PoE2 League Starter Builds 0.5.5: Forbidden Rites Tier List
PoE2 league starter builds for Forbidden Rites 0.5.5: 27 builds ranked on poe.ninja ladder data, the best starter per class, and HC and SSF picks.
In this guide 15 sections
This PoE2 league starter tier list ranks 27 builds for the Forbidden Rites event league on patch 0.5.5. It doesn't copy anyone's tier letters. Every build is placed by one rule applied to public ladder data from poe.ninja: how many players started the league with it, how many still play it eight weeks later, and how often it shows up in Hardcore and Solo Self-Found, where a weak start costs the most.
Quick summary
- Best PoE2 league starters in Forbidden Rites: Flameblast Gemling Legionnaire, Hollow Form Martial Artist, Wild Protector Spirit Walker, Disciple of Varashta minions and Ice Shot Deadeye. All five score S on our ladder-data scale.
- Most popular class: Gemling Legionnaire. A third of all characters on the softcore ladder are Gemlings (33.4% on October 29), split mainly between Flameblast and Twister.
- Safest for Hardcore and SSF: Disciple of Varashta. It's 14.4% of the Hardcore ladder and 14.2% of SSF, more than double its softcore share.
- Weakest classes to start with: Warrior and Witch. Neither has a build above C tier on this list.
- Balance hasn't moved since launch: 0.5.5 and its b to e patches changed no skills or ascendancies, and Forbidden Rites runs until the 1.0 release on December 11, 2026 (GGG).
How this league starter tier list is ranked
A league starter has to do three things: carry a fresh character through the campaign with no currency, scale into maps, and not die. We measure each of those with poe.ninja's build data for Forbidden Rites. poe.ninja indexes the public characters on each league's ladder and lets you filter them by ascendancy and main skill.
- Day-3 share (softcore trade): the build's share of all indexed characters three days after launch (70,507 characters). This is what players trusted on day one.
- Week-8 share (softcore trade): the same share on October 29, 2026 (124,117 characters). This shows whether the build kept scaling.
- Hardcore share: its share of the HC Forbidden Rites ladder on October 29 (5,846 characters). Players who lose a character on death pick builds that survive.
- SSF share: its share of the SSF Forbidden Rites ladder on October 29 (6,982 characters). These players can't trade, so the build has to work on self-found gear.
Points per measure: 3 points for a share of 5% or more, 2 points for 2% to 4.99%, 1 point for 0.75% to 1.99%, and 0 below that. The four scores add up to a maximum of 12.
Tiers: S is 11 or 12 points, A is 8 to 10, B is 5 to 7, C is 2 to 4, and D is 0 or 1.
What counts as a build: an ascendancy plus the skill that defines it, read from poe.ninja's main-skill filter. Where two skills nearly always appear together (Flameblast with Oil Grenade, Entangle with Grim Pillars), we count them as one build.
This measures proven popularity, not raw damage. A rare build can still be strong. But a build that thousands of players chose on day one, kept to week eight, and also picked in Hardcore and SSF has been tested far more than any single guide can test it. The tiers are a snapshot from October 29.
PoE2 league starter tier list for Forbidden Rites
| Tier | Build | Day 3 | Week 8 | Hardcore | SSF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Flameblast Gemling Legionnaire (Oil Grenade) | 12.2% | 8.3% | 8.7% | 8.5% | 12 |
| S | Hollow Form Martial Artist | 5.3% | 7.0% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 12 |
| S | Wild Protector Spirit Walker (companions) | 7.4% | 6.5% | 10.3% | 8.8% | 12 |
| S | Disciple of Varashta (Kelari djinn minions) | 9.2% | 6.3% | 14.4% | 14.2% | 12 |
| S | Ice Shot Deadeye | 7.1% | 5.1% | 3.5% | 6.2% | 11 |
| A | Twister Gemling Legionnaire | 12.3% | 8.3% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 10 |
| A | Entangle and Grim Pillars Oracle | 6.3% | 4.4% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 9 |
| B | Spark Stormweaver | 1.7% | 3.0% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 5 |
| B | Twister Spirit Walker | 3.1% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 5 |
| C | Infernal Cry Titan | 0.4% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 4 |
| C | Comet Infernalist | 0.8% | 3.9% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 3 |
| C | Infernal Hound Infernalist (minions) | 0.7% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 3 |
| C | Contagion Lich | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 3 |
| C | Supporting Fire Tactician | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 3 |
| C | Frost Bomb Chronomancer | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 2 |
| C | Poisonburst Arrow Acolyte of Chayula | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 2 |
| C | Shield Wall Smith of Kitava | 0.3% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 2 |
| D | Spark Blood Mage | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 1 |
| D | Freezing Mark Witchhunter | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 1 |
| D | Galvanic Shards Tactician | 1.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 1 |
| D | Ice Shot Pathfinder | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0 |
| D | Entangle Abyssal Lich | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0 |
| D | Ancestral Spirits Warbringer | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0 |
| D | Walking Calamity Shaman | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0 |
| D | Spark Ritualist | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0 |
| D | Lightning Spear Amazon | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0 |
| D | Charged Staff Invoker | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0 |
Shares are rounded to one decimal. The points use the unrounded figures, which is why Infernal Cry Titan's 0.75% week-8 share earns a point. A character can have more than one main skill, so a few builds overlap. We left Gemling casters out of the table because their skill mix (Frost Bomb, Arc, Spark, Comet) is too spread to call one build. About 43% of Gemlings who use Frost Bomb also use Flameblast.
