Bleed & Dash: Amazon’s Guide to Dawn of the Hunt
So, you’ve picked the infamous new class, the Huntress, eh? Welp, this PoE 2 Huntress Rake Bleed Leveling Build Guide walks you through the full leveling process, from washed-up-on-the-shore to Act 3 boss-demolishing queen. This class setup is arguably the best huntress style for huntress leveling if I do say so myself. Forget delicate dances and fancy footwork for a moment. We’re here to embrace the glorious, messy art of blood letting.
She’ll be munching through health bars with juicy crits and bleed stacks higher than Krillson’s fishing tales. The best part? It’s fun. You’ll be chucking explosive spears like deadly party favours, then zipping in with Rake to finish the job, watching everything chain-react in a beautiful cascade of Herald of Blood explosions that deal damage with sublime power. BOP. BOP. BOOM. Delightful.
This ain’t your grandma’s build guide. We’re starting from the sandy shores of Act 1 and walking you through the key steps – skills, supports, Ascendancy timing, step-by-step progression. Don’t worry about terms like “Blood Loss” – we’ll dissect those beasties as we go. No overwhelm, just pure, unadulterated carnage. Welcome to Path of Exile 2.
Act 1, Early Game: Baby Steps & Big Booms
Shoreline Souvenirs: You wash up, grab Spear Stab and Spear Throw. Stab is your main poke-stick for the very beginning. You also get Whirling Slash, which is… fine. Use it briefly until you get the next key skill.
- The Real Star – Explosive Spear: First town visit? Snag that thang. This is your bread, butter, and bloody jam for much of the campaign. It might seem slow at first with its fuse time, but it scales incredibly well for ranged attacks.
Gem Magic: Slap Overabundance support on it to toss two projectiles. Because Explosive Spear is a ‘Detonator’, one projectile’s boom triggers the other! Throw #1, throw #2 near it… KABOOM! Both go off simultaneously.
Speed it Up! Find the Expedite support gem. Vroom! This basically significantly reduces the detonation time, making the skill feel much more responsive.
Early Combo: Toss Explosive Spears into a pack, poke survivors with Spear Stab if needed. Easy peasy.
Enter: Rake (The Finisher & Bleed Starter): After dealing with the Rust King, you’ll likely get access to Rake. Grab it. Love it. This dash forward guarantees a Bleed on whatever you hit (longer dash = more damage).
- The Core Loop: See enemies? Toss Explosive Spear (x2). Rake through the pack as the projectiles are about to detonate. Anything tough enough to survive the double boom is now bleeding profusely.
Note: Remember, Explosive Spear is a projectile skill, while Rake and Rapid Assault are melee skills — this distinction affects what supports and passives apply! These projectile attacks form half our combo.
Bleed & Blood Loss: A Quick & Dirty Explanation
Bleed: A physical damage-over-time effect. When you apply Bleed (like with Rake), the enemy takes a percentage of the hit’s physical damage each second for several seconds. Bigger hit = bigger bleed. This helps deal damage significantly.
Blood Loss: The total amount of Physical DoT damage an enemy has taken from effects like Bleed. It’s a running tally of their leaky suffering, important for other skills.
Gemming Up Rake & Early Level Tricks:
- Brutality Support: Makes your physical hits (and thus bleeds) hit harder. Essential for Rake.
- (Optional) Stomping Grounds: Early on, this support can add decent AoE physical damage via shockwaves when you step during skills. It falls off later but can be fun in Act 1.
Herald of Blood: Corpse-Fueled Fireworks!
- Grab this Spirit Skill: Usually available around level 10-12. It makes your clear speed go nuts.
- How it Works: If an enemy dies while suffering from Blood Loss, they explode! The explosion deals base damage plus scales with the total Blood Loss accumulated. Bigger bleed = bigger boom!
- Aggravated Bleeding: The Herald explosion also aggravates bleeding on nearby enemies, dealing a chunk of their remaining bleed damage instantly. This fuels chain reactions beautifully.
- Supporting the Herald: Magnified Effect support increases the explosion radius for better coverage.
