PoE Sanity

Is Poison burst Arrow Pathfinder still Viable in 0.5.0? - Path of Exile 2

By FubgunWatch videoDuration: PT4M54S

Summary

  • The Poison Burst Arrow Pathfinder build received significant nerfs in the 0.5.0 patch, affecting movement speed, poison duration, utility, and single-target damage.
  • While the build remains technically functional and capable of clearing all content with high-end gear, it is no longer recommended as a league starter due to a diminished early-game experience.
  • Future potential rests on the impact of over 100 new runes and upcoming endgame unique items, though these remain speculative at this time.

The Nerfs to Poison Pathfinder

The build has been impacted by five direct nerfs that collectively reduce its speed, offensive capabilities, and utility:

  1. Run and Assault: Movement speed potency is reduced from 50% to 30%. This loss of movement speed while shooting makes the character easier to hit and negatively impacts the overall feel of the build.
  2. Overwhelming Toxicity: Poison duration reduction is increased from 35% less to 50% less, significantly lowering total damage output.
  3. Poison Burst Arrow: The base poison duration is reduced from five seconds to three seconds. Combined with the Overwhelming Toxicity change, this creates a major reduction in poison duration, which may make the clear speed feel mediocre.
  4. Plague Finger (Unique Gloves): These gloves no longer allow the user to deflect elemental elements. This removes the ability to apply chill (a defensive loss) and shock (an offensive loss of at least 20% more damage).
  5. Toxic Growth: The pod limit for single-target damage is reduced from 12 to six. This heavily impacts high-end scaling and boss pre-loading.

General Nerfs

Additional global changes further impact the build’s performance:

  • Energy Shield (ES) Recovery: Substantial reduction in ES recovery.
  • Martial Weapon Passive: Reduced flat damage bonuses for martial weapons, affecting all builds in this category.

Viability and Future Outlook

Despite being heavily targeted in the patch notes—likely due to its high popularity in the previous league—the build is not “dead.”

  • League Starting: Not recommended. The early game, including the campaign, will feel significantly worse than in 0.4 due to the combined impact of reduced movement speed and lower poison duration.
  • High-End Play: The build remains viable for all content and boss encounters if the player invests in high-end gear. It requires more investment than before to reach the same level of power.
  • Potential Buffs: There is a possibility that the build could be bolstered by:
    • Over 100 new runes being introduced.
    • The Olaf’s Legacy rune, which allows the stealing of a unique modifier from specific uniques.
    • New endgame unique items associated with upcoming pinnacle bosses.

Key References