Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order to use is Deadeye, Juggernaut, and then Path of the Ranger. You should take the Leech Mastery with Clever Thief for 1% attack damage leeched as life and 1% attack damage leeched as mana which works with elemental damage. The Interrogation jewel is very important for this build because it gives Secrets of Suffering which makes Elemental Hit cause Sapped, Brittle, and Scorch instead of Ignite, Freeze, Chill, and Shock. Elemental Hit gains 15% more damage per elemental ailment on the enemy so when the Interrogation jewel is combined with Summon Skitterbots which Shocks and Chills enemies you can have a total of five elemental ailments for 75% more damage. The Reservation Mastery and Mana Mastery should also be taken for increased mana reservation efficiency which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. This is a life build so make sure and take plenty of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree for survival.

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Defensive Layers

The Juggernaut ascendancy gives you increased damage, high accuracy, Endurance charges when you are hit, and stun and chill immunity. Elemental Hit Ascendants are also capable of having more life and damage than Elemental Hit Raiders once they have excellent jewels because of the abundance of jewel nodes on the Scion tree. A Kaom's Heart body armor with an increased damage corruption, 500 life, and 40% increased fire damage can be used to greatly improve your survivability as a budget option. Farrul's Fur is the recommended body armor option that gives 100 life, Frenzy/Power charges, free Aspect of the Cat, and Phasing which are helpful defensively. Elemental Hit and Summon Skitterbots can also cause elemental ailments on enemies like Chill and Sapped with Secrets of Suffering which can be helpful for survival.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Elemental Hit

Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks Support

Inspiration Support

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Empower Support

Trinity Support

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Armour (6-link)

Elemental Hit

Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks Support

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Increased Critical Damage Support

Trinity Support

Barrage Support

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Helmet (4-link)

Frenzy of Onslaught

Manaforged Arrows Support

Culling Strike Support

Summon Ice Golem (use Flame Dash here if you don't have an Unset Ring)

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Haste

Summon Skitterbots

Enlighten Support

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Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Enduring Cry

Empower Support

Call To Arms

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Unset Ring (1-link)

Flame Dash

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Haste is recommended as the best offensive aura and gives increased attack speed and movement speed. Summon Skitterbots is selected to Chill and Shock enemies when using Secrets of Suffering for five elemental ailments because the quality of Elemental Hit gives 15% more damage per elemental ailment on the enemy. Haste can be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery and Mana Mastery and a level four 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 armor to be effective.

2. Frenzy of Onslaught gives Frenzy charges and Onslaught on both single target fights and multiple target fights. It also kills enemies with 10% life remaining with Culling Strike Support and gives 2% life regeneration on Culling Strike.

3. Elemental Hit with Barrage Support should be used for single target fights and has much higher single target damage.

4. Scions have a large number of jewel slots that can be filled with jewels that have life and three damage modifiers. With high end jewels the Elemental Hit Scion can even pull ahead of the Elemental Hit Raider in damage and survival.

5. Enduring Cry is used to provide a large 2200 life heal over one second, generates Endurance charges, gives an extra 2% increased physical damage reduction per charge, and gives 2% increased elemental resistances per charge. Enduring Cry should also be linked to Call To Arms to make Enduring Cry instantly cast on cooldown.

6. Elemental Hit is strong on Scion Ascendant but if you think you would prefer a melee playstyle the Intelligence Stacking Icestorm Cyclone Ascendant Guide can be found here Icestorm Cyclone Ascendant Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Thicket Bow

Look for +1 to level of socketed gems, +2 to level of socketed bow gems, increased elemental damage with attack skills, bow attacks fire an additional arrow, increased critical strike chance, and increased attack speed. In standard you can also look for a bow with a strong Crucible tree which can give bonuses that increase the damage of bows. You should roll 1% increased critical strike chance per 4% quality on the bow at the Horticrafting Station which can be added to your hideout with the edit option.

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How Do You Craft A Great Starter Elemental Hit Bow?

To make a strong starter bow for Elemental Hit you should purchase a tier one increased elemental damage with attack skills fracture (a permanent modifier that appears golden) on a Thicket Bow with an ilvl of 85 or above. Use Shrieking Essences of Dread for +2 to level of socketed bow gems until you get the Bow Attacks Fire An Additional Arrow modifier, an open prefix, and an open suffix. You can use Orbs of Annulment to remove unwanted modifiers and/or the Bestiary to switch a suffix to a prefix or a prefix to a suffix. Next use the crafting bench to add the cannot roll attack modifiers suffix and use an Exalted Orb on the bow to guarantee +1 to level of socketed gems. Now use the bench to remove the cannot roll attack modifiers and craft increased critical strike chance and you will have a strong starter Elemental Hit bow.

