Overview
The Warrior in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5 reaches a new level of early campaign power by combining warcry-driven offense with shield defense. At the core is a clean four-skill loop: cast Fortifying Cry to maintain Fortify stacks, place Shield Wall to pressure grouped enemies, roar Infernal Cry to ignite targets and exert your next attacks, then close with Shield Charge for the kill. The rhythm clicks quickly, and the low warcry cooldowns mean you almost always enter a fight at full offensive potency.
Infernal Cry converts the damage of exerted attacks to fire, so any weapon with solid flat physical damage performs as a fire weapon inside the exert window — no special gear needed. Fortifying Cry simultaneously builds Fortify, granting up to 20% reduced damage taken with minimal passive investment. Paired with a shield’s block chance, the Warrior can facetank most campaign bosses without precise positioning.
The build is viable for all three Warrior ascendancies in 0.5 — Titan, Warbringer, and Smith of Kitava — making it an ideal leveling template before committing to an endgame path. Titan amplifies warcry-exerted hits most directly. Warbringer improves warcry cooldown recovery. Smith of Kitava opens crafting-driven weapon upgrades in later acts.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero gear requirement — any physical weapon fire-converts via Infernal Cry
- Near-permanent Fortify via low-cooldown Fortifying Cry
- Flexible across Titan, Warbringer, and Smith of Kitava
- Natural boss burst from warcry exert windows
Cons
- Both warcries on cooldown simultaneously stalls damage temporarily
- Shield Wall placement requires brief awareness in tight corridors
- Below-average endgame scaling compared to dedicated slam or warcry builds
Key Skills
- Shield Wall — Summons a physical wall that blocks movement and damages enemies in the zone
- Infernal Cry — Warcry that ignites nearby enemies and exerts following attacks with fire conversion
- Fortifying Cry — Warcry that grants Fortify stacks and exerts attacks for bonus physical damage
- Shield Charge — Melee charge dealing impact damage; closes gaps and procs on-charge bonuses
Gear & Anointments
Seek the highest flat physical damage weapon you can find at each act transition. A shield with block chance is strongly preferred. Armour-based pieces everywhere else.
- Weapon: Sword, mace, or axe with flat physical damage rolls
- Shield: Any armour shield with block chance and life
- Helmet / Chest / Gloves / Boots: Armour bases with life and elemental resistances
- Amulet / Rings: Life plus capped elemental resistances by Act 3
Leveling / Campaign Notes
Grab Shield Charge at the first quest reward in Act 1. Infernal Cry and Fortifying Cry are available from early Act 1 vendors. In the passive tree, pick up warcry cooldown recovery and warcry duration nodes early to keep the exert windows overlapping. The key skill swap in Act 2 (timestamp 8:30 in the video) upgrades weapon and support gems for the rest of the campaign.
Credits & Source
Created by Spud The King.