyle

The Fate of the Vaal League

In PoE 2 Patch 0.4.0, there were actually quite a few players choosing Rarity Bot playstyle. Its core item was Gravebind Rope Cuffs, which counted all enemies killed near you as your own kills, allowing you to benefit from additional loot bonuses.

You could also equip items such as Palm of the Dreamer Shrine Sceptre, Fixation of Yix Stellar Amulet, Alchemist's Boon, or various aura skills to provide damage bonuses and recovery effects for your teammates.

You did not need to cast spells or actively fight. You could freely chat, pick up loot, and even help your teammates collect PoE 2 currency. Your main responsibility was simply staying close to the team and maintaining the required range, making it a very relaxed playstyle overall.

Runes of Aldur League

However, this playstyle received a major nerf in Runes of Aldur League. Gravebind Rope Cuffs gained a devastating negative modifier in Patch 0.5.0: your other Item Rarity bonuses no longer apply. This means that when using these gloves, you can only gain around 20% increased rarity.

As a result, Rarity Bot setup from The Fate of the Vaal League no longer works effectively in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0. Fortunately, the player community discovered an alternative solution.

Legacy of Deathblow

In Patch 0.5.0, you need to replace the gloves with Horror's Flight Engraved Bracers and socket a Legacy of Deathblow Rune into them.

Legacy of Deathblow Rune grants the culling strike ability, allowing all of your skills to execute enemies:

Normal monsters are executed at 35% health, Magic monsters are executed at 20% health, Rare monsters are executed at 10% health, Unique monsters are executed at 5% health.

Culling Strike Threshold can be further increased through equipment. For example, certain Myris Uxor Covert Hood items can provide 100% increased execution threshold. By combining multiple item modifiers, you can significantly improve your execution efficiency.

However, Legacy of Deathblow Rune costs around 200 Divine Orbs. For new players who want to try this playstyle, the entry requirement is extremely high, which may be one of the main reasons why the number of Rarity Bot players has dropped significantly.

If you want to give this build a try, you can buy PoE 2 Divine Orbs at PoEcurrency.com. Rarity Bot playstyle yields excellent returns, so you'll be able to recoup your investment quickly.

Because you need to equip Legacy of Deathblow Rune, your passive tree must allocate many Culling Strike Threshold nodes. This heavily restricts your passive choices, making it difficult to invest in curse and aura improvements. As a result, both your team buff potential and personal survivability are reduced.

New Equipment and Passive Choices

Although Rarity Bot playstyle faces many challenges in Runes of Aldur League, there are still several ways to increase Item Rarity:

• Rite of Passage Golden Charm: Increases Item Rarity found by 15%.
• Magnum Opus node: For every empty flask slot, Charm effects are increased by 100%. This can greatly enhance the effect of Rite of Passage.
• Wondertrap Silk Slippers: Provides a large amount of Item Rarity while in Low Life status.
• Mageblood Utility Belt: Greatly helps Rarity Bots maintain resistances while reaching higher Item Rarity limits.

Gameplay Feel and Damage Contribution

The current League's Rarity Bot setup feels much more active. Since triggering executions requires you to actively use skills, you are no longer just a passive follower. You must continuously cast abilities. This creates a double-edged effect because it changes both the gameplay style and the overall experience.

From a damage contribution perspective, previous Rarity Bots dealt almost no damage themselves. However, with the execution mechanic in the current League, you can instantly kill enemies once they reach the execution threshold, meaning you are now contributing real damage instead of simply acting as an AFK support character.

Strategies Suitable for Rarity Bot

Patch 0.5 completely redesigned Endgame system. For normal players, most strategies still provide decent returns, but the situation is completely different for Rarity Bots. Almost none of the redesigned content benefits this playstyle.

• Grand Expedition: Most rewards come from explosives obtained through Versium Remnants, while Divine Orb drops are relatively limited. Rarity Bots have very little impact on this content.
• Breach: Most rewards come from Breach completion rewards, which are not affected by Rarity Bots.
• Delirium: Item Rarity and party size have no significant impact on the number of Simulacrum Splinter drops.

Currently, the only clearly effective option is Abyss content. It provides a large number of monsters that can be executed, and Item Rarity can influence the drop rate of Omen of Lights. Temple content is still usable, but it has been heavily weakened, further limiting the performance of Rarity Bot builds.

Overall, Rarity Bot support playstyle performs quite poorly in Runes of Aldur League. It requires significant investment and has limited applications. However, this playstyle still has a dedicated player base, and many players hope it can receive further improvements in PoE 2 Patch 1.0.

PoE 2 Patch 0.5 introduced Concussive Runes, bringing new possibilities to melee gameplay. This Concussive Ancestral Cry Titan build is a powerful build specifically designed around this mechanic.

It chains together Heavy Stun, Ancestral Cry, Armor Explosion, and Herald effect, turning a single normal attack into the starting point of a series of explosions.

The biggest feature of this build is its incredibly smooth pacing.

