Stress-Free PoE! RIGHTEOUS GOLEMS (RF): No Required Items! 1-Button Play! SSF League Start-End! 3.12

Hi WoD - I'm back, looking into your builds again after not playing since 3.10.

Just wanted to say, your builds have ruined me for all others, even in other games - gameplay mechanics are SO EASY! :)

Question - I'm going to keep my RF Marauder from 3.8-10 since I like the durability but I do have an elementalist from a previous (now dead) build that I want to reconfigure for this new RF version.

Can I run this build with some of the caster gear I had on her in this build, or will that not be durable enough? The previous build had some really high level unique that I'd hope to be able to reuse.

Would prefer to just use the free respec and adjust as needed vs starting over from scratch.

Thanx!

"

Maniollo6 wrote:

Spoiler

I'd also add to not take Elemental Equilibrium when leveling, because during this phase the leveling gear may have stats that would make damage worse. Once everything starts clicking in this build then taking EE or even Elemental Overload give some nice boosts.

Awesome addition Maniollo6! Always a safe call.

"

Rex_Urhole wrote:

Spoiler

Hi WoD - I'm back, looking into your builds again after not playing since 3.10.

Just wanted to say, your builds have ruined me for all others, even in other games - gameplay mechanics are SO EASY! :)

Question - I'm going to keep my RF Marauder from 3.8-10 since I like the durability but I do have an elementalist from a previous (now dead) build that I want to reconfigure for this new RF version.

Can I run this build with some of the caster gear I had on her in this build, or will that not be durable enough? The previous build had some really high level unique that I'd hope to be able to reuse.

Would prefer to just use the free respec and adjust as needed vs starting over from scratch.

Thanx!

Hey Rex_Urhole!

It's always a pleasure! I'm sorry I ruined you for other games ;) but you're so very kind to say what you've said. I'm glad you have such a good time here.

You can use this build with either the gear that you used for the Chief or the previous caster as long as you have the life rolls, and deal no fire damage. Spell damage doesn't help this build (unless you make the 6th socket of the 6 link Scorching Ray or the Searing Bond Totem or something). Even if the caster's gear isn't perfect for this build, it'll be better than restarting. Just make sure that it's life-based.

Thanks again for your kind words :)

How are you guys managing the triggering of EE and EO? I'm rly struggling with this atm.

Feels like EO is on once or twice per map, never with bosses.

EE also is quite tricky, feels like ball lightning is no way near enough to toss EE away from fire. Tried this w/o using fire dmg-skills of this build so EE was always on, ending up with the feeling that dps is quite even with all those fire dmg -skills (wave of convinction, flame golem and purifying flame). Ofc no fire dmg from gear etc. basics checked.

So, what to try next? it feels like basically ball lightning isnt triggering times required to make EE work for us. About EO im even more confused how to increase its uptime :D

Other than this, flawless work with this build and thread guys. Keep it up!

"

Raytag wrote:

I like this build but having to stop to cast enduring cry every 8 seconds really is a bummer.

If you put Enduring Cry on your move button (on PC the left mouse button) instead of basic move/attack, the casting will be automatic. Your character will briefly stop as it casts it, but it'll always be up.

Hello,

I am back with some news. Sorry to not have the best of progress, but RL (Righteous Life ;)) kept me busy the last weeks.

Anyways, let me start with this: Oh boy, we are getting somewhere, again! I took the advises from this thread and was tinkering a bit left and right. It's so much fun to redo the char over and over to make it end-game-viable. I accepted that this char will never reach the "insane" DPS qualities of other chars, though.
I would love to present you all the gems maxed out or even in Anomalous or Divergent quality, but I only have around 90min a day to play atm. More to come for sure, let me sort things out and I will be all PoE again!

Here the changes since beginning of November:
1. I banished Inspiration for a 6-link Scorched ray.
2. I took the 6-link helmet option for RF (Any yes, I paid 1-freaking-EX for the helmet)
3. Oh, I have a new helmet by the way ;)

4. Increased the CWDT for Flammability to lvl20 (or at least I am on the way doing it right now)
5. I had to take one +30Dex node to make Swift Affliction work even though the old helm requirements are gone now. Losing some life options here. All to replace the Inspiration from the RF support setup.

