You’ve probably seen the headlines or the YouTube thumbnails by now. People are calling the Smith of Kitava "immortal" or "broken." Honestly? It kinda is, but not for the reasons you think. Everyone gets hung up on the damage numbers. They see a Warrior slamming the ground and think, "Yeah, okay, another melee build."
But the Smith of Kitava isn't just a guy with a big hammer. It’s actually Path of Exile 2’s answer to the "walking tank" fantasy, and it achieves this through a mechanic that feels almost illegal if you’re coming from the first game. We're talking about an Ascendancy that lets you completely ignore the RNG of body armor crafting.
The Weirdest Node in Path of Exile 2
Let’s talk about Smith's Masterwork. This is the heart of the build. In most ARPGs, you spend your life hunting for that one perfect rare chest piece with triple Tier 1 resistances and massive life rolls. The Smith of Kitava basically looks at that system and says, "Nah, I'm good."
With this node, you can only wear a Normal Body Armour.
Yes, a white item. No stats. No modifiers. No nothing.
Initially, that sounds like a death sentence. But here’s the kicker: you get to manually pick modifiers from a special list within your Ascendancy tree to "forge" onto that white plate. You want +75% Fire Resistance? You just click a button. Need 15% increased Maximum Life? Click. It turns gearing from a stressful gambling session into a grocery list.
Why Tantalum Alloy is Secretly OP
Most players look at Tantalum Alloy and see 75% Fire Resistance. "Big deal," they say, "I can get that on a ring."
They’re wrong.
When you pair Tantalum Alloy with Coal Stoker, things get weird. Coal Stoker makes it so your Fire Resistance also grants Cold and Lightning Resistance at 50% of its value. Suddenly, that one "free" node on your chest piece is giving you a massive chunk of all your elemental defenses. You aren't just capping resistances; you're trivializing them. This frees up your rings, boots, and gloves to focus purely on things like Attack Speed, Accuracy, or Spirit.
It's Not All Defenses Though
If you only took the armor nodes, you’d be a brick that can’t kill a snail. The Smith of Kitava has some surprisingly proactive tools. One of the coolest is Manifest Weapon.
Instead of just swinging your mace, you can create an animated copy of it. It’s a minion, but it scales off your weapon's actual stats. If you’ve got a massive 2-handed mace with high physical damage, your "Living Weapon" is going to hit like a freight train. It’s perfect for those bosses that have annoying "get away from me" mechanics. You just back off, let your ghost-mace do the work, and wait for an opening to use Temper Weapon.
Temper Weapon: The Rhythm of Combat
Temper Weapon is a bit controversial because it requires you to stand still. You basically hit an anvil for 3 to 4 seconds. In a game as fast as PoE 2, that feels like an eternity.
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But the payoff? Your weapon starts dealing AoE fire damage on every single hit. It turns your single-target slams into screen-clearing explosions. It’s a rhythm game. You find a safe window, "bonk" your anvil, and then go on a 20-second rampage.
The Transition to Late Game
Here is the "expert" secret that most guides won't tell you: the Smith of Kitava is a starter god, but it has an expiration date for some players.
Early on, being able to skip the "rare chest search" is a massive advantage. You’ll hit maps while everyone else is still struggling to balance their resists. However, eventually, a truly "God Tier" rare body armor—we’re talking something that costs 10+ Divines—will outperform the Smith’s Masterwork.
That’s okay.
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The beauty of the Smith of Kitava is that it provides a safe, reliable bridge to the end-game. You can use those free defensive stats to farm the currency you need for a high-end transition. Or, you can double down on the Forged in Flame node to reach 90% Maximum Elemental Resistances.
At 90% max res, you aren't just tanky. You're effectively ignoring most elemental mechanics in the game.
Actionable Tips for Your First Smith
If you’re planning to roll this for your next character, keep these three things in mind:
- Don't ignore Spirit: Manifest Weapon and your buffs require Spirit. If you invest too heavily in passives and ignore your mana/spirit pool, you’ll find yourself unable to keep your "Living Weapon" active.
- Abuse Runes: Even though you have to use a "Normal" body armor, you can still put Runes and Soul Cores into it. This is the secret to making your white chest piece actually competitive with high-end uniques.
- The Stun Game: As a Warrior, your best friend is the "Heavy Stun" bar. Use skills like Rolling Slam or Boneshatter to build up that stun meter. Once the boss is down, that’s your cue to use Temper Weapon and finish them off.
The Smith of Kitava is essentially the "Juggernaut" of PoE 2, but with a crafting bench built into its soul. It’s stable. It’s reliable. It’s the perfect choice if you’re tired of dying to random elemental one-shots because your gear wasn't "perfect" yet.
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If you want to maximize your efficiency, focus your early tree on the Unnatural Resilience notable. It gives you 2% Max Fire Res for every 40% total Fire Resistance you have. Since the Smith gets Fire Res for free, you can hit that 90% cap much faster than any other class in the game.