Path of Exile 2:Cobra Lash Assassin Build Guide

In POE2 Currency, the Assassin subclass continues to shine as one of the deadliest options for players who prefer fast-paced combat, high burst potential, and poison-based damage. Among the many skill combinations available, the Cobra Lash Assassin stands out as a highly efficient build that blends precision, mobility, and sustained damage through poison stacking. This build is perfect for players who enjoy darting in and out of combat, chaining lethal strikes across multiple enemies, and melting bosses with deadly toxins.

Overview of Cobra Lash

Cobra Lash is a projectile-based melee skill that throws a spectral copy of your weapon, chaining between enemies while applying poison and scaling with attack speed and critical strikes. It's a hybrid between ranged and melee combat, allowing the Assassin to deal consistent damage while staying mobile.

In Path of Exile 2, Cobra Lash has been reworked to feel smoother and faster. The chains are more intelligent, prioritizing fresh targets and improving poison uptime. With the right investment in attack speed, projectile damage, and poison duration, Cobra Lash can annihilate groups of enemies in seconds while maintaining high single-target DPS.

Core Mechanics and Playstyle

The essence of the Cobra Lash Assassin revolves around poison stacking-each hit applies a poison that deals chaos damage over time. Unlike direct-hit builds, the strength of this setup lies in rapidly layering dozens of poisons until the enemy's health evaporates.

The Assassin excels here due to ascendancy nodes that amplify critical chance, poison duration, and damage per poison. The playstyle is fast and aggressive:players throw Cobra Lash repeatedly, weaving through packs of enemies while letting poison do the work. Against bosses, you keep stacking poisons until they crumble, all while dodging attacks thanks to your high mobility.

Recommended Passive Skills

When building your passive tree, prioritize nodes that boost chaos damage, damage over time, and poison effectiveness. Attack speed and projectile damage are secondary but valuable.

Key passive clusters to target include:

Method to the Madness-for increased chaos damage and poison resistance penetration.

Toxic Strikes-boosts poison duration and chance to poison on hit.

Nightstalker-grants critical strike bonuses that synergize perfectly with Assassin's natural crit scaling.

Acrobatics-improves survivability with dodge chance, vital for an agile playstyle.

These nodes enhance both your offense and defense, turning you into a slippery killer who thrives in chaos-filled combat.

Ascendancy Choices

The Assassin ascendancy offers immense synergy with poison builds. Key nodes include:

Noxious Strike-increases poison duration and grants life recovery on kill.

Toxic Delivery-adds critical synergy to poisons, allowing them to deal massive chaos damage.

Ambush and Assassinate-enhances critical damage against low and high-health enemies, boosting burst potential.

These choices ensure your poisons scale explosively while maintaining smooth sustain during map clearing.

Gear and Support Gems

For weapons, dual-wielding daggers or claws is optimal, as both types offer high attack speed and critical strike chance. Look for modifiers that increase chaos damage, poison duration, and attack speed.

Support gems that pair well with Cobra Lash include:

Unbound Ailments-boosts poison duration and damage.

Deadly Ailments-increases DoT damage but reduces hit damage (a fine trade for poison builds).

Vile Toxins-scales damage per poison stack, perfect for bosses.

Chain Support-improves Cobra Lash's clear speed by hitting multiple targets.

With the right gear and gem links, your Cobra Lash will feel like a venomous storm tearing through enemies.

The Cobra Lash Assassin in POE 2 Currency represents the pinnacle of poison-based agility and lethality. It rewards fast reactions, precise positioning, and understanding of poison stacking mechanics. Whether you're racing through campaign zones or facing endgame bosses, this build provides a fluid, thrilling experience that captures the essence of the Assassin-swift, silent, and utterly deadly.