Most people go for flashy builds that clear the whole screen, but not Lexd. His hardcore self-found Warrior sticks to one idea: Shield Bash. Sounds basic, but it’s way more than that. You hold your shield up, timing it just right, then release to smash. The hit scales with the shield’s armor, so gear choice matters a lot. In Act 1 it’s a grind, but once you hit Act 2, the whole thing starts to click. The tankiness is off the charts and the single-target damage really tears through bosses. For anyone thinking about trying it, stocking up on solid gear and PoE 2 Currency early can make a huge difference.

The support gems are what turn this from just a block-and-hit gimmick into a proper build. Early game, Pin helps deal with self-stuns in packs. By mid-act, switching to Brutality II ramps pure physical output, and adding Bleed lets you stack damage-over-time that slowly eats away at tougher enemies. The passive tree isn’t fancy—just sweep through the bottom-left section and grab any stun threshold perks you can. Without them, this build will stun-lock you into frustration. From there it’s all about armor, block chance, and max life. Thorns is another sneaky layer. Every time you block, enemies take passive hits. Against small mobs it’s almost like having free AOE.

Gear in SSF is always hit-or-miss, but Act 2 dropped some serious upgrades. Going from a 93-armor shield to 192 felt like doubling damage overnight. Boss fights that used to drag started ending faster, and even long encounters became manageable. Picking up thorns on amulets or rings made clearing packs laughably easy—enemies practically kill themselves on your defenses. By the time Lexd found a helmet with life and resist, his effective health while blocking felt ridiculous for that stage of the game.

The bosses were the real test here. Wrathbreaker and Rattlecage went down exactly how you’d expect: block until an opening and bash. Zalmarath the Colossus was the grind—22 minutes of inching away at that health bar while dodging and countering. The Kabala Constrictor Queen was another patience check, where a single mistake could ruin everything. These fights weren’t about “big DPS numbers.” They were about positioning, timing, and using defense as your main offense. After seeing it in action, it’s hard to call Shield Bash a gimmick anymore. With a bit of planning and a steady hand, it’s a legit way to push through Path of Exile 2’s hardest content—and yeah, grabbing something like u4gm PoE 2 Currency before you start doesn’t hurt either.