Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Hinekora Death's Fury, Ngamahu Flame's Advance, Tasalio Cleansing Water, and Valako Storm's Embrace. An Immutable Force jewel is important for up to 1000% stun and block recovery which makes stuns barely affect you. The Light of Meaning jewel is recommended in the bottom left blue circle in the image above for high increased fire damage for each passive in its radius. The Fortify Mastery is also recommended to take 23% less damage from hits. You should take the Fire Mastery and Avatar of the Fire nodes which convert your physical damage to fire damage. This is a melee life build so make sure to 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

Chieftains get cold resistance and lightning resistance from their fire resistance and Ignite immunity from their ascendancies. Your maximum cold and lightning resistance will also be equal to your maximum fire resistance which makes this build extremely tanky. Melee Hits Fortify from the Fortify Mastery and reduced damage taken from Infused Channeling Support also improve your defenses. A strong Maelstrom Staff is the recommended endgame weapon for this build because it can deal high damage with a high block chance which is helpful defensively. This build also has a great extreme budget weapon called Ngamahu's Flame. The Marauder tree also has a high number of life percent nodes which improves your survival.

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Gems

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Rare Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Haste

Empower Support

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

Elemental Army Support

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Armour (6-link)

Cyclone (Cyclone of Tumult is better for boss fights)

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attacks Support

Awakened Added Fire Damage Support

Awakened Fire Penetration Support

Infused Channeling Support

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

 

Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Herald of Ash

Herald of Purity

Enlighten Support

 

Gloves (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

War Banner

Dash

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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. Herald of Purity gives increased physical damage and summons four minions to help take the damage. Herald of Ash is selected to give 15% of your physical damage as extra fire damage and burns nearby enemies on overkills. Herald of Purity should be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery and a level 4 Enlighten Supports 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. The Cyclone of Tumult gem has higher attack speed but lower movement speed which makes it great for boss fights.

3. Vaal Haste can have its Vaal ability used without reservation once you have enough souls from enemies to use it. Vaal Haste gives high increased attack speed and high increased movement speed for a medium duration.

4. 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.

5. Summon Flame Golem gives increased damage, fire exposure which lowers enemies' fire resistances with Elemental Army Support, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Two Handed Staff

A strong Maelstrom Staff is preferred because it can deal very high damage with a high critical strike chance and it has the highest block chance from staffs. You can use Tempering Orbs on a rare staff for a low chance at getting an increased physical modifiers enchantment but be aware that doing this is expensive and it sometimes reforges the sockets on the weapon.

Ngamahu's Flame

The budget starter weapon has 20% fire penetration, 60% physical damage converted to fire damage, and level 16 Molten Burst on hit. The support gems used with Ngamahu's Flame should be used to support the built in level 16 Molten Burst instead. The legacy version of Ngamahu's Flame is also inexpensive and it has significantly higher damage if you're playing in Standard.

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How Do You Craft A Great Starter Cyclone Staff?

To craft a strong starter staff you can purchase an ilvl 85+ Maelstrom Staff with a tier one attack speed fracture (a permanent golden modifier) and roll Deafening Essences of Contempt until you get a very high combined increased damage/accuracy modifier with an open prefix. You can then roll up to another 129% increased physical damage at the crafting bench using an Exalted Orb for a very strong starter Fire Cyclone weapon.

 

Armour

Bronn's Lithe

Gives five to level of socketed movement skill gems, up to 100% increased damage with movement skills, 10% increased attack speed, and 10% increased movement speed. You can eventually look for an increased damage corruption if you can afford it.

 

Helmet

Devoto's Devotion

Gain 16% increased attack speed, 10% reduced physical damage, up to 65 dexterity, 25% chaos resistance, 20% movement speed, and high armour and evasion. You can look for a socketed skill gems get a 90% cost & reservation multiplier corruption or as a budget option a +2 to level of socketed AoE or aura gems corruption once you can afford them.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for high life, strength, attack speed, accuracy, increased damage during any flask effect, and resistances. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll one Rage on hit per second and physical damage converted to fire damage.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, increased life percent, 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 an abyss jewel with high life, energy shield, increased attack speed, and increased accuracy.

 

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 attributes, life, resistances, physical damage as extra fire damage, and increased elemental damage with attack skills. You can chance getting physical damage as extra fire damage on a strong amulet with an open prefix using a Warlord's Exalted Orb. You should also use Turbulent Catalysts on the amulet to increase its elemental damage modifiers.

Eye of Chayula

This budget amulet can be used to give stun immunity before you can afford an Immutable Force jewel for stun immunity.

 

Rings

Flammability Ring

Look for Flammability on hit, life, strength, increased elemental damage with attack skills, resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life and reduced mana costs.

Reduced Mana Cost Ring

Look for high life, strength, elemental damage with attack skills, resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench.

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Tattoos

Tattoo of the Ngamahu Warrior

Replaces 10 strength nodes on the tree with 5% increased fire damage nodes.

Note: Strength gives life so only convert strength nodes to increased fire damage nodes if you're strong enough defensively.

Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker (Standard Only)

This tattoo can replace a 30 dexterity node on the tree to give You Gain Onslaught For 4 Seconds On Hit which replaces the chance to gain Onslaught on kill modifier on your boots. The 30 strength node is too far away to use Honoured Tattoo of the Pa for Melee Hits Fortify but you can still get Fortification for reduced damage taken from hits from the Fortify Mastery.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 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.

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, a 12% increased chance to block attacks, and a 6% chance to block spells. The legacy version has much higher block chances. You should 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 whenever you're Bleeding.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Lava Lash for 30% increased fire damage and 8% fire resistance penetration at Cassia using a Clear Oil, Clear Oil, and Golden Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 15% Increased Cyclone Attack Speed

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

The Blood Thorn

A two handed level one staff with a 30% chance to block, high damage for its level, and it casts Vulnerability on blocks.

Limbsplit

Gives high physical damage for its level, level one Gore Shockwave if you have over 150 strength, +1 to level of socketed strength gems, and Culling Strike which kills enemies at 10% life remaining.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great level one offensive chest armour that has six linked white sockets. Any color skill and support 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

A great level one resistance helmet that has up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

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

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap boots require level 9 and give up to 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, 30 intelligence, 40 to life, 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 for mana regeneration at level one 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 and gives 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 this 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 modifier), 5% to maximum cold resistance, 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 it whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Ground Slam is the best starting melee skill to use at level one. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and can be used once you reach level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and can be used as early as level 10 for high life regeneration. You can transition into using Cyclone at level 28 if you have the budget Praxis ring which reduces mana costs. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem at level 4 once 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 weapon to Quecholli at level 22, to Stormheart at level 28, to Jorrhast's Blacksteel at level 44, to Terminus Est at level 51, to Kaom's Primacy at level 58, and finally to your endgame weapon. The Eye of Chayula amulet can give stun immunity as early as level 20. You should also greatly benefit from using a Praxis ring at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 8 which allows you to use Cyclone without using mana. Once you reach level 36 you can optionally equip a Mark of Submission ring with the Flammability curse socketed in it to cast Flammability on hit. The items listed in the leveling section above can be used 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!