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Path of Exile 2 is finally stepping into the next stage of its lifecycle with its first official league: Rise of the Abyssal, launching on August 29, 2025. With every new league comes the same burning question: What's the best league starter build?

League starters are essential for quickly progressing, farming Path of Exile 2 Currency, and exploring the league mechanic without needing perfect gear. In Patch 0.3, Grinding Gear Games has taken a different approach to balance. Instead of nerfing dominant builds into the ground, weaker builds have been buffed and given new tools, allowing more playstyles to flourish.

This makes choosing your first build trickier than ever. To help, we've compiled a list of six of the strongest league starters for Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict (Patch 0.3). These picks are based on revealed balance notes, new mechanics, and how well they traditionally scale from minimal gear.

Why League Starter Builds Matter in Path of Exile 2

The early days of a Path of Exile league are crucial. A strong starter build helps you:

· Level smoothly through the campaign without gear roadblocks.

· Farm currency and items efficiently in maps.

· Engage with new league mechanics like Rise of the Abyssal's abyssal incursions right away.

· Transition into endgame bossing or specialized farming strategies.

In Path of Exile 2, league starters are even more important due to reworks in the skill gem system, Ascendancy changes, and the introduction of new keystone passives. Let's dive into the strongest builds to consider.

1) Ancestral Cry Warrior

For Slam Lovers Who Want Explosions

Patch 0.3 introduces several fiery skill gems, and Forge Hammer looks poised to be a cornerstone of a new slam archetype. By itself, Forge Hammer lets you hurl a flaming weapon that ignites enemies. But the magic happens when paired with Warcries-activating a Warcry while the hammer is on the ground causes massive volcanic fissures to erupt, spreading damage over a wide area.

The synergy gets even better with Ancestral Cry. As you ignite enemies, you generate Glory, fueling Ancestral Cry to boost all your attacks. The fissures can even be triggered simply by walking across them once active, creating a satisfying, explosive playstyle.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Scales well on a budget by buying Path of Exile 2 Items with Ignite and AoE.

· Strong mapping potential due to fissure chains.

· Straightforward mechanics without relying on rare gear.

Players who enjoy the Earthquake Juggernaut or Slam Berserker archetypes in Path of Exile 1 will feel right at home here.

2) Hollow Palm Monk

Bare-Handed Chaos Brawler

Melee in Path of Exile has often struggled as a league starter, but Patch 0.3 is changing that with the Hollow Palm Technique. Introduced as a new keystone for the Monk, Hollow Palm lets you unleash all Quarterstaff attacks barehanded-turning your fists into wrecking balls.

The benefits aren't just thematic. Attacks converted by Hollow Palm gain scaling bonuses, and Monk Ascendancies such as Invoker and Acolyte of Chayula have been updated to support the archetype. The Acolyte specializes in Chaos damage and sustain, while Invoker leans into elemental scaling.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Doesn't rely on weapon drops-your fists are your weapons.

· Flexible Ascendancy choices (Chaos or Elemental focus).

· Fast leveling with minimal investment.

Expect the Hollow Palm Monk to be one of the most popular melee choices of the league.

3) Lightning Arrow Deadeye

A Perennial Ranger Favorite

Sometimes, you don't need a complete overhaul-just consistency. Lightning Arrow Deadeye remains as reliable as ever, with only minor tweaks in Patch 0.3. The big change is to her Avidity Notable, which now grants a 50% chance to gain an extra Frenzy Charge instead of the previous 30%. This effectively turbocharges your damage uptime.

While Lightning Rod support had its quality effect reworked (from increased radius to more burst chance), the core build remains untouched. Deadeye still excels at clearing maps with chain projectiles and taking advantage of multiple marks via new marking mechanics.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Insane clear speed from Lightning Arrow chaining.

· Frenzy Charge scaling makes single-target damage competitive.

· Ranger's access to bow bases keeps gearing smooth.

Lightning Arrow is tried and tested-safe, fast, and deadly efficient for mapping.

4) Totem Warbringer

Your Army of Endurance-Charged Totems

Totems are often underrated as league starters, but Patch 0.3 is giving them a big push. The restriction on Ancestral Warrior Totems is gone, though summoning them now costs three Endurance Charges. Luckily, new support gems make generating charges easier than ever.

The exciting part? Through the Warbringer passive, Answered Call, each totem can now summon Ancestral Spirits that inherit your weapon stats. Dexterity also grants them bonus attack speed, meaning the army scales naturally as you invest in stats.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Extremely safe playstyle-let your totems and spirits do the fighting.

· New mechanics allow scaling into a true totem horde.

· Great for players who enjoy tactical positioning.

While slower than other archetypes, this build excels in survivability and steady progression.

5) Minion Army Witch

Classic Summoner Comfort Build

If there's one archetype that has always been a reliable league starter in Path of Exile, it's minions. Patch 0.3 makes them even stronger. Specters, in particular, have seen reduced Spirit costs and boosted damage, letting you summon stronger allies earlier.

Another quality-of-life improvement is the ability to use Unearth to summon minions from your fallen allies' corpses, making recovery easier during tough fights. Combined with the updated Ascendancies-Infernalist for defensive ignite-based pets, or Lich for offensive Energy Shield scaling, you have plenty of options.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Minions do the work, making it beginner-friendly.

· Smooth Spirit management due to reduced Specter costs.

· Strong scaling into mid and late game.

Expect to see Minion Army Witch as one of the most popular league starters once again, especially for newer players.

6) Elemental Overload Stormweaver

Master of Elemental Infusions

The most experimental archetype of Patch 0.3 is undoubtedly the Stormweaver. Previously, elemental builds often focused on one damage type. But with the new Elemental Infusion system, you can now combine elements for hybrid abilities. For example, combining Fire and Lightning empowers your next skill with both effects.

The Stormweaver Ascendancy is tailor-made for this. Her Tempest Caller passive now has reduced cooldown, while Rain Dancer has been reworked into Multiplying Squalls, granting an additional elemental skill. With all elemental curses rolled into a single gem, managing debuffs is also far simpler.

Why it's a strong league starter:

· Versatile gameplay combining multiple elements.

· Strong synergy with new Infusion mechanics.

· Excels in both AoE clearing and boss fights.

For players who enjoy experimenting with new systems, the Stormweaver offers both power and flexibility.

Final Thoughts: Choosing Your League Starter in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.3

Patch 0.3's Third Edict update focuses on buffing underused mechanics instead of cutting down the strongest ones, which opens the door for more creative league starters. While old favorites like Lightning Arrow, Deadeye, and Minion Army Witch remain safe bets, newcomers like Ancestral Cry Warrior and Hollow Palm Monk promise explosive new playstyles.

Whether you want the safety of minions, the explosiveness of elemental combos, or the raw melee satisfaction of punching bosses to death, Path of Exile 2's Rise of the Abyssal league has something for every type of player.

If you're undecided, consider what you enjoy most:

· Speed & mapping efficiency: Lightning Arrow Deadeye.

· Safety & low gear reliance: Minion Army Witch or Totem Warbringer.

· New mechanics & experimentation: Elemental Overload Stormweaver or Hollow Palm Monk.

· Explosive melee fun: Ancestral Cry Warrior.

Whatever you pick, these builds should give you a smooth start in the Abyssal depths of Path of Exile 2.