Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Crave the Slaughter, Rite of Ruin, Flawless Savagery, and Blitz. You should stack strength with this build because it greatly increases the damage of Venom Gyre. The Mana Mastery is very important so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. A Watcher's Eye jewel is also recommended for up to 6% life, 6% energy shield, 6% mana, increased damage over time while affected by Malevolence, damaging ailments that you inflict deal damage 15% faster while affected by Malevolence, and optionally unaffected by Bleeding while affected by Malevolence. If you find an armour based strength stacking helmet you can get Bleeding immunity from the Armour and Evasion Mastery and Corrupted Blood immunity from the Resistance Mastery which allows you to use a damage flask in the place of a Bleeding/Corrupted Blood removal flask. The Iron Grip node is also an important part of the build because it makes strengths melee damage also apply to the projectile damage of Venom Gyre. Make sure and take a high number of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree for survival.

 

Defensive Layers

You will have very high life with this build from stacking strength which also greatly increases your life. This build also has very fast attack speed and movement speed from Blitz and Rage from ascendancies which make it much easier to avoid fight mechanics and they both will serve to increase your farming speed. You will also have a very high chance to block attacks based on how much strength you have with The Iron Fortress body armour which is the recommended strength stack body armour.

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Gems

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Weapon (3-link)

Ancestral Protector

Cold Snap (keep at level one)

Cast When Damage Taken Support (keep at level one to trigger more frequently)

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Shield (3-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Culling Strike Support

Minion Life Support

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Armour (6-link)

Venom Gyre

Pierce Support

Chance to Poison Support

Awakened Added Chaos Damage Support

Awakened Unbound Ailment Support

Awakened Void Manipulation Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Malevolence

Dread Banner

Enlighten Support

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Gloves (6-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

Enduring Cry

Call To Arms

 

Boots (4-link)

Whirling Blades

Awakened Cast on Critical Support

Tornado

Power Charge on Critical Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Malevolence is the recommended offensive aura that increases your damage over time and increases your skill effect duration. Dread Banner is also recommended when combined with Grace to lower the accuracy of nearby enemies. You should use Malevolence once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery and a leveled Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation costs 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. Whirling Blades expends projectiles that return to you for a powerful area of effect attack with Venom Gyre. Tornado also improves the damage of Venom Gyre by reflecting 10% of damage taken from projectiles to nearby enemies.

3. Ancestral Protector gives Venom Gyre increased attack speed and Cold Snap is linked to Cast When Damage Taken Support to generate Frenzy charges when enemies die in its skill effect area.

4. Enduring Cry is selected to provide over a 2200 life 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 make Enduring Cry instantly cast on cooldown.

5. Summon Flame Golem gives 20% increased damage, 2% life replenishment with Culling Strike Support, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

6. If you think you would prefer to try a different strength stacking Berserker build you can also check out the Strength Stacking Kinetic Blast Berserker Guide which can be found here Strength Stack Kinetic Blast Berserker Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Claw

Look for the highest attack speed rare claw base with high life per enemy hit and get modifiers like tier one attack speed, chance to poison on hit/increased poison damage, added chaos damage, increased chaos damage/increased skill effect duration, and attacks with this weapon penetrate chaos resistance. You have a chance to add added chaos damage and attacks with this weapon penetrate chaos resistance if you use a Hunter's Exalted Orb on the claw with an open prefix. You should also add 1% increased critical strike chance per 4% quality at the Horticrafting Station which should be added to your hideout with the edit option.

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Shield

Strength Synthesised Shield

Look for a shield with a 6% increased strength synthesis and roll tier one strength, high life, high attack speed, block chance, and resistances. Deafening Essences of Rage can be used on a strong base to guarantee the tier one strength modifier.

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Armour

The Iron Fortress

Gives 1% chance to block attack damage per 50 strength, strength's damage bonus instead applies 3% increased melee physical damage per 10 strength (which is converted to increased projectile damage with the Iron Reflex node on the tree), up to 120 strength, chance to block spell damage is unlucky, and 10% reduced movement speed.

