3.23 EXPLOSIVE ARROW BALLISTA ELEMENTALIST - League-Start to End-Game. Easy mode.

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MacGyver85EL wrote:
Question, does the totem damage for the medium cluster jewel actually add significant damage? Considering adding a megalomaniac instead, with solid skills, if not. Thanks!


to clarify, did you mean if the single point on the small passive for 12% totem damage (ignoring other mods like all res, placement speed) is worth it? if so, 12% isn't a big deal at all since we're likely running 600 - 800% on the "increase" pool for EA (it's around a 2% difference overall). The main deal with going with megalomaniac is the opportunity cost of the open jewel socket that you'll give up.

since we're here, let's look at the relevant notables on totem medium cluster:

>> Sleepless Sentries
20% increased Totem Duration
You have Onslaught if you've Summoned a Totem Recently
Spoiler
almost mandatory, since onslaught gives 20% increased Attack, Cast and Movement Speed. too good to give up on.

>> Snaring Spirits
30% increased Totem Damage
Totems Hinder Enemies near them when Summoned (30% reduced movespd, 4s)
Spoiler
recommended by maxroll. i've been trying this recently and comparing with other notables. if i'm not wrong, the selling point for this is to keep monsters in place while the arrows fly to them, so we miss fewer shots. however, we get chill (any cold damage) and covered in ash (polaric devastation) as soon as any shot lands anyway. also, running with rain of splinters reduces our chance of missing. i'm not a fan of this notable, but the 30% increased damage makes it not a bad choice.

>> Ancestral Echo:
20% increased Totem Placement speed
10% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've summoned a Totem Recently
Spoiler
i feel like this is a strong notable. 10% attack speed with 20% placement speed. it makes up for a lot of passives that we cull from the tree, and it stacks!

>> Ancestral Reach
25% increased Totem Damage
25% increased Totem Placement speed
25% increased Totem Placement range
Spoiler
niche useful, but probably not a popular choice. 25% damage is ok. the star of this notable is increased placement range, so we can sneak our ballistas further from us. this is pretty useful in sanctums for no hit runs, especially when paired with divergent totem support for the extra totem range. you can snipe guards outside of their aggro range this way.



on megalomaniacs, there are some really useful choices. i've crawled through the first pages of poeninja and these are the popular ones:

>> Calamitous
10% chance to Freeze, Shock and Ignite
30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills
15% increased Effect of Non-Damaging Ailments
Spoiler
30% increase damage, paired 15% increased effect of our shocks when running Shaper of Storms

>> Martial Prowess
20% increased Attack Damage
6% increased Attack Speed
15% increased Global Accuracy Rating
20% increased Damage with Ailments from Attack Skills
Spoiler
attack damage is useless, but the others are fine. probably nice to get if struggling with accuracy.

>> Tempered Arrowheads
Bow Skills have +6% to Damage over Time Multiplier
Bow Skills have 10% increased Skill Effect Duration
10% increased Duration of Ailments inflicted while wielding a Bow

>> Smoking Remains
35% increased Fire Damage
10% chance to create a Smoke Cloud on Kill
Spoiler
high damage, and free chance to blind nearby monsters

>> Wasting Affliction
20% increased Damage with Ailments
Damaging Ailments deal damage 5% faster
Spoiler
both strong mods, especially if not using Dyadian Dawn

>> Blowback
10% chance to Ignite
Ignites you inflict deal Damage 8% faster
Spoiler
similar to Wasting Affliction, but losing 20% damage for 3% faster ignites is probably unwise unless we are ignite capped

>> Cooked Alive
15% chance to Ignite
Enemies Ignited by you have -5% to Fire Resistance
Spoiler
meh. 1 wasted mod, and while -5% res is nice, this could make space for better notables

>> Cremator
30% increased Fire Damage
Ignited Enemies Killed by your Hits are destroyed
Spoiler
30% fire damage is fine. destroying corpses can be useful against some monsters, especially in delve? HOWEVER, this says "your Hits" so i don't know how effective it is.

>> Mortifying Aspect
+11% to Chaos Resistance
Malevolence has 50% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency
Spoiler
commonly used notable, but this is usually used on the mana reservation small cluster since each small passive also gives 6% reservation efficiency.

>> Flow of Life
24% increased Damage over Time
4% increased maximum Life
Regenerate 0.6% of Life per second
Spoiler
ok-ish damage increase, ok-ish %life. pretty good combination together.

