In Path of Exile 2, Tier 4 (T4) content represents one of the highest levels of challenge in the game, often involving powerful bosses and gauntlets that demand optimized builds, strong mechanics, and the ability to clear enemies quickly. One of the more demanding T4 fights is the Breachlord encounter, where players must complete a timed gauntlet before even facing the boss. Many players find themselves struggling to beat the timer with slower builds. For instance, summoner builds often suffer due to poor minion pathing and their reliance on elite enemy spawns to extend the timer. To help players handle this content effectively, here's a guide to three of the best builds for T4 bosses and gauntlets in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0, also known as Dawn of the Hunt.
1. Lightning Spear Invoker Monk Build
The Lightning Spear Invoker Monk is one of the most well-rounded builds for T4 content in Path of Exile 2. It excels in both single-target boss damage and screen-wide clearing speed, making it especially effective for gauntlets that require quick elimination of large numbers of enemies. With only a single divine orb of investment, this build can handle Tier 15 maps and Tier 4 Pinnacle bosses.
It uses Lightning Spear for wide area-of-effect damage, reminiscent of old Herald of Thunder mechanics, while Storm Lance handles sustained single-target damage. The build relies on several synergistic combinations, such as Ambush with Sunder My Enemies, Crown of Eyes with Threaded Light, and high spirit stacking for damage scaling.
The critical scaling is affordable and effective, using gear like the Seaglass Spear and gear that boosts elemental crit. Defensive layers include energy shield conversion, boosting the stun threshold to help survive high-pressure situations. The build is easy to gear, fast-paced, and powerful against most of the game's toughest content.
Recommended Gear
• Main Hand: Seaglass Spear
• Offhand: Threaded Light
• Helmet: Crown of Eyes
• Body Armour: Vile Robe
• Gloves: Grim Gloves
• Boots: Luxurious Slippers
• Belt: Utility Belt
• Amulet: Azure Amulet
• Rings: Sapphire Ring and Topaz Ring
Skill Setup
• Lightning Spear
• Storm Lance
• Cast on Critical
• Herald of Thunder
• Barrage
• Combat Frenzy
• Blink
• Unbound Avatar
2. Lightning Spear Huntress Build
The Lightning Spear Huntress build is another top-tier option for Tier 4 content, and it thrives in the Dawn of the Hunt league due to its high burst damage and great mobility. This build is all about speed—moving fast, killing fast, and dodging fast. It features over 2.5 million effective DPS through the combination of Storm Lance detonations and critical strikes enhanced by debuffs like Malice.
It performs exceptionally well against high-end bosses such as Zested and Simulacrum elites. The use of Infuse Weapon boosts your primary spells, and Conductivity further amplifies lightning damage. The build also includes mobility-focused mechanics and layers of defensive utility, such as Ghost Dance and Wind Dancer, which help keep the Huntress alive during high-pressure gauntlets and boss fights.
This is a build built for high-speed, clear, and deadly precision, perfect for players who want to zip through maps and bosses without losing efficiency.
Recommended Gear
• Main Hand: Seaglass Spear
• Offhand: Omen Sceptre
• Helmet: Kamasan Tiara
• Body Armour: Falconer's Jacket
• Gloves: Adorned Wraps
• Boots: Quickslip Shoes
• Belt: Utility Belt
• Amulet: Amber Amulet
• Rings: Sapphire Ring and Topaz Ring
Skill Setup
• Lightning Spear
• Storm Lance
• Barrage
• Infuse Weapon
• Conductivity
• Combat Frenzy
• Cast on Critical
• Herald of Thunder
• Ghost Dance
• Wind Dancer
3. Glacial Lance Deadeye Build
If you prefer cold damage and massive burst, the Glacial Lance Deadeye might be your ideal T4 build. This build has drawn attention for its ability to two-shot Tier 4 boss Xesht and even one-shot Citadel bosses. It makes use of Glacial Lance, a cold projectile spell that does serious damage when supported and scaled correctly. Combined with high crit, elemental scaling, and projectiles that penetrate enemies in a straight line, this build becomes a boss destroyer.
The key to this build's strength lies in its burst potential and its ability to front-load a ton of damage at once. In T4 gauntlets, that's extremely useful—if you can destroy a wave of enemies before the timer runs out, you'll breeze through. The build includes standard projectile enhancements and cold scaling mechanics. Skills like Sniper's Mark, Barrage, and Orb of Storms enhance its single-target and area clearing efficiency.
This build is slightly more fragile than the others, but with proper positioning and a good understanding of boss mechanics, it's one of the most powerful nuking builds currently available in patch 0.2.0.
Recommended Gear
• Main Hand: Forked Spear
• Offhand: Omen Sceptre
• Helmet: Spiritbone Crown
• Body Armour: Slipstrike Vest
• Gloves: Stalking Bracers
• Boots: Fortress Sabatons
• Belt: Utility Belt
• Amulet: Solar Amulet
• Rings: Prismatic Ring and Sapphire Ring
Skill Setup
• Glacial Lance
• Spear Throw
• Spear Stab
• Lightning Spear
• Barrage
• Sniper's Mark
• Orb of Storms
• Combat Frenzy
• Trinity
• Herald of Thunder
Wind Dancer
Final Thoughts on T4 Builds in PoE 2 Patch 0.2.0
The biggest challenge with T4 content in Path of Exile 2 is that you need a build that does it all—clear mobs quickly for gauntlets, do enough single-target damage to melt bosses, and survive long enough to avoid being deleted by enemy mechanics. These three builds—the Lightning Spear Invoker Monk, Lightning Spear Huntress, and Glacial Lance Deadeye—all meet those criteria in different ways.
The Invoker Monk provides a balanced approach with solid damage, defense, and a very budget-friendly setup. The Huntress leans more into critical burst damage and speed, which can help you beat timers and kill bosses before they become a problem. The Deadeye, while more fragile, delivers some of the highest damage potential for quickly ending even the most dangerous fights.
No matter which one you choose, all three are proven performers in the current 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt meta and offer a reliable way to handle high-end content. T4 may be a harsh test, but with the right tools and understanding of these builds, you'll be able to farm it confidently.
As the game continues to evolve, players should keep an eye on skill balance, item changes, and upcoming league mechanics that might favor one type of build over another. Until then, these three builds are among the safest bets for anyone looking to conquer T4 in Path of Exile 2.