Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Unstoppable Hero, Fortitude, First to Strike Last to Fall, and Inspirational. Make sure and pick up the two nearby Attack Masteries for non-vaal strike skills target one additional nearby enemy and 5% increased attack speed per enemy in close range. The Iron Grip node makes it so that strength also affects your projectile damage and is important. 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 plenty of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree for survival.

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Defensive Layers

The Unstoppable Hero Champion ascendancy provides you with stun immunity which is important for this build. 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 automatically recover 25% life and remove all ailments and burning when you are low on life with a 20 second cooldown. Enduring Cry is also used which reduces your physical damage taken and increases your elemental resistances. Champions have an abundance of life nodes in their tree and strong defensives from their ascendancy.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Ancestral Warchief

Phantasmal Ancestral Protector

Awakened Added Cold Damage Support

Awakened Added Lightning Damage Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attacks Support

Culling Strikes Support

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Armour (6-link)

Molten Strike of the Zenith

Awakened Multistrike Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attacks Support

Awakened Added Cold Damage Support

Awakened Added Lightning Damage Support

Trinity Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Dread Banner

Dash

 

Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Haste

Blood And Sand

Enlighten Support

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower

Enduring Cry

Call To Arms​

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Haste is recommended as the best offensive aura for this build and increases your attack speed and movement speed. Blood and Sand is also used to give 15% more area damage at the cost of having 5% less area of effect. Dread Banner is selected to give a 20% chance to Impale, 20% increased Impale effect, and lowers the accuracy of nearby enemies. Haste can be used once you have the 12% increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery and a level four 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. Vaal Ancestral Warchief and Ancestral Protector should be used together on difficult enemies to deal greatly increased damage and provide increased melee damage and increased attack speed.

3. Enduring Cry is used to bolster your defenses by giving very high life recovery, 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 make Enduring Cry instantly cast on cooldown.

4. Summon Flame Golem gives up to 20% increased damage and provides an additional target for enemies to attack.

5. 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 which can be found here Flicker Strike Champion Guide.

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Equipment

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Weapon

Rakiata's Dance

This weapon has up to 200-350 cold damage, 1-600 lightning damage, 20% increased attack speed, treats enemy monsters elemental resistances as inverted, and has a 60% increased global accuracy implicit.  

Rare Two Handed Sword

If you can't afford Rakiata's Dance you can optionally use a high damage tri-elemental two handed sword. The two handed sword should have added cold damage, added lightning damage, added fire damage, and increased attack speed.

 

Armour

The Iron Fortress

This armour makes strength's damage bonus provide 3% increased melee physical damage per 10 strength which is converted to projectile damage with the Iron Grip node on the tree. It also gives up to 120 strength, 1% chance to block attack damage per 50 strength, and 10% reduced movement speed. You should add grants 1 strength per 2% quality at the Horticrafting station which can be added to your hideout. You can eventually look for an increased damage corruption once you have enough currency. 

 

Helmet

Rare Blizzard Crown

This helmet base gives up to 85-128 added cold damage and increases enemies cold resistances by 10% which is then inverted with the recommended Rakiata's Dance weapon. Look for life, resistances, accuracy or gain accuracy rating equal to your strength if you can afford it, and at the very high end 1% increased critical strike chance per 10 strength. If you have enough accuracy you can use a Warlord's Exalted Orb for a chance at increased elemental damage or increased critical strike multiplier.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for high life, strength, increased attack speed, a resistance, +2 to level of socketed AoE gems/increased area of effect if you can afford it, and add increased damage during any flask effect at the crafting bench. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll strike skills target one additional nearby enemy and 3% increased damage per 100 strength.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, strength, increased elemental damage with attack skills, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should use 20 Turbulent Catalysts on the belt to increase its elemental damage increase.

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, energy shield, and two sources of added cold, fire, and/or lightning damage.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

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

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high attributes including strength, high life, increased elemental damage with attack skills, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its strength and attribute bonus.

Carnage Heart

The budget option gives up to 56 to all attributes, 20% increased 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 Strength Rings

You shouldn't use a curse on hit ring to lower enemies' resistances because enemies' resistances will be inverted with the recommended Rakiata's Dance weapon. Look for life, strength, optionally dexterity or intelligence, increased elemental damage with attack skills, resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use Turbulent Catalysts on your rings to improve their elemental damage bonuses or Intrinsic Catalysts to increase their attribute bonuses.

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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, consecrated ground, 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. You should also 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, increases your block chance by 12%, and gives 6% spell block. The legacy version is better and gives 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

Gain 100% increased critical strike chance. 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 Divine Judgement for 50% increased elemental damage at Cassia using a Sepia Oil, Teal Oil, and Black Oil.

 

Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: Steelskin Buff Can Take 45% Increased Amount Of 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 a great option for a bandit to help in Act 2 because she gives 15% increased elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second. If the last two nodes in your tree are better than 15% increased elemental resistances and 20% increased critical strike multiplier you should instead kill all the bandits for two skill points.

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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% chance to block 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 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 chest armour that has 6 white linked sockets. This means that any color 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, consecrated ground, 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask 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 and you can add in Ancestral Protector for more damage and attack speed at level four. You should transition into using Molten Strike of the Zenith once you are a higher level and have reduced mana cost rings. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached 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, and finally to your endgame weapon Rakiata's Dance at level 48. Carnage Heart is the budget amulet for the build and can be equipped as early as level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also upgrade to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. The items in the leveling section above last all the way until the midgame where better items will become available.

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

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