PoE2 Dawn of the Hunt: Bleed Huntress Leveling Build Guide

Apr-10-2025

 

With the "Dawn of the Hunt" update, Path of Exile 2 has introduced numerous new items and skills, altering the gameplay for many characters. Unfortunately, previously strong builds no longer work in this patch. However, don't worry! Today, we will present a powerful build guide - the Bleed Huntress Leveling Build. If you're looking for a Huntress leveling guide, come to have a look!

 

 

Path of Exile 2 Bleed Huntress Build Overview

The Bleed Huntress is a fast-paced, high-mobility build in Path of Exile 2 that excels at clearing mobs quickly using bleed damage and explosive bursts from Herald of Blood. While it struggles with single-target damage, its ability to chain explosions makes it a great choice for leveling through Acts 1-3.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Fast Mob Clearing – Bleed explosions wipe out groups enemies instantly.  

High Mobility – Skills like Disengage and Whirling Slash keep you agile.  

Scales Well – Strong early-game and smooth transition into mid-game.  

 

Cons:  

Weak Single-Target Damage – Struggles against bosses and tanky elites.  

Combo-Heavy Playstyle – Requires skill rotations for maximum efficiency.  

 

Gear Recommendations

 

 

Weapons

The Bleed Huntress is more suitable for eliminating a large number of enemies, with weaker attacks on individual enemies, especially elite enemies, Huntress’s weapon needs to give her extra damage.

 

When choosing a weapon, it is best to look for the following affixes:

Increase physical damage

Increase accuracy

Increase Dexterity

Increase Strength

 

These affixes enhance Bleed effectiveness and allow better scaling. If you can't find suitable weapons early, consider buying POE 2 Currency to exchange ideal ones.

 

Armor

Early Game: Focus on armor with Strength and Dexterity.

Late Game: Switch to gear with high Evasion Rating—aim for 70%+ to avoid deadly late-game hits.

 

Accessories

As for the accessories, we need to look for those that can increase Physical Damage, boost attributes (such as Dexterity and Strength), and provide high Elemental Resistance for survivability.

 

Runes

Runes are essential for enhancing your abilities, they will drop for monsters, even though they may be rare in the early game. For your weapon, focus on using the Vision Rune to gain an edge in combat. When it comes to armor, consider embedding the Glacial Rune, Storm Rune, and Desert Rune to boost your resistance and overall survivability.

 

Skill Setup by Act

Act I

- Parry → Rage  

- Whirling Slash  

- Twister → Scattershot, Lacerate  

- Rapid Assault → Martial Tempo  

- Rake  

- Disengage → Outmaneuver  

- Explosive Spear → Overabundance  

- Herald of Blood → Brutality  

Note: Bleed build type haven't confirmed—use Whirling Slash & Twister for AoE.

 

Act II

- Rapid Assault → Martial Tempo, Rage  

- Rake → Stomping Ground, Execute  

- Blood Hunt → Combo Finisher, Bloodlust  

- Disengage → Outmaneuver, Overpower  

- Herald of Blood → Brutality  

- Bloodhound’s Mark

Now your bleed engine begins to ramp up. Rake becomes your main attack.

 

Act III

- Whirlwind Lance → Martial Tempo, Lacerate, Scattershot  

- Rake → Stomping Ground, Ancestral Call  

- Blood Hunt → Combo Finisher, Bloodlust  

- Disengage → Outmaneuver, Overpower  

- Herald of Blood → Brutality  

Whirlwind Lance changes your playstyle—use it to set up tornadoes that detonate for large bursts.

 

Top Passive Nodes for Bleed Huntress

To maximize the power of Bleed Huntress, selecting the right passive skill nodes is essential—especially during the early to mid-game where power spikes can make or break your efficiency.

 

Predatory Instinct: Reveals Weaknesses against rare/unique enemies. Deal 50% more damage to enemies with an Open Weakness.

Primal Instinct: +10 Dexterity, +8% Attack Speed, +8% Area of Effect.

Stalk and Leap: +30% Projectile Damage after a melee hit (past 8s), and vice versa.

Prolonged Assault: +16% Attack Speed, +16% Skill Effect Duration, Buffs expire 10% slower.

Fast-Acting Toxins: Damaging ailments deal damage 12% faster.

Wasting: +15% Ailment Duration on enemies, +30% Hit Damage vs Ailmented enemies.

Perfectly Placed Knife: +30% Crit Chance vs Bleeding enemies, 20% chance to aggravate Bleeding on Crit.

Exposed Wounds: +15% chance to inflict Ailments, Hits break +30% Armour on Ailmented enemies.

Bloodletting: 10% chance to inflict Bleed on hit, +15% Bleed Magnitude.

Lay Siege: +1% Damage per 1% Block Chance.

 

These nodes will greatly increase your bleed uptime, explosion potential, and general attack efficiency. Combined with the Herald of Blood and the Blood Ignition mechanism, these passive nodes will form the core pivot points in your damage cycle and survival chain.

 

Final Thoughts

The Bleed Huntress Leveling Build thrives in fast-paced gameplay, excels at clearing mobs with stylish bleed detonations, and makes great use of the new Herald of Blood mechanic. While its single-target damage and skill management can pose a challenge, the build offers an engaging and effective path through early Path of Exile 2 content.