The Warrior class is one of six new classes introduced in Path of Exile 2, expanding the build diversity and adding exciting character fantasies. Splitting from the original Marauder class, the Warrior retains a similar feel but carves out a new niche, focusing on Maces, Slam attacks, and Warcries.

In this guide, we'll cover everything known about the Warrior class—its strengths, skills, playstyle, and strategies to help you succeed.

Warrior Class Overview

The Warrior starts at the bottom-left of the Passive Skill Tree, sharing proximity with the Marauder and other Strength (STR)--based nodes. This ensures easy access to powerful melee-related bonuses and defenses like life, armor, and resistance nodes.

Primary Attribute: Strength (STR)

Signature Weapon: Maces

Skill Type: Slam Attacks, Warcries, Totems, and Defensive Skills

The Warrior's identity revolves around powerful but deliberate attacks. Maces and slam-based abilities will be your bread and butter, excelling at high-damage bursts. Many of these skills also incorporate stun mechanics and fire-themed bonuses, making them great for controlling enemies and dealing heavy AoE damage.

Warrior Skill Gems

Here's a list of skills revealed so far, showing the Warrior's versatility:

Core Slam Skills

Earthquake - Deals AoE damage with an initial hit, followed by an aftershock that damages a larger area.

Boneshatter - Damages enemies and yourself with each use, ramping up in power the more you use it.

Ground Slam - Sends a shockwave in a cone, dealing damage to all enemies in its path.

Sunder - Launches a shockwave along the ground, dealing AoE damage and triggering an aftershock on hit.

Supercharged Slam - Charges energy into your weapon to unleash multiple strikes; longer charges yield more hits.

Warcries and Support Skills

Infernal Cry - Coats enemies in ash and makes them explode on death, dealing fire damage to nearby foes.

Seismic Cry - Boosts the damage of your next few slam attacks and temporarily stuns enemies.

Armour Breaker - Strikes enemies to reduce their armor, empowering follow-up skills.

Leap Slam - Jump to a target area, dealing damage on landing with an increased stun chance if armor is broken.

Shockwave Totem - Summons a totem that emits damaging shockwaves around it.

Fire-Themed Skills

Herald of Ash - Grants bonus fire damage and makes enemies explode on death, spreading fire damage.

Volcanic Fissure - Unleashes lava flows that travel across the ground, damaging enemies along the path.

Magma Barrier - Adds fire-themed defenses, providing a boost to survivability against mobs.

Defensive and Utility Skills

Shield Wall - Creates a barrier that absorbs damage for a brief period.

Rolling Slam - A movement ability that rolls forward while dealing damage to enemies in your path.

Resonating Shield - A defensive skill that empowers your block chance and deflects attacks.

Warrior Playstyle and Strategies

The Warrior class offers a deliberate, methodical playstyle. While your attacks are slower than other classes, you make up for it with massive burst damage and strong crowd control mechanics.

Managing Stuns in PoE 2

Path of Exile 2 introduces changes to crowd control (CC) mechanics. Bosses are no longer immune to stuns and freezes but have an internal resistance gauge. As you hit bosses with stuns, the gauge fills. When full, the boss becomes temporarily stunned. However, after being stunned, the gauge resets, and the boss will find it harder to CC again.

Synergy Tip: Use a quick stun attack to immobilize enemies, followed by a charged slam attack like Supercharged Slam or Earthquake for massive damage.

Using the Warrior's Skills Effectively

Clearing Mobs:

Earthquakes, Sunder, or Ground Slam work well for clearing groups with AoE damage.

Herald of Ash and Infernal Cry help trigger explosions that clear packs quickly.

For added safety, Leap Slam offers mobility and stun potential to control groups of enemies.

Boss and Rare Fights:

Boneshatter is great for single-target damage, but be careful with self-damage—invest in defenses.

Supercharged Slam offers huge burst potential, but requires careful timing due to its long charge.

Use Armour Breaker to weaken bosses, followed by Leap Slam or Resonating Shield for extra damage and survivability.

Totems and Support Skills:

Shockwave Totem provides extra AoE control, especially in tougher fights.

Seismic Cry and Infernal Cry synergize well with Slam skills, boosting damage and granting crowd-control benefits.

Gear and Itemization Recommendations

To thrive as a Warrior, you'll need the right Path of Exile currency and gear to enhance your build.

Maces will be your main weapon. Look for mods that boost physical damage, attack speed, and stun duration.

Armor-based gear is ideal to complement your Strength scaling, providing survivability in the form of high armor and life.

Path of Exile items that offer reduced self-damage will help mitigate the risks of skills like Boneshatte.

Final Thoughts

The Warrior in Path of Exile 2 will appeal to players who enjoy a slow but powerful melee playstyle, with deliberate strikes and strong CC options. This class thrives on burst damage and AoE clears, making it excellent for clearing maps and taking down bosses alike. However, you'll need to carefully manage your defenses and self-damage, particularly when using high-risk skills like Boneshatter.

As Path of Exile 2 evolves, the Warrior will likely offer even more build diversity with new Path of Exile items and mechanics, making it a strong option for melee enthusiasts. Be sure to stock up on Path of Exile currency and valuable items to stay competitive!