In a game as complex and systems-driven as Path of Exile 2, “overpowered” is a word that gets thrown around constantly. Every league, players discover new interactions, POE 2 Jeweller's Orb, and unintended synergies that push certain builds far beyond what the developers likely anticipated. But every so often, something emerges that doesn’t just feel strong—it feels fundamentally unfair.

This league, that build is the Infinite Burn Oil Grenade Witch Hunter.

If you’ve been paying attention to the meta, you’ve almost certainly heard whispers—or outright declarations—that this is the most powerful build currently available. Yes, even stronger than the infamous Cast on Crit Comet setups that dominate speed-clearing content like Temple. When it comes to raw ceiling damage, the Infinite Burn Witch Hunter doesn’t just compete. It obliterates.

Let’s break down why.

The Core Concept: Infinitely Scaling Ignite

At the heart of the build is Incinerate, a channeling fire spell that releases a cone of flames in front of the player. On paper, Incinerate sounds simple: hold down the button, burn enemies, apply Ignite.

But in Path of Exile 2, Ignite mechanics are not as straightforward as they once were.

Normally, Ignite is a damage-over-time ailment that applies a burning effect based on the hit that triggered it. In many cases, subsequent ignites simply overwrite weaker ones. However, in this particular interaction, Incinerate’s Ignite compounds. Each new Ignite removes the previous one—but instead of resetting the damage, it multiplies the magnitude.

This changes everything.

With each successive application, the Ignite grows stronger. And because Incinerate is a channeling ability, it continuously reapplies Ignite. As long as the enemy remains within the flame cone, the damage keeps escalating.

This is where the term “infinite scaling” comes from.

There is no traditional cap in play here—no diminishing returns that meaningfully stop the snowball. If you can keep the Ignite stacking, the damage keeps growing. Boss health bars don’t tick down—they evaporate.

Why This Isn’t Normally Broken

If this sounds absurdly overpowered, that’s because it is. But normally, Incinerate has two major constraints that keep it from completely dominating the meta.

1. The Fuel System

Unlike traditional spells that rely on mana, Incinerate uses a new resource: Fuel.

Fuel functions as a gating mechanic. You cannot channel Incinerate indefinitely. Eventually, your Fuel runs out, forcing you to stop and use another skill to generate more. This interrupts the Ignite compounding process.

Without continuous channeling, you can’t reach those astronomical damage numbers.

2. Limited Area of Effect

Incinerate also has a relatively small cone. This makes it awkward for mapping and clearing large packs of enemies. It excels at focused, single-target damage—but struggles in wide, chaotic encounters.

So under normal conditions, Incinerate is a powerful but balanced single-target tool. Strong? Absolutely. League-breaking? Not quite.

That is, until Oil Grenade enters the picture.

Oil Grenade: The Missing Link

Oil Grenade fundamentally transforms how Incinerate functions.

This ability blankets a large area of the ground—and any enemies within it—with oil. Just like in real life, oil is highly flammable. When ignited, it causes everything standing within it to burn.

Here’s the crucial interaction:

When you channel Incinerate over an oil-covered area, every enemy standing in that oil becomes ignited instantly. And because the Ignite from Incinerate compounds, every second they remain in the burning oil, the Ignite continues scaling upward.

This bypasses both of Incinerate’s intended weaknesses:

The oil dramatically increases effective area coverage.

The ignition spreads across the entire oil field, not just within the narrow flame cone.

You don’t need to directly maintain pinpoint aim on every enemy—if they’re standing in oil, they’re burning.

The result? You effectively convert a small, single-target channeling skill into a screen-wide scaling inferno engine.

And because enemies remain ignited while standing in the oil, you maintain the compounding effect long enough to reach absurd damage thresholds.

Infinite Scaling in Practice

“Infinite” doesn’t mean mathematically endless in a literal sense—but it does mean that within practical gameplay windows, damage scales far beyond what most builds can reach.

Let’s compare it to Cast on Crit Comet.

Cast on Crit Comet builds are incredibly efficient at clearing structured content. They trigger massive burst spells repeatedly, shredding packs and bosses alike. But they rely on discrete hits and cooldown cycles. There is a ceiling—a point at which scaling becomes cost-inefficient.

Infinite Burn does not operate on that same axis.

As long as:

The enemy is alive,

The enemy is burning,

And you can maintain the Ignite compounding,

The damage continues ramping upward.

This makes it uniquely powerful against high-health bosses. The longer the fight goes, the stronger you become. Instead of plateauing, your damage curve is exponential.

That is the defining characteristic that makes this build feel unfair.