Why the top starters rank where they do
Flameblast Gemling Legionnaire (S)
Flameblast Gemling is tied with Twister as the most played build in the league, and it's one of four builds with a share of 5% or more on all four ladders. On October 29, 82% of indexed Flameblast Gemlings also used Oil Grenade, 76% used Tornado, and 71% carried a staff (poe.ninja). The endgame version gets expensive: 54% of them now wear Mageblood. You don't need that to start. On day 3, no single unique appeared on more than 22% of Flameblast Gemlings.
Hollow Form Martial Artist (S)
Martial Artist is the strongest melee start in the data. It's also the only S-tier build whose share grew between day 3 and week 8, and it holds nearly 8% of both Hardcore and SSF. Most of these characters run Hollow Focus with Hollow Form, over half add Rend, and about two-thirds use a quarterstaff. Whirling Assault shows up in only about a fifth of them, so an older "Whirling Assault Monk" guide may not match what players run now.
Wild Protector Spirit Walker (S)
Spirit Walker's companion build fights from behind its pets: Wild Protector with the Azmerian Wolf (64%) and companions such as Zekoa (56%). It's 10.3% of the Hardcore ladder, its best result anywhere. It isn't locked to one weapon drop: 36% use a two-handed mace and sceptre, and 42% use a spear, with or without a sceptre.
Disciple of Varashta minions (S)
The Kelari djinn build is the clearest Hardcore and SSF pick in Forbidden Rites. Its share more than doubles from the softcore ladder (6.3%) to Hardcore (14.4%) and SSF (14.2%). Most players pair Kelari with Navira (72%), some with Ruzhan (32%), and 90% hold a sceptre and focus.
Ice Shot Deadeye (S)
The only bow build in S. Almost all of them run Ice Shot with Herald of Ice, most add Tornado Shot and Freezing Mark, and 98% use a bow and quiver. Its weakest score is Hardcore, at 3.5%, but it holds 6.2% of SSF, so it starts well on found gear.
Twister Gemling Legionnaire (A)
Twister ties Flameblast for the largest day-3 share (12.3%) but falls to about 4% in Hardcore and SSF. The gear shows why. 94% of week-8 Twister Gemlings wear The Taming ring, against 23% on day 3. It's a strong trade-league start that relies on that ring to scale.
Entangle and Grim Pillars Oracle (A)
This is the Druid's best starter. Entangle is the main skill, and 71% of these Oracles also run Grim Pillars, so the totems keep fighting while you move. It scores 2 or 3 points on every ladder but misses S because its week-8, Hardcore and SSF shares all sit under 5%.
