Poison AMAZON (or Pathfinder) Campaign & League Starter Guide

Warning: Build gets buffed in 0.4, but we do not know final Gem Numbers and Passive Tree. Further Updates and details will be added in the following Days. I highly recommend revisiting the Guide on Friday before Launch and checking Changelog

[ While I will be sending the Build as a Amazon, due to to many People going Pathfinder. This Build is super viable on Pathfinder and originally planned as that. The Guide includes all Information to adjust to Pathfinder both in the PoB and the Written Guide ]

POB: https://pobb.in/FZroxvm_MBql

Overview

The Poison Amazon is the perfect All-Rounder on League Start. Boasting High Single Target and Excelent Clear. Capable of transitioning into pure Damage over Time (DoT), Hybrid DoT & Hit Based or Pure hit Based to adapt to any Mapping Meta.

Instead of going Pathfinder for Overwhelming Toxicity, we are avoiding all the Pathfinder Hype by going Amazon and using Penetrate to gain Access to more Bows, allowing us to get better Weapons for Cheap. Amazon also has better Campaign than Pathfinder with Stronger Damage Ascendancy Options and has the Lategame Potential of swapping to On-Hit Damage or even Ritualist.

The Build uses Herald of Blood for Poison Chaning for as long as there are Enemies to kill in range.

And Toxic Growth for absurd Single Target Damage. It also utilizes Critical Damage early. Fishing for Critical Strikes, resulting in Strong Poisons even during the Campaign.

For the Campaign the Build utilizes both DoT and Hit Based Damage, to achieve a smooth Campaign Experience for both Zone Rushing and Killing Bosses.

Amazon VS Pathfinder

• Pathfinder got buffed in 0.4
• • Better Node Pathing
  • Potential of Path Seeker for Pure CI Variant or Early ES/Eva Hybrid
  • Sprinting without getting Heavy Stuned
  • Less Slow when Attacking
  • Immune to Slows

• Amazon is insanely powerful
• • Stronger Damage Nodes for Campaign
  • Access to High Crit very early
  • Alternative Weapon Options for Cheaper Main Weapon
  • Access to Elemental Surge for Spiral Volley Shenanigans
  • Can stay Hit / DoT Hybrid for Endgame
  • Ritual Ascendancy Swap Potential in Endgame (Ritual also Buffed in 0.4)

My personal Argument for going Amazon is that it has a better Campaign, good Gearing Options for Map Progression and I really like Elemental Surge and Spiral Volley. So I can test around and cook with another Spiral Volley Variant. I am also biased as I want to add a Unique Twist to my build for better content 😁

That said Pathfinder is the generic Better Ascendancy with the current Knowledge of the upcoming Patch. The QoL it offers is immense and for most Players it should be the recommended Pick. For Lategame Potential it has Path Seeker with Global Defense and stacking Double Corrupted Adorned Jewels. Which definitly could become the Endgame Meta Build.

Massive Buffs in 0.4

Full List of Buffs in the Notes Section of the PoB.

Toxic Growth

Toxic Growth got arguably Buffed. The Amount of Postules per Attack got reduced, however most Potules did not hit the Target due to Spread. We can also increase the Amount of Postules again with additional Arrows or Surpassing Chance to fire an additional arrows. Toxic Growth can also now be prestacked with more overlap for even more Nuking Potential.

Vine Arrow

Vine Arrow now has a naturally increasing Limit with Level. At Level 19 we have a Limit of 3. Vine Arrow can be poisoned and applys 50% of the Poison as a Chaos DoT. +2 to Limit basically means 1 Free Poison. Vine Arrow is also supportable by Swift Affliction II which applies to the DoT increase from the Poison.

Lineage Supports

Several Bllodline Supports this Build can use got Buffed. While we cannot use all, we can chery pick the best Selection once testing arounda bit.

Just to mention a few

Arakaali's Lust(Buffed to 40% more Damage), Uul-Netol's Embrace (Buffed to 40% extra Damage as Chaos Damage), Kurgal's Leash(Duration extended to 15 Seconds, now able to have Permanent Uptime with just 1 Skeletal Sniper) and Garukhan's Resolve( Downside changed to max Crit of 50%, build planned to run with 30-40% and Double Crits are insane for this Build)

Powerfull 'Cheap' Early Uniques

'Cheap' in '' as GGG could always shift Rarity on any of them or other Builds also pick them up and as a Result of becoming Meta they might be expensive. That said, they have been cheap in 0.1 to 0.3 so far.

Thanks to Plaguefinger we can use all Damage Types and any Bow Skill for Clear during the Endgame or use Snakebite for a free additional Poison.

