The joy of playing an ARPG like Path of Exile 2 is crafting the type of build you want. The game gives various types of skills, armor, and weapons, which makes it easy to mix and match to create any sort of specialized build. Those who don’t mind getting their hands a little bloody in the game may want to give the Bleed Ritualist build a shot to make quick work of enemies by stacking the bleed effect.
Why use a bleed build for the Ritualist in Path of Exile 2?
The Ritualist is one of two ascendancies that players can pick for the Huntress class in Path of Exile 2. Although it’s not as powerful as the Amazon, the Ritualist provides players with a fun playstyle that focuses on bleed mechanics. However, players won’t unlock this ascendancy until the middle of Act two, so they’ll need to level as a base Huntress first, which is something LootBar can help with.
Some players can find that the base Huntress class feels clunky when played normally since they need to rely on parry and frenzy charges. A bleed-focused build helps make leveling smoother by quickly killing enemies before they can fight back. The bleed build excels in clearing mobs and boss fights but struggles in the mid-game before scaling well into endgame and Cruel Mode.
How to level the Bleed Ritualist in Act 1 of PoE 2?
In Act 1, the player has to set up core skills for fast clearing. They must get Twister and Whirling Slash for early leveling until they unlock Rake, supported by Stomping Ground and Concentrated Effect, which will become their primary damage skill. After that, they must defeat the King in the Mists to unlock Herald of Blood, supported by Brutality and Magnified Effect. Finally, users must use Disengage to retreat from dangerous situations.
Here are the skills and Support Gems the players must have by the end of Act 1:
- Twister - None
- Rake - Stomping Ground and Concentrated Effect
- Herald of Blood - Brutality and Magnified Effect
- Disengage - None
How to transition into the Ritualist ascendancy in Act 2 of PoE 2?
Act 2 will strengthen the build with new skills and unlock the Ritualist ascendancy. Players must replace Twister with Spearfield and support it with Lacerate and Rage. Then, they need to unlock Bloodhound’s Mark, supported by Bloodlust, to deal extra bleed damage. An optional skill that players can pick up is Thunderous Leap with Martial Tempo if they need mobility.
Players need to complete the Trial of Sekhemas to unlock the Ritualist Ascendancy. As for the passive skill tree, users should allocate physical damage and corrupted lifeforce nodes to get Blood Boil.
The user should have these skills and support gems by the end of Act 2:
- Rake - Stomping Ground and Concentrated Effect
- Herald of Blood - Brutality and Magnified Effect
- Disengage - None
- Bloodhound’s Mark - Bloodlust
- Spearfield - Lacerate and Rage
- Thunderous Leap (Optional) - Martial Tempo
How to optimize the Bleed Ritualist in Act 3 of PoE 2?
Act 3 introduces higher-tier support gems and skill upgrades. Firstly, players should remove Twister and Rake because they aren’t needed. Upgrade Spearfield with Comorbidity, Rearm, and Close Combat. Then, add Heavy Swing to Rapid Assault with Concentrated Effect. After that, users must enhance Herald of Blood with Bursting Plague and Reach.
Players must find Blood Boil and support it using Brutality, Acrimony, and Persistence. After defeating the Bog Witch, users will unlock Wind Dancer and attach Cannibalism and Blind. Finally, they must complete the Trial of Chaos for Ascendancy points to unlock Reduced Resistances and Unfurled Finger.
Players should have these skills and Support Gems by the end of Act 3:
- Spearfield - Comorbidity, Rearm, and Close Combat
- Rapid Assault - Concentrated Effect and Heavy Swing
- Herald of Blood - Bursting Plague, Reach, and Magnified Effect
- Blood Boil - Brutality, Acrimony, and Persistence
- Wind Dancer - Cannibalism and Blind
- Thunderous Leap - Martial Tempo
- Disengage - Ingenuity
For Cruel Mode, players can add Heft to Rapid Assault for extra damage and attach Haemocrystals to Bloodhound’s Mark for extra bleed scaling.
What are the best passives and items for the Bleed Ritualist?
For passives, players need to focus on nodes that boost Dexterity, Evasion, and Bleed Damage:
- Blur and Primal Instincts for Evasion and Attack Speed.
- Escape Velocity for extra Evasion Rating.
- Lasting Toxins, Fast Acting Toxins, Deterioration, and Wasting to amplify the bleeding effects.
- Bloodletting and Cruel Methods for stronger bleed scaling.
- Javelin, Precise Point, and Roll and Strike for increased Spear damage.
For gear, here’s what works best for the Bleed Ritualist:
- Armor: Prioritize Resistances and Evasion Rating.
- Weapon: Use a high Physical Damage Spear.
- Rings: Look for Mana and HP Regeneration.
As you may have noticed, the gear leaves a lot of room for flexibility, since getting the right one can be a little tough. Additionally, these three factors are also determined by a player’s personal playing style, so it’s tough to name just one armor, weapon, or ring that will be the “best” for every player. It’s recommended to use the many Path of Exile 2 currencies to construct the best armor and weapon for your player to take your Bleed Ritualist build to the next level.
Conclusion
This was the best way to construct a Bleed Ritualist build in Path of Exile 2 that follows the core essentials of the build while leaving room for personalization. Remember, while following builds that work for other players is well and good, it’s much better to use them as baselines to find your own build. With the assistance of LootBar and a little imagination, that should be more than doable.