Let me try to explain what I got out of this:
Cut Inspiration: I had to cut something for the Ray and Inspiration was the pick at the end.
Pros of Inspiration + Cry:
- Juicy extra damage
- Extra life reg
Cons of Inspiration + Cry:
- Movement stop for a brief moment every 8 seconds
- Slot intense setup
Especially the movement stop made me aware that this is extra dangerous to use. Some times you are in bad luck and the stop puts you in the approach lane of something insta-killing. I assume this is only a problem if you want to play and content. All the way to T16 maps, this never was a problem for me. But the bosses are unforgiving to such things at any given time.
In addition, I wanted to build in Scorched Ray and had to cut. So the intense room-usage for Inspiration + Cry just cleared enough space to make this happen.

6-link action:
Taking in Scorched Ray was a good one. Including Flammability (-44 on lvl20) there will be -69% base fire res removal for any single target. This is huge! You see the hp melting on any given boss. At first, I was skeptical as with 123 open mana and not a good mana reg if I can maintain the Ray long enough, but you have to move after a while to not get slaughtered anyways. So the setup fits perfectly.

Flammability/CWDT increase to lvl20: There was a talk about this already, so I am not going to babble about this much more. When you are still here and reading, you may already know: Increasing this setup in level increases your damage a lot. No, even more: A LOT! (Thanks Maniollo6 to point out the obvious to me. Sometimes I need the push from someone to overcome my own silly math-universe!)

Swift Affliction:
Actually I am not sure about this. Swift affliction looks good on paper, but even today I cannot tell it the duration reduction has any negative impact with RF. The internet is not 100% precise on the wording and the interpretation. But most of you out there say it's fine, so I'll take it ;).
The feeling on the damage increase is not good, though. I feel there is only a damage boost on Vaaling RF somehow. On the Vaal RF the dmg boost is very noticeable, though.
Anyways, if there is a designated "Swift Affliction Specialist" out there reading this, please let me understand the mechanics.



And here the NOT change:
1. I kept Witch fire Brew.

Let me try to explain my NOT decision:
After going back and forth, it's a keep for me. It's a matter of timing when to kick the bottle, then you have not much of a problem with the additional curse. There are moments in boss fights where you explicitly take a hit to cast Flammability. Just keep them in mind the use the flask upfront. It's a bit of practice and it's not working too well with all bosses, but the 40% DMG increase are just too juicy to not take it. Call me greedy but I can live with the disadvantage.


So, there was some time to try higher content.

Doable content so far:
Shaper and Elder minions: All a check from my side! Guardians are no problem, either from Elder or Shaper. I was not brave enough to go for one of the two big guys, but from the pattern side of things, it looks good to me. I'll try soon.
Redeemer, Warlord (4 stones): Easy as pie. It just takes a while, but the danger is minor.
Crusader (4 stones): Doable but tedious. It just takes forever. I's like getting your teeth pulled out all at once slowly. If you lose patience, you die.

NOT doable content:
Hunter (4 stones): Not enough Chaos Res to nail this bad boy. Eventually I win, but it takes at least 2 or 3 deaths.
Catalina: Not a chance. I assume I am too bad of a player to get this girl down. The build should be able in skilled hands I assume. Also, my problem is that it just takes too long between tries. I just don't have enough practice is another point maybe.
Uber Atziri: Actually I cannot tell you why, but I am getting my nice backside handed to me when I try. Fighting Uber Atziri is insta-death for me. On paper, it actually looks quite good: High fire res, no reflect dmg... you name it. But for some reason I cannot even overcome the second stage before my portals are gone. Any tips are welcome why I am not performing here.

