Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Gathering Winds, Far Shot, Endless Munitions, and Wind Ward. The Leech Mastery should be taken for 1% attack damage leeched as life and 1% attack damage leeched as mana and it works with elemental damage. A Watcher's Eye jewel is recommended for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, increased critical strike chance while affected by Wrath, and 40% physical damage converted to lightning damage while affected by Wrath. The That Which Was Taken jewel is legacy now but it can optionally be used in standard for up to 50% increased critical strike chance against Shocked enemies, 25% increased critical strike multiplier against burning enemies, and if you can afford it an extra projectile. The Stormshroud jewel makes Shock avoidance apply to all elemental ailments which can give 100% elemental ailment immunity when using the recommended boots. The Reservation Mastery and Mana Mastery are important for increased mana reservation efficiency which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. This is a life build so make sure and take a plenty of the nearby life percent nodes for survival. Note: The skill tree and build ratings have been updated for (3.28).

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Defensive Layers

The Gathering Winds ascendancy gives Gale Force which improves Tailwind and the Wind Ward ascendancy makes you take 4% less damage per stack of Gale Force. The recommended Hyrri's Ire body armour also gives very high evasion and 30% spell suppression which is helpful defensively. Kaom's Heart can also be used as a budget defensive body armour early on for 500 to maximum life, 40% increased fire damage, and an increased damage corruption which is still fairly inexpensive. 

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Tornado Shot

Awakened Greater Multiple Projectile Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attack Skills

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Increased Critical Damage Support

Trinity Support

Note: Awakened gems can be replaced with the normal support gems for seasonal play.

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Armour (6-link)

Frenzy

Manaforged Arrows Support

Power Charge On Critical Support

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Culling Strike Support

Blind Support

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Helmet (4-link)

Sniper's Mark

Tornado (keep at level one for mana cost)

Frost Bomb (keep at level one for mana cost)

Arcane Surge Support (keep at level 7 to trigger with a single Sniper's Mark)

 

Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Wrath

Clarity

Enlighten Support

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Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Summon Ice Golem

Empower Support

Flame Dash (if you happen to get an Unset Ring you can socket Minion Life Support here)

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Unset Ring (optional 1-link)

Flame Dash

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Wrath is the best offensive aura because it gives high added lightning damage to attacks. Clarity is also important for mana regeneration for the high mana cost of the build. Wrath should be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery, the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery, and a level 4 Enlighten Support to lower 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 Asenath's Chant helmet triggers socketed spells when you use a bow skill. It can trigger Tornado which reflects bow damage to nearby enemies, Frost Bomb which lowers the cold resistance of enemies and lowers the life regeneration of enemies, and Sniper's Mark which increases your projectile damage and makes projectiles split to nearby enemies.

3. If you use Devoto's Devotion which is the budget helmet you should link Steelskin, Enduring Cry, Empower Support, and Call To Arms in your boots, you should support Summon Ice Golem with Minion Life Support and Elemental Army Support in your gloves and if you have a +2 to level of socketed AoE or aura gems corruption you should move your reservation skills to your helmet.

4. Frenzy is linked to Manaforged Arrows Support for Frenzy charges on hit, Power charges with Power Charge On Critical Support, Blind with Blind Support, it regenerates 2% of your life on Culling Strike, and it kills enemies at 10% life remaining with Culling Strike Support.

5. Summon Ice Golem gives increased critical strike chance and accuracy and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Tri-Elemental Bow

Look for added lightning damage, added fire damage, added cold damage, bow attacks fire 1 or 2 additional arrows, increased critical strike chance, and increased attack speed. In Standard you can also look for a bow with a strong Crucible tree which can significantly increase the damage of your bow.

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Quiver

Rare Quiver

Look for modifiers like bow attacks fire an additional arrow (important), increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, increased damage with bow skills, added elemental damage, and increased attack speed.

 

Armour

​Hyrri's Ire (legacy is better)

Gives up to 50 dexterity, 30% spell suppression, 25% increased Chill duration on enemies, and 145-200 added cold damage with bow attacks. Legacy Hyrri's Ire is better if you're playing Standard because it has much higher added cold damage.

Kaom's Heart (budget)

The budget defensive option gives 500 to maximum life which greatly improves your survivability and has 40% increased fire damage. You can also look for a Kaom's Heart with a high increased damage corruption because it's a fairly inexpensive item.

