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As many of us know, theSunder Totem Titan buildis a powerhouse inPath of Exile 2, combining devastating area damage with Totem-based strategies for both safety and effectiveness. This build allows you to deploy Totems that crush enemies while you remain mobile and out of harm’s way (the Rangeris also great at the latter two).
It’s great for crowd control and scales well into late-game content, making it ideal for both new and experienced players.
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This guide will walk you through every aspect of mastering the build, from skill setups and gear recommendations to endgame optimization and common mistakes to avoid.
Should you have trouble early on, you may use an effectiveearly game buildfor the Warrior as you work towards the Sunder Totem build.
Build Overview
At the core of this build isAncestral Warrior Totem + Sunder, giving you a setup where your Totems slam the ground with massive AoE, keeping enemies locked down. You’re not meant to face tank asyour damage is done by proxy, and that’s where the build shines.
Why it works:Sunder creates shockwaves that scale incredibly well with attack speed, AoE, and physical damage. Combining this with the passive power of Totems means you can scale deep into the endgame without putting yourself in danger.
This build isn’t just strong because of the skill setup, it’s thegear synergythat really makes it work.
Example Gear You’ll Want In The Early and Late Game
Weapon: Elder-Influenced Karui Maul or Ezomyte Staff
Look for:+% increased Physical Damage,Gain Phys as Extra Fire/Cold,Attacks Have % Chance to Maim. The reason for this is that Totems use your weapon stats for damage, so stacking flat phys and % phys on a 2H weapon makes a massive difference. Elder influence can roll high-value mods like“Gain X% of Physical Damage as Extra Elemental”, which is huge for scaling.
Helmet: Rare with +2 to AoE Gems
This directly boosts your Sunder damage. If you can find one with a“Sunder creates additional shockwaves”enchant, even better. That enchant stacks with AoE scaling and makes your clear feel smoother immediately.
Body Armor: Kaom’s Heart or Rare with % of Phys Taken as Elemental
My favorite body armor is Kaom’s Heart, which happens to be BIS for raw survivability; tons of flat life.The downside? It offers no sockets, so you’ll need to be clever with your skill placement. If you’re socket-starved, look for a rare chest with“% Physical Damage Taken as Elemental”.This massively reduces the impact of incoming physical hits, which are one of the few threats that can slip past your totems.
Gloves: Spiked Gloves with Added Phys + Attack Speed
Look for:+X to Physical Damage to Attacks,% Increased Attack Speed, Life + Resists. Totems scale off your attack values, so these modifiers get passed along. The Attack Speed also helps with Totem cast time.
Boots: Rare with Movement Speed + Life + Chaos Res
30–35% move speed is ideal. Chaos Resistance is underrated early on, especially in acts where random chaos projectiles can end your run. As a bonus, if you can get“Unaffected by Burning Ground”or“Avoid Elemental Ailments”, it makes bossing (and there aresome very hard bosses in the game) smoother.
Amulet: Turquoise Amulet with +1 to Melee Skills, Totem Damage, and Strength
Melee skills buff Sunder, while Totem Damage boosts your DPS directly. Strength increases life and damage at the same time. If you can afford it,Hunter-influenced amuletscan roll things like “% Increased Totem Placement Speed” or“Skills Cost Life Instead of Mana”, both of which are real game-changers for QoL.
Rings: Rare with Mana Leech or Regen + Added Phys
Look for:“X% of Physical Damage Leeched as Mana”or“+X to Mana Regen”if you’re struggling with sustain. Added Phys to attacks, Strength, and flat life/resist mods round these out nicely.
Why These Items Matter
Each of these pieces fills a need:
You don’t need perfect rolls, but attempt to cover the bases. This is a build that works off momentum. If your mana sustain or totem uptime is clunky, the whole thing feels like it falls apart. But once it’s smoothed out, it’s one of the cleanest playstyles I’ve tested in POE2.
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Get geared up fast!
Key Skills and Support Gems
Totem Setup (for clearing mobs):
Sunderis your main damage-dealing skill, whileMartial Tempoincreases attack speed, leading toUpheaval,which adds extra fissures for better area coverage.Inspirationhelps manage mana cost efficiently and theMagnified Effectboosts the area of effect.