Not tried yet:
- Sirius
- Shaper
- Elder
- None of these I-appear-in-depth-400-mines-type-of-bosses, "please insert names here". I am just not deep enough yet.
- Friedrich Tarollo --> Actually I am not brave enough to try ^^


I am not counting lower bosses like Breach stones or Lab or other stuff. All doable so far, nothing to point out. If I forgot something important, tell me and I'll let you know if I tried and how it worked out.

Here again the char:
Tree: See post 1
Life: 8548 (I lost ~150 life to the dex node)
Shield: 289
Level: 95
Life regs / sec: 1878




So here the questions:
- Tell me that I am wrong using Swift Affliction and give me a better support option if there is any. (Maybe I can reuse the skill point used for the extra dex for more life)
- Any chance this can be maxed out better without having 100Ex too much lying around?
- Is Uber Atziri not possible for this build or am I too stupid to play this fight?


I stated it already but this is the most fun league for me till today. Not the most effective, but most fun it is indeed. Thx for all the efforts and presenting this char here.

Best and see you out there!

"

TopiHeikkilä wrote:

Spoiler

How are you guys managing the triggering of EE and EO? I'm rly struggling with this atm.

Feels like EO is on once or twice per map, never with bosses.

EE also is quite tricky, feels like ball lightning is no way near enough to toss EE away from fire. Tried this w/o using fire dmg-skills of this build so EE was always on, ending up with the feeling that dps is quite even with all those fire dmg -skills (wave of convinction, flame golem and purifying flame). Ofc no fire dmg from gear etc. basics checked.

So, what to try next? it feels like basically ball lightning isnt triggering times required to make EE work for us. About EO im even more confused how to increase its uptime :D

Other than this, flawless work with this build and thread guys. Keep it up!

Hey TopiHeikkilä!

Thanks for the kind words and the honest post. I'm glad you're liking the build. If you feel like the fire skills cast too often to benefit EE, raise the CwDT level of the link to level 14. That'll give those gems a damage threshold of "2000" before they go off. I'll also increase PF's Consecrated Grounds' AoE by 2. BUT it'll lower the frequency of possible crit chances for EO.

Regarding EO, one thing to remember is that ball lightning is a slow skill. It normally always hits after PF and WoC. That being said, you could always try and find a way to have Ball Lightning linked with Slower Projectiles.

If you look at my most recent session with this build, see how often EE and EO trigger. I've put the CwDT gem linked to the fire spells at 14 just to remind myself what it's like. EO doesn't show up as often, but it isn't needed for every enemy, just the battles that last more than two seconds. I've also, with my version decided to scrap Enduring Cry for a 4-link with Cyclone. If enemies live through the burning damage and get to Cyclone, Cyclone's spin rate (despite the poor accuracy) will get you EO.

Does this help? Thanks again for your kind words.

"

moardin25 wrote:

Spoiler

Hello,

I am back with some news. Sorry to not have the best of progress, but RL (Righteous Life ;)) kept me busy the last weeks.

Anyways, let me start with this: Oh boy, we are getting somewhere, again! I took the advises from this thread and was tinkering a bit left and right. It's so much fun to redo the char over and over to make it end-game-viable. I accepted that this char will never reach the "insane" DPS qualities of other chars, though.
I would love to present you all the gems maxed out or even in Anomalous or Divergent quality, but I only have around 90min a day to play atm. More to come for sure, let me sort things out and I will be all PoE again!

Here the changes since beginning of November:
1. I banished Inspiration for a 6-link Scorched ray.
2. I took the 6-link helmet option for RF (Any yes, I paid 1-freaking-EX for the helmet)
3. Oh, I have a new helmet by the way ;)

4. Increased the CWDT for Flammability to lvl20 (or at least I am on the way doing it right now)
5. I had to take one +30Dex node to make Swift Affliction work even though the old helm requirements are gone now. Losing some life options here. All to replace the Inspiration from the RF support setup.

