Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 Smith of Kitava Guide: Forge Your Way to Unkillable Chaos

If you’re looking for an Ascendancy that turns you into a walking fortress while also setting everything on fire, the Smith of Kitava in PoE 2’s 0.2.0 update is your answer. This Warrior subclass isn’t about glass cannons or hit-and-run tactics—it’s about hammering enemies into ash while laughing off their puny attacks. Let’s break down why this Ascendancy is the ultimate tanky DPS hybrid and how to master its fiery toolkit.

Why the Smith of Kitava Ascendancy? (And Why It’s OP in 0.2.0)

The Smith of Kitava isn’t just another melee brute. Grinding Gear Games reimagined the “tank” archetype here by blending fire-based offense, gear-forging mechanics, and defenses so thick they’d make a mountain jealous. This Ascendancy is perfect for:

• Players who want to face-tank endgame bosses without dodging.

• Theorycrafters who love synergistic mechanics (fire triggers + resist stacking).

• Anyone who enjoys turning survival into offense (life = damage, baby).

Compared to other Warrior Ascendancies like the Berserker (rage-fueled frenzy) or Gladiator (block/bleed), the Smith of Kitava carves its niche with unmatched sustain and fire-themed chaos.

Smith of Kitava Core Skills: Your Anvil of Destruction

Heat of the Forge (The Trigger King)

• What It Does: Automatically casts socketed fire spells when you hit enemies. Think of it as a fiery version of CoC (Cast on Crit), but without the crit dependency.

• Synergy: Pair with Flame Wall or Fireball for passive AoE clear. Works best with fast-attacking skills like Molten Blast.

• Pro Tip: This isn’t free—watch your energy costs. Slap on a Ruby Ring to offset fire skill mana drains.

Against the Anvil (Your Boss-Melting Button)

• Mechanic: Channel to empower your weapon, causing hits to explode in a fiery AoE.

• Why It Slaps: Scales with weapon damage and clears packs like a mini-Herald of Ash. Perfect for mapping or chunking down tanky rares.

• Veteran Move: Use this after applying Flammability (from Heat of the Forge) for 40%+ damage amplification.

Living Weapon (Minion Hybrid Playstyle)

• Effect: Animates your equipped weapon as a minion that fights alongside you.

• Build Potential: Scales with your weapon’s stats—ideal for high-physical-damage maces or axes.

• Catch: No “Spiritual Aid” node in PoE 2’s passive tree, so minion damage scaling relies solely on gear.

Temper Weapon (The Hidden OP)

• Function: Temporarily enhances your weapon’s damage and adds fire penetration.

• When to Use: Pop this before boss phases or elite packs. Lasts 8 seconds—plenty of time to delete threats.

Passive Tree Breakdown: Become Unkillable

Left Side (Fire & Fury)

• Coal Stoker + Forged in Flame: Converts 50% of fire resistance into cold/lightning res. Stack fire res to cap all elemental resistances.

• Molten Symbol: 25% physical damage converted to fire. Pair with Cloak of Flame for 65% conversion—your melee hits become nukes.

Right Side (Tank Supremacy)

• Kitavan Engraving: +15% max life. Combine with Leather Bindings (5% life regen) for insane sustain.

• Flowing Metal: +5% max fire res. With gear, hit 90% fire res—bosses’ fiery attacks heal you.

• Pro Gamer Secret: Use Smith’s Masterwork to lock your body armor to white rarity but gain implicits like Padded Plates (+75% cold res) or Lead Lining (+75% lightning res). Yes, you read that right—free resist caps.

Top 3 Smith of Kitava Builds for 0.2.0

1. Unkillable Fire Tank

• Core Skills: Heat of the Forge + Against the Anvil + Temper Weapon

• Gear: Inferno Clasp (max fire res), Tantalum Alloy (fire res), Ruby Rings (mana sustain).

• Playstyle: Stand in Shaper beams. Literally. With 90% all elemental res and 10% life regen, you’ll outheal most endgame attacks.

2. Manifest Weapon Minion Army

• Core Skills: Living Weapon + Molten Blast + Flammability

• Gear: High-damage mace (minion scaling), +minion level corrupted armor.

• Tactic: Let your weapon clone tank while you spam Molten Blast. Perfect for HCSSF (if you’re a masochist).

3. Fire Trigger Autobomber

• Core Skills: Heat of the Forge (Fireball) + Flame Wall + Herald of Ash

• Gear: Cauterizer (fire damage leech), Dyadian Dawn (ignite spread).

• Synergy: Attack with Frenzy to trigger Fireball shotguns. Flame Wall adds DoT—great for Legion farming.

• Gearing Tip: Farm PoE2 Currency early to trade for Inferno Clasp or Tantalum Alloy. Sites like PVPBank offer secure Chaos Orb trades to skip the grind.

Advanced Tactics: Dominate the 0.2.0 Meta

Resistance Stacking Cheat Code

• Goal: 120% fire res (gear + tree) + Flowing Metal (5% max) + Coal Stoker = 90% all elemental res. Chaos res? Grab Chaosweaver on gear.

Trigger Synergy

• Heat of the Forge (Flame Wall) + Against the Anvil = Layered DoT. Cast Flammability first to amplify both.

Bait Bosses into Your Fire

• Use Molten Shell before big hits. With 90% fire res, you’ll reflect 3,000% of the damage as fire. Yes, bosses can oneshot themselves.

FAQ: Fixing Common Smith of Kitava Issues

“My mana drains faster than my health!”

• Fix: Use Soulless Form passive (mana regen based on life) + Clarity aura. Craft -mana cost on rings.

“Minions die instantly!”

• Oops: Living Weapon minions scale off your weapon, not minion nodes. Use a 700 DPS mace or skip this skill.

“Bosses take forever to kill!”

• Solution: Swap in Penetrating Flame support gem + Flammability. Melt them with 80% fire pen.

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Forge

The Smith of Kitava in PoE 2 0.2.0 isn’t just tanky—it’s a walking apocalypse. Whether you’re stacking resistances to immortality levels, triggering fire spells with every swing, or summoning your weapon as a minion, this Ascendancy rewards creativity and grit.

Pro Tip: Use PVPBank to grab cheap PoE2 Currency and snag key uniques like Inferno Clasp early. Time saved grinding is time spent incinerating Kitava’s rivals.