Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Flawless Savagery, Crave the Slaughter, War Bringer, and Rite of Ruin. A Watcher's Eye unique jewel should be used for up to 6% life, 6% energy shield, 6% mana, 60% increased physical damage while using Pride, 25% chance to Impale enemies on hit while using Pride, and 12% chance to deal double damage while using Pride, or optionally 15% spell suppression while affected by Grace. The Mana Mastery is also important for 12% increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use another reservation skill. Make sure and take plenty of the nearby life percent nodes for survival.

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Defensive Layers

The Rite of Ruin ascendancy provides you with stun immunity while you have above 25 Rage which is important for Cyclone. This build also uses Fortify Support which makes you take 20% less damage from hits. You will have a 10% chance to generate an Endurance charge on kill from the Shield Mastery which increases your elemental resistances and reduces your physical damage taken. This build also has the strong defensive advantage of using a one hand weapon and shield. 

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Gems

 

Weapon (3-link)

Vaal Ancestral Warchief

Maim Support

Dash

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Shield (3-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

Ancestral Protector

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Armour (6-link)

General's Cry

Blade Flurry

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Increased Critical Strike Support

Increased Critical Damage Support

Impale Support

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Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Pride

Dread Banner

Enlighten Support

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Gloves (5-link)

Cyclone

Infused Channeling Support

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Fortify Support

Faster Attacks Support (built into gloves)

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Boots (4-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Culling Strike Support

Minion Life Support

Elemental Army Support

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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 greatly increases your physical damage. Dread Banner should also be used and gives a chance to Impale, increased Impale effect, and lowers the accuracy of nearby enemies. Pride can be used once you have the 12% mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery and a leveled Enlighten Support to decrease 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. This is a hybrid General's Cry Blade Flurry and Cyclone build. General's Cry with Blade Flurry is very strong for killing tough unique enemies and tough rares and Cyclone is great at clearing magic and normal enemies. General's Cry summons minions that channel Blade Flurry from corpses spawned by the Corpsewalker unique boots and defeated enemies.

3. Vaal Ancestral Warchief and Ancestral Protector should be used together on tougher enemies to provide an increase to your melee damage and an increase to your attack speed.

4. Summon Flame Golem gives a damage increase, 2% life recovery on Culling Strike, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

5. If you would like another capable melee 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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Weapon

Paradoxica

This weapon always deals double damage. Look for a Paradoxica with up to 139% increased physical damage with a chance to Impale or Poison enemies, 22% increased attack speed with a 15% chance to cast level one Blood Rage when you kill an enemy, and it has 25% to global critical strike multiplier. If you don't have increased chance to Impale when using Pride on your Watcher's Eye you should get chance to Impale on hit but if you do you should instead get a chance to poison on hit.

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Shield

Redblade Banner

This shield is very important because it gives warcries infinite power which guarantees that General's Cry will summon six minions if there are enough nearby corpses. It also generates a high amount of Rage with the War Breaker ascendancy which gives 10 Rage per 5 power if you have less than 25 Rage for extremely fast rage generation. Red Blade Banner has up to 60 life, 5% increased chance to block, 20% increased taunt duration, and 50% increased war cry cooldown recovery rate for much more frequent General's Cry casts. You should also look for a +1 to level of socketed gems corruption once you have enough currency.

 

Armour

The Brass Dome

The Brass Dome gives more than 4000 armour, take no extra damage from critical strikes, and 5% to all maximum elemental resistances at the cost of strength not increasing your life. The legacy version is a great option and can give more than 6000 armour, makes you take no extra damage from critical strikes, gives life from strength, allows you to allocate a Life Mastery for 15% more life because it doesn't have a life modifier, but has the drawback of lowering your attack block and spell block.

Belly of the Beast

The budget option has up to 40% increased life, 15% increased elemental resistances, and 50% increased flask life recovery rate.

 

Helmet

Rare Armour Helmet

Look for very high life, strength or dexterity, and resistances and use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll physical damage taken as cold damage and physical damage taken recouped as life. I don't recommend an increased physical damage to nearby enemies helmet which adds influence because of the defensive benefits of Eldritch Ember and Eldritch Ichor modifiers. Your helmet should also be an Armour base so that you can get Bleeding immunity from the Armour and Evasion Mastery. With Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity from the tree you can use a high damage flask like the Taste of Hate flask in the place of a Bleeding and Corrupted Blood removal flask.

 

Gloves

Rare 5 Link Gloves

Look for socketed gems are supported by level 20 Faster Attacks Support/increased attack speed, socketed attacks have increased critical strike multiplier, high life, strength or dexterity, and add increased damage during any flask effect.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

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

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, energy shield, increased critical strike chance, and increased critical strike multiplier if you've killed recently.

 

Boots

Corpsewalker

Gives level 20 Corpse Walk which frequently drops corpses while you move, 8 life per second for each nearby corpse, and 1% increased movement speed for each nearby corpse. These boots spawn a high number of corpses around you while you are moving which allows you to summon more General's Cry Blade Flurry minions even on single target fights. You should also look for a regenerate 100 life per second while moving corruption to counter the life degeneration from Blood Rage.

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Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for very high attributes, dexterity, high life, 15% of physical damage as extra fire damage, and add reduced channeling cost at the crafting bench. You should also use 20 Fertile Catalysts to increase the life bonus on the amulet.

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 can use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts to increase its attribute bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Vulnerability Ring

Look for Vulnerability on hit, high life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. Physical attack damage leeched as life should also be on one of your rings. You should use 20 Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Resistance Ring

Look for high life, strength, optionally life leech, very high resistances, and add reduced channeling 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 to give You Gain Onslaught For 4 Seconds on Hit.

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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.

Taste of Hate (legacy is better)

Gives 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage, 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage, 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. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gain 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.

Note: Bleeding immunity and Corrupted Blood immunity aren't needed on a flask for this build because you can pick up Bleed immunity from the Armour and Evasion Mastery and the Corrupted Blood immunity from the Resistance Mastery.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Fatal Blade for 50% increased critical strike chance and 25% increased critical strike multiplier when using a sword at Cassia using an Amber Oil, Opalescent Oil, and Opalescent Oil.

 

Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 40% Increased Cyclone 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

Alira is the best bandit to help in Act 2 for this build because she gives 15% to all 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

The Blood Thorn

A two hand level one weapon with a 30% block chance that curses enemies with Vulnerability when you 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 chest armour that has 6 white linked sockets. Any skill gems 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

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 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy Charge on kill. These gloves are great even after Act 10.

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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.

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 reach level 28 and have a Praxis ring which reduces the mana cost of skills by up to 8. Also make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached 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 Daresso's Passion at 43, and then your endgame weapon Paradoxica at level 66. Carnage Heart requires level 20 and is the budget amulet for this build. You can also greatly benefit from upgrading to one Praxis ring at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 8 which lets you use Cyclone without using mana. At level 36 you can also use a Mark of Submission ring with a Vulnerability gem socketed in it to cast Vulnerability on hit. The items in this leveling section last until the midgame where better items will become available.

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

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