Levels 1-14: The Rhythm of Ruin
Your core loop is now Explosive Spear x2 -> Rake -> Herald of Blood chain reactions. Mobs melt. Bosses can be kited: Spear, Spear -> Rake in -> Dodge roll out -> Repeat. Parrying isn’t necessary for this smooth start.
Level 14+: Enter the Boss Shredder – Rapid Assault
Clear vs Single Target: Rake is great for packs, but for chunky bosses, swap Rake out for Rapid Assault.
Stabby Stab Stab: Rapid Assault is a flurry of quick steps forward, each hitting. The final hit guarantees a Bleed AND sticks a Spear Head in the enemy.
Spear Heads & Detonation: You can stack multiple Spear Heads in one target. These stuck lances can also be detonated by Explosive Spear!
The Boss Takedown:
- Use Rapid Assault multiple times to stack Spear Heads.
- Throw down your double Explosive lance.
- BAM BAM! All stuck lances explode simultaneously with your ground lances. HUGE damage!
- Repeat Rapid Assault while Explosive Spear is on cooldown.
Supporting Rapid Assault:
- Rage Support: MUST HAVE. Rapid Assault hits multiple times, filling your Rage globe incredibly fast for More Damage.
- Pursuit Support: Deals MORE melee damage if you’ve hit with a projectile recently (perfect synergy with Explosive Spear).
- (Alternative/Early): Martial Tempo: Makes you stab faster. Good QoL if you feel stuck during the animation, but Pursuit is generally more damage later.
Wrapping Up Act 1: This setup handles Act 1 bosses well. Dodge their big attacks and unload your Rapid Assault -> Explosive lance combo during openings. This combo isn’t just bleed over time — it’s full-on burst damage, with spears, detonations, and explosions stacking into one glorious boss-melting moment.
Curious about alternatives? Some Huntress players are experimenting with Storm Lance — a spear skill with built-in chaining lightning and unique utility. It’s not a bleed skill, but pairs well with elemental builds or hybrid crit setups.
Fueling the Fury: Your Passive Tree Path (PoE 2 Acts 1-2)
Early Goals: Grab efficient Attack Damage, Melee Damage, Projectile Damage, and Area of Effect nodes near your starting area.
Key Synergy Node: Look for Stalk and Leap (or similar name) – it buffs Projectile damage after Melee hits, and vice-versa, perfectly matching our rhythm.
Pathing: Weave towards nodes amplifying this Melee/Projectile interplay. Pick up necessary Strength/Dexterity for gems and always prioritize Life nodes for survival.
Act 2: Enter Blood Hunt – Path of Exile 2 Game Finisher
Get the Skill: Around Tier 7 gems, grab Blood Hunt. This lunges, skewers, and explodes, consuming Blood Loss for damage.
Our Strategy – The Hourglass Nuke: We use this skill differently. Slap Hourglass Support on it. This adds a significant cooldown (~10 seconds, check current value) but grants considerable More Damage.
Why? It turns Blood Hunt into a reliable, timed nuke for bosses. Spend the cooldown applying bleeds with Rake/Rapid Assault, let Blood Loss build, then WHAM! Unleash a super-charged hit.
Supporting the Nuke:
- Bloodlust Support: More Physical Damage against bleeding enemies. Perfect, as our target will be bleeding.
- (Future Goal) Inevitable Critical Support: Ramps crit chance between uses, synergizing perfectly with the forced Hourglass cooldown for massive crit potential later.
Gameplay Adjustment: Mobbing is unchanged (Spear -> Rake). For bosses/tough rares, integrate the Blood Hunt nuke into your rotation (Rapid Assault -> Explosive Spear -> Blood Hunt when ready).
A Word on Alternatives & Parry: While other Blood Hunt strategies or Keystones might emerge, the Hourglass approach is a solid, understandable starting point. Parry (holding the button, not precise timing) is useful for defense and a brief damage amp, but not mandatory – focus on dodging and damage.
