In thisPath of Exile 2article, we will be taking a look at how to put togetherthe Culling Spear buildfor you to use to get into the late-game or endgame of the game.Path of Exilehas become notorious for the sheer number of skills and build possibilities available in the game, 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
Introduction
The Culling Spearis a hybrid build that will have maximum effectiveness when you are alternating between melee and ranged attacks, boosting your damage.
For this build, we will be focusing on increasing our attack speed, making it easier for us to thin out and take on enemies as we kite around the battlefield.
Starter Class
We will be starting withthe Huntress class, which is one of the seven available for now. On the expansive skill tree, this class will start on the southeast side.
This side of the skill tree consists mainly of passives related toEvasion, attack speed, and flat increases in projectile damage, which we will be taking advantage of to maximize our damage.
Passive Skills
Progression for this build will emphasize increasing our attack speed and damage output, trying to put as many points as possible into skill groups that will help with our offensive abilities.
As you progress down the skill tree, you will notice there are also nodes and skill groups that are more defensively oriented, such as Evasion nodes and Parry nodes, but we will not be investing in those early on.
Instead, we will be focusing on nodes and skill groups that will amplify the hybrid playstyle we are going for using the spear as our main weapon.
Nodes such asStalk andLeapare the core of this build using the spear, as we will be alternating seamlessly between melee and ranged attacks using the same weapon with different skills the weapon offers.
As you level up and put this build together, you will want to focus on skill groups that amplify this effect and go for nodes such asAdaptable Assault.
Another important skill group for this build includes those that increase our attack speed and movement speed. These will help us with our mobility and make it easier to dodge attacks as we continue to level up and progress down the skill tree. We can aim for a flat increase in damage by working toward theSpearskill group, which will provide us with both an increase in critical chance and hit damage when using spears.
For the Ascendancy, we will be choosing theAmazonpath for the Huntress to go with this build.
The Amazon Ascendancyoffers a versatile choice by providing you with some sustain through theMystic Harvestnodes, which give you Life Leech even with the Elemental Damage from your weapons.This will help with your sustain unless you get caught in multiple attacks, which can easily wipe you out since this build is on the squishier side.
Active Skills Setups
For the active skill rotation, this build is relatively simple with two skills being the main crux:Cull the WeakandExplosive Spear.
This build does not require a lot of active skills to be effective, as your regular melee attacks and spear throws are also deadly, but these two skills will help make mapping a lot easier.
The first skill,Cull the Weak, is an execute skill that can instantly kill an enemy that is low on health in a single strike.
This will be shown with a blue indicator on top of a weak enemy, and whenever you cull or kill an enemy with the skill, you will gain aFrenzy Charge. You can have up to three Frenzy Charges by default, and these will increase and amplify some of the spear attacks and skills, including our next core skill for this build.
TheExplosive Spearis our main tool for clearing mobs during mapping.
Normally, the skill will send out a flaming spear that deals minor initial damage and will then blow up, dealing area damage after a set amount of time. The explosion of the unamplified version of this skill can be difficult to land because of the relatively long timer of the “fuse” on the explosive.
But the amplified version of the skill, using aFrenzy Charge, instantly explodes in a huge cross-section, making it excellent for dealing with large groups of enemies.
So, the main rotation of this build will useCull the WeakandExplosive Spearin an alternating fashion, taking advantage of the passive skill nodes that increase melee damage and projectile damage after different attack types, maximizing our damage potential.
Although the above-mentioned skills will be the ones we use most often with this build, they are not the only ones.
TheStorm Lanceskill places down a spear that will zap nearby enemies periodically, acting like a turret.
This skill can be very useful when dealing with a group of ranged enemies or when you find yourself in situations where enemies are funneled through a narrow passageway.
Another useful skill is theBarrageskill, which increases the number of attacks you deal with the follow-up attack or skill.
The number of attacks can be further increased byFrenzy Charges, making it possible to increase the number by up to four times. This can be extremely useful, especially in combination with skills likeStorm Lance, where you’re able to put down multiple spears to deal lightning damage to enemies.
