Path of Exile 2: The Ultimate Low-Budget One-Shot Build Guide (2 Divine Orbs Version)

In Path of Exile 2, the line between budget and power is often razor-thin. With the ever-expanding meta and escalating gear costs, most players assume that one-shotting endgame bosses requires an absurd amount of divine orbs, Path of Exile 2 Currency, and months of grinding. But what if you could achieve that devastating one-shot potential — all for just around two divine orbs?

That’s exactly what this ingenious low-cost build does. It’s a stripped-down, fine-tuned version of a high-end one-shot build, optimized for affordability without sacrificing the ability to melt bosses in seconds. Whether you’re a new player looking to break into endgame content or a veteran wanting a fun budget challenge, this setup delivers remarkable performance for its cost.

Let’s break down exactly how this build works, what makes it so efficient, and how you can put it together piece by piece.

1. The Philosophy Behind the Build

The inspiration for this build comes from one simple idea:

“If a build looks expensive, analyze the core uniques and see what can be replaced or trimmed down.”

Not every build in Path of Exile 2 needs to rely on mirror-tier items. In many cases, clever substitutions, tree optimizations, and mechanical understanding can replicate the same power output for a fraction of the cost.

This particular setup is focused on three key principles:

Maximizing value from cheap uniques and jewels

Leveraging skill synergy rather than raw gear power

Balancing defense and offense for efficient boss farming

With roughly two divine orbs invested, this character can one-shot Tier 3 bosses, farm mid-endgame maps comfortably, and generate consistent profit from encounters like Breach and Zash.

2. Core Mechanics and Playstyle

The heart of the build revolves around poison damage scaling, critical strike synergy, and energy shield sustain.

You’ll rely on a combination of critical hits, projectile scaling, and poison multipliers to deal explosive single-target damage.

The Wiper Cap is the foundation here — specifically the version that grants “four fewer enemies around you” for increased effect. This modifier interacts perfectly with your skills and allows your passive tree’s bonuses to trigger even when facing a single boss. Essentially, it turns a low-budget helmet into a pseudo-damage multiplier machine.

From there, the playstyle is straightforward:

Stack poison and critical chance bonuses.

Leap or dash into range.

Trigger your core skill — and watch bosses disappear.

It’s all about delivering that one perfect strike.

3. Passive Tree and Key Notables

The biggest challenge in designing a budget one-shot build is accessing key notables far away from your starting area on the passive tree. The perfect example is Leaping Ambush — an extremely powerful notable that’s normally out of reach.

The solution?

A Megalomaniac Cluster Jewel.

By slotting in a megalomaniac with Leaping Ambush and two complementary passives, you bypass long travel nodes and save dozens of passive points. These jewels often go for about 1 Orb of Annulment or 350 Exalted Orbs, depending on availability — making them one of the best value pickups for this setup.

If you can’t find the exact jewel, you can replicate similar bonuses by using the Delirium Anointment Roulette system — a more RNG-heavy, but still accessible, method for adding powerful passives to your amulet.

4. The Timeless Jewel: Vana’s Blessing

Another critical component is the Vana Timeless Jewel, which transforms strength into Energy Shield.

This simple transformation provides tremendous defensive value and allows the build to run hybrid Energy Shield + Life setups effectively.

In low-budget environments, maximizing defenses is essential — and this jewel is the single biggest upgrade to your survivability for just a few exalts.

5. The Weapon: Cheap but Deadly

You don’t need a 1,000+ DPS weapon to one-shot bosses — you need critical synergy.

Your weapon should prioritize:

Critical Hit Chance

Critical Damage Multiplier

+ to Projectile Skills

Auto-casting or Trigger Skills

DPS on the weapon itself is secondary. Even a 500 DPS weapon can annihilate Tier 3 bosses if it carries the right affixes.

The sweet spot is to find one with:

+2 to Projectile Skills

Crit Damage Bonus

Modest Base Damage

These can often be found for just a few exalted orbs.