First Taste of Power: The Amazon Ascendancy (Act 2 – First Labyrinth)
Conquer the Lab: Complete your first Labyrinth (around Level 22-25). Choose Amazon.
Recommended First Points: Take the Predatory Instinct branch.
- Predatory Instinct: Reveals Weaknesses on Rares/Uniques. Hitting an open Weakness grants significant More Damage. Excellent early power.
- In for the Kill: Grants Movement/Skill Speed while an enemy has an open Weakness. Great QoL and survivability.
- (Crit nodes like Critical Precision are powerful but rely on Accuracy you likely don’t have yet. Take them later.)
Passive Tree Navigation (PoE 2 Act 2 & Early Act 3)
- Target: Spear Cluster: Path south towards the dedicated Spear nodes. Look for Focus Thrust (conditional Melee/Projectile damage based on proximity) and surrounding Spear Damage nodes.
- Defenses: Grab nearby Evasion Rating clusters after securing the Spear essentials.
Act 2 Bosses? More like Act 2 Puddles: With Predatory Instinct, Blood Hunt nukes, and focused passives, Act 2 challenges become much smoother. Utilize your mobility and damage rotation.
Act 3: Unleashing the Full Arsenal of this Huntress Build
Blood Hound’s Mark – Paint the Target: A key bossing skill. Marks an enemy, causing explosions on stun/death and building Heavy Stun based on Blood Loss suffered.
- Supports: Persistence (longer duration), Single Out + Demolisher (shreds enemy armor based on physical damage taken, significantly boosting your damage).
- The Combo: Mark -> Rapid Assault (stacks bleeds/Spear Heads, breaks armor) -> Explosive Spear/Blood Hunt.
Tame Beast – Your Furry Friend: Capture a Rare beast using the Tame Beast skill. It fights alongside you and provides buffs.
- Look for Mods: Seek beasts with useful modifiers like Physical Damage Aura or Haste.
- Spirit Cost: It reserves a chunk of Spirit, but passives help.
Companion Farming: Need a specific beast? Go to Act 3’s Infested Barren/Jungle Ruins camp vendor. Check the two nearby Rare beasts. Don’t like mods? Die, respawn at the checkpoint – the beasts reset with new mods. Repeat until satisfied!
Passive Tree Adjustment (PoE 2 Act 3): Enter the Companion Commander
Path to Power: Head towards the Inspiring Ally cluster.
Key Nodes: Look for nodes granting More Damage while your companion is nearby, the crucial node where Companion Damage increases also apply to You, and nodes reducing the companion’s Spirit Reservation.
Defenses: Continue grabbing efficient Evasion and Life nodes.
Gem Links & Gear Optimization (Act 3 Onwards)
Key Upgrade: Swap the early-game Stomping Grounds support (on Rake) for Deep Cuts. This grants massive More Bleed Magnitude, heavily scaling your bleed damage.
By now you’ll have plenty of skill gems to link and experiment with — prioritize ones that support Physical Damage, Bleed, or Melee tags. Link each support gem carefully.
Jeweller’s Orb Priority: Use Orbs on Explosive Spear (add supports like Added Fire, Vicious Projectiles, AoE/Conc Effect, Cruelty), Rake (ensure Brutality/Deep Cuts/Heavy Swings), Rapid Assault/Blood Hunt (ensure core supports).
Gear Focus: Stack Evasion Rating, Life, and Resistances. Check item stats carefully. Your weapon MUST have high physical damage. Base physical is king for bleed. Attack speed helps. Don’t feel tied to a Buckler if a better shield exists. Always equip the best spear you find for your leveling process.
| Explosive Spear | Overabundance, Expedite, Added Fire, Vicious Projectiles, Cruelty | Area of Effect / Concentrated Effect | Main clear/detonation skill. |
| Rake | Brutality, Deep Cuts | Stomping Ground (Early Act 1) | Main AoE Bleed applicator & mobility. Deep Cuts replaces Stomping Ground later. |
| Rapid Assault | Rage Support, Pursuit Support | Martial Tempo (Early QoL) | Main Single Target Bleed & Spear Head applicator. Swap with Rake for bosses. |
| Blood Hunt | Hourglass Support, Bloodlust Support | Inevitable Critical (Late Game) | Timed Nuke skill for bosses/tough rares. |
| Herald of Blood | Magnified Effect | Corpse explosion & clear speed enhancer. | |
| Blood Hound’s Mark | Persistence, Single Out, Demolisher | Boss debuff (Armor Shred) & utility. |
Second Ascension & The Crit Revolution (Level 40+)
- Conquer Temple of Chaos: Complete the second Labyrinth.
