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Path of Exile 2 is shaping up to be a truly worthy successor to the original ARPG juggernaut, and with the recent introduction of the Huntress class in Dawn of the Hunt, the game’s evolving meta has a brand new face. This new class brings a powerful hybrid playstyle, combining melee and ranged attacks with a brand-new weapon type—the spear. Agile, deadly, and versatile, the Huntress is a refreshing addition that brings both raw power and elegant crowd control to Wraeclast’s battlegrounds.

Having spent hours experimenting with the Huntress from the very beginning of the campaign, I’ve crafted a starter build guide designed to help new players or veterans understand how to get the most out of this fresh and powerful class right out of the gate.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

· The best skills for the Huntress early-game

· Key support gems for maximizing damage and utility

· Combos that make her uniquely deadly

· Optimal passive tree nodes to target

· Gear recommendations and how to get the best spear

· Tips on the Huntress's hybrid playstyle

· Best strategies for bosses and crowd clearing

Let’s get into it.

What Makes the Huntress Unique?

The Huntress is all about versatility. She thrives in both ranged and melee combat, and many of her passive nodes directly reward players for switching between the two. Her signature weapon, the spear, plays a central role in her toolkit, allowing you to chain skills with high mobility, conditionally boost damage, and deliver devastating bleed effects and explosions.

Whereas most classes stick to a single damage profile (e.g., melee crit, ranged DoT, caster), the Huntress blends AoE, DOT, and burst damage while staying safe with excellent battlefield control.

Core Playstyle: Hybrid Combat

At the heart of this build is the hybrid playstyle loop:

· Use ranged skills to start the fight

· Close the gap with melee abilities for burst damage and CC

· Dodge or reposition, and repeat

· Synergize with passives that increase ranged damage after melee hits, and vice versa

This dynamic makes the Huntress feel active and highly engaging, never relying on spammed abilities or stationary rotations.

Starting Skills and Early Combos

From the very start of the campaign, your spear grants you two basic attacks:

· Spear Throw (ranged) – Useful for picking off enemies from a distance

· Spear Stab (melee) – Good for single-target damage

However, you'll soon unlock Whirling Slash, and this is where things start to get interesting.

1. Whirling Slash (Core AoE Melee Skill)

· Creates a storm effect around the Huntress that deals AoE damage, slows, and blinds enemies

· Stacks up to 3 times for increased damage and AoE

· Leaving the storm triggers a massive explosion based on the number of spins

Best Support Gem: Lacerate

· Adds a chance to apply Bleed on hit

· Bleeding targets can be detonated later for even more AoE burst

This makes Whirling Slash ideal for tight groups of enemies, especially when synergized with...

2. Herald of Blood (Bleed-based Detonator)

· Acquired in Act 1 after defeating the King of the Mist

· Triggers explosions on bleeding enemies

· Effectively chains between mobs, creating a cascade of blood bursts

With this combo, a single Whirling Slash can set off three or more types of explosions:

· The storm exit explosion

· The Herald of Blood detonation

· Passive bleed damage

It's a symphony of destruction.

Explosive Spear – Your Ranged Nuke

3. Explosive Spear

· Throws a delayed explosive spear at enemies (2.5s default detonation timer)

· Pairs well with Spear Throw for early-game ranged burst

· Especially deadly with support gems:

Support Gems to Use:

· Expedite – Reduces detonation time by 40%

· Overabundance – Increases your spear limit from 1 to 2

Now you can throw two explosive spears at once, nearly doubling your damage and making crowd control significantly easier. This combo is your bread-and-butter for entering combat. 

Rotation:

1. Throw two Explosive Spears

2. Use Whirling Slash to blind and AoE

3. Detonations occur shortly after

4. Herald of Blood finishes the survivors

Utility Control: Spearfield

4. Spearfield

· Deploys a large zone of immobilizing spears

· Zero DPS, but amazing crowd control

Best used in narrow corridors or when under-leveled. With the right support gems, it becomes a gamechanger:

Support Gems:

· Pin – Immobilizes enemies instead of stunning

· Lockdown – Increases immobilization based on distance to target

Perfect for setting up a safe zone, allowing time for Explosive Spear to detonate or to reposition yourself.

Boss Melter: Rake

5. Rake

· Leap-style melee attack that inflicts bleed and deals strong single-target damage

· Also grants a quick disengage with a dodge roll afterward

It’s a mobility tool and boss-killing melee skill in one. Great to follow up Explosive Spear throws or to apply bleed to trigger Herald of Blood detonations.

Passive Tree Recommendations

The Huntress passive tree rewards you for interweaving melee and ranged combat, applying bleed effects, and attacking blinded or immobilized enemies. Focus on:

Key Node Types:

· Bleed Chance / Bleed Multiplier

· Melee Damage after Ranged Skill

· Ranged Damage after Melee Skill

· Damage against Blinded Targets

· Increased AoE for Whirling Slash

· Movement Speed after Bleed Application

This synergy creates a momentum-based rhythm: alternate skills to power up the next, keep moving, keep bleeding.

Gear & Weapons: What to Look For

Your Main Weapon: Spear

· One-Handed, so fewer runes—but still powerful

· Prioritize:

 o Flat Physical Damage

 o % Increased Physical Damage

 o Bonus Strength/Dexterity (for support gems and scaling)

 o Attack Speed

Best Early Gear Stats:

· +Physical Damage to Attacks

· Increased Bleed Duration

· Increased AoE

· +Movement Speed on Boots

· Life Regen or Leech

If you’re struggling to find a good spear, use gold to gamble on unidentified weapons at vendors or farm drops from elite enemies in Act 1 and 2.

Combat Flow Summary

For Packs of Enemies:

1. (Optional) Cast Spearfield in choke points

2. Throw Explosive Spear x2

3. Dive in with Whirling Slash or Rake

4. Watch the combo explosions do the rest

5. Clean up with Herald of Blood

For Bosses:

1. Use Explosive Spear as a pre-cast

2. Jump in with Rake or Whirling Slash

3. Back out to re-position

4. Reapply Explosive Spears

5. Repeat—keeping the bleed debuff active at all times

With reduced detonation delay and high bleed uptime, bosses drop fast while you stay agile and safe.

Final Tips and Tricks

· Stack Whirling Slash x3 before dodging for maximum explosion size

· Explosive Spear + Expedite is non-negotiable for burst clear

· Use Spearfield sparingly—better for tough areas, not general mapping

· Always apply bleed first before Herald of Blood can pop

· Against elites, time your spear throws to detonate as enemies arrive

· Look for Blind Synergy nodes—they work great with Whirling Slash

Final Thoughts: Should You Play the Huntress?

Absolutely. The Huntress in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt is not just a new class—it’s a whole new way to play. Fast, deadly, and flexible, her hybrid combat loop is incredibly satisfying. With the right skills, supports, and gear, she clears mobs effortlessly and melts bosses in style.

If you enjoy being active, positioning for big combos, and seeing chain reactions of explosions take over the screen—this build is for you.

Whether you're a first-timer or a PoE veteran looking for something fresh, the Huntress brings peak ARPG dopamine with an accessible, high-impact toolkit from the moment you start Act 1.

Now get out there and make Wraeclast bleed.

If you want a full passive tree route, leveling guide, or advanced endgame transition for the Huntress, let me know and I’ll add those next!