A hooded Ranger sprinting through a moonlit swamp as green poison gas billows from her boots with every step
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0.5.5Ranger

Fartfinder Pathfinder

Levels 1-58 as a straightforward Poisonburst Arrow / Contagion bow build — apply Contagion, shoot Poisonburst Arrow, let the poison spread on death. At level 58, Sacrifice unlocks and the build transforms entirely: swap to Corpsewade boots and become 'Fartfinder' — every step automatically triggers Decompose, consuming nearby corpses (including your own Bind Spectre minions) into expanding poison gas clouds. One of the most complete real datasets in this series: two of the creator's own separate guides, stitched into one level-1-to-endgame-entry arc.

Skadoosh: lv 1-10 → 58+ Starter

Pathfinder

Ranger · Pathfinder

15 passives · lv 1-10

Build Planner

Gear

Legend

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Passive tree

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Path of Exile 2

Early access

Skill Gems

4 skills · 7 gems · lv 1-10

Main skill

Contagion

No supports

Skill · Weapon 1

Poisonburst Arrow

2 supports

Escalating Poison · Concentrated Area

Skill · Weapon 1

Vine Arrow

1 support

Swift Affliction I

Skill

Stormcaller Arrow

No supports

Early Access — skill data can change with patches · hover or tap a gem for its tooltip

View the leveling guide filtered to Ranger →
A Ranger loosing an arrow as a skeleton bursts into a bright green corpse-gas cloud in a dark forest

Sourced from two of the creator's own Mobalytics pages, used exactly as the creator intends them to be used together: the dedicated Poison Pathfinder Leveling 1-58 guide (5 real stages) for the campaign, and the Starter variant of the separate endgame Fartfinder guide (which itself requires level 58 to follow) for the finishing stage. Level 58 is a hard, real gate in the source data — Sacrifice, the skill that lets Decompose trigger off your own Bind Spectre minions instead of needing enemy corpses, is flatly unavailable before then. The build's entire active-skill identity changes at this point, from bow skills to boot-triggered poison clouds — that's not a guide artifact, it's really how this build works.

Ascendancy order

  1. Pathfinder
  • Pathfinder (ascendancy start) is already the target allocation from the very first 'lv 1-10' stage — take your first Trial as early as it's available and head straight for it.
  • Relentless Pursuit (your speed is unaffected by Slows) comes online by 'lv 21-30'.
  • Path Seeker comes online by 'lv 31-40'.
  • Enduring Elixirs (Life Flask effects aren't removed when Life refills, and don't queue) is the final Pathfinder notable, coming online at the level-58 'Starter' stage — the guide explicitly calls out replacing it once you can afford Mageblood, since Mageblood's own flask uptime makes it redundant.

Leveling & campaign stages

Level 1–10

1–10

Gear (self-found)

  • Weapon (Shortbow base, lvl 5+): 40% increased Physical Damage
  • Offhand (Broadhead Quiver base)
  • Flasks (lvl 4+): Medium Life Flask, Medium Mana Flask

Tree

  • New notables: Honed Instincts (8% increased Projectile Speed, 8% increased Attack Speed, +10 Dexterity), Clean Shot (15% chance to Pierce, 15% increased Projectile Damage), Vile Wounds (33% increased Damage against Ailment-afflicted enemies)
  • Ascendancy: Pathfinder (start) is already the target pick from level 1

Notes

  • Bow Shot works fine for very early single-target damage before Poisonburst Arrow and the rest come online
  • Core rotation once you have it: apply Contagion to an enemy first, then hit it with Poisonburst Arrow — when it dies, Contagion spreads the poison to nearby enemies
  • Vine Arrow is for crowd control and extra damage
  • Movement tech: hold dodgeroll to roll, then keep holding it to sprint immediately after and steer with the mouse cursor instead of WASD — getting hit while sprinting knocks you down, so only use it when you can avoid getting hit
  • Weapon/quiver stat priority: required level first, then % increased physical damage / flat physical damage added, then +Level of all Projectile Skills. Armor/jewelry priority: Movement Speed on boots, added physical damage to attacks, maximum Life
  • Contagion itself is found in the Occult skill section — create it and keep it at level 1; it stays useful the entire way to endgame

