Explosive gameplay is back inPath of Exile 2, and one of the most exciting archetypes rising in popularity is theGrenade Build. This new approach offers players an aggressive, tactical, and highly visual combat experience. Instead of relying solely on traditional spells or melee attacks, the grenade-focused build gives you a toolbox of throwable explosive devices, perfect for controlling space and dealing area-of-effect (AoE) damage. For players who love fast-paced combat and clever positioning, the PoE 2 Grenade Build is a powerful and rewarding option.
What Is the Grenade Build in PoE 2?
A Unique Twist on Skill Use
InPoE 2, grenades are not just utility tools; they’re central to certain character builds. The Grenade Build focuses on combining various types of throwable explosives to clear mobs, disable enemies, and deal heavy damage to bosses. This build thrives on versatility, letting you adapt to different situations by changing which grenades you throw and when.
Core Gameplay Loop
The Grenade Build operates on careful positioning and timing. You move quickly through areas, lobbing grenades at groups of enemies, watching them explode in sequence, applying debuffs or stacking damage over time. You’ll often kite enemies into kill zones or use terrain to your advantage. The build rewards map knowledge and fast decision-making.
Types of Grenades Available
There are several kinds of grenades that can be used depending on the skill gems and modifiers chosen. Mixing these grenades gives you the flexibility to deal with almost any threat.
- Fire Grenade: Deals explosive fire damage in a radius, often with a burn effect over time.
- Cold Grenade: Slows or freezes enemies, ideal for crowd control or escaping dangerous situations.
- Shock Grenade: Applies lightning damage with a chance to shock, increasing enemy damage taken.
- Poison Grenade: Deals chaos damage and applies a lingering poison cloud.
- Smoke Grenade: Reduces enemy accuracy and grants temporary evasion.
- Flashbang Grenade: Temporarily blinds and disorients enemies, reducing incoming damage.
Class and Ascendancy Recommendations
Best Class for Grenade Build
TheRangerandShadowclasses are ideal starting points for a grenade build. These classes offer bonuses to projectile damage, evasion, and mobility perfect for hit-and-run tactics and ranged AoE combat.
Recommended Ascendancy
For Ranger, theDeadeyeascendancy enhances projectile spread and damage, making grenades more effective across wider areas. For Shadow, theSaboteurascendancy offers strong synergy with trap and mine mechanics, which overlap well with grenade utility skills. Saboteur also improves damage over time and provides blind and evasion bonuses.
Passive Skill Tree Focus
Key Stats and Modifiers
A successful Grenade Build should prioritize the following passive bonuses:
- Increased AoE Damage
- Projectile Speed and Damage
- Status Effect Duration (Burn, Poison, Chill)
- Trap and Mine Damage (for crossover synergy)
- Energy Shield or Evasionfor defense
You can also focus on nodes that improve throwing speed, debuff effects, and elemental penetration to maximize your impact in all situations.
Gear and Weapon Choices
Optimal Weapon Types
While grenades are technically skill-based, certain weapons amplify your performance. Wands and daggers with bonuses to elemental damage, projectile modifiers, or skill effect duration are particularly helpful. Consider using dual wands for maximum skill benefit or one-hand + shield for better defense.
Recommended Gear Affixes
- +X% to Area Damage
- +X% Elemental Damage with Skills
- Increased Skill Effect Duration
- Chance to Ignite/Chill/Poison
- Increased Movement Speedfor kiting
Prioritize gear that supports your primary damage type (fire, cold, chaos, etc.). You’ll also want defensive stats such as resistances and life or energy shield to survive tougher encounters.
Support Gems and Skill Combos
Effective Gem Setups
Grenade Skills work best when linked with powerful support gems. Here are some top combinations:
- Fire Grenade + Elemental Proliferation + Ignite Proliferation + Burning Damage
- Cold Grenade + Hypothermia + Controlled Destruction + Increased AoE
- Poison Grenade + Void Manipulation + Deadly Ailments + Unleash
You can use utility skills such asSmoke Mine,Flame Dash, orFrostblinkto escape when surrounded. Use defensive spells likeSteelskinorMolten Shellto mitigate damage while re-positioning.
Playstyle and Combat Tips
How to Approach Fights
In most fights, you’ll want to throw grenades before enemies reach you, creating zones of damage and status effects. Use terrain to funnel mobs into narrow paths, then bombard them with high-damage explosives. Against bosses, cycle through grenades to apply multiple ailments and maximize damage over time.
Mobility and Survival
Mobility is essential for a grenade build. You’re not tanky, so use fast movement and utility grenades to keep distance. Stay mobile, never stand still for long, and always have a backup route if you’re cornered. Use terrain to block ranged enemies and keep yourself in open spaces where you can maneuver freely.
Pros and Cons of the Grenade Build
Strengths
- High AoE clear speed
- Versatile damage types and effects
- Great for crowd control and kiting
- Fun and visually impactful gameplay
Weaknesses
- Requires good positioning and timing
- Squishy if caught off-guard
- May struggle in narrow maps or boss arenas with limited space
- Not ideal for players who prefer passive or tanky builds
Endgame Viability
Scaling into Late Game
The Grenade Build can scale well into mid and late game with proper investment. You’ll need to upgrade gear and optimize your support gems and passives to stay competitive in high-tier maps or boss fights. When fully developed, this build can handle endgame content, though it may require more mechanical skill than other archetypes.
Recommended Content
This build performs well in:
- Map clearing
- Heist missions
- Delirium and Breach events
- Expedition zones
Boss fights are manageable but may take longer depending on the grenade types used and your level of investment in damage over time.
ThePoE 2 Grenade Buildbrings explosive action to your fingertips, rewarding players who enjoy speed, strategy, and high-impact visuals. With a wide selection of grenades to choose from and numerous ways to specialize, this build offers one of the most dynamic and interactive playstyles in Path of Exile 2. Whether you’re just starting out or planning your endgame setup, the grenade-based archetype is a powerful and flexible option for those who want to dominate enemies through clever use of tactical explosives.