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Act 2 of Lexd’s Shield Bash-only Warrior run in Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt league felt like watching someone turn a crazy idea into a solid, deadly plan. It is all about patience, a big shield, and a stubborn will to keep going. The trick here is simple – hold Raise Shield to block, let go to smash, and watch enemies crumble as the bash scales with your shield’s armour. Upgrading that armour is not just a little step, it is a huge leap in damage. Early fights were rough with stuns constantly breaking the rhythm, but Lexd handled them with smart positioning, switching targets, and a bit of grit. If you are into PoE 2 Items, you would know how every piece can change the flow of play in this kind of run.

 

The build evolved like any good SSF survival story. At first, Pin was his go-to for locking down trash mobs and keeping the hits manageable. But once boss fights started demanding more punch, he swapped to Bleed – way better for wearing down big targets. Pair that with Brutality II for pure physical damage, and suddenly these “just block and bash” fights turned into proper battles with respectable DPS. The passive tree choice was straight to the bottom-left, snagging every stun threshold, armour, and block node possible. No fancy ascendancy perks, just the Warrior’s core stats boosted with life and resists scrounged from whatever the unforgiving world decided to drop.

 

Gear progression in SSF is always a gamble. Lexd’s run had its moments – the jump from a paper-thin 93 armour shield to a 192 armour monster literally doubled his bash damage. Bosses fell quicker, fights had more breathing room. A lucky helm gave solid life and resist for chaos-heavy areas in Act 2, while crafted rings and amulets added thorns damage. That bit was a game changer. With thorns, enemies basically hurt themselves just by touching him, turning every block into a counterattack. By the end of the act, his defensive layer was so stacked that with block up he had an effective health pool estimated at around 5,000 – incredible for this stage.

 

Act 2 bosses were the real test. Rattlecage went down in under three minutes – barely a warm-up. Zalmarath the Colossus, on the other hand, was a 22-minute slugfest that looked exhausting even to watch. Bleed and thorns slowly drained its health as Lexd kept up perfect block timing. The Trial of Sekhemas, dreaded by melee characters, showed just how far skill can take you when raw damage output is not your main focus. This Shield Bash journey is proof that even off-meta ideas can thrive. If you know what you are doing and can keep your cool, this style is ridiculously safe and weirdly satisfying – and the road to Act 3 looks set to be even more brutal. For those gathering PoE 2 Items cheap, runs like this make it clear how much the right piece of gear can flip the script on the toughest fights.

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