>> Fan the Flames
Ignites you inflict spread to other Enemies within a Radius of 15
Spoiler
on first glance, it looks like a waste. however, if you have enough exarch currency, you can run this notable and roll for up to 20% fire DoT multi, which is something none of the cluster notables can. costly but worth it.

>> Circling Oblivion
25% increased Damage over Time
15% increased Duration of Ailments on Enemies
Spoiler
not really strong enough


there are a lot more notables that i haven't listed (max res, inc. efficiency, etc), so if there are strong contenders, please let me know.
Last edited by limevan on Jan 11, 2023, 11:28:00 PM
is there an easy way to farm unnatural instinct jewel? seems like everyone has it yet its 10 divine,which for me is quite expensive
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Lyutsifer665 wrote:
is there an easy way to farm unnatural instinct jewel? seems like everyone has it yet its 10 divine,which for me is quite expensive


https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Unnatural_Instinct

it can be chanced using a viridian jewel base. quite a few div cards have it as in the loot table as well.

easiest way is probably to farm raw currency to buy one, since there isn't a deterministic way to get it. spam some sanctums if you need currency, they are very lucrative.
Hi all,

I don't know if anybody would have the time. But I find it rather difficult to determine what my next upgrade should be, or what I should put my effort in. I have about 25 div's to do some upgrades. SO if anybody has some advice: greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about recoloring my chest and moving some gems around so that I can fit in an enlighten to free up a few points on the tree.

https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MarcusMcBride
"
MarcusMcBride wrote:
Hi all,

I don't know if anybody would have the time. But I find it rather difficult to determine what my next upgrade should be, or what I should put my effort in. I have about 25 div's to do some upgrades. SO if anybody has some advice: greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about recoloring my chest and moving some gems around so that I can fit in an enlighten to free up a few points on the tree.

https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MarcusMcBride


recoloring your chest to fit 5 auras + enlighten is a good step.

there is A LOT that you can do with 25d. for a start:


polaric devastation (0.5d): putting this on your left ring slot covers anything you hit in ash, making it take 20% inc fire damage, and incurring 20% less movement speed. super worth the cost at this stage of the league, and it's an immediate 20% MORE damage multiplier for you.

awakened burning damage at level 5 (0.6d) gives EA +1 level.

ignite prolif on gloves, and replacing your main 6L with with either empower (6.5d) or awak ele dmg with attacks (1d)

recraft your bow for +3 but with higher attack speed. aim for t1 rolls. will cost you around 2d - 4d. your current max fuse count is 18, so this should easily bring you to a comfortable 20.

amulet with +1 or +2 (from 25c to >10d). settle for +1 first with good rolls on life/res as you need. anoint with watchtowers to save passives. hired killer is a nice QoL, but it feels like a trap since a single life flask is more than enough to keep up and outheal you.

malevolence (24c), once you sort out the recolouring of your chest. this is more than 20% more damage. also this opens up more options on watchers eyes for the future.

others
> run totem taunt, instead of chance to summon two totems on your totem mastery.

> drop both totem wheels on top right (4 points) and middle (3 points) so you can start running cluster jewels. go for onslaught on totem summon and snaring spirits (hinder) or ancestral echo (extra attack speed) on those.

> as mentioned above (under amulet), anointing watchtowers returns you 15 passive skill points. you'll need to invest in gloves and boots with spell suppression to bring it back to 100%. this will cost around 1d - 2d in total.

> lvl 21 grace (45c), determination (45c), and lvl 21/20 defiance banner (100c) together sets you back less than 1d.

> quiver with 1 or 2 rolls of DoT multi. get one with high attack speed.

> consider dropping lightning golem (doesn't survive when you actually need it), life gain on hit linked to frenzy (i go for greater volley support so it's easier to aim while running, others run GMP);

> move on to shaper of storms ascendancy when you feel tanky enough. shocks are a good source of "more" multipliers for us.
"
Bogdanovici1 wrote:
Maaan i played alot of ballistas, all i see now is scuffed versions, i mean who annoints hired killer when the point is en route. Let me know if you guys want some gg pobs.


