Dark & Builder vs PoB Redux

Dark & Builder is a build planner and community for Dark and Darker, with tools for planning characters and sharing builds. Its calculator lets players select a class, gear, perks, skills and spells, then view live character stats. Players can publish builds, find others’ builds, and like or comment on them; filters cover class, dungeon and patch. An item database lists stats for in-game gear, weapons and accessories. The maker says game data is refreshed with each patch. The service is available on the web, iOS and Android, and its core features are not behind a paywall. The terms also describe ads on web and mobile, optional purchases and a recurring premium subscription, but list no prices. Purchases are non-refundable, and subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. Dark & Builder says it is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by IRONMACE.

PoB Redux is a free desktop app for planning builds in Path of Exile 1 and 2. It uses Path of Building Community’s calculation engine, including its calculations, tooltips and breakdowns. Optimize reviews a build, proposes fixes, designs rare items from the real mod pool and ranks passive nodes by gains per point; its search is best effort, so suggestions should be checked. An optional assistant can answer questions about the open build and make changes, with Path of Exile 1 support in beta. It can run through Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Grok, Kimi, OpenCode, Gemini, Antigravity or Ollama. The app imports share codes, PoB XML and links from listed build and game services, and reads and writes the same Documents build folders as Path of Building. An optional MCP server lets Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor read and edit the open build; it is disabled until enabled, listens on localhost and requires a token. The app supports nine interface languages. It runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, which requires Apple Silicon and macOS 11 or later. It is MIT-licensed and requires no account, key or sign-up.