TIER LIST · 0.5 RUNES OF ALDUR

PoE 2 0.5 build tier list

All eleven builds, ranked S to C for the league start, by safety, ease, and how well they dodged the 0.5 nerfs. This isn't a copy-paste meta list: it's the reasoning, tuned for players who get a couple of hours a night and can't afford to brick a character in week one.

S
Ice-Tipped Twisters
Spirit Walker · Huntress
Escaped 0.5 untouched. Still king of mapping. No leech, no ES, so none of the nerfs apply.
ED / Contagion Lich
Lich · Witch
The SSF king two leagues running. Chaos DoT, no uniques, sidesteps every sustainability nerf.
Tempest Bell Martial Artist
Martial Artist · Monk
The biggest buff of the patch. New ascendancy summons mirages that execute your bell strikes.
Mirage Snipe Deadeye
Deadeye · Ranger
Strongest single-target in the game with zero personal risk: the boss-carry pick. Snipe was buffed.
A
Grenadier
Witchhunter · Mercenary
Fastest campaign in the game, zero uniques required. Untouched by 0.5: the easiest clean start.
Infernal Army
Infernalist · Witch
Zero-risk duo carry: skeletons do the work while you buff. 0.5 buffed skeleton damage. SSF from Act 1.
Archmage Spark Stormweaver
Stormweaver · Sorceress
0.4's S-tier caster, still strong: best raw clear when geared, but a glass cannon needing mana ramp.
Whirling Assault Titan
Titan · Warrior
Survived with buffs. Tanky melee; ignite Atlas nodes feed Hammer of the Gods for the biggest hits.
B
Cast-on-Crit Comet
Sorceress
God-tier endgame once the system is synced, but heavy setup, so it's not a clean league starter.
Acolyte of Chayula
Acolyte of Chayula · Witch
Off-meta and versatile, with cheaper gear early. Perfectly viable, just not a top-of-list pick.
C
Poisonburst Pathfinder
Pathfinder · Ranger
Nerfed ~40% poison duration in 0.5. Cheap SSF DoT mapper, but weak single-target. Lich does this better now.

How to read this: it's a league-start tier list for limited-time players, ranked for safety, ease, and nerf-resistance, not raw endgame ceiling. A B-tier build can be devastating once fully geared (Cast-on-Crit Comet especially). "Best" still depends on how you play.

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FAQ Common questions

What got nerfed in 0.5?

Leech and energy-shield sustain were hit hardest. Poison Burst lost ~40% duration (dropping it to C for league start). Infernal Legion's minion burn was cut, but traditional skeleton builds were buffed. Builds that never used leech or ES (Twisters, Lich, Grenadier) came through clean.

Why isn't [meta build X] rated higher?

We rank for a safe, smooth league start with limited time, not the highest theoretical ceiling. A build that needs a 50-Divine unique or pixel-perfect execution to shine sits lower here even if it's an endgame monster. Different goal, different list.

How do I pick between the S-tier builds?

By goal: Lich for self-found, Twisters for safe mapping, Mirage Snipe for bossing/duo-carry, Tempest Bell for hands-on melee. The build finder asks six questions and ranks all eleven for your exact situation.

Tiers reflect our own 0.5 Build Picker scoring, cross-checked against community winners-and-losers coverage (Maxroll, Mobalytics, Boostmatch). Balance shifts with every hotfix. If a call here drifts, tell us and we'll update it.