I would love to see that, please send one my way.
"
limevan wrote:
"
MarcusMcBride wrote:
Hi all,

I don't know if anybody would have the time. But I find it rather difficult to determine what my next upgrade should be, or what I should put my effort in. I have about 25 div's to do some upgrades. SO if anybody has some advice: greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about recoloring my chest and moving some gems around so that I can fit in an enlighten to free up a few points on the tree.

https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MarcusMcBride


recoloring your chest to fit 5 auras + enlighten is a good step.

there is A LOT that you can do with 25d. for a start:


polaric devastation (0.5d): putting this on your left ring slot covers anything you hit in ash, making it take 20% inc fire damage, and incurring 20% less movement speed. super worth the cost at this stage of the league, and it's an immediate 20% MORE damage multiplier for you.

awakened burning damage at level 5 (0.6d) gives EA +1 level.

ignite prolif on gloves, and replacing your main 6L with with either empower (6.5d) or awak ele dmg with attacks (1d)

recraft your bow for +3 but with higher attack speed. aim for t1 rolls. will cost you around 2d - 4d. your current max fuse count is 18, so this should easily bring you to a comfortable 20.

amulet with +1 or +2 (from 25c to >10d). settle for +1 first with good rolls on life/res as you need. anoint with watchtowers to save passives. hired killer is a nice QoL, but it feels like a trap since a single life flask is more than enough to keep up and outheal you.

malevolence (24c), once you sort out the recolouring of your chest. this is more than 20% more damage. also this opens up more options on watchers eyes for the future.

others
> run totem taunt, instead of chance to summon two totems on your totem mastery.

> drop both totem wheels on top right (4 points) and middle (3 points) so you can start running cluster jewels. go for onslaught on totem summon and snaring spirits (hinder) or ancestral echo (extra attack speed) on those.

> as mentioned above (under amulet), anointing watchtowers returns you 15 passive skill points. you'll need to invest in gloves and boots with spell suppression to bring it back to 100%. this will cost around 1d - 2d in total.

> lvl 21 grace (45c), determination (45c), and lvl 21/20 defiance banner (100c) together sets you back less than 1d.

> quiver with 1 or 2 rolls of DoT multi. get one with high attack speed.

> consider dropping lightning golem (doesn't survive when you actually need it), life gain on hit linked to frenzy (i go for greater volley support so it's easier to aim while running, others run GMP);

> move on to shaper of storms ascendancy when you feel tanky enough. shocks are a good source of "more" multipliers for us.


How exactly are you fitting all 5 auras into your setup with only the mana reservation wheel, evasion mastery for grace and enlighten 4. Even with a lvl 4 enlighten I wouldn't be able to drop by mana reservation mods on my gear.

Even setting precision to lvl 1 i still need those gear mods. Am I missing something?

Plus, how are you running 6 totems without ancestral bond?
Last edited by Zuuule on Jan 12, 2023, 9:21:33 AM
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limevan wrote:
"
MarcusMcBride wrote:
Hi all,

I don't know if anybody would have the time. But I find it rather difficult to determine what my next upgrade should be, or what I should put my effort in. I have about 25 div's to do some upgrades. SO if anybody has some advice: greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about recoloring my chest and moving some gems around so that I can fit in an enlighten to free up a few points on the tree.

https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MarcusMcBride


recoloring your chest to fit 5 auras + enlighten is a good step.

there is A LOT that you can do with 25d. for a start:


polaric devastation (0.5d): putting this on your left ring slot covers anything you hit in ash, making it take 20% inc fire damage, and incurring 20% less movement speed. super worth the cost at this stage of the league, and it's an immediate 20% MORE damage multiplier for you.

awakened burning damage at level 5 (0.6d) gives EA +1 level.

ignite prolif on gloves, and replacing your main 6L with with either empower (6.5d) or awak ele dmg with attacks (1d)

recraft your bow for +3 but with higher attack speed. aim for t1 rolls. will cost you around 2d - 4d. your current max fuse count is 18, so this should easily bring you to a comfortable 20.

amulet with +1 or +2 (from 25c to >10d). settle for +1 first with good rolls on life/res as you need. anoint with watchtowers to save passives. hired killer is a nice QoL, but it feels like a trap since a single life flask is more than enough to keep up and outheal you.

malevolence (24c), once you sort out the recolouring of your chest. this is more than 20% more damage. also this opens up more options on watchers eyes for the future.

others
> run totem taunt, instead of chance to summon two totems on your totem mastery.

> drop both totem wheels on top right (4 points) and middle (3 points) so you can start running cluster jewels. go for onslaught on totem summon and snaring spirits (hinder) or ancestral echo (extra attack speed) on those.

> as mentioned above (under amulet), anointing watchtowers returns you 15 passive skill points. you'll need to invest in gloves and boots with spell suppression to bring it back to 100%. this will cost around 1d - 2d in total.

> lvl 21 grace (45c), determination (45c), and lvl 21/20 defiance banner (100c) together sets you back less than 1d.

