Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is First to Strike Last to Fall, Fortitude, Master of Metal, and Inspirational. An Immutable Force jewel is important for up to 1000% stun recovery now that the Berserker ascendancy no longer gives stun immunity. A Watcher's Eye unique jewel should be used for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, 60% increased physical damage while affected by Pride, 10% chance to deal double damage while affected by Pride, and optionally 15% spell suppression while affected by Grace. The Mana Mastery is also important for reduced mana cost and increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. This is a melee build so try and take all of the nearby life percent nodes for survival. Note: The​​ above skill tree image is updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

The Fortitude ascendancy gives a 15% damage taken reduction for hits by giving you 15 Fortification at all times. With the First to Strike, Last to Fall ascendancy you will also automatically recover 25% life when you are low on life with a 20 second cooldown. Enduring Cry is also used with this build to generate Endurance charges which reduces your physical damage taken and elemental damage taken. Impale Cyclone Champions have very strong defensives from their tree and ascendancies.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Haste

More Duration Support

Empower Support

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

 

Armour (6-link)

Cyclone (Cyclone of Tumult is better for boss fights)

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Brutality Support

Pulverise Support

Impale Support

Infused Channeling Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

More Duration Support

Dash

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Pride

Enlighten Support

War Banner

 

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. Pride greatly increases your physical damage and is the best offensive aura for this build. Pride can be used once you have the 12% increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery and a level 4 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 armour to be effective.

2. The Cyclone of Tumult gem has a higher attack speed but lowers 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 defeating enemies to use it. Vaal Haste gives high increased attack speed and increased movement speed for a short to medium duration.

4. 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.

5. Summon Flame Golem gives 21% increased damage and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

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

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Equipment

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Weapon

Starforge (Legacy)

This weapon is excellent and has extremely high damage if you are playing in Standard.

Rare Two Handed Sword

Rare two handed swords can actually be better than legacy Starforge but it will cost a very high number of Divine Orbs. You can also use Tempering Orbs on rare weapons for a chance at getting an increased physical modifiers enchantment but be aware that doing this sometimes reforges the sockets on the weapon.

 

Armour

Bronn's Lithe

Has five to level of socketed movement skill gems, up to 100% increased damage of movement skills, 10% increased attack speed, 10% increased movement speed, and very high evasion. You can also go for a +1 to socketed gems corruption.

Belly of the Beast

This armour can be used early on for its very high life increase until you have a sufficient amount of life from your gear. It has up to 40% increased life, 15% to all elemental resistances, and 50% increased flask life recovery rate. 

 

Helmet

Devoto's Devotion

Gain 16% increased attack speed, 10% reduced physical damage, 65 dexterity, 20% increased movement speed, 25% chaos resistance, and high defensive stats. You should look for a +2 to level of socketed AoE gems corruption if you don't have it on your gloves. If you have it on your gloves you should instead look for a 6% life corruption.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for high life, strength, attack speed, accuracy, increased damage during any flask effect, resistances, and optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems if you don't have it as a corruption on your helmet. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll one rage per hit no more than once every second and attacks overwhelm physical damage reduction.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, life percent, strength, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should use Fertile Catalysts to increase its life.

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, energy shield, attack speed, and accuracy.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for life, resistances, Onslaught on kill, Tailwind, Elusive, and movement speed.

 

Amulet

Carnage Heart

Gain 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 should also use Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attributes.

 

Rings

Rare Vulnerability Ring

One ring should have Vulnerability on hit, life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Reduced Mana Cost Ring

Look for life, strength, increased damage, resistances, and reduced total mana cost.

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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 which replaces the 12% chance to gain Onslaught on kill modifier on your boots slot.

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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.

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.

Granite Flask

Gain 1500 Armour. 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 Utmost Might for the life and melee damage that comes from Utmost Might's 8% strength and 40 strength at Cassia using an Amber Oil, Azure Oil, and Crimson Oil.

 

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 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

The Blood Thorn

A two hand level one weapon with a 30% block chance that curses enemies with Vulnerability when you block.

Limbsplit

Requires level 13 and 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 color 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

Requires level 5 and 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 increased 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 increased 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 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. 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. You should transition into using Cyclone once you are level 28 and have a reduced channeling mana cost ring. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem once you are level four and have at least 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

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, and finally to your endgame weapon. Carnage Heart can be equipped at level 20 and is the recommended amulet for this build. Using a Praxis ring at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 8 allows you to channel Cyclone without using mana. At level 36 you can also equip 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 Cyclone Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can also view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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