6. Gear Breakdown: Slot by Slot

Let’s go over each slot in detail and see how to maximize efficiency:

Helmet: Wiper Cap

As mentioned earlier, get the version that provides “fewer enemies nearby” — the boss counts as one, which ensures maximum skill effect uptime. This saves a massive amount of currency since it activates key bonuses from the passive tree.

Body Armour

Look for high Evasion Rating and Energy Shield, combined with triple resistances. You don’t need special modifiers like “+1 to Socketed Gems” here — you can find great options at a fraction of the cost.

Gloves

Ideal affixes include:

High Energy Shield

Critical Damage Bonus

Resistances

You’ll also need to swap gloves for boss fights — equip Plague Finger during boss encounters for the poison damage boost. It’s a small inconvenience for a massive DPS increase.

Boots

Focus on:

Movement Speed (at least 30%)

Energy Shield

Remaining Resistances

Rings

Both rings should provide a mix of:

Damage

Resistances

One with Mana Leech or Mana Regen

You don’t need “free attack or resist” setups — those are expensive. Rings with dual attack and dual resist rolls offer excellent value.

Belts

You’ll actually need two belts:

Darkness Enthroned – For bossing, with damage-increasing Abyss Jewels slotted in.

Simple Rare Belt – For mapping, with Life and Resist rolls.

This small gear swap doubles your efficiency in both bossing and mapping scenarios.

7. The Core Jewel Setup

Megalomaniac (with Leaping Ambush)

Vana Timeless Jewel (for ES from Strength)

Plus One Plasma Blast Jewel (if budget allows)

Blue Jewels with Maximum Energy Shield + Critical Damage Bonus

If you can’t afford the Plasma Blast Jewel early, focus on getting high-tier blue jewels — they often cost around 5 Exalts each but add enormous value to the build.

8. Skill Gems and Links

Unlike high-end setups that rely on +21 gem levels or Awakened Supports, this build stays modest:

Level 20 Skill Gems

Five-Link Setup

That’s it.

At current trade prices, that’s around 70–80 Exalted Orbs for all gems combined — an extremely cheap setup for endgame viability.

Since your one-shot potential comes from synergy rather than raw scaling, you can comfortably skip expensive Awakened Gems or corrupted level 21 versions.

9. Performance and Profitability

This build excels in Tier 3 Zash farming, which remains one of the most profitable endgame activities. Even midway through the season, Zash runs provide consistent income via:

Breach Rings

Catalysts

High-Value Unique Drops

Gem Drops (sometimes worth multiple Divines)

Earlier in the season, this build would easily pay for itself after a few sessions. Even now, in the late-season economy, it remains profitable and efficient for players who want to farm without major investments.

10. Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Extremely low cost for high-end performance

Capable of one-shotting bosses and clearing Tier 3 zones

Scalable with future upgrades

High Energy Shield + good resist coverage

Weaknesses

Requires gear swapping (gloves and belt) for optimal bossing

Slightly lower mapping speed compared to hyper-expensive meta builds

Relies on precise timing for one-shot mechanics

Despite these minor drawbacks, the power-to-cost ratio here is outstanding.

11. Final Thoughts

In Path of Exile 2, where most endgame setups cost dozens of divine orbs, this two-divine build stands out as a masterpiece of efficiency. It proves that with smart itemization, mechanical understanding, and the right passive synergy, you don’t need to be rich to deal rich-tier damage.

It’s a build designed for players who love to experiment, optimize, and push the limits of what “budget” can achieve. Whether you’re a solo mapper, boss farmer, or someone looking to break into endgame content for the first time, this setup delivers incredible value buy Path of Exile 2 Currency.

And yes, you’ll have to swap gloves and belts for boss fights — but when your screen explodes in a single shot of poison, it’s a small price to pay.

So go ahead — grab your Wiper Cap, craft your critical weapon, and unleash chaos on Wraeclast’s toughest foes. For two divine orbs, there’s simply nothing else like it.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for a build that defines “maximum impact, minimum cost,” this low-budget one-shot setup is the perfect entry point into Path of Exile 2’s endgame. It’s powerful, practical, and, above all, proof that smart design beats raw wealth every time.

Now get out there, Exile — and make every shot count.