The Warrior Class in Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict is all about dominating the battlefield with devastating ground-slamming skills. Among the many builds available, the Sunder Smith of Kitava stands out as a powerhouse capable of dealing massive physical and cold damage with guaranteed critical hits. In this guide, we'll break down the optimal setup, gear, skills, and strategies for mastering this build in PoE 2 Patch 0.3.0.

Even though items for the Smith of Kitava and other Warrior builds are generally affordable, some pieces may be outside your budget. If that's the case, our Path of Exile 2 Currency Store is open 24/7, offering a wide range of gear and currency to enhance your character.

Why Choose the Sunder Smith of Kitava in Patch 0.3.0?

Most Smith of Kitava builds rely on the Resolute Technique to ensure attacks never miss. However, the Sunder Smith of Kitava is unique because Sunder specially interacts with enemy armor:

· Sunder slams the ground, sending a rolling fissure forward.

· The skill guarantees critical hits if the enemies' armor is fully broken.

· Sunder itself cannot break armor, so you'll rely on Mace Strike and later Ancestral Warrior Totem to chip away enemy defenses.

Additionally, the build incorporates Herald of Ice for massive explosions on frozen enemies and Hammer of the Gods (HoTG) with Lightning Infusion and Conduction to inflict Shock, amplifying your damage.

The Smith of Kitava was chosen for his defensive capabilities and ascendancy nodes, which make it easy to achieve 90% elemental resistances and boost your armor with Smith's Masterwork.

Key Ascendancy Nodes

For the Sunder Smith of Kitava, prioritize the following nodes:

· Molten Symbol, Support Straps, Kitavan Engraving, Flowing Metal – increase the effectiveness of body armor and resistance.

· Coal Stoker and Forged in Flame – boost fire resistance to help cap elemental resistances.

· Smith's Masterwork – allows special modifiers on body armor for extra survivability.

You can customize node allocation depending on your gear and elemental resistances.

Ideal Gear Modifiers

To maximize the Sunder Smith of Kitava's potential, focus on the following gear stats:

· Increased/Added Physical Damage

· Added Cold Damage

  · to Level of All Melee Skills

· Increased Attack Speed

· Gain Mana per Enemy Killed

· Increased Block Chance

  · to Maximum Life

  · to Strength

· +% Fire Resistance

Playstyle

· Mapping: Use Sunder alone to clear regular monsters. For rares, chip their armor with Mace Strike before hitting them with Sunder for guaranteed criticals.

· Bossing: Deploy Ancestral Warrior Totem to break armor, then cast Infernal Cry and Sniper's Mark, followed by Hammer of the Gods to inflict Shock. Alternate between Mace Strike and Sunder to maximize damage.

· Movement: Shield Charge with Dodge Roll optimizes mobility.

Gear Recommendations

Weapons

· Weapon 1 (Sunder & Mace Strike): Sacred Maul – high base physical damage, attack speed, added cold for Herald of Ice, increased attack speed, and mana gain per enemy killed.

· Weapon 2 (HoTG): Ironwood Greathammer – enhanced stun build-up, +7 to all melee skills, increased stun duration.

Shield

· Focus on increased block chance and 8% additional physical damage reduction. Consider Soul Core of Jiquani for bonus life.

Body Armor

· Ornate Plate (White Body Armor): high armor, HP regeneration, and compatible with Smith's Masterwork. Vaal Orb for corruption may yield beneficial enchantments.

Helmet

· Thrillsteel: +20% skill speed, +10% movement speed with permanent Onslaught.

Gloves

· Vaal Mitts: cold damage, +2 to all melee skills, and accuracy.

Boots

· Focus on strength, movement speed, and elemental resistances as needed.

Amulet

· Lapis Amulet: +INT for Herald of Ice, additional Spirit, +3 to melee skills, +8% max life.

Rings

· Polcirkeln – shatters chilled enemies.

· Rare Ruby Ring – adds lightning damage to attacks for HoTG Shock synergy.

Belt

· Infernoclasp – increase maximum fire resistance to help reach 90%.

Charms

· Thawing Charm – immunity to freeze.

· Silver Charm – protection against slow effects.

· Ngamahu's Chosen – generates Rage for maximum skill damage.

Flasks

· Olroth's Resolve – Guard on life recovery for added defense.

· Ultimate Life Flask – increased amount recovered and charges.

Jewels

· Against the Darkness – boosts fire resistance and strength.

· Rare jewels – increase physical damage, block chance, attack speed, and life.

Skill Setup

Main Skills

· Sunder: Supercritical, Heavy Swing, Fist of War, Lacerate, Concentrated Effect

· Mace Strike: Cold Infusion, Splinter, Close Combat, Rage, Impact Shockwave

· Hammer of the Gods: Lightning Infusion, Lasting Shock, Conduction, Ambrosia, Hourglass

· Infernal Cry: Premeditation, Enraged Warcry, Raging Cry, Tireless

· Ancestral Warrior Totem: Armour Breaker, Martial Tempo, Ancestral Urgency, Demolisher

· Herald of Ice: Primal Armament, Reach, Longshot, Magnified Effect, Elemental Focus

· Sniper's Mark: Single Out, Lifetap

· Scavenged Plating: Persistence, Precision

· Berserk: Vitality, Cannibalism

· Shield Charge: Ingenuity

Passive Tree & Priorities

· Early: Focus on damage nodes like Overwhelm, Mass Hysteria, Singular Purpose, Crushing Verdict.

· Allocate Giant's Blood to meet STR requirements for dual-wielding.

· Later: Boost area damage and AoE for Sunder and HoTG.

· Polymathy – grants intelligence for Herald of Ice.

· Optional: Deep Wounds, Aggravation, and mace-specific nodes.

Advanced Tips

1. Proc Herald of Ice: Ensure cold damage is present on gear to amplify base damage for consistent shatters.

2. 90% Fire Resistance: Achieve via Flowing Metal, Infernoclasp, and additional jewels.

3. Runes & Soul Cores: Greater Iron Runes boost physical damage; Soul Core of Jiquani increases max life; Tacati boosts chaos resistance.

4. Corrupting Items: Vaal Orb corruption may add sockets or improve stats.

5. Dual-Wielding Maces: Optional for maximum HoTG damage if budget allows.

Final Thoughts

The Sunder Smith of Kitava in Patch 0.3.0 is a rare Warrior build that consistently lands critical hits, shatters enemies with cold damage, and deals immense Shock damage with HoTG. Mapping, bossing, and general gameplay become effortless thanks to Herald of Ice, Polcirkeln, and the defensive capabilities of the Smith of Kitava ascendancy.

If you're looking for a slam-based build that's versatile, tanky, and capable of annihilating almost any foe, this is the build for you. For PoE2 currency or any items mentioned in this guide, visit our PoE 2 Store, supporting over 100 payment methods with responsive customer service.