TL;DR
- Focus on strength stacking and physical damage scaling for maximum effectiveness
- Utilize stun mechanics with Leap Slam and follow-up skills for explosive clears
- Prioritize block chance and fire resistance in gear selection
- Follow the three-act leveling progression for smooth character development
- Master the skill rotation for optimal single-target and area damage output
The Immortal Smith of Kitava Warrior Build represents the pinnacle of defensive strength and overwhelming physical power in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. This comprehensive guide provides detailed strategic insights into equipment optimization, skill combinations, and progression pathways that will enable you to fully master this formidable build and conquer any content across all game modes.
This build specializes in utilizing stun mechanics to create devastating chain reactions, combining exceptional survivability with explosive damage output. Understanding the core mechanics is crucial for maximizing your effectiveness with this warrior archetype.

Budget Planning
Strategic currency allocation is essential for this build’s progression. For entry-level mapping content, expect to invest approximately 80 Exalted Orbs to establish your foundational gear setup. Mid-tier optimization requires around 150 Exalted Orbs, while endgame perfection demands approximately 530 Exalted Orbs for maximum performance.
Essential Mods
Prioritize these critical modifiers on your rare items: Physical Damage enhancement, Fire Resistance, Attack Speed improvements, Chaos Resistance, +Level to Melee Skill Gems, Armour rating increases, Maximum Life bonuses, and Strength attributes. These form the core statistical foundation for your warrior’s capabilities.
Recommended Runes
Armour
Armour reinforcement, Fire Resistance stacking, Chaos Resistance protection, and Maximum Life augmentation should be your primary focus for defensive runes. For offensive capabilities, concentrate on Physical Damage amplification through weapon runes.
Rare Items (Option)
Vengeance Blast Massive Greathammer
Golem Roar Sacred Maul
Demon Emblem Glowering Crest Shield
Miracle Grip Commander Gauntlets
Gloom Claw Gleaming Cuffs
Rare Items
Chimeric Salvation Divine Crown
Victory Urge Bulwark Greaves
Rune Turn Topaz Ring
Beast Idol Jade Amulet
Powerful Option Items
The Surrender
When your budget allows, this shield becomes a game-changing defensive upgrade. Its unique property restores your life pool whenever you successfully block an attack. Combined with a “75% block chance” configuration, this item provides near-invulnerability against most incoming damage sources.
Infernoclasp
This exceptional unique belt offers tremendous value for the build. It provides a 5% increase to your maximum fire resistance cap, up to 20 additional strength points, and up to 40% fire resistance, making it an excellent choice for fire-based encounters.
Body Armour
Superior Ornate Plate
Flask
Life: Potent Ultimate Life Flask of the Foliage
Mana: Substantial Ultimate Mana Flask of the Practitioner
Charm
Analyst’s Thawing Charm of the Mixologist
Analyst’s Antidote Charm of the Mixologist
Clinician’s Stone Charm of the Apprentice
Attributes
Str 560
Dex 20
Int 20
Leap Slam (Level 10)
This mobility skill serves as your primary engagement tool for setting up stun chains against enemy groups. Proper execution creates the foundation for your explosive follow-up attacks.
Brink – Martial Tempo – Overpower – Rage
Boneshatter
Deploy this area skill to eliminate stunned enemy clusters created by your initial Leap Slam. The combination delivers exceptional clearing efficiency across most map layouts.
Impact Shockwave – Defy – Reach – Magnified Effect
Earthshatter
Reserve this ability for high-priority single targets like bosses and elite rare monsters. Position multiple instances around your target before detonating them simultaneously with Seismic Cry for maximum damage concentration.
Upheaval – Splinter – Aftershock – Font of Rage – Reverberate
Hammer of the Gods
This ultimate damage skill delivers catastrophic impact but requires careful setup. It can only be activated after achieving a heavy stun condition on your target, making it perfect for boss encounters when properly prepared.
Fist of War – Heavy Swing – Exploit Weakness – Heft – Rageforged
Infernal Cry
This warcry dramatically amplifies the damage of your subsequent attack. Always activate it immediately before executing Hammer of the Gods for optimal damage multiplication.
