Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Hinekora Death's Fury, Ngamahu Flame's Advance, Tasalio Cleansing Water, and Valako Storm's Embrace. The Fortify Mastery cluster is preferred for Melee Hits Fortify in league and standard because the legacy Honoured Tattoo of the Pa requires a 30 strength node and the closest +30 to strength node is too far away. You should also take the Fire Mastery and Avatar of the Fire nodes to convert your physical damage to fire damage for this build once you have a better weapon than Ngamahu's Flame. Make sure and take as many of the nearby life percent nodes as you can for survival.

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Defensive Layers

You will have stun immunity with the Darkness Enthroned belt which is very important so that your Cyclone doesn't get interrupted by stuns. Chieftains will get cold resistances and lightning resistance from their fire resistance and Ignite immunity with their ascendancies. Your maximum cold and lightning resistance will also be equal to your maximum fire resistance. Fortify from the Fortify Mastery and Infused Channeling Support will further improve your defenses. A Maelstrom Staff is great for its high block chance which allows you to use a Rumi's Concoction flask for an even higher block chance. The Staff Mastery on the right side of the tree also gives Power and Endurance charges which increases your critical strike chance and decreases your physical damage taken. The Marauder tree also has a high number of life nodes which can greatly improve your survival.

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Gems

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Rare Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Ancestral Warchief

Ancestral Protector

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attacks Support

Combustion Support

Faster Attacks 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

Pulverise Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Herald of Ash

Summon Skitterbots (or Herald of Purity before a 90% reservation multiplier corruption on your helmet)

Enlighten Support

 

Gloves (4-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Elemental Army Support

Culling Strike Support

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Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Infernal Cry

Empower Support

Call To Arms

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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 can be used once you have a leveled Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation cost of your skills. If you also get a 90% cost and reservation multiplier corruption on your helmet you can switch Herald of Purity for Summon Skitterbots for high Shock and Chill effects on enemies.

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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. The Cyclone of Tumult gem has high attack speed but low movement speed which makes it great for boss fights. If you decide to use Cyclone of Tumult the Devoto's Devotion helmet will help with the loss of movement speed.

3. Vaal Ancestral Warchief and Ancestral Protector should both be used on tougher enemies to deal damage, increase your melee damage, and increase your attack speed.

4. Infernal Cry increases your fire damage, instantly casts with Call To Arms linked to it, and generates Endurance Charges with the Valako, Storm's Embrace ascendancy.

5. You might need white sockets from Vorici Reasearch or the Horticrafting Station for your Bronn's Lithe body armour to socket it with five red gems because it's a dexterity armour which means it has a lower chance of rolling red sockets. Before you get white sockets you can use Faster Attack Support in the place of Awakened Added Fire Damage Support.

6. Awakened Fire Penetration Support is needed or you will do low damage on enemies that have high fire resistances.

7. Summon Flame Golem gives 20% increased damage, fire exposure with Elemental Army Support, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

8. If you think you would prefer a Marauder build that has higher single target damage with the drawback of not being able to attack while moving you can check out the Lightning Strike Berserker Guide here Lightning Strike Berserker Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Two Handed Staff

Look for a very high damage two handed staff. A strong Maelstrom Staff is preferred because it can deal very high damage with a high critical strike chance and has the highest block chance available from staffs. You can also use Tempering Orbs on rare weapons for a low chance at getting an increased physical modifiers enchantment but be aware that doing this is expensive and 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 in Ngamahu's Flame should be used to support the built in level 16 Molten Burst instead. The legacy version of Ngamahu's Flame is still fairly inexpensive and has much higher damage if you are playing in standard.

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How Do You Craft A Great Starter Cyclone Staff?

To craft a starter staff you can purchase an ilvl 85+ Maelstrom Staff with a tier one attack speed fracture 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 129% increased physical damage at the crafting bench using an Exalted Orb for a strong starter staff.

 

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 also go for a +1 to level of socketed gems corruption for more currency.

 

Helmet

Devoto's Devotion

Gain 16% increased attack speed, 10% reduced physical damage, 65 dexterity, 20% increased movement speed, 25% chaos resistance, and high armor and evasion. You can look for a socketed skill gems get a 90% cost & reservation multiplier corruption so that you can use Discipline for the energy shield granted by the recommended Presence of Chayula amulet.

 

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

Darkness Enthroned

Has two abyssal sockets with up to 100% increased effect of abyss jewels socketed in it. This is used with two chance to avoid being stunned abyss jewels for full stun immunity. The two abyss jewels can also have life and damage modifiers.

Abyss Jewelx2

Look for two abyss jewel with high life, increased attack speed, and chance to avoid being stunned.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for life, resistances, Onslaught on kill, Tailwind, Elusive, and 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 nice amulet with an open prefix using a Warlord's Exalted Orb. You should also use 20 Turbulent Catalysts on the amulet to increase its elemental damage increase.

Eye of Chayula

This budget amulet gives stun immunity without the Darkness Enthroned belt, 16 to all attributes, and 20% less life.

 

Rings

Flammability Ring

You should use a ring with Flammability on hit, high life, strength, increased elemental damage with attack skills, and resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. If you don't get reduced mana cost on the Flammability ring you can replace physical damage as extra fire damage or better yet increased elemental damage with attack skills on your amulet with it. You should also use 20 Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

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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Tattoo (Standard Only)

Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker

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 when you can just get Fortification from the nearby Fortify Mastery.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, 150% increased critical strike chance, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. 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 are 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 almost always Alira because she gives 15% to all elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second which are 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

The Blood Thorn

A two handed level one staff with a 30% chance to block and high damage for its level that can also cast Vulnerability on block.

Limbsplit

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

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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 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 that has up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

Level one gloves that give 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. Level 10 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.

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, creates consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and gives 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground.

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Leveling Gems

Ground Slam is the best starting melee skill to use at level one and you can add in Ancestral Protector for more damage and attack speed at level four. You should transition into using Cyclone once you've reached level 28 and have either a Praxis Ring or a reduced channeling cost ring. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you are level four and have at least 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash requires level four 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 gives stun immunity and can be equipped as early as level 20. You can 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 also equip a Mark of Submission ring with the Flammability curse socketed in it to automatically cast Flammability on hit. The items listed in the leveling section above can be used all the way to the midgame where better items will become available.

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

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