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

Hello guys and fellow EA ballisters,

Trying to grind my way and I think I suffer a lack of dps (and survivability maybe).

Here is my gear:




I smashed my blizzard crown and intend to find another one but it seems no one enchants this league (or maybe it doesn't exist anymore).

I am happy to hear your suggestions. I have 19 divs atm but can of course farm a lot more.

Thanks !

Enchanting helmets in the Lab doesn't exist in this league. Do you have Path of Building Link, so we can take a look at you tree and gem setup?

One quick win.

a. Totems aren't minions, so change the craft on your bow.

Thanks for you help everyone, I think I've finally cracked the DOT Cap for Ubers in this build. Switching from trap-combustion to the arcanist brand gave a lot more DPS.

I still think there's room to go with this seemingly endless build. Anyway, bossing and mapping setup.

Can anyone still see room for improvement????

https://pobb.in/95hpHNL9hBTz {updated - boosting the levels the defensive utilities seems more effective than boosting the flame-surge setup}.

This league has been mostly about maximizing reservation efficiency to run addition auras while still able to use mana for skills.

Oh boy I just tried that Arcanist Brand. The bosses just melt.
I am now sitting on a comfortable 32M damage without the field on the ground. Might have giggled like a little kid after my tests.

Edit: Also found a "that which was taken" and sold it for 13 divines. Now I'm back to looking what I could buy with that.
Edit2: Thought about a Watchers eye with Suppress Spell damage since I only have 95% unless my flask is active and Damaging Ailments damage faster with Malevolence. Costs exactly 13 divs.
Edit3: Nevermind, I found two really nice charms. One removes the reservation for banners, which enables me to get Precision to lvl 20 together with the missing spell suppression. The other gives me Life on kill and improved Onslaught. Which means I could now remove Blood Rage since I will still be at 22 fuses. I chose this for bosses where I might not have mobs to kill.

Would "all damage can ignite" on a charm help to not need the trap anymore?

[problems with forum/text]

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Vacoh wrote:

Oh boy I just tried that Arcanist Brand. The bosses just melt.
I am now sitting on a comfortable 32M damage without the field on the ground. Might have giggled like a little kid after my tests.

Good : )

"

Vacoh wrote:

Edit3: Nevermind, I found two really nice charms. One removes the reservation for banners, which enables me to get Precision to lvl 20 together with the missing spell suppression. The other gives me Life on kill and improved Onslaught. Which means I could now remove Blood Rage since I will still be at 22 fuses. I chose this for bosses where I might not have mobs to kill.

Yeah no banner res is nice indeed.

More about fuses count : PoB numbers are "perfect situation" numbers. Most of the time you won't get as much fuses as calculated there, because ingame you won't be in a perfect situation. Having some more fuses in PoB can help you against tough enemies, "ensuring" you hit your max fuse count.

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Vacoh wrote:

Would "all damage can ignite" on a charm help to not need the trap anymore?

Not going into details but it shouldn't, because of Ancestral Bond : "You can't deal damage with skills yourself". Totems can deal damage, traps can deal damage, but you can't. Otherwise we could just link everything to frenzy for example (due to Bond, frenzy doesn't deal damage).

"

GraissE wrote:

Hello guys and fellow EA ballisters,

Trying to grind my way and I think I suffer a lack of dps (and survivability maybe).

I smashed my blizzard crown and intend to find another one but it seems no one enchants this league (or maybe it doesn't exist anymore).

I am happy to hear your suggestions. I have 19 divs atm but can of course farm a lot more.

Thanks !

Hello.

First, enchants are indeed gone.

Then, i think i read you had a minion explicit (i guess attack speed, seems to be gone), it does indeed not work with totems, UNLESS you allocate the Spiritual Command node on tree (it has been done before, i'm not sure there's a point doing so (maybe in ssf ?).

Now, about your build

Items :

Bow : The first craft recipe on my signature looks like 15%+ dps increase.
Ideally this

It's the main EAb bow, for people using lifetap (thus not using empower).

Helmet : If you're going to use Blizzard Crown, there's also the recipe on my signature for the double elevated one. I copypasted mine on your build (removing enchant also), looks like an 18%+ dps. Right now yours "only" gives 2 useful stats : the cold damage implicit (the reason why we love it) and some hp. {Edit : also gives you 3% to cap lightning res, i just realized there was an oak flask activated...}
Note that some people also go for the Devouring Diadem, as the item allows to get rid of lifetap for empower (while also giving reservation efficiency etc).
Now that requires to rethink links, spell suppr etc etc.

Gloves : You can replace the herald implicit with a prolif implicit, allowing you to replace ignite prolif gem on bow with (aw) Deadly Ailments for a nice damage boost.

