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PoE 2 Build

[0.5.5] 1-Button Ballista Totem Cluster Grenade

Mercenary

Gemling Legionnaire

End Game

0.5.5 FR

Verified

By Lazy Exile

Updated on Sep 15, 2026

Sep 15, 2026

Build Overview

Hey guys, It's Lazy Exile, and here's a build guide to Ballista Totem with Cluster Grenade as a 1-Button Setup that clears all content in the game with great AoE and huge single target damage.

1 Div Budget Video Setup

https://youtu.be/AU1qWv0J7H4

˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿︵ᡣ𐭩˚‧˚☆*✩‧₊˚˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿

Disclaimer

There's a few new tech that comes with this league so check out the video if you're confused about how or why I setup my gem, or the Split Personality Ruby tech which change the passive skill tree.

PoE Ninja LIVE: https://poe.ninja/poe2/profile/ItsMeLazy-1173/forbiddenrites/character/LazyFR

Day 1 Update: https://youtu.be/GWNaSSIIIrk

Day 2 Update: https://youtu.be/9EBtucLIu98

Day 3 Update: https://youtu.be/FccKC_JOtJw

˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿︵ᡣ𐭩˚‧˚☆*✩‧₊˚˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿

Ascendacy

Gemling Legionnaire

Alt Quality on Gem with Advanced Thaumaturgy is build-enabler in many ways, we get good offensive power with 1 extra totem. Damage, or QoL on stuff like Cluster Grenade

₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿︵ᡣ𐭩˚‧˚☆*✩‧₊˚˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿

PC Performance Settings

Highly recommend to turn on Dynamic Culling to play this smoothly. Also try Vulkan, I have great performance on it.

Bring your sunglasses!

Strengths and Weaknesses

1-Button Gameplay
Strong on a Budget
Clear All Contents
Run All Map Mods
High Recovery

Screen Clutter
Destroy your PC

Build Variants

A4 (Before Swap)

Interlude

Budget

Mid-Budget

Endgame

Act 1 Setup (Level 1-15)

Level with Permafrost Bolts, Fragmentation Rounds, Frost Bomb
Play a bit slower in the beginning until Herald of Ice

Rotation

Single target
- Frost Bomb (maintain exposure)
- Permafrost Bolts
- Fragmentation Rounds (frozen only)
AoE
- Permafrost Bolts (with Herald of Ice explosion)
- Fragmentation Rounds (rare only)

Dual Shotgun Setup

This is massive QoL for the shotgun build because you can shoot Permafrost Bolts & Fragmentation Rounds on left & right click without needing to load the ammo. Normally, you would have to load Fragmentation Rounds or Permafrost Bolts before shooting on top of reloading. So highly recommend to set this up.

1. Open the inventory & right click on lock to all weapon sets on top (the I & II)

2. Set Permafrost Bolts to weapon set I only, Fragmentation Rounds to weapon set II only

3. Bind Crossbow Shot II & I to left and right click

4. Load the Ammo once and that's it

Equipment

A4 (Before Swap)

Interlude

Budget

Mid-Budget

Endgame

Set 1

Set 2

Equipment Priority

Equipment Guide

Leveling Regex

Use the following regex to streamline your search for key equipment:

"(10|15)% i.+mov|d rari|s: cr"

What this regex highlight? (Use the regex to streamline your search for key equipments)

Movement Speed: Boots with increased movement speed is very important for campaign
Crossbow: Any weapon with Flat Damage is a buy early game
Gloves: Any gloves with Flat Damage is also a buy early game
Increased Rarity: Optional, but if rarity comes with an items, it can provide lucky drop early game

Gear Priorities

Beside what is highlighted in the equipment, pick up and use what you can.

Weapon and Rings are the most important equipment slots since they can give flat damage, and they are very effective for any attack build

Weapon Breakpoint

Level 1 Makeshift Crossbow

Level 5 Tense Crossbow

Level 10 Sturdy Crossbow (buy at level 10)

Skill Gems

A4 (Before Swap)

Interlude

Budget

Mid-Budget

Endgame

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 15

Dex 0

Int 15

Fragmentation Rounds

Level 5

Herald of Ice

Level 5

Frost Bomb

Level 1

Permafrost Bolts

Level 5

Gem Priority

₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿︵ᡣ𐭩˚‧˚☆*✩‧₊˚˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿

Act 1 Gem Progression Mini Guide

Keep extra Support Gem for later.

