Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Sanctuary, Pious Path, Augury of Penitence, and Righteous Providence. The life regeneration nodes on the tree are also very important because you'll want to regenerate more life than you are losing from Righteous Fire's self damage. The Reservation Mastery should also be taken for increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. A hybrid life and energy shield build is highly recommended when playing as an Inquisitor because the Pious Path ascendancy makes life regeneration also apply to energy shield which effectively doubles your health regeneration when using the recommended Replica Soul Tether belt. This build needs high combined life and energy shield so make sure and take plenty of the nearby life percent nodes and energy shield related nodes for survival.

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Defensive Layers

The Sanctuary ascendancy makes enemies take 15% increased damage on consecrated ground and gives permanent consecrated ground while you are stationary. The Pious Path ascendancy makes life regeneration also apply to your energy shield which is important for the self damage of Righteous Fire and makes consecrated ground effects linger on you for four seconds. With the Augury of Penitence ascendancy you will also deal 16% increased elemental damage and take 8% reduced elemental damage. This build has high balanced life and energy shield and your damage taken will be split between your life and energy shield with the recommended Replica Soul Tether belt. This build also has the strong defensive advantage of using a shield.

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Gems

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Weapon (3-link)

Flame Dash

Enduring Cry

Call To Arms

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Shield (3-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

Increased Duration Support

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Armour (6-link)

Fire Trap

Trap and Mine Support

Awakened Elemental Focus Support

Awakened Burning Damage Support

Concentrated Effect Support

Inspiration Support

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Helmet (6-link)

Righteous Fire

Life Tap Support

Awakened Swift Affliction Support

Awakened Area of Effect Support

Burning Damage Support (built into helmet)

Concentrated Effect Support (built into helmet)

 

Gloves (4-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Elemental Army Support

Culling Strike Support

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Boots (4-link)

Grace

Purity of Fire

Summon Skitterbots

Enlighten Support

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Ring (1 socket)

Flammability

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Purity of Fire is also used to help counteract the self damage of Righteous Fire and gives a 4% increase to your maximum fire resistance. Summon Skitterbots is recommended to apply Flammability with the Profane Proxy ring because Righteous Fire can't apply curses on hit. Summon Skitterbots can be used once you have a level 4 Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation cost of your skills.

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Gem Notes​​​

1. Steelskin is the best 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. Level 21 Righteous Fire with 20% quality is typically better than 20/20 Vaal Righteous Fire for sustained damage but if you can afford the very expensive level 21/20 Vaal Righteous Fire it's definitely a nice upgrade.

3. Righteous Fire is supported by Lifetap Support to give the damage over time tag to Righteous Fire which allows you to use Awakened Swift Affliction Support. These two support gems together deal the highest damage for the two available slots.

4. The Enduring Cry warcry should be used to provide a large heal over one second, generates Endurance charges, and gives an extra 2% increased physical damage reduction and 2% increased elemental resistances per charge. Enduring Cry should also be linked to Call To Arms to instantly cast Enduring Cry on cooldown.

5. Summon Flame Golem gives a 20% damage increase, fire exposure with Elemental Army Support, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, heals 2% of your life on Culling Strike, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

6. If you think you would prefer to play a Righteous Fire build that is weaker defensively than this build but has a significantly higher damage ceiling with excellent equipment you can also check out the Mana Stacking Righteous Fire of Arcane Devotion Hierophant Guide here Mana Stacking Righteous Fire of Arcane Devotion Hierophant Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Sceptre

Look for +1 to level of all fire spell skill gems, +1 to level of all spell skill gems if you can afford it, increased burning damage, increased fire damage, and fire damage over time multiplier. You should also add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality to your weapon at the Horticrafting station which can be added to your hideout with the edit option.

 

How Do You Craft A Great Starter Righteous Fire Sceptre?

You can craft a great starter weapon by purchasing an ilvl 83 or higher sceptre with a 40% increased elemental damage implicit and a tier 1 burning damage fracture (a permanent modifier that appears golden). You should then use Orbs of Augmentation when the item has just the fractured modifier and Orbs of Alteration when it has a magic (blue) modifier to reroll the modifiers. Once you get +1 to level of all spell skill gems or the much more common +1 to level all fire spell skill gems try and get one open prefix and 2 open suffixes using Orbs of Annulment or the Bestiary. Next you should add Can Have Up To 3 Crafted Modifiers at the crafting bench which costs 2 Divine Orbs and craft increased fire damage and fire damage over time multiplier. You should then add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality at the Horticrafting Station for a strong starter weapon.

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Shield

Rise of the Phoenix

Gives 5% to maximum fire resistance which greatly reduces the self damage of Righteous Fire, 8% to all elemental resistances, and up to 200 life regeneration per second which also helps counteract the self damage of Righteous Fire. This item is also an armour and energy shield base which can double the energy shield on your body armour with the Armour and Evasion Mastery.

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Armour

Rare Energy Shield Armour

Look for high energy shield, high life, strength and/or intelligence, and optionally life regeneration. Energy shield is strong for Inquisitor Righteous Fire because life regeneration applies to energy shield with the Pious Path ascendancy. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll increased maximum fire resistance and increased maximum energy shield.