Level 11–20

11–20

Gear (self-found)

  • Weapon (Recurve Bow base, lvl 16+): Adds 1-4 Physical Damage, 50% increased Physical Damage, +1 to Level of all Projectile Skills
  • Offhand (Broadhead Quiver, rolled): Adds 2-4 Physical Damage to Attacks, +1 to Level of all Projectile Skills
  • Body Armour (Shrouded Vest base, lvl 16+): 15% increased Evasion Rating
  • Flasks (Grand Life/Mana, lvl 16+), Charm (Sapphire Charm, lvl 5+)

Tree

  • New notables: Lasting Toxins (10% increased Skill Effect Duration, 40% increased Poison Duration), Crippling Toxins (25% chance to Maim on Hit vs Poisoned enemies, 25% increased Poison Magnitude)

Notes

  • Plague Bearer comes online at 10 — start building the habit of using it on packs of monsters, since it's core to the endgame rotation later

Level 21–30

21–30

Gear (self-found)

  • Weapon (Dualstring Bow base, lvl 28+): Adds 4-7 Physical Damage, 50% increased Physical Damage, +1 to Level of all Projectile Skills, 8% increased Attack Speed
  • Offhand (Sacral Quiver base, lvl 16+): Adds 2-5 Physical Damage to Attacks, 11% increased Damage with Bow Skills
  • Body Armour (Studded Vest base, lvl 26+): +40 maximum Life, +39 Evasion Rating, 27% increased Evasion Rating
  • Flasks (Giant Life/Mana, lvl 23+), Charms (Ruby, lvl 5+; Stone, lvl 8+)

Tree

  • New notables: Escape Velocity (3% increased Movement Speed, 30% increased Evasion), Stacking Toxins (targets can carry +1 Poison at once, 20% reduced Poison Magnitude), General Electric (40% increased Shock chance, 5% increased Attack/Cast Speed with Lightning Skills)
  • Ascendancy: Relentless Pursuit (your speed is unaffected by Slows) comes online here

Notes

  • Toxic Growth and Gas Arrow both unlock in this bracket, adding real AoE poison application on top of Poisonburst Arrow's single-target focus

Level 31–40

31–40
(spirit)

Gear (self-found)

  • Weapon (Zealot Bow base, lvl 39+): Adds 6-11 Physical Damage, 50% increased Physical Damage, +1 to Level of all Projectile Skills, 8% increased Attack Speed
  • Offhand (Toxic Quiver base, lvl 39+): Adds 2-5 Physical Damage to Attacks, 21% increased Damage with Bow Skills
  • Body Armour (Serpentscale Coat base, lvl 36+): +40 maximum Life, +52 Evasion Rating, 27% increased Evasion Rating
  • Flasks (Colossal Life/Mana, lvl 30+), Charms (Amethyst, lvl 40+; Stone, lvl 8+)

Tree

  • New notables: Blinding Strike, Mental Toughness, Escalating Toxins (10% increased Poison Duration per recent Poison, up to 100%), Leeching Toxins (Recover 2% of maximum Life on killing a Poisoned enemy), Storm Surge / Unbound Forces (Cold/Lightning penetration and ailment duration/magnitude)
  • Ascendancy: Path Seeker comes online here

Notes

  • Herald of Plague unlocks at 26 — from this bracket on you should have it running permanently

Level 41–58

41–58
(spirit)

Gear (self-found)

  • Weapon (Artillery Bow base, lvl 45+): Adds 6-11 Physical Damage, 50% increased Physical Damage, 8% increased Attack Speed
  • Offhand (Toxic Quiver, rerolled, lvl 39+): Adds 2-5 Physical Damage to Attacks, +1 to Level of all Projectile Skills, 21% increased Damage with Bow Skills
  • Body Armour (Strider Vest base, lvl 52+): +40 maximum Life, +52 Evasion Rating, 27% increased Evasion Rating
  • Flasks (Transcendent Life/Mana, lvl 50+), Charms (Amethyst lvl 40+, Stone lvl 8+)