Level 1 Skill Gem | Permafrost Bolts
- Location: Clearfell Encampment
- Source: Renly (quest)
Level 1 Skill Gem | Frost Bomb
- Location: Clearfell
- Source: Abandoned Stash (drop)
Level 2 Skill Gem | Fragmentation Rounds
Elemental Armament I → Fragmentation Rounds
- Location: Mud Burrow
- Source: Renly (quest)
Elemental Armament I → Fragmentation Rounds
- Location: Grelwood
- Source: Areagnae (drop)
Level 3 Skill Gem | Permafrost Bolts
- Location: The Red Vale
- Source: The Rusted King (drop)
Ice Bite I → Permafrost Bolts
- Location: The Grim Tangle
- Source: The Rotten Druid (drop)
Concentrated Area → Permafrost Bolts
- Location: Tomb of the Consort
- Source: Haunted Treasure (drop)
Level 3 Skill Gem | Fragmentation Rounds
- Location: Cemetery of the Eternals
- Source: Lachlann
Elemental Armament I → Herald of Ice
- Location: Hunting Grounds
- Source: Treants
Level 4 Skill Gem | Permafrost Bolts
- Location: Hunting Grounds
- Source: Ritual
Level 4 Skill Gem | Fragmentation Rounds
- Location: Ogham Farmlands
- Source: Crop Circle
Level 4 Spirit Gem | Herald of Ice
- Location: Freythorns
- Source: King in the Mist
Level 5 Skill Gem | Permafrost Bolts
- Location: Ogham Village
- Source: Leitis (quest)
Magnified Area I → Herald of Ice
- Location: Ogham Village
- Source: Executioner (drop)
Prolonged Duration I → Freezing Mark (later in act 2)
- Location: Manor Ramparts
- Source: Gallow (drop)

₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿︵ᡣ𐭩˚‧˚☆*✩‧₊˚˚₊‧✩*☆˚‧˚ᡣ𐭩︵‿༻☆༺‿

Passive Tree

A4 (Before Swap)

Interlude

Budget

Mid-Budget

Endgame

main:

123

set 1:

set 2:

Quest Rewards

Check which quests you’ve completed on your character

Clearfell — Beira of the Rotten Pack

+10% to Cold Resistance

Hunting Grounds — The Crowbell

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Freythorn — The King in the Mists

+30 to Spirit

Ogham Farmlands — Una's Hut

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Ogham Manor — Candlemass, the Living Rite

+20 to maximum Life

Keth — Kabala, Constrictor Queen

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Valley of the Titans — Medallion

30% increased Charm Charges gained

+1 Charm Slot

Deshar — Final Letter

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

The Spires of Deshar — Sisters of Garukhan

+10% to Lightning Resistance

Jungle Ruins — Mighty Silverfist

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

The Venom Crypts — Venom Draught

30% increased Elemental Ailment Threshold

Jiquani's Machinarium — Blackjaw, the Remnant

+10% to Fire Resistance

The Azak Bog — Ignagduk, the Bog Witch

+30 to Spirit

The Molten Vault — The Molten Vault

Reforging Bench

Aggorat — Blood Sacrifice

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Journey's End — Captain Hartlin

Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Skill Gem(Lv 13)

Delirium Drop

Whakapanu Island — Great White One

+30% increased Global Armour, Evasion and Energy Shield

Eye of Hinekora — Navali's Rest

5% increased Maximum Mana

Halls of the Dead — Yama The White

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Halls of the Dead — Tawhoa's Test

+5 to Dexterity

Abandoned Prison — Goddess of Justice

30% increased Life Recovery from Flasks

Halls of the Dead — Tasalio's Test

+5 to Intelligence

Halls of the Dead — Ngamahu's Test

+5 to Strength

Halls of the Dead — Tribal Medicine

+30% increased Global Armour, Evasion and Energy Shield

Wolvenhold — Oswin, the Dread Warden

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

The Khari Crossing — Akthi and Anundr

Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

The Khari Crossing — Molten Shrine

5% increased Maximum Life

Qimah — Tabana's Pillar

3% increased Movement Speed

Kriar Village — Lythara, the Wayward Spear

+40 to Spirit

Howling Caves — The Abominable Yeti

Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

Changelog

05/09 - added Crafting section in 1 Div Setup

04/09 - 0.5.5 update for League Starter

17/06 - Add 1 Div Budget setup

13/06 - Update as GGG revert the Cluster Grenade nerf

12/06 - Initial update - Patch 0.5.2 (with Cluster Grenade nerf)

Comments

Mickey•40min ago

Does the recovery snapshot still work?

ShinyKey•3d ago

How do I prevent HP loss from berserk?

FreshStorm•2d ago

life regen my guy look at the body armour

TheGreatYarl•3d ago

I was just wondering why we are using the "from nothing" jewel, when we arnt using it on the tree and you cant even use blood magic when you have the jewel in the socket.

ZiannePlays•4d ago

I noticed that in your endgame guide, you no longer show the life flask snapshotting recovery trick. Does this mean it doesn't work anymore because you aren't using any weapon set passives in your passive tree?

ZiannePlays•4d ago

Why does life flask snapshotting sometimes fail when I switch to Weapon Set 2 and zone into a new area?

CoolGun•4d ago

How do we set up weapon set II for the rite of restoration?

FierceFlower•13d ago

Can use a warrior Split Personality for much cheaper. 20 armour instead on 10% inc. attack damage

--Syberio--•14d ago

At what level do i need to be to swap to endgame....like lvl95 or???

Baz•14d ago

Finally hit 83 on this build. Probably the best levelling and progress build I have played. Slowly upgrading Gea but having all this damage and being able to survive pretty much anything, is amazing. Word of warning, as it gets more damage, it ruins the GPU. haha