 

Helmet

Asenath's Chant

The recommended helmet casts socketed spells sequentially on hit with a 0.3 second cooldown and has up to 15% increased attack speed. You should also eventually look for a +1 to Maximum Power Charges corruption for a little more currency.

Devoto's Devotion (budget)

The budget helmet gives up to 16% increased attack speed, 10% reduced physical damage, 65 dexterity, 20% increased movement speed, and 25% chaos resistance. You should also look for a +2 to level of socketed AoE or aura gems corruption.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

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

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, increased critical strike chance, added lightning damage with bows, and added cold damage with bows.

 

Gloves

Elemental Weakness Gloves

Look for the best Elemental Weakness gloves you can find. Vixen's Entrapment is recommended because it gives an additional curse which allows you to use Sniper's Mark. Malachai's Mark gloves are a great budget option for high life and a buff that generates Power, Frenzy, and Endurance charges on hits.

 

Boots

Rare Boots

Look for high life, chance to avoid being Shocked, resistances, chance to gain Onslaught on kill, and increased movement speed. You don't need Tailwind on your boots because you already have it from your Deadeye ascendancies. You should use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll physical damage as extra cold damage and a chance to avoid being Shocked which gives 100% elemental ailment immunity with a Stormshroud jewel socketed in your skill tree.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, increased attributes, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, added elemental damage, and resistances. You should also use Unstable Catalysts on the amulet to increase its critical strike modifiers.

Carnage Heart (budget)

The extreme budget option gives up to 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 use Intrinsic Catalysts to increase its attributes.

 

Rings

Rare Elemental Damage Rings

Look for rings with life, resistances, increased elemental damage with attack skills, added elemental damage, and increased critical strike chance. You should use Turbulent Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their elemental damage bonuses.​

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, consecrated ground has triple radius, up to 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.

Dying Sun (legacy is better)

Gives two extra arrows, 20% increased area of effect, 50% fire resistance, and 20% reduced fire damage taken. The legacy version is better. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Diamond Flask

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance. You should roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity during effect and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you're Bleeding.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Avatar of the Hunt at Cassia for 30% increased damage with bows, 200 evasion, and 6% movement speed using a Clear Oil, Opalescent Oil, and Opalescent Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: Tornado Shot Fires An Additional Secondary Projectile

Gloves: Commandment of Blades

Feet: 16% Increased Attack Speed if You've Killed Recently

Belt: 30% Increased Accuracy While You Have Onslaught

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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 also kill all three bandits for 1 passive skill point.

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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

Silverbranch

Silverbranch is a level one bow with +1 to level of socketed bow gems, increased attack speed, accuracy, and mana on kill.

Roth's Reach

Requires level 18 for high physical damage, up to 80% increased elemental damage with attacks, and skills chain +2 times.

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Quiver

Craghead

This level four quiver gives up to 7-14 added physical damage with 25% reduced projectile speed.

Hyrri's Bite

Requires level twelve and gives strength, dexterity, intelligence, attack speed, area of effect, and added cold damage to attacks. 

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great offensive level one chest armour with six white linked sockets. White linked sockets means that you can link any color gems which allows you to deal much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for 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 great level one gloves give up to 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 require level nine and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

The Kurai Ward

This level five amulet gives up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 100 accuracy, and 30% increased projectile damage.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two Perandus Signet rings at level one for mana regeneration which 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 for 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 also use Instilling Orbs on this flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught for increased attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27 and it can have increased attack speed or increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should also 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 a Bottled Faith)

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and up to 150% increased critical strike chance against 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.

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Leveling Gems

Galvanic Arrow is the best bow skill to use at level one because it has multiple projectiles without a support gem. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and it can be used at level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and it can also be used at level 10. You can switch to Ice Shot with Volley Support for multiple projectiles at level four and switch to Lightning Arrow and Lesser Multiple Projectile Support at level 12. Tornado Shot which is your endgame skill can be switched to once at level 28. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem once you're level four with at least 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash requires level four and can be used as your travel skill at early levels. 

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Upgrades

Death's Harp is a great bow upgrade at level 32 that fires an additional arrow. You can later upgrade your bow to Death's Opus at level 44 for a bow with high critical strike modifiers and two additional arrows. Carnage Heart is the budget amulet for this build and it can be equipped at 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. Many of the items in the leveling section last until the midgame where better items become available.

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That's all for this PoE guide! You can view more Path of Exile guides in the menu at the top of this page. Best of luck!​