Let me try to explain what I got out of this:
Cut Inspiration: I had to cut something for the Ray and Inspiration was the pick at the end.
Pros of Inspiration + Cry:
- Juicy extra damage
- Extra life reg
Cons of Inspiration + Cry:
- Movement stop for a brief moment every 8 seconds
- Slot intense setup
Especially the movement stop made me aware that this is extra dangerous to use. Some times you are in bad luck and the stop puts you in the approach lane of something insta-killing. I assume this is only a problem if you want to play and content. All the way to T16 maps, this never was a problem for me. But the bosses are unforgiving to such things at any given time.
In addition, I wanted to build in Scorched Ray and had to cut. So the intense room-usage for Inspiration + Cry just cleared enough space to make this happen.

6-link action:
Taking in Scorched Ray was a good one. Including Flammability (-44 on lvl20) there will be -69% base fire res removal for any single target. This is huge! You see the hp melting on any given boss. At first, I was skeptical as with 123 open mana and not a good mana reg if I can maintain the Ray long enough, but you have to move after a while to not get slaughtered anyways. So the setup fits perfectly.

Flammability/CWDT increase to lvl20: There was a talk about this already, so I am not going to babble about this much more. When you are still here and reading, you may already know: Increasing this setup in level increases your damage a lot. No, even more: A LOT! (Thanks Maniollo6 to point out the obvious to me. Sometimes I need the push from someone to overcome my own silly math-universe!)

Swift Affliction:
Actually I am not sure about this. Swift affliction looks good on paper, but even today I cannot tell it the duration reduction has any negative impact with RF. The internet is not 100% precise on the wording and the interpretation. But most of you out there say it's fine, so I'll take it ;).
The feeling on the damage increase is not good, though. I feel there is only a damage boost on Vaaling RF somehow. On the Vaal RF the dmg boost is very noticeable, though.
Anyways, if there is a designated "Swift Affliction Specialist" out there reading this, please let me understand the mechanics.



And here the NOT change:
1. I kept Witch fire Brew.

Let me try to explain my NOT decision:
After going back and forth, it's a keep for me. It's a matter of timing when to kick the bottle, then you have not much of a problem with the additional curse. There are moments in boss fights where you explicitly take a hit to cast Flammability. Just keep them in mind the use the flask upfront. It's a bit of practice and it's not working too well with all bosses, but the 40% DMG increase are just too juicy to not take it. Call me greedy but I can live with the disadvantage.


So, there was some time to try higher content.

Doable content so far:
Shaper and Elder minions: All a check from my side! Guardians are no problem, either from Elder or Shaper. I was not brave enough to go for one of the two big guys, but from the pattern side of things, it looks good to me. I'll try soon.
Redeemer, Warlord (4 stones): Easy as pie. It just takes a while, but the danger is minor.
Crusader (4 stones): Doable but tedious. It just takes forever. I's like getting your teeth pulled out all at once slowly. If you lose patience, you die.

NOT doable content:
Hunter (4 stones): Not enough Chaos Res to nail this bad boy. Eventually I win, but it takes at least 2 or 3 deaths.
Catalina: Not a chance. I assume I am too bad of a player to get this girl down. The build should be able in skilled hands I assume. Also, my problem is that it just takes too long between tries. I just don't have enough practice is another point maybe.
Uber Atziri: Actually I cannot tell you why, but I am getting my nice backside handed to me when I try. Fighting Uber Atziri is insta-death for me. On paper, it actually looks quite good: High fire res, no reflect dmg... you name it. But for some reason I cannot even overcome the second stage before my portals are gone. Any tips are welcome why I am not performing here.

Not tried yet:
- Sirius
- Shaper
- Elder
- None of these I-appear-in-depth-400-mines-type-of-bosses, "please insert names here". I am just not deep enough yet.
- Friedrich Tarollo --> Actually I am not brave enough to try ^^

I am not counting lower bosses like Breach stones or Lab or other stuff. All doable so far, nothing to point out. If I forgot something important, tell me and I'll let you know if I tried and how it worked out.

Here again the char:
Tree: See post 1
Life: 8548 (I lost ~150 life to the dex node)
Shield: 289
Level: 95
Life regs / sec: 1878

So here the questions:
- Tell me that I am wrong using Swift Affliction and give me a better support option if there is any. (Maybe I can reuse the skill point used for the extra dex for more life)
- Any chance this can be maxed out better without having 100Ex too much lying around?
- Is Uber Atziri not possible for this build or am I too stupid to play this fight?