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Quiver

Rare Quiver

Look for high life, bow attacks fire an additional arrow, increased elemental damage with attack skills, increased damage with bow skills, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, and increased attack speed.

 

Armour

Farrul's Fur

This option gives up to 100 life, Phasing on Cat's Stealth, Power charge/Frenzy charge generation, and free Aspect of the Cat.

Kaom's Heart

The budget option gives 500 to maximum life which improves your survivability and 40% increased fire damage. Using Kaom's Heart allows you to prioritize damage on the tree. You can also go for an increased damage corruption for a little more currency.

 

Helmet

Rare Archdemon Crown

Gives enemies -10% exposure to all elements which is increased to -18% exposure to all elements with the Elemental Mastery on the tree when they are hit by the socketed skill. Look for high life, high resistances, and add the combined +1 to level of socketed projectile gems and projectiles pierce an additional target modifiers at the crafting bench.

Devoto's Devotion

The budget option gives up to 16% increased attack speed, 10% reduced physical damage, 65 dexterity, 20% increased movement speed, 25% chaos resistance, and high defensive stats.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, strength, resistances, increased elemental damage with attack skills, and an abyssal socket. You should use 20 Turbulent Catalysts to increase its elemental damage bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look for an abyss jewel with high life, increased critical strike chance, and increased accuracy rating.

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Gloves

Elemental Weakness Gloves

Look for the best gloves with the Elemental Weakness on hit corruption you can find. Malachai's Mark gloves are a great option for high life and Power, Frenzy, and Endurance charges on hit or you can use The Embalmers for high life and chaos resistance.

 

Boots

Rare Boots

Look for high life, strength, resistances, Onslaught on kill, and movement speed. You will have Tailwind from ascendancies. You can also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll increased action speed and a chance to avoid elemental ailments.

 

Amulet

Rare Plus Skills Amulet

Look for +1 to fire, cold, or lightning skill gems, high attributes, life, increased elemental damage with attack skills, and optionally attack speed.

Carnage Heart

The budget amulet gives up to 56 to all attributes, 20% increased elemental resistances, 2% physical damage leeched as life, 50% increased recovery from life leech, and 40% increased damage while leeching. You can also use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attribute bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Elemental Damage Rings

Look for rings with high life, resistances, increased elemental damage with attack skills, increased critical strike chance, and Aspect of the Cat. You should also use Turbulent Catalysts on both your rings to increase their elemental damage bonuses.

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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 enemies take 10% increased damage 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.

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.

Jade Flask

Gives 1500 evasion. Try and roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity during effect and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you are Bleeding.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Divine Judgment for 50% increased elemental damage at Cassia using a Sepia Oil, Teal Oil, and Black Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 40% Increased Elemental Hit Damage

Gloves: Commandment of Blades

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

Belt: 30% Increased Accuracy While You Have Onslaught

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Bandits

The best bandit to help during Act 2 on critical strike builds is Alira because she gives 15% increased elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second which are all very beneficial.

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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

Silverbranch

Silverbranch is a great level one bow with +1 to level of socketed bow gems, increased attack speed, accuracy, and mana on kill.

Roth's Reach

Requires level eighteen and gives up to 80% increased elemental damage with attack skills, 30% increased area of effect, and makes skills chain +2 times.

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Quiver

Hyrri's Bite

Requires level twelve and gives strength, dexterity, intelligence, attack speed, area of effect, and adds cold damage to attacks.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a strong level one chest armour that has six white linked sockets. White sockets allow you to link any color combination of gems which allows you to deal much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also get 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

A great level one resistance helmet with up to 40% increased 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 give an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy Charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

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

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Amulet

Karui Ward

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

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two Perandus Signets at level one that each give 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.

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 use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Galvanic Arrow is the best elemental bow skill to use at level one because it has multiple projectiles without a support gem. You can switch to Ice Shot with Volley Support once you are level four and switch to Elemental Hit with Lesser Multiple Projectile Support once you are level 12. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four and have 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level four and should be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

Carnage Heart is the budget amulet for the build and can be equipped as early as level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. Death's Opus is a great bow upgrade at level 44 and gives high critical strike modifiers and two additional arrows. 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. Many of the items in the leveling section above last all the way until the midgame where better items will become available.

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And that's all for the Elemental Hit Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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