Budget Accessibility

One of the most shocking aspects of this build is that it works at nearly every budget level.

Low investment? It still melts campaign bosses and early endgame encounters.

Moderate investment? It deletes map bosses before mechanics even begin.

High investment? Pinnacle bosses become target dummies.

Because the core scaling comes from the Ignite compounding mechanic rather than extremely rare item interactions, the build’s baseline performance is absurdly high. Investment improves survivability, consistency, and speed—but the core damage engine is already online early.

This makes it one of the most accessible “broken” builds the game has seen.

Mapping and Clear Speed

Earlier, we mentioned Incinerate’s poor area of effect as a drawback.

Oil Grenade flips that weakness on its head.

By covering wide ground areas in flammable oil, you effectively create ignition zones. Packs walk into the oil, you channel briefly, and the entire area erupts in scaling fire damage.

While it may not match the raw screen-clearing chaos of top-tier projectile or chain builds, it is far more than “just a bossing build.” Mapping feels smooth and controlled. Enemies burn down as they attempt to approach you.

The playstyle becomes a rhythm:

Throw Oil Grenade.

Channel Incinerate briefly.

Watch everything ignite.

Move forward as the fire finishes the job.

It’s methodical. It’s powerful. And it feels incredibly satisfying.

Survivability and Witch Hunter Synergy

The Witch Hunter archetype synergizes naturally with this strategy.

Fire scaling, ailment enhancement, and access to defensive layering tools make the build surprisingly tanky for something capable of this much damage. Because Ignite deals damage over time, you’re not forced to stand still for extended periods once the burn is stacked high enough.

You apply pressure, reposition, and let the damage tick.

This creates a safer play pattern than traditional stationary channel builds. You’re not locked in place trying to out-DPS incoming mechanics—you’re igniting and disengaging.

That distinction matters in high-end encounters.

Why It Will Likely Be Nerfed

When evaluating whether a build will survive into the next league untouched, you have to ask one question:

Does this interaction bypass intended limitations?

In this case, the answer is almost certainly yes.

Incinerate’s Fuel system is designed to limit uptime. Oil Grenade effectively circumvents that constraint by allowing Ignite compounding to persist across an area without perfectly sustained channeling.

Additionally, infinite or near-infinite scaling mechanics are historically dangerous in ARPG design. They’re extremely difficult to balance because they break the traditional relationship between investment and output.

If a build:

Outperforms other archetypes at low budget,

Scales better at high budget,

And trivializes pinnacle content,

It becomes a meta warping force.

That’s exactly what Infinite Burn Oil Grenade Witch Hunter currently is.

Mechanical Depth and Skill Expression

Interestingly, despite its raw power, the build still rewards proper execution.

Positioning matters. Oil placement matters. Fuel management matters. Boss fights still require awareness. If you mismanage your resources or lose Ignite uptime, you reset your scaling.

So while the damage ceiling is absurd, there’s still a mechanical floor separating average players from experts.

That said, once mastered, the payoff is enormous.

The Meta Impact

When a build this strong emerges, it does more than dominate leaderboards—it shifts how players think about scaling.

Instead of chasing traditional crit multipliers or raw hit damage, players begin exploring compounding mechanics, ailment stacking, and duration abuse.

The Infinite Burn Witch Hunter highlights something fundamental about Path of Exile 2’s design philosophy:

The most powerful builds often come not from raw numbers—but from interactions.

Incinerate alone? Balanced.

Oil Grenade alone? Utility skill.

Together? League-defining inferno.

Should You Play It?

If your goal this league is:

To clear all content.

To farm efficiently.

To experience absurd boss melts.

To play something that may never exist in this form again.

Then yes. Absolutely.

Builds like this are part of what makes ARPG leagues exciting. They represent moments in time—snapshots of a meta before balance changes reshape the landscape.

There is a strong possibility that adjustments are coming:

Ignite compounding may be capped.

Oil interaction could be altered.

Fuel regeneration loops might be restricted.

But right now? It’s live. It’s functional. And it’s devastating.

Final Thoughts

The Infinite Burn Oil Grenade Witch Hunter stands as one of the most outrageous builds to emerge in Path of Exile 2 so far. Its infinite scaling Ignite mechanic, enabled by the synergy between Incinerate and Oil Grenade, pushes boss damage into absurd territory while maintaining surprisingly smooth mapping potential buy POE 2 Chaos Orbs.

It’s accessible.

It’s scalable.

It’s likely temporary.

And in a game built around experimentation and league resets, that’s part of the magic.

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching clips of health bars disintegrate, this might be your sign. Because when the next league rolls around, the flames may not burn quite so endlessly.