I stated it already but this is the most fun league for me till today. Not the most effective, but most fun it is indeed. Thx for all the efforts and presenting this char here.

Best and see you out there!

Awesome post moardin25! I love seeing the changes and thoughts of how people go about these builds! Nice work!

Every little change made to a build, changes more than you think. This build can for sure take on all the endgame content. I play it with the Atlas full watchstones all the time. But don't be disheartened by that. Some bosses are just hard for certain natural playstyles. Some people just have a hard time against certain types of bosses no matter the build. Then there's also the aspect of what your character has to do to deal damage or how long it takes to get to escape. For example, in a melee build I play sometimes, Multistrike support is definitely one of the strongest supports I can use. BUT I can't escape all the time when I want because I get stuck in an animation. So, I find it better to not use that skill. I level faster with fewer deaths than I do with more damage and more deaths. Now, that's not the case here, but there may be something in regards to the movement/natural playstyle of your setup that's making some boss battles hard.

Regarding Swift Affliction, it gets stronger with Arcane Surge linked to it. only together are they worth using with RF, so you'd want to check to see if replacing Efficacy with Arcane Surge gives you more damage. There aren't a lot of damage nods for RF so removing Inspiration gives you less options. That being said, Inspiration works with both RF and SR. You could also put SR where Swift is and you'd have two 5-links in one helmet. You'd then have tons of space for more defence too.

Anyway, just a couple of thoughts. I think your changes are awesome! I love your gear too! Gear can always be improved...it's PoE. But your gear seems better than mine as is.

I hope this helped a bit. Thanks for the great post!

I'm testing another change to the build. Nothing new that we haven't seen in the thread, but I think it works well, at least on paper and a few red maps I did. Btw, I spent a fortune on this (at least for my casual time spent on this game) and the Sceptre is still far from perfect.
The main features are "trigger a socketed spell when you use a skill" and "+1 to all fire spell skill gems".
We have a few fire spells that I think it was too good to not use it. Righteous Fire is the obvious one which now with corruption and enchant to +1 aoe makes it level 23. Huge boost to damage. The three other are Flammability, Wave of Conviction and Purifying Flame with the biggest gain is for level 21 is Purifying Flame where we gain +1 extra radius. If anyone is interested I suggest to check Divergent quality which gives %5 increased damage taken to enemies.
The issue with cwdt is we have to take damage and I'm not comfortable to take it with bosses. So this where "trigger a socketed spell when you use a skill" comes to help as it triggers each one spell every 4 seconds. And Storm Brand also should work well for bosses. An if somehow it attaches when to a mob when clearing that it would be another source of EO. It's not that we need it, but as someone said sometime the best defense is offense. Regarding defense, I got lucky when I slammed body armor with Warlord's Orb and I got "Recover 5% life on kill". This makes clearing packs pretty safe. Here are remaining items that still use the original idea of RF with golems, but it became so different than the original.

Any suggestions on improvements are welcome! I'm doing red maps and have 2 sets of 4 gemstones, but I've never been so far in the game, so I don't even know how to get to Sirius, Elder or Shaper haha. I did Catarina deathless, but the fight was strange because she was kind of immune most of the time until I figured out what was going on.

moardin25 Cool changes! I'm not a specialist but from what I'm reading Swift Affliction doesn't support RF. Since you already have it in your setup it should be easy to check in-game. Check the tooltip damage with and without it. Let us know, this is interesting :) But it looks like it should work with Scorching Ray pretty nicely!
The Overflowing Chalice is a cheap alternative to Witchfire Brew without the worry about curses and with consecrated ground bonus.
Also, I see you use Area Damage and Damage over time damage bonuses in your jewels, but jewels can also have Burning Damage and Fire Damage increases up to something like 35%. It could be a better option, if you have budget to replace the existing ones.