Carcass Jack

The budget option gives 12% to all elemental resistances, 70 life, 50% increased area of effect, 50% increased area damage, and energy shield. You can also upgrade to a high increased damage corruption once you have enough currency.

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Helmet

Rare 6-Link Helmet

Look for a helmet with up to the combined level 20 Burning Damage Support/35% increased burning damage, the combined Level 20 Concentrated Effect Support/25% increased area damage, high life, life regeneration, and if you can afford it 30% increased elemental damage with socketed skills. Ideally you will want an armour/energy shield base for the Armour and Energy Shield Mastery which doubles the energy shield of your equipped chest armour. You can also add the combined +1 to level of socketed AoE Gems/10% increased area of effect modifier at the crafting bench.

Voll's Vision

The budget option gives up to 12% increased life if none of your items are corrupted, 400 life regeneration if none of your items are corrupted, 32% increased fire resistance, and 14% increased chaos resistance.

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Gloves

Rare Apothecary's Gloves

Apothecary's Gloves have up to an 18% increased damage over time implicit. Look for high life, increased damage over time, fire damage over time multiplier, life regeneration, and resistances.

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Belt

Replica Soul Tether

Gives 40 strength, 6% of maximum life as extra maximum energy shield, and Corrupted Soul. Corrupted Soul splits non chaos damage between your life and energy shield and gives 15% of maximum life as extra maximum energy shield.

 

Boots

Rare Armour/Energy Shield Boots

Look for life, strength or intelligence, energy shield, resistances, Onslaught on kill, and movement speed. An armour/energy shield base is preferred for the Armour and Energy Shield Mastery which doubles the energy shield of your chest armour. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll a chance to avoid elemental ailments and a chance to avoid being Ignited which helps significantly with maintaining energy shield.

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Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, high attributes, energy shield, +1 to level of all fire skill gems, increased fire damage, life regeneration, and resistances. You should also use 20 Fertile Catalysts on your amulet to increase its life bonus and life regeneration.

 

Rings

Profane Proxy

This ring gives a Flammability aura when using Summon Skitterbots, +3 to level of the socketed curse gem, up to 30% cold resistance, and 30% lightning resistances. You should use 20 Prismatic Catalysts on the ring to increase its resistances.

Rare Ring

Look for high life, life regeneration, attributes, increased fire damage, energy shield, and resistances. You should also use 20 Fertile Catalysts on the ring to increase its life bonus.

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Utility Flasks

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, 12% increased chance to block, and 6% increased 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.

Ruby Flask (legacy is better)

Gives 50% fire resistance and +5% to maximum fire resistance which reduces the self damage of Righteous Fire. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Jade Flask

Gain 1500 evasion. 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 Prismatic Skin for +2 to all maximum elemental resistances which lowers the self damage of Righteous Fire at Cassia using a Silver Oil, Golden Oil, and Golden Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 24% Increased Righteous Fire Area of Effect

Gloves: Commandment of Inferno on Kill (on kill is used because Righteous Fire doesn't count as hitting the enemy)

Feet: 2% Life Regenerated per Second if You Were Hit Recently

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Bandits

The best bandit to help in Act 2 for this build is Alira because she gives 15% increased elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second. You can also kill all of the bandits which gives two skill points if you have two nodes that are better than 15% increased elemental resistances at the end of your skill tree.

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Pantheon

Soul of the Brine King is needed for your major Pantheon power because it makes you immune to freeze and gives 50% reduced effects of chill on you. Without Soul of the Brine King hybrid life energy shield builds have their freeze and chill threshold based off their maximum life which will be lower because it's a combined life energy shield build. Soul of Abberath is the best minor power for this build because it gives 10% increased movement speed on burning ground, 60% less Ignite duration on you, and makes you unaffected by burning ground which helps you maintain energy shield when you take fire damage.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

Lifesprigs

You can use two Lifesprigs at level one that each give 40% increased spell damage, +1 to level of socketed spell gems, increased cast speed, life, mana, and life regeneration.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a level one armour with 6 white linked sockets. With six white sockets you can link any color six gems 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 gives 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 up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate a Power, Endurance, or Frenzy charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap boots require level nine and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

Tear of Purity has up to 20 to all attributes, 40 to life, 30 intelligence, 10 to all elemental resistances, and level 10 Purity of Elements. The Purity of Elements aura increases your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signet

Two Perandus Signets can be used at level one that each give 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 for 40% increased movement speed and can have 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.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which increases your attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27. It can also have 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 it has full charges.

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Leveling Gems

Freezing Pulse is the best starting spell to use at level one and you can optionally switch to Arc at level 12. The Righteous Fire gem only requires level 16 but you shouldn't use it until you have increased maximum fire resistance and high life regeneration to counteract the self damage of Righteous Fire. You should also ideally have the Pious Path ascendancy to make your life regeneration apply to your energy shield. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four 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

The Carnage Heart unique amulet can be equipped at level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes to help with attribute requirements and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana cost of your skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. Many of these 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 Righteous Fire Guide! For more on Path of Exile you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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