Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Brutal Fervour, Endless Hunger, Bane of Legends, and Headsman. A Watcher's Eye jewel should be used 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 optionally 10% chance to deal double damage while affected by Pride. The Fortify Mastery cluster should also be taken for 23% reduced damage taken from hits in both league and standard because the 30 strength node is too far away to use Honoured Tattoo of the Pa for Melee Hits Fortify. The Reservation Mastery is also important for increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. Make sure and take a healthy amount of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree for survival. Note: The skill tree above is updated for the new season (3.25).

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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 leech life even when you are at full life. You will also have stun immunity and Bleeding immunity while leeching and 20% of overkill damage as leeched life with the Endless Hunger ascendancy. The Fortify Mastery should also be taken to reduce your damage taken from hits by 23% and the Enduring Cry warcry is used as a large heal and generates Endurance charges which reduce your physical damage taken and increase your elemental resistances. Another benefit of the Slayer ascendancy is that you will be 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

Enduring Cry

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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

 

Helmet (4-link)

Vaal Ancestral Warchief

Ancestral Protector

Maim Support

Empower Support

Note: This section awaits updates due to the removal of melee totems from the game in 3.25.

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Pride

War Banner

Enlighten Support

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

More Duration Support​

Vaal Haste

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Pride is the best offensive aura for this build and gives increased physical damage. Pride can 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 new transfigured version of Dual Strike that greatly increases the damage of your main hand weapon and uses the attack speed of your offhand weapon.

3. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and up to 10% life regeneration per second. Endurance charges reduce your physical damage taken and elemental damage taken.

4. Summon Flame Golem should be used for a damage buff, gives fire exposure for Awakened Added Fire Damage Support with Elemental Army Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack. If you lack accuracy you can also optionally use Summon Ice Golem instead of Summon Flame Golem for increased critical strike chance and accuracy.

5. If you would like another capable build that teleports through enemies and still does great damage you can also check out the Impale Flicker Strike Champion Guide here Impale Flicker Strike Champion Guide.

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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 equal to 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 you should look for a claw with the highest attack speed possible.

Paradoxica/Brightbeak

Paradoxica is a great budget option that doubles the damage you deal with it and has multiple veiled modifiers. Brightbeak is an inexpensive unique mace with extremely high attack speed. Brightbeak should have a chance to Fortify on hit corruption which saves you the skill points that would need to be spent in the Fortify Mastery for Melee Hits Fortify.

 

Armour

Belly of the Beast

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 high life, resistances, optionally spell suppression, and optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems if you don't already have it on your gloves. 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, strength, increased attack speed, optionally accuracy, resistances, increased damage during any flask effect from the crafting bench, and optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems if you don't have it on your helmet. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll increased attack speed and 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 accuracy rating.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for life, resistances, Onslaught on kill, Tailwind, Elusive, and 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 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 Reduced Mana Cost 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 which means you'll want to take the Fortify Mastery instead.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, 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, 30% of fire and lightning damage taken as cold damage (new modifier), 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage (legacy modifier), 20% less cold damage taken, 50% cold resistances, 30% reduced chance to be Frozen, and 30% less chance to be Chilled. The legacy version has higher damage and better damage reduction. 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 will be immune to Bleeding from your ascendancies and immune to Corrupted Blood from the Resistance Mastery so you won't need to use a Bleeding/Corrupted Blood removal flask.

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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 40 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 one handed 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 6 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 and give 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

These boots 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. Purity of Elements increases your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two Perandus Signets at level one that 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 and gives 40% increased movement speed which helps speed up the leveling process. This flask can also have increased attack speed or movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs 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 modifier), 5% to maximum cold resistance, 50% cold resistances, 30% reduced chance to be Frozen, and 30% less chance to be Chilled. You can optionally use this flask instead of a Quicksilver Flask for leveling. The older legacy versions are much better and have higher physical damage as extra cold damage and physical damage taken as cold damage. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the 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 can have increased attack speed or 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.

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

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and gives 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the 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 the best offensive low level aura and can be used once you are level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. 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 can 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 the Dual Strike of Ambidexterity Guide! For more on PoE you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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