None of us are at good at action RPGs as the Path of Exile 2 player who beat one of its toughest bosses without any gear: 'What did I just witness?'

PoE2 Gearless - Arbiter of Ash (no weapons/armour/jewellery/flasks/jewels) - YouTube PoE2 Gearless - Arbiter of Ash (no weapons/armour/jewellery/flasks/jewels) - YouTube
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While the most online Path of Exile 2 players cry about a damaged economy from a recent exploit, one player has been more concerned with pulling off a feat many would think impossible.

Loot is king in PoE 2, as it is in any other action RPG, but it's also apparently optional if you're playing a monk with the power to shock bosses in one swift strike. IsfooPoE's build requires nothing but a set of unarmed skills that do a surprising amount of damage without any items to supplement them.

Their fight against Arbiter of Ash is mighty impressive to watch, mostly because it's the clearest example of the soulslike bones in PoE 2. IsfooPoE dodge-rolls out of the bosses swings like they're in a FromSoftware game. The boss has the power to set the entire room on fire and it still can't land many hits on a dude wearing nothing but a t-shirt and pants.

The high damage largely comes from a skill that triggers lightning strikes when you dash. Those lightning strikes then explode the ice walls isfooPoE puts around the boss. It's a simple combo that does more than enough damage without gear.

Normally, boss kill videos feature the player showcasing their gear to give people an idea of how hard it is to get. Powerful builds either take lots of time to farm up or lots of currency to buy the gear through trade. Not this one though.

"That build fits my budget," one YouTube commenter wrote.

"What did I just witness? Holy.." Reddit user cryalote wrote in a post about the build.

I recently got my first kill on Arbiter of Ash a few days ago. It took me close to 15 tries and I had a full set of gear. Playing a squishy sorceress is rough, but now I know I was playing with training wheels compared to this person.

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Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.

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