Boneshatter Warbringer Leveling Guide

Act 1

Uncut Skill Gem I or II (Cut in order)

1. Boneshatter
   • Prime Enemies for stun with Mace Strike and then use Boneshatter for a huge AoE explosion.
   • You can utilize your Dodge Roll to cancel out of the back-end of the animation after the damage is dealt, as Boneshatter hits very early in the animation. Play around with the timing of when you should roll to get the most out of it. It is very satisfying when mastered.
   • Click here for gameplay footage.
2. Earthquake
   • Use Earthquake for anything that survives your Boneshatter.
   • Drop Earthquake on bosses after you stun them.

Use any leftover Uncut Skill Gem II that you drop to level up Boneshatter and then Earthquake

Support Gems (Cut in order)

1. Impact Shockwave for Boneshatter
2. Ruthless for Mace Strike
3. Overpower for Mace Strike
4. Magnified Effect for Boneshatter
5. Save your remaining Uncut Support Gems for Skill Gem III skills

Uncut Skill Gem III or IV (Cut in order)

1. Shockwave Totem
   • Use it on Bosses and strong Rares for extra damage
   • Shockwave Totem synergizes with Earthquakes Jagged Ground as it causes it to erupt every time it slams
   • Place the Totem behind the Boss so it survives for longer as the Boss is mainly trying to hit you
2. Infernal Cry
   • Cast it before using Earthquake for additional damage.

Use any leftover Uncut Skill Gem III and IV that you drop to level up Boneshatter -> Shockwave Totem -> Earthquake -> Infernal Cry

Support Gems (Cut in order)

1. Martial Tempo for Shockwave Totem
   • Martial Tempo is later moved to Leap Slam
2. Fire Infusion for Shockwave Totem
   • Fire Infusion is later moved to Perfect Strike
3. Save your remaining Uncut Support Gems for Skill Gem V skills

Uncut Spirit Gem IV

1. Herald of Ash
   • Activate it by opening your Skill Gem Menu and Right Clicking the skill icon left of the skill name. To see if it's active check if your Spirit shows 0/30 and the Herald of Ash icon swirls.

Uncut Skill Gem V or VI (Cut in order)

1. Perfect Strike
   • Release your key when the attack flashes red during the backswing to achieve a perfect strike, dealing massively increased damage. This is SUPER important to the skills damage output.
   • The skill has a long windup but deals big damage that inflicts a guaranteed ignite. Use it during situations where you won't get hit by telegraphed attacks or while the boss is stunned
   • Use Infernal Cry before using Perfect Strike for bonus damage

Use any leftover Uncut Skill Gem V and VI that you drop to level up Boneshatter -> Perfect Strike -> Shockwave Totem -> Earthquake -> Infernal Cry. Continue leveling your skills up for the rest of your playthrough in this order.

Support Gems (Cut in order)

1. Window of Opportunity for Perfect Strike
2. Fire Infusion for Perfect Strike
3. Premeditation for Infernal Cry

Act 2

Uncut Skill Gem VII or VIII (Cut in order)

1. Leap Slam
   • Recommended gameplay pattern: Leap into a pack, dodge roll to cancel the landing animation, and then use Boneshatter on a monster that's primed for stun.
   • For a smoother and faster experience, hold your dodge roll button towards the end of your leap to immediately roll after landing. This cancels the tail-end of the leap landing animation for far faster movement.
   • Primes enemies to be stunned by Boneshatter in a large radius.
   • Keep Leap Slam at level 7, do not level it to keep the #% More Stun Buildup at the lowest it can be. This is to reduce the odds of it heavy stunning on its own.
   • Unsocket Martial Tempo from Shockwave Totem and socket it into Leap Slam instead

Support Gems (Cut in order)

Check if you have missed any of the recommended gems before heading into Act 3.

From here you may use any level 1 Uncut Support Gem to liberally fill your remaining skill sockets however you see fit. Check the skill slider above for inspiration.

Act 3

Act 3 gives you access to Uncut Support Gem II, substantially increasing the amount of support gem options available to you.

Uncut Skill Gem IX or X

None of the skills in this row are worth taking (feel free to try them out anyway!) so simply level up your skills in the order of Boneshatter -> Perfect Strike -> Shockwave Totem -> Earthquake -> Infernal Cry as you drop them.

Support Gems (Cut in order)

Tip: Make sure to pick up the guaranteed Lesser Jeweller's Orb in the Sandswept Marsh that can be found in a chest in a small encampment at the edge of the layout.

This allows you to 4-link your Perfect Strike by using the Orb on the skill icon of Perfect Strike inside your skill tab.

1. Execute for Perfect Strike after using the Lesser Jeweller's Orb on it.
2. Raging Cry for Infernal Cry
3. Holy Descent for Leap Slam for free Life Regeneration
4. Save at least 2 Uncut Support Gems for Hammer of the Gods which unlocks later

Uncut Spirit Gem of any tier once at 60+ Spirit

1. Scavenged Plating automatically stacks thanks to theAnvil's Weight Ascendancy Notable later on. As Ascending is rather difficult don't worry about this too much yet. Support this with Persistence.
2. To check if you have missed any of the permanent Spirit bonuses you acquire during your campaign, check out our Permanent Stats From The Campaign Guide.

Act 1 Cruel

Uncut Skill Gem X or XI

1. Seismic Cry
   • You don't use this until you get Hammer of the Gods
2. Supercharged Slam
   • Feel free to test if you prefer this over Perfect Strike. Support with Hourglass and Fist of War.

