Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Righteous Providence, Inevitable Judgement, Augury of Penitence, and Sanctuary. A Watcher's Eye jewel is recommended for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, increased fire damage while affected by Anger, damage penetrates 15% fire resistance while affected by Anger, and 1.5% fire damage leeched as life while affected by Anger. The Light of Meaning jewel should be used in the blue circle in the image above for 6% increased fire damage for every passive in its radius. You can also increase the life of corpses for higher Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction damage by taking the Minion Offense Mastery in the upper right part of the skill tree. The Reservation Mastery should also be taken which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. The Life Mastery with reduced cost of skills is also helpful and the Life Mastery can also give you skills cost life instead of 15% of their mana cost. Increased spell damage and increased critical strike chance with spells nodes don't affect the corpse explosion of Detonate Dead so they can be ignored. Instead focus on attack critical strike chance, increased fire damage, increased area damage, and increased area of effect. This is a life build so make sure and take plenty of the nearby life percent nodes for survival. Note: The build ratings and skill tree have been updated for (3.28).

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Defensive Layers

The Inevitable Judgement ascendancy is great for Cast on Critical builds because it makes critical strikes ignore enemies' elemental resistances and makes non-critical strikes penetrate 10% of enemies' elemental resistances. The Augury of Penitence ascendancy also increases your elemental damage by 16% and reduces your elemental damage taken by 8%. This build has four spectres that can help take the damage of enemies for you and it also has the strong defensive advantage of using a shield.

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Gems

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Weapon (3-link)

Cold Snap (keep at level one)

Cast When Damage Taken Support (keep at level one)

Power Charge on Critical Support

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Shield (3-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Flame Dash

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Armour (6-link)

Vaal Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction (or Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction)

Awakened Cast on Critical Strike Support

Lancing Steel of Spraying

Desecrate

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Cruelty Support

Note: Awakened gems can be replaced with the normal support gems for seasonal play.

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Helmet (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Anger

Clarity

Enlighten Support

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Boots (4-link)

Raise Spectre

Empower Support

Meat Shield Support

Minion Life Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace should be used as your defensive aura and gives very high evasion. Anger is recommended as your offensive aura to greatly increase the fire damage of your Detonate Dead and it also adds fire damage to the attacks of your spectres. Clarity is also needed for the very high mana cost of the build. You should use Anger once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery and a level four Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation costs of your skills.

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Gem Notes​​​​

1. Steelskin is the recommended guard skill for this build because Immortal Call requires you to use potions more often and Molten Shell requires very high armour to be effective.

2. Lancing Steel of Spraying fires a high number of fast projectiles in a slight spread and it's a great trigger for CoC builds.

3. Desecrate casts twelve corpses on critical strikes with the Minion Offense Mastery which gives plenty of corpses to detonate with Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction. Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction does significantly higher damage than Detonate Dead when there are enough corpses available to detonate in a chain reaction.

4. Your Desecrate spectres maximum life is important for the corpse explosion damage of Detonate Dead and your spectres appear in your Desecrate pool. The highest life spectres are the Primal Crushclaw and the Primal Blister Lord from Harvest followed by the Lithomancer and the Stoneskin Flayer from the Primeval Chambers areas in Delve. You can start off with spectres that are easier to obtain like the Auto-Enforcer and Rusty Crusher which appear in the Tunnels contracts in heists.

5. Empower Support should be linked to your spectres to increase the damage of corpse explosions with Detonate Dead and it also gives increased life to your summoned spectres. Meat Shield Support linked to your Raise Spectre gem makes your spectres defensive, makes them take reduced damage, and makes them taunt enemies which improves your survival.

6. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and high life regeneration. Endurance charges are great defensively because they reduce your physical damage taken and reduce your elemental damage taken.

7. Cold Snap generates Frenzy charges when enemies die in its skill effect area and it also generates Power charges when it's linked to Power Charge On Critical Support.

8. Summon Flame Golem gives increased damage to your skills and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Anarchist Spiritblade

Lancing Steel of Spraying requires a sword or axe. An Anarchist Spirit Blade sword is best for its lower than typical dexterity requirement for a sword. Look for very high attack speed, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, increased fire damage, and hits can't be evaded which should be added at the crafting bench. You should also add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality once you have enough attack critical strike chance at your Horticrafting Station.

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Shield

Rare Shield

Look for a shield with +1 to level of all minion skill gems to increase the corpse life of your spectres for more Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction damage, increased minion damage, high life, energy shield, and resistances.

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Armour

Rare Armour

Look for attacks have increased critical strike chance, high life, high strength (which gives increased critical strike chance with the Righteous Providence Inquisitor ascendancy), and add 8% life percent/mana percent at the crafting bench. 

