Overview
This is a survey video rather than a single build guide: one recommended league starter for each class in the 0.5.5 event reset, with the underlying full guides credited to other creators and linked in the source description. It is useful as a map of what the community considers strong at the start of this reset, and as a jumping-off point if you want to try a class you have not played before.
Because each entry is a summary rather than a full breakdown, treat the notes below as pointers. For skill trees, gearing and levelling routes, follow through to the individual creator guides linked from the source video.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Covers every class in one pass, which is genuinely useful during a reset
- Each recommendation is attributed to a creator with a full written or video guide
- Focuses on cheap, low-requirement starters rather than aspirational endgame builds
Cons
- No depth on any single build — no trees, no gear lists, no levelling routes
- Recommendations reflect early-reset consensus and may shift within days
- Several entries offer alternatives without a clear verdict between them
Key Skills
- Mercenary — Galvanic Shards + Storm Blast Bolts (Witchhunter) — Galvanic Shards handles clear, Storm Blast Bolts covers its weak boss damage. Witchhunter is preferred for Sorcery Ward, an immediate defensive power spike the other ascendancies cannot match. Also the natural shell for a later Gemling pivot.
- Witch — Essence Drain Lich — a league-start staple since 0.2, with cheap gear and no hard requirements. Bone Storm’s ramping damage covers bossing, swapped for Dark Effigy at higher investment. The Plants build is offered as an equally viable alternative.
- Sorceress — Kalari Djinn (Disciple of Varashta) — the first ascendancy point grants a Djinn minion that always scales with the player, so gem levels never gate it. Kalari’s Deception comes online at the second point; the fourth makes the character very tanky through energy shield alone.
- Druid — Entangle “Plant Daddy” (Oracle) — Entangle is available from level one. Thunderstorm at tier 5 gems waters the plants into a frenzy; Thrashing Vines at tier 9 adds the boss-killing tool. Oracle’s Forced Outcome plus guaranteed 100% critical strike chance auto-triggers Thunderstorm via cast on critical, making it a one-button clear build.
- Huntress — Twisters (Spirit Walker) — Whirling Slash creates whirlwinds that Twisters consume for extra projectiles, which both clear packs and shotgun bosses. Primal Bounty adds more projectiles and heavy projectile speed; faster twisters return to the boss sooner, so speed scales single-target too.
- Ranger — Ice Shot (Deadeye) — the Mirage ascendancy upgrade plus the Mirage Archer gem produces two clones firing Ice Shot in all directions. Early boss damage is weak, solved by using Snipe to consume the freeze your Ice Shot applies; adding Barrage duplicates the Snipe projectile to shotgun most campaign bosses down in one hit.
- Monk — Whirling Assault (Martial Artist) — very high damage on a low budget, with AoE scaling reaching the full screen. Hollow Form solves the cast-lock weakness by spawning clones that cast for you, and power charges from Way of the Stone Fist let you spam multiple clones.
- Warrior — Shield Charge (Titan or Smith of Kitava) — all ten of the top ten warriors in the race to 100 used Shield Charge. Set up a shield wall extended by Comb’s Madness and Citadel lineage supports, then detonate it with Shield Charge or Infernal Cry. Titan gives damage and AoE; Smith gives survivability.
Gear & Anointments
Not covered at this level of detail — each build’s gear requirements are in the linked creator guides. The common thread across all eight recommendations is that they were chosen for low gear dependency at league start rather than for endgame ceiling.
Credits & Source
Digest credited to Mobalytics, with the individual builds credited to the creators linked in the source description. See the source video for the full breakdown and links: Strongest League Starter Builds for Every Class in Path of Exile 2.