S-TIER | BUILD CHASSERESSE CLUSTER GRENADE AMAZON (@Forefinger404) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

Here is one of the strongest league starters of Path of Exile 2 Season 0.5, designed by Forefinger404. This grenade build works just as well on the Huntress as on the Ranger or the Mercenary, and it was able to rush the Arbiter in under 7 hours in SSF (Solo Self-Found) on a fresh environment — an impressive result for a league start.

The core of the build relies on Cluster Grenade to destroy bosses and Explosive Grenade to clear packs. Progression is extremely smooth: you can start from level 1 and chain through all the game’s content, from leveling all the way to pinnacle content. The signature combo Wing Blast → Rend → Cluster Grenade opens a devastating burst window on bosses, with up to 80% more damage thanks to the stacking of the guaranteed shock and the Rend multiplier.

The build’s other strength is its flexibility: you first play the Amazon ascendancy to take advantage of the new unique Revery, which offers insane life recovery (nearly 1,800 HP regenerated per second in the early game), then you can transition to any endgame build — most notably Ice Shot — once you’ve accumulated enough currency. A fast, budget-friendly and tanky league starter that carries you seamlessly all the way to the endgame.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 3 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding gem setup.

Leaguestart/Reverie Endgame Set 1 Endgame Set 2

Leaguestart/Reverie

8 skills • 36 gemmes

Grenade explosive

Grenade assourdissante

Grenade à fragmentation

Oil Grenade

Bondissement

Rugissement féroce

Héraut de la cendre

Archer mirage

Endgame Set 1

7 skills • 34 gemmes

Tir de glace

Tornade de flèches

Héraut de la glace

Marque glaciale

Tir de barrage

Rage éternelle

Cri infernal

Endgame Set 2

7 skills • 31 gemmes

Tir de glace

Tornade de flèches

Berserk

Marque glaciale

Tir de barrage

Rage éternelle

Cri infernal

Recommended Equipment

Forefinger404 offers three distinct sets: the league start, the Revery transition, then the endgame set. The idea is to level up on basic gear and then progressively min-max.

• Weapon (Siege Crossbow): aim for +3 to Level of all Attack Skills and physical damage. The crossbow is easy to craft at low cost (see the dedicated section below).
• Armor: prioritize armor bases (you’ll be locked into Strength during the campaign). Armor is excellent and was buffed in the patch, which makes your Rend very solid in early maps.
• « Nade » set (transition): any base with life, mana and resistances is enough — it’s extremely easy to gear. You’ll switch to Energy Shield (ES) only once Eldritch Battery is taken.
• Key unique: Revery: this is the piece that unlocks the build’s massive recovery. Combined with Herbalism and Herald of Flesh, it pushes life regeneration to outrageous levels.
• Endgame set (mirror-tier): Right of Passage, a Mageblood belt, and Ice Shot optimized gear targeting around 5 million damage. Many of these pieces (life + mana gloves, mana + damage rings) remain affordable since few builds are looking for them.

Gameplay Tips

• Killing the witch early: kite her with Contagion, kill the mobs along the way for XP, and let the DoT finish her off. Come back to hit her when she’s close to dying.
• Red Veil: use Contagion for clear (3 jumps + Contagion clears everything), then you can drop it afterwards.
• Pick up all the refined crossbows you find: these zones are where you’ll pick up your first decent weapon while farming XP and the league mechanic.
• Boss combo: Wing Blast to stun + power charges → Rend → instant dodge roll → Cluster Grenades that shock. This is what destroys bosses in early.
• Don’t rush Heavy Ammunition and Careful Aim too early: first level up the attack nodes to level 7, then head toward the grenade nodes which are much stronger.
• Avoid Area of Effect nodes: they reduce Cluster Grenade damage. Only Primal Sundering is an exception.
• Ascendancy: only do your Ascendancy after the Interlude boss (who drops the 3-floor barrier) to gain 6 points at once. Take Predator Instinct, In for the Kill and Merry Brew, then switch to Amazon once Revery is obtained.