 

Helmet

Rare Helmet

Look for +2 to level of all minion skill gems to raise the level of your spectre corpses for increased damage with Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction, high life, high energy shield, and resistances. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll added fire damage to spells and increased energy shield recharge rate.

 

Belt

Rare Stygian Vise

Look for high life, increased life percent, energy shield, increased damage, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look for life, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, and corrupted increased critical strike chance.

 

Gloves

Corrupted Elemental Weakness Vixen's Entrapment

These gloves give an extra curse and spell damage leeched as energy shield. An Elemental Weakness corruption is important for Detonate Dead because spell critical strike chance doesn't increase the damage of its corpse explosion.

Rare Gloves

Gloves with +2 to level of socketed AoE gems are the budget option and allow you to socket your auras in your gloves.

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Boots

Rare Minion Level Boots

Look for +2 to level of socketed minion gems which increases corpse life and corpse explosion damage when the Raise Spectre gem is socketed in it, life, energy shield, Onslaught on kill, resistances, and movement speed. You should use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll chance to avoid elemental ailments and chance to avoid being Ignited to maintain your energy shield.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, high attributes, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus.

Carnage Heart

The budget amulet gives up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can use Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attributes bonus or Prismatic Catalsysts to increase its resistances.

 

Rings

Rare Flammability Ring

Look for a ring with the Flammability curse on hit for your corpse explosion damage with Detonate Dead which isn't affected by spell critical strike chance, high life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Diamond Ring

Diamond Rings have up to a 30% increased global critical strike chance implicit which is the modifier above the line on an item. Look for high life, attributes, energy shield, increased fire damage, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gain 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, consecrated ground has triple radius, up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, 12% increased attack block, and 6% increased spell block. The legacy version has much higher block chances. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Diamond Flask

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance. Look to roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity during effect and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when you're Bleeding.

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Anointment

Your amulet should be anointed with Death Attunement for +1 spectre summon which gives an extra spectre in your Desecrate corpse pool, +1 zombie, and +1 skeleton at Cassia using a Clear Oil, Crimson Oil, and Silver Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: Steelskin Buff Can Take 45% Increased Amount Of Damage

Gloves: Commandment of the Grave

Feet: Adds 45-68 Fire Damage If You've Killed Recently

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Bandits

The best bandit to help in Act 2 is Alira because she gives 15% to all elemental resistances which allows you to focus more on damage from your equipment. If you don't need the resistances you can kill all three bandits instead for 1 passive skill point.

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Pantheon

Soul of Solaris is the best major Pantheon power for 6% reduced physical damage taken when only one enemy is present, a 20% chance to take 50% less area damage, 8% reduced elemental damage taken if you haven't been hit recently, take no extra damage from critical strikes if you've been hit with a critical strike recently, and a 50% chance to avoid elemental ailments from critical strikes. Soul of Abberath is the best minor power to help maintain energy shield and gives 60% less Ignite duration on you, makes you unaffected by burning ground, and gives 10% increased movement speed on burning ground.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

Lifesprigs

You can use two level one Lifesprigs that each give 40% increased spell damage, +1 to level of socketed spell gems, increased cast speed, life, mana, and life regeneration.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great level one offensive chest armour with six white linked sockets. White linked sockets allow you to link any color gems together for much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for a Tabula Rasa with a high increased damage corruption which also requires level one for fairly cheap from the trade site.

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Helmet

Goldrim

An excellent level one resistance helmet with up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

These strong level one gloves give up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and give a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap can be equipped at level 9 for up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% increased movement speed.

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Amulet

The Kurai Ward

This level five amulet gives up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 100 accuracy, and 30% increased projectile damage.

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Rings

Two Perandus Signets

You can use two level one Perandus Signet rings at level one for mana regeneration which each give up to 65% mana regeneration, 65 mana, 2% increased intelligence for each unique item equipped, and 2% increased experience.

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Flasks

Quicksilver Flask

This flask can be used at level four for 40% increased movement speed and can have increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which increases your attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27 and it can also have increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Bottled Faith (use a Sulphur Flask for 40% increased damage if you can't afford a Bottled Faith)

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage taken to enemies on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask when you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Freezing Pulse is a great level one spell to use until you make the switch to Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and it can be used at level 10 for high life regeneration. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem for a defensive guard skill once you've reached level four and have at least 16 strength. Dash also requires level four and it can be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

You can upgrade your wands to two Ashcallers at level 12 for increased spell damage, high added fire damage to spells, a 10% chance to cover enemies in Ash on hit, and a chance to summon Level 10 Raging Spirits on kills. Carnage Heart is the budget amulet for the build and it can be equipped as early as level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You should also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. Many of the items in the leveling section above can be used all the way through the midgame where better items will start becoming available.

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That's all for this PoE guide! You can view more Path of Exile guides in the menu at the top of this page. Best of luck!