This page requires the browser to support (enable) javascript

With the highly anticipated release of Path of Exile 2's 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt update, the Smith of Kitava ascendancy has quickly risen to prominence, offering players the chance to craft powerful custom Body Armour and dominate every stage of the game. Whether you're just starting your journey in the world of Wraeclast or preparing for the most difficult endgame content, the Smith of Kitava ascendancy brings versatility, raw power, and excellent synergy to the table.

In this guide, we'll explore three of the best Smith of Kitava builds for leveling, mid-game, and endgame content in PoE 2 0.2.0. From powerful AoE (Area of Effect) clearing to strong single-target burst damage, the Smith of Kitava provides a robust foundation for a variety of playstyles. We’ll also delve into specific skills, gear, and flasks required to maximize the potential of each build.

1. Best Smith of Kitava Build for Leveling

The Smith of Kitava Warrior - Bone Shatter, Perfect Strike, and Hammer of the Gods

When it comes to leveling, Bone Shatter is a standout choice for the Smith of Kitava Warrior build. With a blend of massive AoE damage and trauma scaling, Bone Shatter excels in clearing entire packs of enemies. Perfect Strike delivers powerful burst damage for single-target encounters, while Hammer of the Gods further enhances AoE damage, ensuring you can mow down large groups with ease. This build feels incredibly tanky thanks to the Smith of Kitava ascendancy's defensive nodes, which include stun immunity, endurance charges, and consistent life gain from hits and trauma stacking.

Key Skills

• Mace Strike: A basic melee attack that allows you to build up trauma stacks quickly, synergizing well with Bone Shatter and Perfect Strike.

• Scavenged Plating: Adds an additional layer of defense by providing resistance against physical damage, helping you stay alive in tougher situations.

• Boneshatter: The core skill for AoE clearing, Boneshatter benefits greatly from the Smith of Kitava ascendancy and scales with trauma, allowing you to clear entire packs with ease.

• Herald of Ash: Provides an elemental damage boost, enhancing your overall offensive capabilities.

• Perfect Strike: Focuses on delivering massive burst damage to single-target enemies, making it perfect for boss fights and tough elite enemies.

• Shockwave Totem: An excellent source of additional AoE damage, this totem helps with clearing and adds more support to your combat abilities.

• Infernal Cry: Reduces enemies’ resistance and applies fire damage over time, making it an excellent crowd control and damage boost tool.

• Hammer of the Gods: This skill synergizes well with your AoE clearing, dealing damage to enemies in a large radius while benefiting from Trauma scaling.

• Leap Slam: For mobility, Leap Slam allows you to quickly close the distance to enemies or escape dangerous situations.

• Seismic Cry: A fantastic defensive tool that boosts your damage output and provides AoE damage when you’re in melee range.

Gear

• Main Hand: Vortex Shatter - Deals significant physical damage with high scaling potential for this melee build.

• Helm: Grim Veil - Grants additional resistances and defense, which is crucial during leveling.

• Armor: Soldier Cuirass - Provides a good balance of defense and health, which is important for surviving tougher encounters.

• Hands: Demon Grasp - Adds additional physical damage bonuses and enhances melee performance.

• Belt: Brimstone Girdle - Increases your elemental resistances, helping you manage elemental damage.

• Boots: Foe Road - Boosts your mobility and allows you to deal extra damage when you're on the move.

• Rings: Vengeance Gyre, Doom Hold - Offers both offensive and defensive bonuses, providing good synergy with your build.

• Amulet: Xoph’s Blood - Adds to your overall defensive power and health regeneration.

Flask

• Depleting Ultimate Life Flask of the Endless - Helps sustain health during tough encounters, especially against large groups.

• Abundant Ultimate Mana Flask of the Foliage - Ensures you don't run into mana problems during extended fights.

Charm

• Sunny Thawing Charm of the Sylvan - Adds extra utility and boosts your elemental resistance.

Playstyle

This build encourages aggressive melee engagement while remaining tanky enough to survive. With the combination of stun immunity, endurance charges, and life regeneration, you can face multiple enemies head-on without worrying too much about your health. The Adrenaline procs and trauma stacking give you burst damage windows, allowing you to defeat tough bosses with relative ease.

Leveling Tips

• Prioritize upgrading your damage output with Bone Shatter and Perfect Strike to speed up your clearing.

• Focus on gathering endurance charges and life gain on hit to maintain tankiness during tough fights.

• Ensure your resistances are up to par as you progress through more difficult content.

• Enhance your gear and flasks to handle bosses and rare mobs that may pose a challenge.

2. Best Smith of Kitava Build for Mid-Game: The Explosive Spear Warrior

The Explosive Spear Warrior - Block Chance and Physical DPS Spear Build

For mid-game players seeking a more laid-back playstyle with a solid balance of defensive strength and offensive power, the Explosive Spear Warrior build is an excellent choice. This build takes advantage of high block chance, physical damage reduction, and AoE explosions via Trample Toes and Herald of Ash. You can stack frenzy charges through sources like Combat Frenzy, Call the Weak, and Rapid Assault to further bolster your physical DPS and survivability.

Key Skills

• Spear Throw: The main source of damage for this build, Spear Throw excels in clearing large groups of enemies with ease.

• Trample Toes: Deals AoE explosive damage when you strike enemies, perfect for crowd control and additional AoE damage.

• Herald of Ash: Adds bonus fire damage, further enhancing your clearing ability.

