Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Unstoppable Hero, Fortitude, First to Strike Last to Fall, and Master of Metal. A Watcher's Eye unique jewel should be used for up to 6% life, 6% energy shield, 6% 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 and gives 12% 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.

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Defensive Layers

The Unstoppable Hero Champion ascendancy provides you with stun immunity which is important for Cyclone. The Fortitude ascendancy gives a 20% damage taken reduction for hits by giving you 20 Fortification at all times. And 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 increases your elemental resistances and reduces your physical damage taken. Impale Cyclone Champions have very strong defensives from their tree and ascendancies.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Ancestral Warchief

Phantasmal Ancestral Protector

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Brutality Support

Faster Attacks Support

Maim Support

 

Armour (6-link)

Cyclone (Cyclone of Tumult is better for boss fights)

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Brutality Support

Pulverize Support

Impale Support

Infused Channeling Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Summon Ice Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

Dash

 

Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Pride

Dread Banner

Enlighten Support

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower

Enduring Cry

Call To Arms

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Reservation Skills

Grace is almost always the best defensive aura and gives very high evasion. Pride is the best offensive aura for this build and increases your physical damage significantly. Dread Banner can also be used and gives a 20% chance to Impale, 20% increased Impale effect, and lowers the accuracy of nearby enemies. Dread Banner 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. 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 be used together on higher life enemies to deal damage, increase your melee damage, and increase your attack speed.

4. Enduring Cry is used to provide around a 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. You should also link the new Call to Arms gem to Enduring Cry to instantly cast it on cooldown.

5. Summon Ice Golem gives a critical strike and accuracy 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.

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.

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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 can use 20 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 can also use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts to increase its attribute bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Vulnerability Ring

One ring should have Vulnerability on hit, life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should use 20 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

Alira is almost always the best bandit to help in Act 2. She gives 15% to all elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second.

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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.

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 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 or a reduced channeling cost ring. 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 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 view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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