Top 3 Melee Builds for Path of Exile in 2025
Melee builds in Path of Exile offer an exciting and dynamic playstyle, perfect for players who enjoy getting up close and personal with their enemies. These builds are not only fast and fun but also offer great power, allowing players to clear content efficiently and deal with endgame bosses. In this article, we’ll take a look at three of the best melee builds to try in Path of Exile, each with unique strengths and playstyles.
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1. Flicker Strike Invoker
Flicker Strike is a popular skill for players who enjoy speed and mobility in their combat style. This build, combined with the Invoker ascendancy, allows for lightning-fast movements, zipping from enemy to enemy with ease. It’s an ideal choice for those who want to clear large packs of mobs and move swiftly across the battlefield.
Strengths:
Incredible mobility: Flicker Strike allows you to rapidly jump between enemies, clearing packs quickly and efficiently.
High survivability: The build offers excellent defensive layers, making it tanky enough to withstand damage in challenging encounters.
Fast mapping: Due to its quick movement, this build excels in mapping and clears content at an impressive pace.
Weaknesses:
Power charge dependency: Maintaining power charges is crucial for this build to perform optimally, and managing them can be tricky.
Slightly lower boss damage: While the build excels in clearing mobs, its boss damage can feel a bit slower compared to other melee builds.
Cost:
Budget: Around 35 exalted orbs for low-tier maps.
Mid-tier: Around 80 exalted orbs for mid-tier maps.
High-tier: Around 4 divines for high-tier maps.
2. Cyclone Slayer
The Cyclone Slayer build offers one of the smoothest and most satisfying experiences in Path of Exile. With Cyclone, you spin through packs of enemies, dealing massive damage while maintaining constant movement. The Slayer ascendancy provides bonus damage and sustain through leeching, making this a top choice for both beginners and experienced players.
Strengths:
Smooth playstyle: The Cyclone skill allows for continuous movement while attacking, creating a seamless gameplay experience.
Great sustain: The Slayer ascendancy’s life leech and instant leech provide excellent survivability, especially in high-tier maps.
Strong boss damage: With Slayer’s enhanced damage and sustain, the build performs well against bosses.
Weaknesses:
Less mobility: Unlike builds like Flicker Strike, Cyclone doesn’t offer instant movement, which can feel a bit slower.
Requires high investment: To fully optimize the damage, a decent investment is needed, especially in terms of gear.
Cost:
Budget: Around 50 exalted orbs for low-tier maps.
Mid-tier: Around 100 exalted orbs for mid-tier maps.
High-tier: Around 5 divines for high-tier maps.
3. Molten Strike Juggernaut
For players who prefer a more tanky, damage-dealing build, the Molten Strike Juggernaut is a powerhouse. Molten Strike launches fiery projectiles that explode on impact, dealing massive area-of-effect damage. The Juggernaut ascendancy boosts the build’s defenses, making it a great choice for players who want to tank damage while dishing out significant fire damage.
Strengths:
High survivability: The Juggernaut ascendancy provides massive defensive bonuses, including fortify and unflinching.
Strong AoE damage: Molten Strike provides excellent area damage, clearing mobs in no time.
Immense tankiness: The build can take significant hits, making it a perfect choice for those who prefer not to rely on evasion or dodging.
Weaknesses:
Slower movement: The build's tankiness comes at the cost of slower movement speed.
Requires heavy investment in gear: To maximize Molten Strike’s damage output and defense, investing in quality gear is essential.
Cost:
Budget: Around 40 exalted orbs for low-tier maps.
Mid-tier: Around 85 exalted orbs for mid-tier maps.
High-tier: Around 4 divines for high-tier maps.
FAQs
Which of these melee builds is the best for beginners?
The Cyclone Slayer build is recommended for beginners. It provides a smooth and easy-to-understand playstyle, with excellent sustain and decent damage. The Slayer ascendancy’s life leech makes it a forgiving choice, especially for players new to Path of Exile.
How do I maintain power charges in the Flicker Strike Invoker build?
Power charges are essential for the Flicker Strike Invoker build to deal optimal damage. To maintain them, focus on items, passive skills, and skill gems that generate power charges. Additionally, using items like power charge on crit and focusing on gear that increases your critical strike chance can help manage and sustain power charges.
Is the Molten Strike Juggernaut build good for solo play?
Yes, the Molten Strike Juggernaut build is an excellent choice for solo play. With its high survivability and the ability to tank damage while dealing powerful AoE damage, this build can handle content without relying heavily on other players.
Can these builds handle high-tier content like Uber Elder?
Absolutely! All three builds can be optimized to handle high-tier content such as Uber Elder. Flicker Strike Invoker excels at fast mapping and movement, Cyclone Slayer offers good sustain and boss damage, and Molten Strike Juggernaut provides high survivability while dealing massive AoE damage, making them viable for challenging endgame bosses.
How much currency do I need to invest in each of these builds?
Flicker Strike Invoker: Budget (~35 exalted), Mid-tier (~80 exalted), High-tier (~4 divines).
Cyclone Slayer: Budget (~50 exalted), Mid-tier (~100 exalted), High-tier (~5 divines).
Molten Strike Juggernaut: Budget (~40 exalted), Mid-tier (~85 exalted), High-tier (~4 divines).
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