Tree

  • New notables: Material Solidification, Stupefy, Agile Succession, Toxic Tolerance (Immune to Poison), Building Toxins, Low Tolerance (60% increased Poison Magnitude on non-Poisoned targets), Surging Currents

Notes

  • Toxic Domain unlocks at 52, right before the level-58 pivot
  • Corpsewade (the boots that grant the Decompose skill this build is named for) can technically be bought/found and used earlier than 58 if you get lucky — but Sacrifice, the skill that makes Decompose trigger off your own Bind Spectre minions (rather than needing enemy corpses), is hard-locked to level 58. This bracket is the last stretch of the 'normal' bow build before that identity change

Level 58+ (Starter — "Fartfinder")

58+
Corpsewade (Decompose) (spirit) (spirit)

Gear (self-found)

  • Boots: Corpsewade — required. This unique is the entire mechanism: it triggers Decompose automatically on every step, consuming nearby corpses (including your own dead Bind Spectre minions) into expanding poison gas clouds that deal pseudo-hit chaos damage scaled off the corpse's life before death
  • Weapon (Brigand Mace, crafted): 2-socket one-handed mace, crafted for % increased damage against enemies with fully broken armour (see the source guide's own step-by-step crafting recipe if you want to replicate it exactly)
  • Offhand x2 (Stoic Sceptre, dual): one rolled for Spirit, one for +1 to Level of all Minion Skills and increased minion Life — Set 1/Set 2 weapon-swap spirit split is core to how this build works (see notes)
  • Amulet (Solar Amulet base, lvl 30+)
  • Flask (Ultimate Life Flask, lvl 60+), Charm (Stone Charm, lvl 8+)

Upgrades if you get lucky or can trade

  • Trenchtimbre (Weapon) — a real endgame minion-focused upgrade; the source guide's own notes describe corrupting it for extra sockets once you can afford to
  • Snakebite (Gloves) — provides life regen sustain the build otherwise needs; replaceable if you get flat life regen from elsewhere

Tree

  • New notables: Lingering Horror, Blur, Roil, Gravedigger (minions revive 15% faster), Event Horizon, Spaghettification, Necrotised Flesh (minions +40% maximum Life)
  • Ascendancy: Enduring Elixirs (final Pathfinder notable) comes online here — Life Flask effects aren't removed when Life refills and don't queue. The source guide notes to replace it once you can afford Mageblood, since Mageblood's own flask uptime makes it redundant

Notes

  • This is the real 'Fartfinder' identity: Decompose triggers every step, automatically consuming corpses around you into expanding poison clouds. The stronger the corpse (higher the enemy's life before death), the more potent the resulting cloud
  • Sacrifice lets Decompose trigger off your own Bind Spectre minions instead of needing an enemy corpse first — so you can generate poison clouds on demand, not just after a kill
  • Core rotation via weapon swap: keep de-buffs (Despair curse, Blasphemy-style setup) active on Set 1, and your Bind Spectre minions + Sacrifice active on Set 2 — effectively doubling your usable Spirit. Swap to Set 2 and your minions instantly spawn next to you; Decompose then targets them as you step, generating clouds without needing a kill first
  • When a Bind Spectre minion dies it starts a respawn timer (10-16 seconds normally) — weapon-swapping outside combat bypasses this and instantly respawns them; in combat you either wait it out or use Grim Feast to revive them early
  • During actual mapping, lean on Plague Bearer for packs instead of waiting on minion respawns — as long as a couple of monsters survive a Plague Bearer detonation, Decompose will poison the corpses of what you did kill and refill Plague Bearer instantly for the next pack
  • Plague Bearer only charges up while Set 1 is equipped — stay on Set 1 whenever possible, since your de-buffs (Despair, Blasphemy) are also only active on that set
  • Damage note: the higher Plague Bearer's own gem level, the significantly more damage it deals — prioritize leveling it over other Intelligence/Spirit gems early in this stage
  • Weakness: single-target is genuinely weak early in this stage / without gear — this smooths out considerably once you have currency to invest, per the creator's own strengths/weaknesses list