- Take the Crit Nodes: Grab Critical Precision and Precision Strikes from the Amazon tree. Now Accuracy grants Base Crit Chance (from excess over 100%) and Flat Physical Damage (bonus damage from weapon accuracy).
- Accuracy Scales Hard: Stacking Dexterity and Accuracy on gear/passives becomes extremely valuable.
Passive Tree – Late Game Pivot & Crit Scaling (Level 40-60+)
- Focus: Path towards Accuracy Rating nodes, Critical Strike Multiplier nodes, and specific Spear Crit nodes. Continue to progress by investing points wisely.
- Advanced Optimization: Once your crit chance is high (50%+), consider pathing towards nodes enhancing Bleed from Critical Strikes (increased magnitude, aggravation). This might involve adjusting earlier pathing for maximum synergy, but evaluate carefully based on the tree layout.
- Continue Scaling: Keep boosting Crit, Bleed Magnitude (look for Incision), Attack Speed, Evasion, and Life. Explore potential late-game tech like Hemo Crystals if applicable.
Final Thoughts & Endgame Goals
- Refined Loop: Mark target -> Rapid Assault (apply bleeds, break armor) -> Weave Explosive Spears -> Nuke with Blood Hunt -> Dodge to disengage or create distance -> Repeat. This combat loop is very effective in any boss fight.
- Result: High-crit, high-magnitude bleeds amplified by armor reduction and massive Blood Hunt explosions make short work of bosses.
If this build doesn’t really tickle your fancy, we have a classic, at this point, Leech Witch and/or Ranger-danger build guides as well! Make sure to give them your attention as well, appreciate it. Good luck out there!
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How does the Blood Hunt “Hourglass Nuke” work?
The strategy involves linking the Hourglass Support gem to Blood Hunt. This adds a noticeable cooldown (around 10 seconds, check in-game) but grants the skill a very large “More Damage” multiplier. The gameplay adjusts: you spend the cooldown duration applying Bleeds and Spear Heads with Rapid Assault/Explosive Spear, allowing Blood Loss to accumulate on the target. When Blood Hunt comes off cooldown, you unleash it for a massive, reliably timed burst of damage, ideal for boss phases.
What Ascendancy points should I take after the second Labyrinth (Level 40+)?
Upon completing the second Labyrinth (around Level 40+), invest points into the critical strike nodes: Critical Precision and Precision Strikes. These nodes fundamentally change scaling, allowing excess Accuracy Rating (over 100%) to grant Base Critical Strike Chance and weapon accuracy to grant Flat Physical Damage, making Accuracy a top-tier offensive stat.
What are the first Ascendancy points to take after the Act 2 Labyrinth?
After completing your first Labyrinth (around level 22-25), allocate your points into the Predatory Instinct branch. Take the Predatory Instinct node first (reveals Weaknesses on tough enemies for More Damage) followed by In for the Kill (grants Movement and Skill Speed when an enemy has an open Weakness), providing a significant early power and quality-of-life boost.
When do I get Blood Hunt?
Blood Hunt, which becomes your primary single-target nuke skill via the Hourglass support strategy, is typically accessible around when Tier 7 gems become available, usually during the course of Act 2.
When should I start using Rapid Assault?
Rapid Assault, the “Boss Shredder,” is generally available around Level 14 or shortly after. It’s not meant to replace Rake permanently but should be swapped in specifically when facing tough bosses or high-health rare monsters where its single-target damage and Spear Head mechanic excel.
When do I get Rake?
