In thisPath of Exile 2article, we will be taking a look at how to put together thePhalanx Warrior buildfor you to use to get into the late-game or endgame of the game.Path of Exilehas become notorious for the sheer amount of skills and build possibilities available, and the sequel follows suit with an extensive skill tree and a multitude of skill gems.
This guide is here to help you get through all that and lay out a path for you to follow as you reach the end of the campaign and prepare for your cruel playthroughs or endgame.
Introduction
The Phalanx Warrioris aWarrior buildutilizing theWarbringer Ascendancyto fully leverage the shield and take advantage of the armor it provides. This build focuses on using the shield to block incoming damage while delivering devastating strikes.
The shield, in combination with warcries, allows you to control the battlefield while providing armor and great boosts in damage.
Starter Class
Firstly, for this build, our base starter class is the Warrior class, which is one of the seven available at the time of making this guide.
On the expansive skill tree, the Warrior class starts on the southwest side. This side of the skill tree consists mainly of passives related toarmor, stun buildup, totems, and flat melee damage.For this particular build, we will focus on getting nodes that increase our armor and defenses while using the shield.
Passive Skills
Early progression for this build emphasizes mainly armor and stun buildup, alongside physical damage andStrengthscaling. As you progress down the southwestern part of the tree, you’ll notice two main paths—one increasing armor and the other increasing melee damage.
For this build, we will go down the melee damage path to ensure our damage doesn’t fall off in the long run.
You can opt for the armor branch later while building this out. Although armor is a primary focus, it’s still helpful to invest some points into melee damage nodes.
The first major node we’ll be taking early on is theRelentlessnode. In addition to increasing armor and Strength, it also provides life regeneration, which adds to your survivability early on.
After this, we’ll focus on maximizing the block chance provided by shields, aiming for nodes that amplify this advantage.
The first relevant group of passives includes theUnstoppable Barriernode, whichgives you a 20% increased block chanceand also protects you from slows.
From here, there are two important paths to consider for progressing toward key nodes.
The first path veers toward the southern part of the tree and leads to theLay Siegenode.
This path is easier to access while leveling, and its early-game benefits can help with damage output—though it can make you a bit squishier if you’re not actively blocking.
The second path takes longer to complete but leads toGreatest Defense, a crucial node that increases your attack damage based on your armor value.
You’ll be stacking a lot of armor from both your gear and additional armor passives, so this synergy is very effective.
This node group also includesHunker Down, which restores 20 life every time you block, further improving your survivability.
The other side of this group adds even more defense and block chance, making it an excellent direction for the build.
Your progression path through theskill tree will look like thisas you level, giving you early access to important nodes and plenty of flexibility to adjust for your playstyle.
You can invest in nodes that enhance your warcries for more offense or go full defense with thorns passives that reflect damage when you block.
Ascendancy
For this build, we will be choosing theWarbringerAscendancyclass for the Warrior.
This is because it providesRenly’s Training, which gives a 40% base block chance—eliminating the need to rely on high-block shields.
TheTurtle Charmnode at the end of this branch is useful if you prefer an offensive approach, as it lets you block without raising your shield, though at25% less block chance.
This can be a good trade-off if you’ve already invested in other block-increasing nodes.
Active Skill Setups
The active skill rotation for this build focuses on using the shield to capitalize on defense while dealing solid damage.
Your main damage skill will beShield Charge, which scales with the armor on your shield.
It’s great for both mob clearing and bossing due to its large AoE and solid damage.
If enemies survive the charge or more are incoming, useResonating Shield.
It releases shockwaves that damage enemies in a wide area and shreds their armor, making them more vulnerable.
Another great option isShield Wall, which slams the ground to raise a protective earth wall that blocks projectiles and then explodes, dealing damage. It’s especially useful for dodging or mitigating ranged attacks in boss fights.
The ideal rotation is:
Shield Charge → Shield Wall → Resonating Shield, and repeat as cooldowns allow. This loop enables fast and safe mapping.
You can complement this with two warcry skills:Infernal CryandSeismic Cry.
Gear and Equipment
This build prioritizes a high-physical-damage one-handed mace and armor-based shields and gear with life, Resistances, and Strength.
Rare items with +1 to melee skills or increased stun duration are great bonuses. However, your main goal is to find suffixes and modifiers that increase armor percentage.
Support Gems
Since we’re using shield skills heavily, we want support gems that maximize their impact.
ForShield Wall:
ForResonating Shield,Magnified Effectalso works well for offense.
AddBurgeonfor increased AoE damage.
Spirit Gems and Skills
For this build, there are two options for Spirit skills, which are a specific set of skills that use Spirit as a resource to equip and use.
The first of these is theTime of Needskill.
This is an aura-type skill that will restore life and heal from curses and ailments at regular intervals, which is really great for survivability when using this defense-oriented build.
The other useful Spirit skill isScavenged Plating, as this will increase your armor as you break enemy armor and works really well in tandem with theResounding Shieldskill, increasing your armor as you break theirs.
Leveling Guide
The build levels smoothly by using theShield ChargeandResounding Shieldskills, followed by finishing off the mobs withBoneshatteronce their stun bar has been filled up enough. This combo will allow you to go through most of the mobs without pressure during your playthrough, as long as you don’t put yourself into a corner and get surrounded by an overwhelming number.
Path of Exile 2 Warrior Starter Guide - How to Build a Warrior
Path of Exile 2 Warrior Starter Guide - How to Build a Warrior in POE2. What Weapons to use, Armor and Skills!
Putting nodes intostun buildupandarea of attackhelps, as it will enable you to deal with more enemies more easily and allow you to heavy stun usingBoneshattermore effectively. As you level up, you can either start investing intoarea attacknodes for more damage or start working towardsthornnodes to add to your passive damage while giving you additional defense.
One important thing to note is that this is a surprisinglymana-heavy build, so it is advisable to stay away from passive nodes that reduce your maximum mana pool and put at least 4–5Intelligencenodes for the stat requirements you will be getting on the skill tree. This will allow you to use your Intelligence support gems without trouble, as they really synergize with the build while also giving you more mana to go through your skill rotation more comfortably.
Mapping and Bossing
Although this build performs well in both bossing and mapping, dealing with bosses can take getting used to, as the playstyle is different from other, more traditional offense-oriented builds. You will need to time your skills more carefully between the boss’s attacks and block the incoming hits to regain your resources while planning for your next attack.
The build performs surprisingly well in mapping, as you may basicallyShield ChargeandSlamacross the map without any big trouble.
When selecting maps in the endgame, it is important to avoid modifiers such asreduced warcry cooldown recoveryandphysical damage reflection, as these can significantly hinder the build’s core mechanics or pose a lethal risk.
Endgame Scaling and Optimization
Endgame scaling is enhanced throughcluster jewelsthat increasearmor value,area of attack, andattack damage. The build has great options to scale by investing into eitherWarcriesorRage, and benefits fromhigh-Strength gearto further boost life and melee damage.
This build performs well inSSFandHardcore, thanks to its high damage and survivability from the high armor value. It is not reliant on expensive uniques and offers a balance between safety, damage, and strategic gameplay.
So, this wraps up my guide for thePhalanx Warriorbuild forPath of Exile 2. I hope you found this guide helpful, and if you have any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section.