Best league starter for each class
| Class | Best starter (tier) | Next option (tier) | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenary | Flameblast Gemling (S) | Twister Gemling (A) | Gemling is a third of the whole ladder |
| Monk | Hollow Form Martial Artist (S) | Poisonburst Arrow Acolyte of Chayula (C) | The best melee start this league |
| Huntress | Wild Protector Spirit Walker (S) | Twister Spirit Walker (B) | Companions hold up better than Twister in Hardcore |
| Sorceress | Disciple of Varashta (S) | Spark Stormweaver (B) | Varashta is the top Hardcore and SSF build |
| Ranger | Ice Shot Deadeye (S) | Ice Shot Pathfinder (D) | Deadeye is the only Ranger pick above D |
| Druid | Entangle Oracle (A) | Walking Calamity Shaman (D) | Oracle is far ahead of Shaman |
| Witch | Infernal Hound Infernalist or Contagion Lich (C) | Comet Infernalist (C) | Comet is a late-league build; see below |
| Warrior | Infernal Cry Titan (C) | Shield Wall Smith of Kitava (C) | Both do better in Hardcore and SSF than in trade |
You can still start a Warrior or Witch. Just expect a slower start than the S-tier picks and fewer up-to-date guides to follow.
Best league starters for hardcore and SSF
Hardcore and SSF punish a slow or fragile start, and the ladders show it. In order of Hardcore share on October 29:
| Build | Hardcore | SSF | Why it holds up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disciple of Varashta | 14.4% | 14.2% | Minions take the hits |
| Wild Protector Spirit Walker | 10.3% | 8.8% | Companions take the hits |
| Flameblast Gemling | 8.7% | 8.5% | The top Mercenary build in both modes |
| Hollow Form Martial Artist | 7.9% | 7.8% | The best melee choice |
| Ice Shot Deadeye | 3.5% | 6.2% | Much stronger in SSF than in Hardcore |
Two smaller Warrior builds also do better here than in trade. Infernal Cry Titan and Shield Wall Smith of Kitava are about three times as common in SSF as on the softcore trade ladder.
GGG's 0.5.5 patch notes say Hardcore Forbidden Rites characters move to the softcore Forbidden Rites league when they die, so a death doesn't send them to Standard.
Example: you're new to PoE2, playing SSF, with an evening or two a week. Disciple of Varashta is the safest start, because it's the most common SSF build by a wide margin. If you'd rather use a bow, Ice Shot Deadeye is the next-best SSF pick. Save Twister Gemling for a trade league, because the endgame version leans on The Taming.
Builds that start slowly and finish strong
Some builds are rare on day 3 but common by week 8. Treat them as transition targets: level something else, then switch when you have the gear.
- Comet Infernalist: 0.8% of characters on day 3 and 3.9% on October 29, about five times its launch share. The week-8 versions lean on uniques such as The Brass Dome (79%) and Alpha's Howl (78%), so it isn't a day-one build.
- Spark Stormweaver: 1.7% on day 3 and 3.0% now. About two-thirds of week-8 versions use Maligaro's Virtuosity.
- Ice Shot Pathfinder: 0.1% on day 3 and 0.7% now. Ice Shot Deadeye is still the better way to start with this skill.
Other builds faded. Galvanic Shards Tactician was 1.1% of characters on day 3 and is 0.3% now, and Twister Spirit Walker dropped from 3.1% to 1.8%. These shares are relative to the whole ladder, so a drop can also mean other builds grew faster.
Know the 8 classes and ascendancies
| Class | Main attribute | Starting weapon | Ascendancies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Strength | One-hand mace and shield | Titan, Warbringer, Smith of Kitava |
| Ranger | Dexterity | Bow and quiver | Deadeye, Pathfinder |
| Huntress | Dexterity | Spear and buckler | Amazon, Spirit Walker, Ritualist |
| Mercenary | Strength / Dexterity | Crossbow | Tactician, Witchhunter, Gemling Legionnaire |
| Witch | Intelligence | Wand and sceptre | Infernalist, Blood Mage, Lich (poe.ninja also tracks Abyssal Lich separately) |
| Sorceress | Intelligence | Staff | Stormweaver, Chronomancer, Disciple of Varashta |
| Monk | Dexterity / Intelligence | Quarterstaff | Martial Artist, Invoker, Acolyte of Chayula |
| Druid | Strength / Intelligence | Staff and talisman | Oracle, Shaman |
You choose your first Ascendancy in Act 2, at the Trial of the Sekhemas. Pick a class for its starting spot on the passive tree, not its starting weapon, since many top builds swap weapons (Flameblast Gemlings mostly carry a staff, not the Mercenary's crossbow).
Fit the build to Forbidden Rites
GGG's 0.5.5 patch notes put a Ritual encounter in every campaign area. These campaign Rituals give levelling items such as crafting currency and equipment. Twice in each Act and once in each Interlude, a cluster of Ritual Effigies sits on top of each area's boss fight. Beat a boss Ritual and that boss joins the next Ritual in the cluster, in a growing series of boss waves. Finish the series to spend your Tribute on Unique Items.