Rake, described as the “Finisher & Bleed Starter,” typically becomes available as a quest reward or vendor purchase in Act 1 shortly after defeating the Rust King boss.
What stats should I look for on gear while leveling?
Early on, prioritize survival: stack Maximum Life on as many pieces as possible, acquire Elemental Resistances towards the cap (75%), and build up Evasion Rating for dodge chance. Always ensure your weapon has the highest physical damage available. Once you take the second Ascendancy points (around Level 40+), Accuracy Rating and Dexterity become extremely important stats to stack, as they will directly scale your critical strike chance and flat physical damage via the Precision Strikes node.
What kind of weapon should I prioritize?
The absolute highest priority for your Spear (or similar polearm weapon used by Huntress) is High Flat Physical Damage. The base physical damage of your weapon directly determines the damage of your hits and, crucially, the base damage of the Bleeds applied. Higher base physical damage means significantly stronger bleeds. Attack speed is a helpful secondary stat for smoother skill usage and faster stacking.
What’s the difference between Bleed and Blood Loss?
Bleed is the specific damage-over-time debuff applied by skills like Rake or Rapid Assault, dealing physical damage based on the initial hit’s power. Blood Loss is a separate mechanic representing the cumulative total of all physical DoT damage an enemy has taken. Skills like Herald of Blood (explosion damage) and Blood Hunt (nuke damage) scale their effectiveness based on the target’s current Blood Loss amount, essentially rewarding sustained bleeding.
How do I deal with bosses or tough single targets?
For challenging single targets, swap your Rake gem out for Rapid Assault. Use Rapid Assault multiple times to stack strong Bleeds and embed several Spear Heads into the target. Then, throw your double Explosive Spear near the boss; this detonates both the ground spears and all embedded Spear Heads simultaneously for significant burst damage. During Explosive Spear’s cooldown, continue using Rapid Assault. Later, integrate the Blood Hunt nuke (supported by Hourglass) into the rotation when it’s off cooldown, and apply Blood Hound’s Mark to shred armor and maximize damage.
What is the basic gameplay loop for clearing packs of enemies?
For clearing groups, the rhythm is straightforward: Toss Explosive Spear (x2) into the enemy pack using Overabundance support. As the spears are about to detonate, use Rake to dash through the pack, applying Bleed. Enemies killed while bleeding will then explode due to Herald of Blood, often triggering chain reactions that wipe out remaining mobs efficiently.
What are the core skills used in this build?
The build revolves around: Explosive Spear (primary ranged AoE clear and detonation trigger), Rake (mobility, AoE Bleed application), Rapid Assault (single-target Bleed application, Spear Head mechanic for burst), Blood Hunt (powerful timed nuke for bosses using Hourglass support), Herald of Blood (passive corpse explosions for dramatically increased clear speed), and later Blood Hound’s Mark (boss debuff for armor shred).
Is this build beginner-friendly?
Yes, this guide aims to be accessible for players new to the Huntress or Path of Exile 2. It provides a clear step-by-step progression, explains key mechanics like Bleed and Blood Loss as they are introduced, and focuses on a relatively simple and effective core combat loop. It explicitly de-emphasizes the need for complex mechanics like perfect parrying early on, prioritizing positioning, dodging, and executing the main skill rotation.
What is the main source of damage for this build?
The core damage comes from layered Physical Damage. This includes direct hit damage from skills like Rake and Rapid Assault, the powerful Bleed damage-over-time effect scaled from those hits, detonations from Explosive Spear (both ground-targeted and Spear Heads stuck in enemies via Rapid Assault), and corpse explosions fueled by Herald of Blood which scale with accumulated Blood Loss. Later, Blood Hunt provides a large burst based on consumed Blood Loss.
What class and build is this guide for?
This guide details a leveling path for the Huntress, one of Path of Exile 2’s new classes. It specifically focuses on a potent Rake Bleed build, embracing the “Dawn of the Hunt” theme by emphasizing physical damage over time through bleeding, combined with impactful spear skills for a visceral combat experience.