Story rewards worth grabbing

  • Act 1: Clearfell — Beira of the Rotten Pack — +10% to Cold Resistance
  • Act 1: Hunting Grounds — The Crowbell — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 1: Freythorn — The King in the Mists — +30 to Spirit
  • Act 1: Ogham Farmlands — Una's Hut — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 1: Ogham Manor — Candlemass, the Living Rite — +20 to maximum Life
  • Act 2: Keth — Kabala, Constrictor Queen — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 2: Valley of the Titans — Medallion — 30% increased Charm Charges gained, +1 Charm Slot
  • Act 2: Deshar — Final Letter — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 2: The Spires of Deshar — Sisters of Garukhan — +10% to Lightning Resistance
  • Act 3: Jungle Ruins — Mighty Silverfist — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 3: The Venom Crypts — Venom Draught — 25% increased Stun Threshold
  • Act 3: Jiquani's Machinarium — Blackjaw, the Remnant — +10% to Fire Resistance
  • Act 3: The Azak Bog — Ignagduk, the Bog Witch — +30 to Spirit
  • Act 3: The Molten Vault — The Molten Vault — Reforging Bench
  • Act 3: Aggorat — Blood Sacrifice — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 4: Journey's End — Captain Hartlin — Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points, a level-13 skill gem, and a Delirium Drop
  • Act 4: Whakapanu Island — Great White One — +30% increased Global Armour, Evasion and Energy Shield
  • Act 4: Eye of Hinekora — Navali's Rest — 5% increased Maximum Mana
  • Act 4: Halls of the Dead — Yama The White — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Act 4: Halls of the Dead — Tawhoa's Test — +5% to Lightning Resistance
  • Act 4: Abandoned Prison — Goddess of Justice — 30% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
  • Act 4: Halls of the Dead — Tasalio's Test — +5% to Cold Resistance
  • Act 4: Halls of the Dead — Ngamahu's Test — +5% to Fire Resistance
  • Act 4: Halls of the Dead — Tribal Medicine — Not specified by the creator — pick based on your setup (2 choices offered)
  • Interlude: Wolvenhold — Oswin, the Dread Warden — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Interlude: The Khari Crossing — Akthi and Anundr — Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points
  • Interlude: The Khari Crossing — Molten Shrine — 5% increased Maximum Life
  • Interlude: Qimah — Tabana's Pillar — 3% increased Movement Speed
  • Interlude: Kriar Village — Lythara, the Wayward Spear — +40 to Spirit
  • Interlude: Howling Caves — The Abominable Yeti — Grants Two Weapon Set Passive Skill Points

FAQ

Why does the build completely change at level 58?

That's when Sacrifice unlocks, which is mandatory for the build's real identity — it lets Decompose (granted by Corpsewade boots) trigger off your own Bind Spectre minions instead of needing an enemy corpse first. Before 58 you're playing a straightforward Poisonburst Arrow/Contagion bow build; the source creator maintains these as two separate guides for exactly this reason.

Why aren't my Bind Spectres summoned when I swap to Set 2?

Bind Spectre requires you to specifically set how many to summon per weapon set — put it at the max possible for Set 2, and 0 for Set 1, in that skill's own stat window (press G, then the small arrow next to its DPS number).

How come I can't summon Bind Spectres every time I swap weapons?

When one dies, it starts a minion respawn timer (10-16 seconds). Weapon swapping outside combat bypasses this and always spawns them instantly; in combat you either wait for the timer or use Grim Feast to revive them early.

Why is my Plague Bearer doing so little damage?

Plague Bearer's damage scales significantly with its own gem level — prioritize leveling it over other Spirit gems, especially early in the level-58+ stage.

Do I need to farm currency before I can start the level-58+ stage?

No — Corpsewade (boots) and Sacrifice are the only hard requirements, and the gear list for this stage otherwise leans on a craftable Brigand Mace and generic Stoic Sceptres. Trenchtimbre and Snakebite are real upgrades, not requirements to function.

Sources: Skadoosh — Fartfinder Pathfinder (Mobalytics) · Planner

On PoE Source: PoE 2 campaign · Pathfinder