• Blood Magic: Reduces your reliance on mana, ensuring you’re able to keep up the offensive without worrying about running out of resources.

• Combat Frenzy: This skill synergizes with your build by providing damage bonuses and faster attacks when you have frenzy charges.

• Flammability: Reduces enemy fire resistance, ensuring your AoE explosions hit harder.

• Call the Weak: Increases your frenzy charge generation and enhances overall damage output.

• Trample Toe Slam: Delivers a burst of damage and knocks back enemies in a wide area, making it a great tool for clearing large groups.

Gear

• Main Hand: Blood Edge - A powerful physical DPS spear that synergizes well with this build’s AoE and frenzy charge mechanics.

• Helm: The Hollow Mask - Boosts your block chance and adds to your survivability.

• Armor: Hollowed Plate - Increases your life regeneration and resistances, keeping you alive during mid-game content.

• Boots: Trampletoe - Boosts your mobility and AoE damage potential.

• Belt: Dread Trap - Provides additional block chance and resistance bonuses.

• Rings: Chimeric Grasp, Brood Knuckle - Adds a variety of physical damage and block chance enhancements.

• Amulet: Aramageddon Noose - Increases damage resistance and provides some useful bonuses to AoE skills.

Flask

• Dizzying Ultimate Life Flask of the Constant - Helps with health regeneration during challenging mid-game encounters.

• Sustained Gargantuan Mana Flask of the Bountiful - Ensures you never run into mana problems in longer fights.

Charm

• Analyst's Thawing Charm of the Foliage - Adds resistance and utility to the build.

• Drizzling Antidote Charm of the Foliage - Further boosts your defensive capabilities.

• Sprouting Staunching Charm of the Verdant - Adds extra protection against status effects and debuffs.

Playstyle

This build shines in tankiness and damage mitigation, allowing you to deal with mid-game content without feeling like you’re constantly under threat. The block chance and physical damage reduction help ensure you stay alive during large fights. The AoE explosions will make short work of enemy packs, but it may not be as fast as other builds for map clearing.

Mid-Game Tips

· Aim to increase your frenzy charge generation to maximize your offensive capabilities.

· Focus on block chance and physical damage reduction to bolster your survivability in tougher content.

· Optimize mana sustain with gear and flasks to ensure you can keep fighting without running out of resources.

3. Best Smith of Kitava Build for Endgame: The Artillery Ballista Build

The Artillery Ballista - Endgame Slayer

For those looking to tackle the toughest challenges Path of Exile 2 has to offer, the Artillery Ballista Smith of Kitava build is a top-tier option. This build provides incredible survivability and damage output, making it ideal for endgame bosses and high-tier maps. The Smith of Kitava ascendancy’s defensive buffs and life regeneration synergize perfectly with the Artillery Ballista, allowing you to dish out huge amounts of physical damage while staying resilient against elemental damage.

Key Skills

· Oil Grenade: Adds fire damage over time and aids in crowd control during endgame encounters.

· Crossbow Shot: Serves as your primary damage dealer, capable of firing multiple projectiles with high scaling.

· Artillery Ballista: A fantastic skill that summons a totem capable of launching powerful, high-damage projectiles, perfect for clearing or targeting bosses.

· Tame Beast: Boosts pet damage and synergy with Artillery Ballista for greater damage output.

· Flammability: Reduces the fire resistance of enemies, enhancing Artillery Ballista's damage.

· Time of Need: Provides a large defensive buff by enhancing life regeneration and reducing damage taken.

Gear

· Main Hand: Beast Core - Boosts projectile damage and adds extra scaling for the Artillery Ballista.

· Helm: The Hollow Mask - Great for boosting life regeneration and defensive stats.

· Armor: Ornate Plate - Offers excellent physical defense and life regeneration.

· Boots: Golem Road - Adds additional health and movement speed, which are crucial for positioning in endgame fights.

· Rings: Carrion Circle, Vengeance Knuckle - Boosts attack speed and damage for your Artillery Ballista.

· Amulet: Sol Charm - Increases your elemental resistance and damage.

Flask

· Seething Ultimate Life Flask of the Bottomless - Vital for sustaining health in high-risk endgame scenarios.

· Full-Bodied Ultimate Mana Flask of the Verdant - Ensures you never run out of resources in lengthy fights.

Charm

· Investigator's Antidote Charm of the Plentiful - Adds extra mana regeneration and useful buffs.

Playstyle

With a focus on summoning Artillery Ballistas and firing projectiles from a safe distance, this build allows you to deal consistent damage while keeping a safe distance from enemies. It requires careful positioning and usage of flasks to maintain the defensive layers that will carry you through endgame bosses and difficult content.

Endgame Tips

· Focus on boosting Artillery Ballista's damage with additional projectile and physical damage modifiers.

· Enhance your life regeneration to withstand endgame encounters.

· Optimize your mana regeneration and flask usage to avoid being overwhelmed in tough fights.

In conclusion, the Smith of Kitava ascendancy offers players immense versatility in PoE 2 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt. Whether you're looking to crush mobs with Bone Shatter in the early stages, enjoy the durability and block chance of the Explosive Spear Warrior, or unleash massive projectile damage in the Artillery Ballista build, this ascendancy has something for every type of player. Use the guides above to level, progress, and dominate Wraeclast with the Smith of Kitava ascendancy, and take on the game's most challenging content.