Best Endgame Builds in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4

1) Walking Calamity Shaman

The Walking Calamity Shaman sits comfortably at the top of the popularity charts. It's beginner-friendly, scales extremely well into Path of Exile 2 Currency endgame, and comes online early compared to many other builds. The core mechanic revolves around generating Rage, which then converts into Glory once Rage is capped. At 50 Glory, Walking Calamity becomes available, unleashing devastating meteor storms.

While there is downtime between activations, the build compensates with strong filler skills. Fury of the Mountain, combined with Earthquake Tote,m creates fissure eruptions that rapidly generate Rage. Once players complete their second or third Ascendancy, Furious Wellspring provides passive Rage generation, smoothing out gameplay significantly.

This build's dominance has made certain Shaman-specific Path of Exile 2 Items expensive early on, so many players choose to buy POE2 Items to shortcut gearing and keep pace with the meta.

2) Poisonburst Arrow Pathfinder

Poisonburst Arrow Pathfinder is arguably the strongest league starter in Patch 0.4 and remains an S-tier endgame build. Recent Pathfinder Ascendancy changes allow players to stack double the usual poison cap, pushing its damage ceiling far beyond previous versions.

The build pairs Poisonburst Arrow with Vine Arrow, creating a playstyle reminiscent of Lightning Arrow builds. Vine Arrow slows and controls enemies, while Poisonburst detonates Chaos-based AoE damage. For even smoother clears, Herald of Plague spreads poisons between packs, enabling fast, screen-wide clearing.

Patch 0.4 also introduced Running Assault, granting heavy stun immunity while sprinting. This single Ascendancy node dramatically improves survivability, allowing Pathfinders to blaze through maps uninterrupted. Because of its popularity, poison scaling gear is in high demand, making this another build where players often buy POE2 Items to stay competitive.

3) Spark Bloodmage

Despite nerfs to popular support gems, Spark Bloodmage remains a powerful endgame contender. Spark dominated Patch 0.3, and while it's no longer uncontested, it's still powerful in the right hands.

The Bloodmage Ascendancy grants a massive 15% base Critical Hit Chance for spells, enabling seamless synergy with the unique amulet Choir of the Storm. Spark handles most clearing, while Arc supplements single-target damage and procs critical effects. Since both skills deal lightning damage, critical hits effectively ignore enemy lightning resistance.

One major caveat: Bloodmage uses life instead of mana to cast spells. This makes life leech mandatory, with Atziri's Acuity being nearly best-in-slot for instant sustain. Without the right Path of Exile 2 Items, this build can feel fragile in high-tier maps.

4) Minion Army Sorceress

Minions continue to perform well in Patch 0.4, but the spotlight has shifted to the Sorceress Ascendancy: Disciple of Vasashtra. This Ascendancy introduces three exclusive Djinn minions that scale alongside traditional minions and add substantial burst damage.

Since Djinns only attack when commanded, the build still relies on persistent minions. Spectres serve as the primary damage dealers, while lesser minions act as fodder for Pain Offering, boosting overall output.

Compared to Shaman-based minion builds, Sorceress offers better utility, including reduced Energy Shield recharge delay and the ability to treat Energy Shield as armor. These defensive layers make Minion Army Sorceress one of the safest endgame builds currently available.

5) Plant Oracle Druid

The rise of the Plant Oracle Druid highlights a clear trend in Path of Exile 2: players love efficient, low-input builds. Initially overshadowed by Walking Calamity, plant-based skills have proven themselves as powerful endgame tools.

The core rotation uses Entangle to slow or pin enemies in place, followed by Thrashing Vines for massive AoE damage. This combo enables effortless screen clearing with minimal button presses.

While multiple Ascendancies can plant builds, Oracle stands out thanks to Unseen Path, which provides additional physical damage scaling, easier critical hits, and frequent triggers via Cast on Critical. As awareness of the build grows, demand for plant-scaling Path of Exile 2 Items has increased sharply.

Final Thoughts on the Patch 0.4 Meta

Patch 0.4 has settled into a diverse but clearly defined meta. Walking Calamity and Poisonburst Arrow dominate popularity, while Spark, Minions, and Plant Druids round out the top tier. No matter which build you choose, gearing remains the biggest bottleneck-especially as prices rise for meta-defining gear.

For players short on time or looking to buy Path of Exile 2 Currency stay competitive, many opt to buy POE2 Items to bypass early grind and focus on endgame content. As always, expect balance changes in future patches, but for now, these builds define Path of Exile 2's endgame meta.