Powerfull Early Bow Options with Slivertongue, Voltaxic Rift (Max Lightning buffed to 500) or Lioneye's Glare (strong with Penetrate).

Newly Buffed Unique Body Armour with Hyrri's Ire and Morior Invictus

Mapping

For Mapping we use the Primary Mapping Skill in Weapon Set 1 ( Poisonburst Arrow, Lightning Arrow or Ice Shot). One Attack is more than Enough to start the Chain Reaction to clear the Entire Pack.

Once one Enemy dies, all Enemies in Range will die in a Chain-Reaction of Poison and Bleed Explosions thanks to Herald of Blood until the entire Screen is cleared.

Depending on how the Endgame feels in 0.4 we can either use Sprinting or Rhoa Mount by getting some additional Spirit on Gear to quickly move around the Map.

Bossing

For Rares we use a simplified Single Target Rotation of Toxic Growth and either Gas Arrow or our Primary Mapping Skill.

For more Tanky Rares or Unique Bosses we use the full Rotation

1. (Pre) Fire 1-3 Vine Arrow
2. Place 12 Toxic Growth
3. Fire 1 Gas Arrow once the Boss is targetable.
4. Spam Toxic Growth
5. 1. till Boss is Dead
   2. or Vine Arrow and Gas Arrow expire. Repeat Rotation from 1.

In Early Stages of the Gear use move around the Boss to utilize Withering Presence and precast your Despair before the Boss is Targetable

Survivability

Position yourself away from Enemies and fire from afar. If something does get to you Wind Dancer and the Evasion Rating will ward off the Hit. And the Build uses a Hybrid Life & Energy Shield Hit pool to tank anything that does actually Damage us.

Sadly due to Lack of % Life on Tree, Evasion based builds are 'Survive till you don't'. This means we Feel quite good Survivability Wise till one Big Hit catches us of guard and we get One Shot.

In Later Stages of the Build we plan to invest into Energy Shield and Life Leech. As the Build does deal Physical Damage. We can directly benefit of Leech. And having a 4-6K Energy Shield Pool will be enough to tanky anything but massive Boss One Shots.

Recovery

We recover our Life with the Build in Leeching Toxins and Energy Shield with Ghost Dance in the ES/ Eva Stage. As our Damage is 80-90% Physical any Random Life Leech or Mana Leech Mod on Gear does actualy benefit us.

Plaguefinger Gloves

By Default Poison Damage is calculated based on Physical and Chaos Damage only. Plaguefinger allows ALL Damage to contribute to our Poison Damage.

This allows the Build to utilize any Bow Skill to replace Poisonburst Arrow as the Primary Mapping Skill. Depending on the Patch Notes, we can utilize whatever Mapping Skill is the Strongest or has the most Coverage.

A Second Benefit of using Plaguefinger is that we can use Flat Lightning Damage on the Build. Using the Hit Part of our Attacks to apply Shock, which gives a 20% increased Damage Taken Multiplier to the Enemy.

Poisonburst Arrow

Poisonburst Arrow has 2 Parts. The Hit Part and the Explode Part.

The Hit Part of Poisonburst Arrow can Critical Strike, but relies on your Accuracy Rating to Hit.

The Explode Part deals no On-Hit Damage, but Poisons anything in its Area as if Hit. This means we always Poison and can even Critical Strike.

Poisonburst Arrow will always Explode at the End of the Travel, even if the Hit Part hits nothing.

By reducing the Projectile Speed or Range(Obliterator Bow) OR riding a Rhoa and aiming close to the Character, we can force the Travel to end Early and result in 'Hits' where we target, even if we do not have enough Accuracy.

Toxic Growth

Toxic Growth got reworked in 0.3 and now directly fires the Skill without any forced Movement.

By Default the Skill can place up to 12 Pustules and fires 4 Arrows(places 4 Pustules) per Attack. The Quality adds 2 additional Postules to the Limit and each Attack (as of Patch Notes 07.12). Increasing the Amount of Projectiles via Surpassing Chance to fire an additional arrow or additional Projectiles from Multishot II we can place additional Pustules with each Attack.

On it's own Toxic Growth Damage is nothing Special. However it can be enhanced by Poisoning the Pustules before they Explode.

Each Pustules stores the theoretical Poison Damage applied and if it stores the Maximum Amount or above, it explodes directly instead of the Set Delay. This also allows the Build to utilize Long Fuse II without the Downside of the delayed Explosion.

If the Pustule got inflict with Poison, two special Rules apply to it:

• It will deal up to 300% More Damage when Exploding, based on the Poison stored. That does mean that if the Pustules explodes early. It will deal the 300% more Damage
• A poison Charged Pustules will not get overwritten by a new one. This is especially useful early on. As we cannot accidently remove our Damage if we fire a second Toxic Growth to early.

