PoE2 Bleed Huntress League Starter Theorycraft

Patch 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt launches tomorrow, 4 April 2025, and bleed builds are stepping into the spotlight. With Herald of Blood unleashing chain explosions and Huntress flexing her spear skills, this is your ticket to a wild start to the league. Whether you're a bleeding fanatic or just want a starter that kills, this guide breaks down the skills, gems, and Amazon Ascension perks that will make you a blood-soaked terror. Love the grind? Bookmark this page for quick reference, and check out our shop for gear inspiration to get you started. Let's get messy!  

The Bleed Huntress Edge

Bleed’s a classic—stack it, watch foes bleed out. Patch 0.2.0 spices it up: Herald of Blood pops corpses for 15% residual blood loss, aggravating bleeds for 100% more damage. Huntress, via Amazon, adds crit and accuracy to turn bleeds into a slaughterfest. It's cheap, it scales fast, and it feels damn good - perfect for day one.  

Skill Lineup: Your Bloody Arsenal

Explosive Spear (Tier 1): Chuck it, plant it—5-second delay or instant with frenzy charges (Buckler Parrying’s your friend). Overabundance doubles it - two spears, double trouble. Patch buffs spears, so throw it and stab between throws.  Rake (Tier 2): 100% bleed chance on a jump - your opener. Slap Brutality (25% more physical damage) on it for bigger bleeds. It's simple: jump in, bleed them out.  Spearfield (Tier 2): Stab the ground, spikes sprout - enemies you touch take bonus damage. Bloodlust (30% more vs. Bleeding) makes it a bleed booster after raking.  Rapid Assault (Tier 5): Six quick stabs, the last of which bleeds and imbeds a spearhead. Detonate with Explosive Spear - bosses crumble. Rage (3 rage/hit) can quickly generate 18 rage, pumping out physical damage.  Blood Hunt (Tier 7): Thrust, explode - bigger blasts with more bleed stacked. Can detonate spearheads (requires testing) - a pack-clearing finisher.Herald of Blood (Spirit Aura): Kills trigger 15% blood loss explosions, chaining to aggravate bleeds (100% more damage). Magnified effect (30% more AoE) expands the gore zone.

Early Game Plan

Kick off with spear stabs (Marshall Tempo + Rage)—build rage, pile on damage. Grab Explosive Spear with Overabundance and Concentrated Effect - skip the 35% less damage nerf from Scattershot. Late in Act 1, interweave Rake and Spear Field, then Rapid Assault. Herald of Blood slots in as you unlock it - rake, stab, detonate, repeat. Blood Hunt adds flair later.  

Amazon Ascendancy: Crits and Carnage

Amazon’s your pick—Ritualist’s charm gimmicks don’t cut it here. Start with Predatory Instincts:  Expose Weaknesses: 50% more damage against rare/unique foes with weaknesses - bleed bosses dry.  Critical Strike: Over-accuracy increases base crit chance by 25% - think 18-19% after scaling. Crits mean bigger bleeds.  In for the Kill: Speed spike - move and stab faster.Later, Stalking Panther doubles dodge on helm/gloves/boots (halves chest) - solid unless a new unique flips the script.  

Patch Perks to Exploit

Crimson Assault Keystone: Bleeds always aggravate (100% more damage), duration shrinks to 1s - 1000 damage hits now, not over 5s. Game-changer if it's full damage - try it on day one.  Trusted Kinship: Two companions - grab a bleeding beast or a tanky flesh shield.  Hemocrystals: Ditch bleed for crystals (max 20), explode for remaining bleed damage - no kill required. Rake in Chaos - wild combo potential.

Gear and Gems: Start Lean, Scale Mean

Focus physical damage and accuracy on spears early—cheap and effective. Ingenuity has been nerfed (20-30% per ring), but the Amazon ring buff keeps it viable - don't splash out just yet. Over 100 new support gems drop this patch - stick with Brutality, Bloodlust and Magnified Effect for now, tweak later.  

How it plays: Bleed ‘Em Dry

Leap with Rake, drop Spearfield, toss Explosive Spears, then Rapid Assault—detonate and stack bleeds. Blood Hunt and Herald of Blood shred packs with explosions. Bosses? Same dance, heavy on Rapid Assault and spear pops. It's fast, bloody, and scales with crits - a starter that doesn't mess around.  

Why You’ll Love It

This build’s a budget brawler—spear buffs and bleed scaling mean you don’t need fancy gear. Herald chains clear packs and Rapid Assault takes care of single targets. It's plug-and-play for April 4th, with room to grow into the endgame. Blood everywhere, damage ticking - what's not to like?  

Thanks for Reading

This Bleed Huntress is ready to rip through Dawn of the Hunt—gear up for April 4th and keep an eye on MMOJUGG for more Wraeclast mayhem!