> quiver with 1 or 2 rolls of DoT multi. get one with high attack speed.

> consider dropping lightning golem (doesn't survive when you actually need it), life gain on hit linked to frenzy (i go for greater volley support so it's easier to aim while running, others run GMP);

> move on to shaper of storms ascendancy when you feel tanky enough. shocks are a good source of "more" multipliers for us.


Yoooo!! Thanks a bunch! Lots to go over. I'll see what I can do and what works for me :D
Spoiler
"
Zuuule wrote:
"
limevan wrote:
"
MarcusMcBride wrote:
Hi all,

I don't know if anybody would have the time. But I find it rather difficult to determine what my next upgrade should be, or what I should put my effort in. I have about 25 div's to do some upgrades. SO if anybody has some advice: greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about recoloring my chest and moving some gems around so that I can fit in an enlighten to free up a few points on the tree.

https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MarcusMcBride


recoloring your chest to fit 5 auras + enlighten is a good step.

there is A LOT that you can do with 25d. for a start:


polaric devastation (0.5d): putting this on your left ring slot covers anything you hit in ash, making it take 20% inc fire damage, and incurring 20% less movement speed. super worth the cost at this stage of the league, and it's an immediate 20% MORE damage multiplier for you.

awakened burning damage at level 5 (0.6d) gives EA +1 level.

ignite prolif on gloves, and replacing your main 6L with with either empower (6.5d) or awak ele dmg with attacks (1d)

recraft your bow for +3 but with higher attack speed. aim for t1 rolls. will cost you around 2d - 4d. your current max fuse count is 18, so this should easily bring you to a comfortable 20.

amulet with +1 or +2 (from 25c to >10d). settle for +1 first with good rolls on life/res as you need. anoint with watchtowers to save passives. hired killer is a nice QoL, but it feels like a trap since a single life flask is more than enough to keep up and outheal you.

malevolence (24c), once you sort out the recolouring of your chest. this is more than 20% more damage. also this opens up more options on watchers eyes for the future.

others
> run totem taunt, instead of chance to summon two totems on your totem mastery.

> drop both totem wheels on top right (4 points) and middle (3 points) so you can start running cluster jewels. go for onslaught on totem summon and snaring spirits (hinder) or ancestral echo (extra attack speed) on those.

> as mentioned above (under amulet), anointing watchtowers returns you 15 passive skill points. you'll need to invest in gloves and boots with spell suppression to bring it back to 100%. this will cost around 1d - 2d in total.

> lvl 21 grace (45c), determination (45c), and lvl 21/20 defiance banner (100c) together sets you back less than 1d.

> quiver with 1 or 2 rolls of DoT multi. get one with high attack speed.

> consider dropping lightning golem (doesn't survive when you actually need it), life gain on hit linked to frenzy (i go for greater volley support so it's easier to aim while running, others run GMP);

> move on to shaper of storms ascendancy when you feel tanky enough. shocks are a good source of "more" multipliers for us.
"
Zuuule wrote:


How exactly are you fitting all 5 auras into your setup with only the mana reservation wheel, evasion mastery for grace and enlighten 4. Even with a lvl 4 enlighten I wouldn't be able to drop by mana reservation mods on my gear.

Even setting precision to lvl 1 i still need those gear mods. Am I missing something?

Plus, how are you running 6 totems without ancestral bond?


Sanctified Relic! rolls 8 - 12% mana reservation efficiency, and i've added Ancestral Bond via invocation to it. with this, i could drop the small cluster of mana reservation with Mortifying Aspect (malevolence reservation efficiency), and that means free passives plus a jewel socket.

[edit] in case it's more illustrative, here's the breakdown on POB:

Last edited by limevan on Jan 12, 2023, 10:12:33 AM
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Sanctified Relic! rolls 8 - 12% mana reservation efficiency, and i've added Ancestral Bond via invocation to it. with this, i could drop the small cluster of mana reservation with Mortifying Aspect (malevolence reservation efficiency), and that means free passives plus a jewel socket.

[edit] in case it's more illustrative, here's the breakdown on POB:



I see now, and that sanctified relic is account bound so I would have to find one myself. Fat chance of that happening.
I'm thinking of saving up for an Impossible Escape Jewel (precise technique) but man they are expensive.
Anointing watchtowers does seem like a better move and just path to hired killer, so I'm thinking of doing that as well.
Empower instead of ignite prolif seems way better (way more expensive as well) as well, just need to get the glove implicit.

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