The Rend + Wing Blast Combo: 80% More Damage on Bosses

This is the most important trick of the build for Huntress and Ranger players, who deal slightly less damage than the Mercenary due to their positioning on the tree. The principle is simple: Rend grants 50% extra lightning damage, which equals 50% more damage since you have no other source of « extra » damage. On top of that, it guarantees shock on bosses in virtually every scenario.

The optimal rotation: Wing Blast stuns the boss (once its stun gauge hits 70% stun buildup) and gives you power charges, then you cast Rend, do an instant dodge roll, and your Cluster Grenades shock the boss. With both multipliers stacked, you effectively gain 80% more damage — even with a mediocre weapon, bosses melt before your eyes. The stun buildup nodes (Heavy Ammunition, Careful Aim) let you stun very quickly and therefore land Rend early on bosses.

Cluster Grenade and Mirage Archer: The Core of the Build

For boss damage, the best setup for Cluster Grenade is: Multishot, Adhesive Grenades I (essential for bossing), Concentrated Effect (the support that provides the most boss damage of all those tested), Deliberation then Fire Attunement on a budget. In endgame, you can swap to Rigwalds Ferocity and similar options.

The real gem here is Mirage Archer: setup Cluster Grenade + Multishot + Adhesive + Concentrated Effect + Second Wind. Since Cluster Grenade has two charges (one base, one from the tree), Second Wind brings that up to four. On each proc, the Mirage Archer therefore fires four Cluster Grenades with only a 30% damage reduction (versus 50% for the Deadeye’s Mirage Archer). This is a massive damage boost against bosses, and since it is a meta gem, Second Wind does not affect proc frequency.

The Molten One’s Gift Node: Key to Scaling

Around level 53, you unlock the Molten One’s Gift node, arguably the most broken node in the build. It provides 10 fire resistance, increased damage, and most importantly an enhanced fully broken armour effect — which represents a 20% damage increase by reducing the boss’s armour. This effect is further amplified by 45%, and also impacts your fire damage.

The result: this single node provides nearly 30% more damage on both your physical and fire damage. It is one of the biggest power spikes in the entire progression. Also remember to stack penetration via Oil Grenade and dedicated nodes to strip boss resistances in the early game.

Endgame Transition: From Grenade League Starter to Ice Shot

Once enough currency has been accumulated, the build transitions to Ice Shot, the most tried-and-tested endgame archetype for this type of character. What makes this version unique is the use of the new unique Revery for insane life recovery. The mechanic revolves around stacking « increased life recovery from flasks » bonuses: 40% from the Revery node, 20% from two adjacent nodes, 30% from the campaign, an additional 15%, and 50% via the Herbalism of Herald of Flesh — roughly 155% life recovery from flasks.

With the « Hard to Kill » multiplier on top, you achieve roughly 1,800 HP/s regeneration and 1,100 mana/s very early in the league. Defensively, this is massive for a league starter. In endgame mirror-tier, the Ice Shot version aims for around 5 million damage while maintaining this massive recovery.

Crafting the Crossbow on a Budget

No need to aim for a mirror-tier weapon: Forefinger404 shows how to craft a Siege Crossbow very close to the top on a far more reasonable budget. You start from a base with increased physical damage (tier 1 or 2 depending on your budget), build it up to four affixes, then use a Fracturing Orb to lock in the physical mod. Next, two Orbs of Annulment and some Chaos Orbs spam to land a good fire damage or flat physical roll.

For the suffixes, you combine the Omens (Dextral Exaltation, Dextral Crystallization) with Perfect Essences to precisely target the right mods, and desecration with the Omen of Dextral Necromancy plus Amanamu’s Gaze to guarantee the « grenades have a chance to explode an additional time » mod. The result: a +3 crossbow (instead of +5) that easily handles all the game’s content, for a fraction of the price of a perfect version.

Skill Tree