Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Brutal Fervour, Endless Hunger, Bane of Legends, and Headsman. A Watcher's Eye jewel is recommended for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, 60% increased physical damage while affected by Pride, 25% chance to Impale enemies on hit while affected by Pride, and if you can afford it 12% chance to deal double damage while affected by Pride. The Fortify Mastery should be taken for 23% reduced damage taken from hits which allows you to deal more damage than using Fortify Support. The Reservation Mastery is also important for increased mana reservation efficiency which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. This is a melee build so make sure and take plenty of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree for survival. Note: The build ratings and skill tree have been updated for the new season (3.28).

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Defensive Layers

You will have 100% increased maximum recovery per life leech and take 10% reduced damage while leeching with the Brutal Fervour ascendancy and you'll leech life even when you are at full life. You will also have stun immunity and Bleed immunity when leeching and 20% of overkill damage as leeched life with the Endless Hunger ascendancy. The Fortify Mastery should also be used to lower your damage taken from hits by up to 23%. Enduring Cry is important for Endurance charge generation and a large heal over time. Endurance charges lower your physical damage taken and lower your elemental damage taken. As an added benefit you can also be completely immune to reflected physical damage with the Bane of Legends ascendancy.

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Gems

 

Weapon (3-link)

Dash

Second Wind Support

Arcane Surge Support

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Weapon (3-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

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Armour (6-link)

Dual Strike of Ambidexterity

Awakened Multistrike Support

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Added Fire Damage Support

Awakened Ancestral Call Support

Impale Support

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

 

Helmet (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

Vaal Haste

Empower Support

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Pride

War Banner

Enlighten Support

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

More Duration Support​

Enhance Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Pride is recommended as the best offensive aura for this build and gives increased physical damage. Pride should be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery and a level 4 Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation cost 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. Dual Strike of Ambidexterity is the somewhat new better version of Dual Strike which greatly increases the damage of your main hand weapon while using the attack speed of your offhand weapon.

3. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and life regeneration per second. Endurance charges reduce your physical damage taken and reduce your elemental damage taken.

4. Summon Flame Golem should be used for a damage buff and provides an extra target for enemies to attack. If you lack accuracy you can use Summon Ice Golem instead for increased critical strike chance and accuracy.​

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Equipment

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Weapons

Rare Weapons

Dual Strike of Ambidexterity gives 70% more damage with your main hand and makes your attack speed the attack speed of your offhand weapon. For your main hand look for the highest physical damage one handed weapon you can find and ignore its attack speed and, for your offhand, look for a fast claw with the highest attack speed possible.

Paradoxica/Brightbeak (budget)

Paradoxica is the budget option that doubles the damage you deal with it and it comes with veiled modifiers. Brightbeak is a very inexpensive budget weapon with extremely high attack speed which can be used in your offhand. The budget Brightbeak should also have a Fortify on hit corruption because it can be purchased from the trade site for a low amount of currency.

 

Armour

Rare Life Armour

Look for an armour with high life modifiers like increased life and life percent for survival with physical damage taken as an elemental damage. You can also look for an increased damage corruption on a life armour with high life modifiers for significantly more damage once you have enough currency.

Belly of the Beast (budget)

Gives up to 40% increased life, 15% increased elemental resistances, and 50% increased flask life recovery rate. You can also look for an increased damage corruption for a little more currency. 

 

Helmet

Rare Helmet

Look for life, resistances, spell suppression, and optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems if you don't have it in another slot. You should use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll increased attack damage and increased damage per Power charge.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for high life, increased attack speed, chaos resistance, optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems/increased area of effect, and increased damage while leeching which can be rolled at the crafting bench (you leech life even at full life with the Brutal Fervour ascendancy). You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors on your gloves to roll strike skills target one additional nearby enemy and 3% percent increased damage per 100 strength.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, life percent, strength, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should also use 20 Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look for an abyss jewel with high life, increased attack speed, and high increased accuracy rating.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for high life, resistances, Tailwind, Elusive, chance to gain Onslaught on kill, and increased movement speed.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, high attributes, resistances, and physical damage as extra fire damage. You should use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus.

Carnage Heart

The budget option gives up to 56 to all attributes, 20% to all elemental resistances, 2% life leech, 50% increased recovery from life leech, and 40% increased damage while leeching. You will leech life even at full life with the Brutal Fervour ascendancy. You can also use Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attribute bonus or Prismatic Catalysts to increase its resistances.

 

Rings

Rare Vulnerability Ring

One ring should have Vulnerability on hit, high life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Mana Leech Ring

Look for high life, strength, physical attack damage leeched as mana, increased damage, and resistances.

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Tattoo (Standard Only)

Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker

This tattoo can replace a 30 dexterity node on the tree to give Onslaught on hit. The 30 strength nodes are too far away to use Honoured Tattoo of the Pa for Melee Hits Fortify in Standard which means you should take the Fortify Mastery instead.

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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 whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Taste of Hate (legacy is better)

Gives 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage, 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage (legacy), 5% to maximum cold resist (new modifier), 20% reduced cold damage taken (legacy), 50% cold resistances, and a 30% reduced chance to be Frozen or Chilled. The legacy version has more physical damage as extra cold damage and physical damage taken as cold damage. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Diamond Flask

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance and can have up to a 35% chance to gain a flask charge on critical strike and 17% increased attack speed. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Note: You can be immune to Bleeding from your ascendancies and immune to Corrupted Blood from the Resistance Mastery or a corrupted jewel so you don't need a Bleeding/Corrupted Blood removal flask for this build.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Overcharged to give an 8% chance to generate an Endurance, Frenzy, or Power charge on kill at Cassia using a Clear Oil, Opalescent Oil, and Silver Oil.

 

Enchants (Standard Only)

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

Gloves: Commandment of Fury

Feet: 16% Increased Attack Speed if you've Killed Recently

Belt: 300 to Armour While Fortified

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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 switch to Oak for more life which helps with survival.

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Pantheon

Soul of Solaris is the best major Pantheon power and gives 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 Ryslatha is the best minor power and gives 60% increased life recovery from flasks at low life, life flask charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a life flask recently, and enemies you hit have 50% reduced life regeneration.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

Last Resort/Redbeak

Last Resort is the best main weapon to use at level one and Redbeak is used in the offhand slot for its high attack speed.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great level one chest armour that has six white linked sockets. Any color gems can be linked together inside of it which allows you to deal 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 gloves can be used at level one for up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy Charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap require level nine and give as much as 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

This amulet gives level 10 Purity of Elements, up to 20 to all attributes, 40 to life, 30 intelligence, and 10 to all elemental resistances. The Purity of Elements aura is optional to increase your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two 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 which helps speed up the leveling process. This flask can also have increased attack speed or increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Taste of Hate (legacy option)

This flask only requires level 18 and gives 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage, 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage (legacy), 50% cold resistances, and a 30% reduced chance to be Frozen or Chilled. The legacy version is much better and has higher physical damage as extra cold damage and physical damage taken as cold damage. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which gives increased attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27 and it can have increased attack speed or increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask whenever 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 for 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

 

Leveling Gems

Dual Strike of Ambidexterity can be used at level one. Precision is recommended as the best offensive low level aura and it can be used once you're level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. Vitality is the best low level defensive aura to use at level 10 for high life regeneration. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you're level 4 and have at least 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level 4 and should be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

You can upgrade your main hand to Tempestuous Steel once you reach level 20 and you can upgrade your offhand weapon to Brightbeak which is the budget offhand for the build as early as level 20. You should also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. The items in the leveling section above last all the way until the midgame where better items will become 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!​