Boots : The steps are nice, but when you can, try to craft/buy a nice pair of boots with high spell suppr, chaos res, hp, ms... anything else good you can get.
Note : your chaos res is really really low right now, you wanna aim for at least 0, but the more the better.

Amulet : I won't tell you to get a +2/dot multi ammy right now, it's really expensive, know that there's also the craft recipe on my sign (but it's expensive and tedious to make, and expensive to buy)
Now yours gives you watchtowers (ok any can), fire dot multi and life, pretty much. I think it should be easily upgraded for damage (maybe +1 dot multi ?)
On the survivability side, you could also buy a defiance of destiny amulet, anoint it. Lots of people love the item cause if the last explicit, which makes you gain life before getting hit every time you get it. It can go up to 42% of unreserved life gained with a 35 base + 20% life catalysts on it. If it's not too expensive (didn't check), it should help a lot with survivability till you wanna/can use a +2 dot multi ammy for damage.

Rings : Polaric and taming are nice generic items. I just wanna mention you can get the polaric covered in ash unique explicit on a charm this league, would allow you to get a better ring instead (at the cost of only working against unique enemies unless i'm mistaken). (it's not mandatory, just know you can potentially upgrade your rings)

Belt : your dyadian is at 35% faster ignites, you can make it 42% easily with catalysts. (turbulent)

Flasks : not really going into it but you certainly already know they can be upgraded : you have two QS, one being white, also, really not sure about that wise oak.

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Skills/tree :

EA setup : I already mentioned the ignite prolif when reviewing gloves.

Add flammability to your flame surge arcanist brand setup !

Auras setup/clusters : You should be able to add grace to your auras, with mortifying aspect small cluster jewel + delevelling your precision aura.
If going for DD build, big auras go into helmet.
If staying on blizzard setup, probably 6L auras into body armour, also your other gem setups will require lifetap
(you can take a look at my char to have my view on the gem links)

You don't seem to need the agility node (was probably there prior to utmost swiftness)
I'm also not sure on the elemental mastery node, is it worth these 4 points ?

Your aura reservation mastery is on area of effect, probably prefer increased damage or increased effect.

Life mastery +15% with no life mod on armour would be better than +50.

Mid term, after getting some upgrades :
Jewel socket/Lethal pride jewel : The socket between vigour and savagery is usually our best bet for damage with lethal pride jewel. Allocating cloth and chain for some hitpool and socketing a 12824 lethal pride should give a nice dps boost.

etc etc

Edit : also upgrade your EAb gems to awakened versions (deadly ailments, burning damage, elemental damage) when you can.

Headtourist and Wilson_Chan, thank you very much for all these advices. I'll take them one by one and try my best on it.

I will come back with updates on how it feels (but you already know it will be better).

Have a good day,

Charms are the big win in affliction league. These are my top affixes and why:

1. #% chance to Cover Rare or Unique Enemies in Ash for 10 Seconds on Hit
This lets you drop Polaric Devastation in favour of a more fun ring

2. Totems Taunt Enemies around them for 2 seconds when Summoned
Replaces a tree node removed in a recent patch which sounds innocuous, but is actually a vital defense for this build.

3. Banner Skills have No Reservation
Free Defiance Banner. Yay!

4. Culling strike.
Frees up a gem slot for better alternatives

5=. Spell Suppression and Mana Reservation Efficiency
Eases the pressure in both areas, and later in the build lets to drop boring tree nodes in favour of more exciting ones.

I've seen people also using the mod that boosts onslaught, but it looked pretty low margins to me - maybe stacking them works?

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Wilson_Chan wrote:

I've seen people also using the mod that boosts onslaught, but it looked pretty low margins to me - maybe stacking them works?

Stacking them does work and works well either with Sleepless Sentries or Mageblood with a silver flask. It's more of a quality of life upgrade since it's just extra attack and movement speed, but it's not too hard to reach double effect onslaught, or triple with Mageblood.

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Wilson_Chan wrote:

Thanks for you help everyone, I think I've finally cracked the DOT Cap for Ubers in this build. Switching from trap-combustion to the arcanist brand gave a lot more DPS.

I still think there's room to go with this seemingly endless build. Anyway, bossing and mapping setup.

Can anyone still see room for improvement????

https://pobb.in/95hpHNL9hBTz {updated - boosting the levels the defensive utilities seems more effective than boosting the flame-surge setup}.

This league has been mostly about maximizing reservation efficiency to run addition auras while still able to use mana for skills.

You should update pob link in the 1st page as topic post. Current 3.21 one is missleading a lot. Also cant allocate watchtowers passive like on your trinket etc. again, ty for your time.