Additionally, you can use either theDisengageskill orThunderous Leapto provide yourself with a mobility spell in addition to the base dodge roll.
TheDisengageskill is better as an escape tool since it is faster and will put you away from your target, as opposed toThunderous Leap, where you jump toward your target.
Support Gems
Since we will be doing a lot of kiting around enemies with this build, we will be looking for gems that will increase the efficacy of our skills as well as increase the speed of the build.
One of the support gems we will get early on is theMartial Tempogem, which we will slot into ourCull the Weakskill.
This will increase the speed of the skill by 20%, decreasing the time we are locked into the attacking animation, allowing us to reposition faster after the culling strike.
Another support gem we will use withCull the Weakis theExecutegem, which increases the damage dealt to enemies with low health, raising the threshold at which we can perform the culling, increasing the skill’s effectiveness.
For theExplosive Spearskill, we will prioritize theFast Forwardsupport gem, as it shortens the duration before the spear explodes, making it easier to hit enemies even without a Frenzy Charge.
TheMagnified Effectsupport gem, which increases the area of effect of a skill, works well with bothExplosive SpearandStorm Lance, allowing you to cover more ground with each thrown lance.
Another good support gem that works well with these two skills isOverabundance, which lets you put down an additional lance on the ground.
It works better withStorm Lance, as it also increases the lance’s duration.
And if you’re looking to maximize the effective area of eitherExplosive SpearorStorm Lance, theExpansesupport gem is also a good one to slot in, as it increases the area of effect by 50%.
However, it comes with the downside of increasing the skill’s cooldown by 8 seconds.
Another great combination of support gems to use with this build isEnvenomandCorrosion, which can be slotted into theSpear Throw.
Envenomallows you to poison enemies with your regular attacks, whileCorrosionbreaks the armor of poisoned enemies, ultimately increasing your damage output.
For theSpirit Gem, we will be usingWind Dancerfor this build, as it gives us increased evasion while there are charges, in addition to knockback fromGaleforcewhen you are attacked.
Although it may not seem significant, theseWind Chargesreally add survivability when surrounded by many enemies.
Gear and Equipment
This Culling Spear buildrelies heavily on spear throws followed by skill attacks and will benefit from evasion-based gear with increases to attack speed, movement speed, and Dexterity.
Rare items with increased attack and movement speed will really help when putting this build together. Although not dependent on uniques, the build will perform better with items like theFoxshade Quilted Vest,which increases your movement speed.
Leveling Guide
The build levels smoothly using the combo ofCull the WeakandExplosive Spear. This combo will allow you to go through most mobs without pressure during your playthrough, as long as you don’t run out of mana or get it siphoned off.
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Even in rare instances where you find yourself in a tight corner,DisengageorThunderous Leapwill allow you to quickly escape and reposition easily—so long as you have mana.
As you level up, it’s beneficial to have some Intelligence attribute nodes, as this will allow you to equip more Intelligence-based support gems in addition to increasing your mana pool. You can either start investing inEvasionnodes for more survivability orElementalnodes if you want to increase your damage output while giving yourself more options to deal with different enemy types.
Mapping and Bossing
Although you can clear mobs quite quickly during mapping, bossing is a major strength of this build. You can kite around the boss and deal significant damage with your spear throws. Combined with the armor corrosion from the support gem, you can deal consistent damage even while dodging attacks. Efficient gameplay involves regularly alternating between melee and ranged attacks for maximum damage output, especially during mapping.
Endgame Scaling and Optimization
Endgame scaling is enhanced through cluster jewels that increaseAttack Speed,Movement Speed, andAttack Damage. The build scales well by investing in either pureAttack DamageorCritical Hit Chance and Damage, while also benefiting from high-Dexterity gear to further boost damage.
This build performs well in SSF and Hardcore thanks to its high damage and mobility. It is not reliant on expensive uniques and offers great damage with fast-paced movement, leading to a satisfying gameplay experience.