That favors builds that fight several bosses at once without standing in the middle: minions (Varashta, Spirit Walker companions), totems (Grim Pillars Oracle) and freeze (Ice Shot Deadeye). In parties, each member now earns their own Ritual Tribute and gets their own reward list (GGG).
Our Forbidden Rites leveling guide shows how to use the campaign Rituals to gear any of these builds. Once you reach maps, the Sacred Bloom and Viridian Wildwood guide covers the league's endgame mechanic.
Ask four questions before committing
- How much time do you have? If you play a few hours a week, take an S-tier build with a high Hardcore share. Deaths and corpse runs cost you the most time.
- Melee or range? Martial Artist is the melee pick. Deadeye, Varashta and Spirit Walker keep you at range or behind minions.
- Trade or self-found? In SSF, take Varashta, Spirit Walker or Deadeye. Twister Gemling relies on The Taming in trade.
- Starter or endgame build? Comet Infernalist and Spark Stormweaver grow late. Level something else, then switch.
I'm starting ___ because it's S or A tier, and I'll judge it at the end of Act ___ by ___ (deaths, clear speed or boss kill time).
Check a build guide before you follow it
- Patch: 0.5.5 and its b to e patches changed no skills or ascendancies. The 0.5.5 number changes were to Soul Cores, tablets and Atlas passives (GGG). A guide written for 0.5 still works, but one for 0.4 or earlier may not.
- League: Forbidden Rites started with a fresh economy. Uniques a build depends on, such as The Taming for Twister, cost more early in a league.
- Fallback skill: builds with more than one common main skill, like Martial Artist (Rend or Whirling Assault), survive a nerf better.
- Ladder share: poe.ninja numbers change daily. Check the live builds page rather than trusting a quoted percentage, including ours.
Once your build is running, our PoE2 loot filter guide keeps the screen clean, and the endgame Atlas guide covers what to do after the campaign. Every other guide for the game is on the Path of Exile 2 hub.
Returning players and the road to 1.0
- Back from 0.4 or earlier: the two 0.5 ascendancies, Martial Artist and Spirit Walker, are both S tier here, alongside Disciple of Varashta, Gemling and Deadeye. Infernalist minions, an older favorite, now sit in C.
- Runes of Aldur: it's still open and ends with Forbidden Rites at the 1.0 release. Characters don't move between the two leagues (GGG's Forbidden Rites FAQ).
- 1.0: GGG has announced the free-to-play full release for December 11, 2026 (PST), which adds the Duelist. Check GGG's announcements for what happens to Early Access characters at launch.
- Currency for your upgrades: our Divine Orb farming guide covers the main strategies.
Want a hand with this?
If you would rather not grind this part yourself, Path of Exile 2 build services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Grinding Gear Games's Terms of Use before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission. Our PoE2 account-risk guide explains the rules.
FAQ
What is the best league starter in PoE2 Forbidden Rites? Five builds are S tier in our poe.ninja ranking: Flameblast Gemling Legionnaire, Hollow Form Martial Artist, Wild Protector Spirit Walker, Disciple of Varashta and Ice Shot Deadeye. Flameblast Gemling is tied with Twister Gemling as the most played.
What is the best class in PoE2 0.5.5? Mercenary, through the Gemling Legionnaire. Gemlings are 33.4% of all indexed softcore characters on October 29, and both Gemling builds are S or A tier.
What is the best PoE2 league starter for SSF? Disciple of Varashta. It's 14.2% of the SSF Forbidden Rites ladder, the highest share of any build. Wild Protector Spirit Walker, Flameblast Gemling and Hollow Form Martial Artist follow.
What is the best hardcore league starter in PoE2? Disciple of Varashta again, at 14.4% of the Hardcore ladder. Wild Protector Spirit Walker is second at 10.3%.
Did 0.5.5 change the meta? Not the balance. 0.5.5 and its b to e patches changed no skills or ascendancies (GGG). The league mechanic favors builds that handle several bosses at once, such as minions, totems and freeze.
Can I play my Runes of Aldur character in Forbidden Rites? No. Forbidden Rites is a fresh league, so you start a new character. Runes of Aldur stays playable until 1.0.
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