 

Helmet

Rare Strength Stack Helmet

Look for gain accuracy rating equal to your strength, 1% increased critical strike chance per 10 strength, high life, resistances, optionally +2 to level of socketed aoe gems, and optionally nearby enemies have lowered chaos resistances. An armour base is also a great option for Bleeding immunity from the Armour and Evasion Mastery on the tree.

Black Sun Crest

The budget option has up to 15% increased strength, 15% increased dexterity, 15% increased intelligence, and +1 to level of socketed gems. You can also go for a +2 to level of socketed AoE or aura gems corruption for a little more currency.

 

Belt

Synthesized Strength Stack Belt

This belt can have a 15% increased strength implicit, high strength, high life, increased damage, and resistances. You should use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts on the belt to increase its attribute bonus.

Cyclopean Coil

The budget option gives up to 15% increased attributes, 120 life, cannot be Ignited if strength is higher than dexterity, cannot be frozen if dexterity is higher than intelligence, and 1% increased damage per 5 of your lowest attribute.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for tier one strength, high life, increased attack speed, resistances, and use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to add 3% increased damage per 100 strength and increased attack speed.

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Boots

Replica Alberon's Warpath

Has up to 18% increased strength, 220 to armour, 19% to chaos resistance, 30% movement speed, and adds 1-80 chaos damage to attacks per 80 strength.

 

Amulet

Astramentis

Gives up to 115 to all attributes for a huge damage increase from attributes including strength. You should also use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts on the belt to greatly increase its attribute bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Despair Ring

Look for a ring with the Despair curse on hit, high strength, life, increased damage, resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use 20 Intrinsic Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their strength bonuses.

Rare Amethyst Strength Ring

Look for an Amethyst ring for a chaos resistance implicit with high strength, high life, increased damage, resistances, and add reduced mana 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 which replaces the 12% chance to gain Onslaught on kill modifier on your boots.

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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.

Atziri's Promise (legacy is better)

This build is difficult to get chaos resistance on so use this flask for 35% chaos resistance, 2% chaos damage leeched as life, physical damage as extra chaos damage during effect, and elemental damage as extra chaos damage during effect. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask (if you're using Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker use a Jade Flask for evasion instead)

Gives Onslaught which increases your attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed. You should roll increased attack speed as a second modifier and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges. If you don't have Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity you should roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity during effect instead and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you are Bleeding.

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Anointment

Your amulet should be anointed with Heart of Darkness for 27% increased chaos damage and damage penetrates 7% chaos resistance at Cassia using an Azure Oil, Azure Oil, and Opalescent Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: Venom Gyre Deals 40% Increased Damage

Gloves: Commandment of Blades

Feet: 16% Increased Attack and Cast Speed If You've Killed Recently

Belt: 30% Increased Accuracy Rating While You Have Onslaught

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Bandits

The best bandit to help during Act 2 is Alira because she gives 15% increased elemental resistances, 20% increased critical strike multiplier, and 5 mana regeneration per second which are very helpful.

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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 high damage two hand level one weapon with a 30% block chance and a 100% chance to cast Vulnerability on block.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

A strong level one offensive chest armour that has six white linked sockets. This armour allows you to link any color skill gems and support gems together for 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 level one resistance helmet with up to 40% to all elemental resistances that has 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

These level one gloves give 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap boots can be equipped at level 9 and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

An amulet that gives level 10 Purity of Elements, up to 20 to all attributes, 40 to life, 30 intelligence, and 10 increased elemental resistances. Purity of Elements increases your resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two level one Perandus Signets that each give up to 65% mana regeneration, 65 mana, 2% increased intelligence for each unique item equipped, and 2% increased experience gained.

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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 when 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 enemies take 10% increased damage when they are on consecrated ground. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Ground Slam can be used at level one and you can add in Ancestral Protector for more damage and attack speed at level four. Venom Gyre can be switched to as early as level 12. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four and have 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 Mortem Morsu at level 34, to The Wasp Nest at level 60, and then to your endgame claw. You can also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. Many of the items in the above leveling section last until the midgame where better items will become available.

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

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