A few other interesting Facts about Toxic Growth that help understanding how to maximize the Damage are

1. Toxic Growth Pustules Damage is a Hit, unlike Poisonburst Arrow Explosion which Poisons as if Hit. The Pustules do Hit Damage that can apply Ailments. So even in early Stages of the Build we can utilize Toxic Growth to apply a lot of On-Hit Damage, on top of the Poison Damage.
2. Toxic Growth can be supported by Concentrated Area, which will reduce the Spread of the Pustules and their Explosion Radius. It does increase the Overlap and is recommended to use.
3. To proc Pustules , enough Poison Damage needs to be applied. The damage Multiplier from the Poison is bigger than the Gem Level Multiplier. As such it is better to keep the Gem at Level 5 to explode the Pustules faster. Only in the very Lategame Stages of the Build should you level Toxic Growth further.
4. [Unconfirmed but my assumption] Either all Pustules Crit or none Crit. This means that if we do Crit, we apply Several Crit Poisons at once
5. Toxic Growth fires 2 additional Pustules if at 20% Quality.
6. To Proc a LvL 5 Toxic Growth Pustules the Rule of Thumb is 2 Shots of Poisonburst Arrow or 1 Gas Arrow with Deadly Poison I. This means that if we fire a Gas Arrow with enough Poison DpS on the Boss and keep firing Toxic Growth the Pustules can instantly Explode, even before the next volley lands.

Crit Fishing

Crit Fishing is short for Critical Strike Fishing. As in Fishing for Critical Strikes. The Term 'Fishing' is used in Games when we do a Action repeatedly for a specific outcome that has a Chance to appear. In this Case for Critical Strikes.

Poison in Path of Exile 2 is based on the Hit Damage before Reductions are applied. This means that the Critical Damage Bonus from Critical Strikes does apply to the Poison.

If we hit an Enemy 100 Times and assume a Critical Strike Chance of 10%. Then we have 90 Poisons on the Enemy from Non-Critical Strikes and 10 Poisons from Critical Strikes.

Another Feature of PoE 2 is that an Enemy can be affected by an infinite amount of Poisons, but only the Strongest ones apply their Damage. The Limit here is based on the Amount of Max Poisons the Player has Allocated via Passive Tree, Ascendancy, Support Gems and/or Gear.

In Our Case we have 6-8 Poisons from Toxic Growth and 2 from Gas Arrow as it is the only Skill supported by Escalating Poison.

Given the above Rules, the strongest 10 Poisons would all be from our Critical Strikes, and such all be the Crit Enhanced Poisons based on our Critical Damage Bonus.

Now the Reason this works is because Poisons have a Duration. Giving us a Chance to Stack up Powerfull Poisons in several Rounds of applying them with Toxic Growth.

This does mean though that we do need some amount of increased Attack Speed on our Build or Increased Poison/Ailment Duration, so there is enough time to apply all the Crit Poisons.

Herald of Blood Chaining

By Default Heralds cannot inflict Ailments, the only Exception is Herald of Plague.

By supporting Herald of Blood with Bursting Plague and both Bleed III and Poison III we create a Self Chaining Herald, circumventing the Inability to inflict Bleed on Herald of Blood.

1. We Kill an Enemy with our Primary Clear Skill, supported by Bleed III
2. 1. Poisoned Enemie dies, spreading the Poison via Contagious Contamination or Herald of Plague.
   2. The Bleed Enemy explodes with Herald of Blood for Physical Damage that cannot bleed but can Poison, as Herald of Blood is supported by Poison III
   3. The Poisoned Enemy releases the Bursting Plague Physical Damage, which is also supported by Bleed III and Poison III
2. Next Enemy dies
3. 1. Procing Herald of Blood cause it was Bleeding
   2. Procing Bursting Plague cause it was Poisoned
   3. Procing Contagious Contamination to spread the Poison further

Repeat of Step 2 till all Enemies are Dead.

Weapon Set 1 & 2

This Build uses Weapon Set diffrently from most Builds. Instead of using (W)eapon (S)et 2 for a Curse Setup, we have divided Notables to only be used by the WS it is most usefull in. Maximizing Efficiency on the Passive Tree. Using the Weapon Sets in this Way also allows the Build to utilize Rigwald's Ferocity for the Damage Portion.

To Setup the Skills on the correct Weapon Set. Open the Skill Pannel (G by default) and click on the Arrow nex to the DMG Number. At the Bottom of the Detail Pannel select which Weapon Set the Skill is to be used with.

04.12.2025 | Initial Writeup

08.12.2025 | Added Amazon Variant and major rework of Gem Setup & Passive Tree