Totem Setup (for bosses):
Similar to the Totem setup to clear mobs,Sunderis still your main attack skill, whileMartial Tempokeeps your attack speed up and utilizesOverpower,which boosts damage against tougher enemies and leads toBrutality,which amplifies physical damage.Be sure to useClose Combatto increase damage to nearby enemies during boss fights.
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Those Skills aren’t going to support themselves!
Passive Skill Tree
Focus on nodesthat enhance melee damage, totem effectiveness, and survivability.Key passives to prioritize include Giant’s Blood, which allows you to dual-wield two-handed maces and, in turn, significantly ups your melee skills.
Polymathy Cluster helps meet attribute requirements for gear. Resolute Technique ensures that your attacks never miss, increasing reliability.
Progression Tips:
Start by grabbing life and melee damage nodes for survivability and output, while working towards important keystones like Giant’s Blood. It’s highly recommended to use the passive tree to balance between offensive and defensive strengths.
Gear Recommendations
Dual-wieldtwo-handed maceswith+7to melee skills and aim for items that ease attribute requirements. Elder-influenced weapons with“gain physical as extra”orattack speedrolls will push your Totem damage even further and smooth out your uptime.
You’ll want to stacklife, resistances, and armoracross all pieces, with an emphasis on survivability since your Totems are doing the heavy lifting. If your build can handle the attribute spread, anEnergy Shield hybrid chestwith conversion mods like“% of Physical taken as Elemental”can give you that extra cushion against big hits. Heck, everyone takes damage sometimes.
Accessories
Prioritizeamulets and rings with +3 to melee skills, flat physical damage to attacks, and good life/resist rolls to round things out. Strength stacking here is a solid bonus too. It boosts your Totem damage and survivability at the same time, making these pieces do double-duty.
Your flask setup should include at least onereliable Life Flask with bleed or curse removal, alongside aQuicksilver for mobilityand something like Granite or Jade for extra defense layers. For damage,Lion’s Roaris a go-to huge physical boost, and the knockback is surprisingly useful for controlling tight fights or keeping pesky hordes of mobs off your back.
Playstyle Tips
I’ve learned to always be aware of Totem placement,positioning them to maximize their range and damage potential while keeping myself safe.This also provides some freedom to switch weapons as needed for offense or defense.
Mana Management is extremely important here, so be sure to use Inspiration and consider passives or gear that help reduce mana costs (or convert costs to life).
Endgame Optimization
In my experience, once you hit red maps, andendgame maps offer some fantastic rewards, it’s all about fine-tuning upgrades tohigh-tier phys scaling weapons, stackingTotem life and AoE through jewels, and rerolling your flasks for sustain.
At the same time, be sure to tweak your passive tree to lean into whatever content you’re grinding, whether that’s mapping, bossing, or league mechanics.
Stick to open layouts like Dunes or Tropical Island for smooth clears,avoid rough mods like“No mana regen,”and when pushingUbers or Blight, shift your gem links and gear toward eitherburst single-targetortankier Totem setups.It can be the only way to keep the pressure on without getting steamrolled.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
It can be easy to overlook attribute requirements,so always check your Strength and Intelligence needs for gear and skills. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when chasing damage, but missing a key attribute threshold can make your whole setup fall apart.
Poor Totem placementor bad positioning can hurt your damage output and expose you to danger.Drop your totems too far from enemies, and they’ll be less effective. Drop them too close, and you risk drawing unwanted aggro.
Underestimating mana costs can also be a huge detriment,because without proper management, high mana costs can hinder your effectiveness. Running out of mana mid-fight can leave you helpless, so be sure to plan for sustain, whether through gear, flasks, or supports.
Conclusion
The Sunder Totem Titanbuild is a fantastic blend of power, safety, and strategy.It lets you control the battlefield without taking unnecessary risks, and once you’ve got the hang of Totem placement and gear scaling, it’ll carry you deep into the endgame.
With the right setup and smart adjustments, this build can do just about anything. For me, the mantra of the build is this:Master the rhythm, manage your mana, and let your Totems do the smashing.
Path of Exile II
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