Act 2 Cruel

Uncut Skill Gem XIII or XIV or XV

1. Hammer of the Gods
   • The fun button.
   • Remove Earthquake for this.
   • Heavy Stun any durable enemies with Mace Strike and Flame Strike first. Use Seismic Cry, Infernal Cry and then use Hammer of the Gods on the stunned mob.
   • Seismic Cry doubles the damage of your next slam when you use it in the presence of a Heavy Stunned enemy. This means stunning the enemy first is extremely valuable!

Support Gems (Cut in order)

1. Concentrated Effect for Hammer of the Gods
2. Heavy Swing for Hammer of the Gods
3. Armour Explosion for Boneshatter once you've used a Lesser Jeweller's Orb on it.
4. Brutality for Hammer of the Gods once you've used a Lesser Jeweller's Orb on it. Keep in mind if your Weapon has lots of flat elemental damage on it that this may reduce your damage!

Act 3 Cruel

Link Cannibalism to Herald of Ash after defeating the Boss in the Azak Bog for +40 permanent spirit. This boosts survivability while clearing enormously.

In case you find a source of +Spirit on your Amulet or Body Armour you may replace Earthquake for Berserk.

Congratulations, you've finished the campaign gem progression of the Boneshatter Warbringer Leveling build and your links are properly set up to tackle your first Waystones.

• By far the best way to get better gear in the campaign is to check the Vendor in Town each time you level up! As vendors change their offerings based on your level this is an excellent way to find extra upgrades.
• Most of the damage you take during the campaign outside of Boss/Rare encounters is Physical Damage. Armour massively reduces that damage, so look out for high Armour rolls on your gear. As Sturdy Metal grants a massive boost to your Body Armour, make sure that it has an especially good defensive value.
• 80% of your Physical Damage Reduction comes from your Body Armour. Make sure it has the highest Armour value it can have
• Prioritize +#% to Fire, Cold and Lightning Resistance as well as +# to Maximum Life on your remaining pieces
• Look for the highest DPS 2-handed Maces available to you. Using strong 1-handers with a shield whenever you find one is fine too. You increase your weapons DPS by looking for the following stats, sorted by order of importance:
  • High physical damage on the base weapon type
  • % increased Physical Damage
  • Adds # to # Physical Damage
  • %# increased Attack Speed
  • Adds # to # Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage
• A great source is checking vendors occasionally for promising bases to craft on with Orbs of Transmutation, Orbs of Augmentation, Regal Orbs, Exalted Orbs, Chaos Orbs and Essences.
• To finish off your item use one or two Artificer's Orb and socket Iron Runes. You may also use Blacksmith's Whetstone to additionally increase your weapons DPS.
• If you are still struggling check out our Survival Guide for additional useful information!

Why do I stun too much/too little?

While the window of priming for stuns is rather generous, you sometimes run into situations where you either do too much damage or too little. Avoid excessive +% Stun Buildup sources in order to prevent leap slam from heavy stunning them right away. This should only be an issue when doing severely under-leveled content, so consider putting a weaker weapon in your weapon swap to switch to to prime the stun. Alternatively use Molten Blast linked to Scattershot to prime underpowered enemies.

In cases where your leap slam doesn't stun, use Mace Strike after landing to guarantee a stun in almost all cases.

I keep dying after leap slamming into a pack of monsters! What can I do?

This can be caused by a mix of things. Most of the damage you take while leveling is Physical, so always prioritize a chestpiece with a high armor roll. 80% of your Physical Damage Reduction comes from your Body Armour. Make sure it has the highest Armour value it can have. The best way to not die however is to not get hit. Dodge rolling right after landing causes the mobs to swing and miss, giving you a window to Boneshatter them right after your Dodge Roll. For a more in-depth guide on surviving the dangers of the Path of Exile 2 campaign check out our Survival Guide.

I have no single target damage, what do I do?

Nailing the perfect release timing of Perfect Strike is crucial to achieving good DPS. Utilize your stun windows in order to hit your Perfect Strikes without any danger.

Make sure you do not link Perfect Strike to Brutality!

The build feels sluggish, why?

Animation canceling improves the feel of the build massively and is a core part of the builds strength.

Once perfected, Leap Slam -> Dodge Roll -> (Mace Strike into another Dodge Roll in case no monster got primed) -> Boneshatter a primed mob -> Dodge Roll becomes a very natural and fluid combo. The goal is to roll out of the "heavy landing" by holding down your Dodge Roll button shortly before you land with Leap Slam.

As Boneshatter hits very early in the swing animation, play around with the timing of how soon you can roll out of the animation while still dealing damage. Play around with this until it feels comfortable. Unsure what it should look like? Check the video below for a visual showcase of proper animation canceling.

Check out this showcase for the single target and clear rotations for this Boneshatter Warrior Leveling Build. Tip: Pay close attention to how Leap Slam and Boneshatter is animation canceled constantly for faster, safer, and more fluid gameplay.

Congratulations on finishing the Boneshatter Warbringer Leveling Guide! You beat the campaign and want to know how to further upgrade this build? The Endgame Build Guide is still under construction, but for a general direction of where to take your character perhaps consider the following:

• Work towards acquiring enough Strength to allocate Giant's Blood in order to wield a 2h Mace and Shield.
• Allocate #% chance to Block nodes to approach the 75% Block Cap
• Parrying Motion is a potential good option for Amulet Instilling.
• Optional: Switch Perfect Strike to Earthshatter supported by: Upheaval, Aftershock, Brutality and Heft. Detonate the spikes you place by using a Warcry
• Add some more Attack Speed (e.g. on Gloves) in order to make the build feel snappier