Perfect Smith of Kitava Starter Guide – PoE 2: Dawn of the Hunt

If you’re diving into Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt and looking for a smooth, effective, and beginner-friendly build to kick off the league, the Smith of Kitava is one of the best starter choices you can make. This build is not just viable—it’s powerful from the get-go, scales beautifully with gear upgrades, and is incredibly satisfying to play whether you're new to the game or a seasoned Exile.

In this article, we’ll break down what makes the Smith of Kitava build so strong, how to get started, and why it’s the perfect league starter for Dawn of the Hunt.

Why Choose the Smith of Kitava?

The Smith of Kitava is a weapon-focused archetype that blends devastating melee damage, strong fire-based scaling, and fantastic early-game sustain. Its skills allow you to deal high damage in close quarters while maintaining durability thanks to innate life gain on hit mechanics and defensive utility baked into your ascendancy.

Whether you're aiming for fast campaign progression, early boss kills, or a smooth mapping experience, this build checks all the boxes:

Excellent clear speed

Low gear dependency

Solid bossing capability

Easy to understand for new players

Core Mechanics and Playstyle

At its core, the Smith of Kitava revolves around fire-based melee attacks, often leveraging the newly introduced Infernal Cleave or Molten Impact as primary damage-dealing skills. These skills scale heavily with fire damage and weapon physical DPS, making early progression feel smooth without needing high-end uniques.

The build’s identity is also tied closely to Kitava-themed forging mechanics, which allow you to create empowered weapons from corrupted foes. These tools of destruction not only hit hard but synergize with passives in the skill tree that reward brutality and ignite synergy.

The playstyle is aggressive but controlled—leaping into packs with movement skills like Flame Dash or Leap Slam, unleashing area-clearing swings, and burning down elites and bosses with fire-stacked hits.

Leveling Tips

From the moment you leave Lioneye’s Watch, this build has an easy time moving through the campaign:

Start with heavy-hitting melee skills like Ground Slam or Sunder.

As soon as Infernal Cleave becomes available, transition to poe2 trade it and start focusing on fire and melee damage nodes.

Prioritize life and resistances early on while keeping your weapon upgraded frequently for damage scaling.

Use crafting benches to keep your gear relevant every few levels—Smith of Kitava gains a lot from even basic fire and melee upgrades.

Early Game Gear and Progression

One of the main reasons this build is perfect for league start is that it doesn't rely on expensive uniques. A decent two-handed weapon with high base damage will carry you far. Look out for early modifiers like:

Increased fire damage

Added fire to attacks

Life gain on hit

Stacking armor and life will keep you alive through most of the content. As you approach mapping, consider aiming for ignite chance and attack speed modifiers to further enhance damage and clear speed.

Endgame Potential

The Smith of Kitava is not just a campaign crusher—it scales well into the endgame. Once you start crafting your weapons through the Kitava forge system and picking up key ascendancy nodes, the build transitions into a boss-slaying powerhouse. With moderate investment, it becomes a solid all-arounder capable of handling tough content in Dawn of the Hunt.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a smooth, no-nonsense league starter with reliable progression and satisfying gameplay, the Smith of Kitava is an ideal pick in PoE 2: Dawn of the Hunt. Whether you're a new player or a veteran looking for an efficient start, this build delivers a great balance of power, survivability, and simplicity.

Ready to buy POE 2 Currency forge your path in Wraeclast? The fires of Kitava await.

Let me know if you want a full skill tree layout or gear progression path next!