The character doesn't need to stop and wait for skill rotations; by constantly approaching enemies with high-speed movement, the first hit inflicts Heavy Stun, after which Concussive Runes and various explosions automatically take over the battlefield. Clearing maps is essentially a matter of charging straight in, with monsters falling one after another behind you.

Core Mechanics

In PoE 2, this build revolves around a simple loop: Attack enemy - Cause Heavy Stun - Trigger Concussive Runes Shockwaves - Destroy armor and trigger explosions - Herald effect continues to spread damage.

Return of the Ancients's Concussive Runes unleashes Shockwaves on Heavy Stun enemies, and this build has numerous Stun buffs. Through the area-of-effect buffs of Hulking Form, Sine Aequo Grand Manchettes, and Overwhelming Presence, most monsters will enter a Heavy Stun state after the first attack.

This is crucial because much of the build's damage only applies to Heavy Stun enemies.

Effects like Crushing Impacts and Smash provide additional damage after enemies are controlled. Against bosses, these damage spikes activate simultaneously as Stun gauge begins to build, resulting in a very rapid decrease in health.

Concussive Runes themselves also contribute to clearing mobs. Their impact range can grow, and with Runes' shield and area-of-effect buffs, a single heavy attack can cover a large area in front.

Armor Explosion provides an additional layer of damage. Equipped with Wolf Charm, the character continuously damages enemy armor, triggering an explosion upon armor breakage.

Combined with Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice, multiple explosion effects can be chained together. In actual gameplay, it's common for a single enemy to be stunned, wiping out surrounding enemies as well.

Ancestral Cry

Another unique feature of this build is the triggering method for Ancestral Cry.

In Patch 0.5, normally Glory needs to be accumulated to unleash Ancestral Cry. Here, Animus Exchange is used to quickly acquire Glory.

Animus Exchange itself consumes Mana, so when paired with Lifetap, it becomes a life cost. Combined with Second Wind III, this allows for continuous skill activation. Since Zerphi's Infamy also consumes life, this combination quickly replenishes Glory.

In PoE 2, casting Animus Exchange twice consecutively will activate Ancestral Cry. It's recommended to use instant health potions to avoid health stress affecting gameplay.

Weapon Set 2 is crucial here. It needs to have a skill effect duration bonus and also requires a hammer that provides +5 melee skill level.

Note that Ancestral Cry must be configured in two weapon slots simultaneously. Switching to Weapon Set 2 when casting grants the skill level and duration bonuses from that set; then switching back to Weapon Set 1 raises the skill level to 38.

After casting, using skills like Earthshatter set to Weapon Set 1 and switching back will restore the damage boost from Weapon Set 1.

If your Animus Exchange is only level 20, two casts might not fully fill Glory slot. In this case, you can replace Second Wind III with Uhtred's Constellation to allow the skill to be cast three times consecutively.

This build requires moderate investment to reach its full potential. Core upgrades include a high-level hammer, skill level bonuses, key unique items, and optimized Concussive Runes. While the build can function on a lower budget, additional PoE 2 Currency greatly improves damage, clear speed, and consistency.

Skill Combinations

This build's main damage output revolves around Ancestral Cry.

Ancestral Cry is paired with Voran's Siege, Zerphi's Infamy, Rakiata's Flow, and Concussive Runes.

Since a large portion of the damage in this build in Return of the Ancients comes from elemental bonus damage, Rakiata's Flow effectively supplements the overall output.

Earthshatter primarily serves to switch weapon sets. After casting Ancestral Cry, use Earthshatter to switch back to Weapon Set 1, regaining damage and passive effects.

Of course, it can also be used as a single-target PoE 2 skill, but in actual combat, the enhanced Ancestral Cry is sufficient to handle most targets.

The two Heralds are Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice. Herald of Thunder provides Lightning damage and status effects, while Herald of Ice helps supplement control. 

Since Cold damage itself doesn't easily cause a stun, Concussive Runes are included here, allowing armor penetration and bonus damage to help trigger control chains. 

Wind Dancer is used as a defensive skill, incorporating Concussive Runes. When enemies attack the character, Runes are triggered, and the character recovers status through Armour Explosion, Life Leech III, and other methods.

Passive Skill Tree

In Patch 0.5, the passive skill choices for this build primarily revolve around Stun, area-of-effect, and Elemental Armament.

Heavy Stun-related nodes are core, as a significant amount of additional damage is applied simultaneously when the boss enters Stun. Area-of-effect effects increase the coverage of Concussive Runes and Herald Explosion, while Elemental Armament further enhances Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice.

If your PoE 2 gear allows, you can choose a hammer with Stun accumulation affix for more consistent first-hit control. However, this build does not rely on attack speed; skill level and base damage are always higher priority attributes.

The greatest appeal of this Concussive Ancestral Cry Titan set lies in its combination of the impactful melee combat of PoE 2 Return of the Ancients with explosive map clearing. After a powerful punch lands, the enemy's armor, health, and formation all crumble together.