[IMPORTANT!] Ranking POE2 0.5.5 League Starter - Best and Worst Builds!

Overview

This is a league-starter tier list rather than a single build guide: the creator ranks a spread of 0.5.5 starter archetypes, flags the ones they consider traps, and then names three picks they intend to play themselves. Note that the source video is delivered in a deliberately crude comedy register — the summary below extracts only the build reasoning.

The through-line of the ranking is trade-league pragmatism. The creator argues the game is balanced around trade, recommends buying cheap uniques and leveling gear rather than crafting it, and judges each archetype on how quickly it comes online and how much currency it needs before it clears well.

Because this is an overview entry rather than a deep guide, treat the notes below as a shortlist to research further, not as build instructions.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Covers eight-plus starter archetypes in one pass, which is useful when you have not committed to a class yet
• States investment level and leveling difficulty for each pick, not just damage
• Willing to criticise popular and creator-adjacent builds rather than only promoting picks

Cons

• No gear lists, gem links or passive trees — every pick needs a separate guide
• Rankings are opinion with no comparative testing shown on screen
• Heavy sponsored-content and paywalled-guide framing throughout
• The presentation style is crude and will not suit every viewer

Builds Covered

The three top picks

• Twister Spirit Walker — fast movement and fast clear, called out as especially strong against Ritual encounters. The creator stresses picking up rage early during leveling, which they say most guides omit.
• Oil Barrage Martial Artist (Monk) — described as the cheapest of the three, needing roughly one exalt for the unique gloves that supply the Stonefist ascendancy point. Channels for permanent freeze including on pinnacle bosses, and generates unlimited power charges as Martial Artist.
• Oil Grenade + Flame Blast Gemling — paint targets with oil grenades, ignite with Flame Blast, and spread burning ground while moving. Explicitly not recommended for new players: it requires weapon-swap knowledge and does not start until level 52, with explosive grenades as the clunky leveling stopgap.

Also assessed

• Thrashing Vines — one button for mapping, three for bossing; rated the cheapest and easiest starter available, though the creator finds it unengaging to play.
• Grim Tangles pillar / totem — flagged as the least defensive option and not a cheap starter; the creator advises against totems at league start.
• Verasha Jin minions — acknowledged as receiving buffs but not recommended as a starter.
• Ice Shot Deadeye — strong at endgame, but item prices inflate sharply once popular creators play it, leveling can be damage-starved, and the Snipe channel is easy to interrupt.
• Tame Beast Spirit Walker (Huntress) — a strong and very cheap starter that becomes easy from Act 3 onward, but with no screen-wide clear; the creator notes you will want something faster later.

Credits & Source

Rankings credited to Path of Dan (Uber Uber version). See the source video for the full commentary and gameplay footage: [IMPORTANT!] Ranking POE2 0.5.5 League Starter - Best and Worst Builds!.