Premeditation – Enraged Warcry – Raging Cry – Tireless
Seismic Cry
Utilize this cry to increase enemy vulnerability to stun effects while adding an aftershock component to your next offensive action. Similar to Infernal Cry, employ it before Hammer of the Gods activation. Note that it only empowers your following attack when used against heavily stunned opponents.
Dazing cry – Inspiration
Overwhelming Presence
This persistent aura significantly enhances your ability to stun enemies consistently. Maintain its uptime during combat for reliable crowd control.
Cannibalism – Herbalism
Herald of Ash
This damage amplification buff substantially improves your clearing efficiency by adding burning damage to eliminated enemies.
Clarity
Shield Charge
This secondary movement ability provides additional positioning flexibility during intense combat situations.
Ingenuity
Recommended Mods
Block Chance enhancement remains your top priority for jewel selection, followed by Damage with Maces specialization. Additional valuable modifiers include generic Attack Damage boosts, Area of Effect expansion, Physical Damage amplification, Rage generation on hit, and Melee Damage increases.
Strategic jewel placement can dramatically improve your build’s performance. Focus on sockets that provide the most efficient pathing for your key attributes and damage types.
Part 1: Acts 1-2 Foundation
Beginning in Act 1, your initial toolkit consists of Rolling Slam complemented by basic attacks. While Rolling Slam has slower animation timing, it provides reliable area damage coverage. Remember that you can cancel the animation sequence prematurely – strike enemy groups with the initial impact, then immediately move to interrupt the remaining animation if targets are eliminated. At level 6, incorporate Shockwave Totem and Infernal Cry for additional damage layering. Despite modest clearing speed initially, you’ll discover that Act 1 bosses are surprisingly manageable. Rolling Slam consistently applies heavy stun effects while delivering substantial damage output.
Rolling Slam – Rage – Fist of War
Shockwave Totem – Brutality – Martial Tempo
Infernal Cry – Premeditation
Part 2: Act 3 Transformation
Upon reaching Act 3, your combat capabilities undergo a significant evolution. Once you achieve level 41, you gain access to Stampede, which dramatically improves both movement speed and clearing efficiency. Activate Herald of Ice alongside the Polcirkeln ring and Overwhelming Presence for enhanced clearing performance and reliable boss stunning. After acquiring your second ascendancy point allocation, equip a standard white body armour. When you reach Cruel difficulty, all skill options become available and level 3 support gems begin dropping, allowing you to refine your build according to the skill gem configurations detailed earlier. Crucially, after selecting “Giant’s Blood” in your passive skill tree, ensure you have sufficient strength attributes to properly wield your primary weapon.
Rolling Slam – Heavy Swing – Rage – Aftershock
Infernal Cry – Premeditation – Raging Cry
Stampede – Reach – Momentum – Cold Infusion
Earthshatter – Splinter – Brutality – Martial Tempo
Herald of Ice – Magnified Effect – Primal Armament – Longshot
Overwhelming Presence
Leveling Items
Goldrim Felt Cap
Wanderlust Wrapped Sandals
Edyrn’s Tusks Iron Cuirass
Hrimnor’s Hymn Oak Greathammer
Agony Blow Studded Greatclub
Corpse Crusher Crumbling Maul
Polcirkeln Sapphire Ring
Rune Knell Heavy Greathammer
For comprehensive passive tree guidance, refer to Daniel’s detailed video presentation. Keep in mind that successful build execution requires personal adaptation and experimental refinement to match your individual playstyle preferences. Use these foundational principles as your starting point, then customize and refine them to create your personalized combat approach. The formidable power of Kitava is now at your command – embrace the challenge and establish your legacy throughout Wraeclast!
As you master this build, consider exploring advanced optimization techniques and alternative gear configurations to further enhance your performance in specific content types.
Action Checklist
- Acquire core rare items and prioritize strength stacking gear
- Set up skill rotation: Leap Slam → Boneshatter for clearing, Earthshatter for bosses
- Optimize jewel sockets with block chance and mace damage modifiers
- Follow three-act leveling progression with recommended skill transitions
- Upgrade to powerful unique items like The Surrender shield when budget allows
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