[No longer updated] Pizza Sticks: Flameblast Totem Hierophant

"

Elvale wrote:

Breaches I found the following works:
- play super far away i.e. offscreen it with totems hitting edge of breach
- find a wall where you can clear to and then work out (not always an option)
- I find it usually easy if stand in centre and just spam defensive pots + use vaal discipline at the start, then just work towards an edge
- don't fight just outside the edge off breach, you'll get hit by invisible mobs all the time, either centre or super far away.

And (most importantly): if a breach turns out to be frost: walk (or better: run) away. Just refuse to engage with it, because:
- more than 99% of breach rings suck
- you can buy about *seventeen* ice splinters for a chaos
- the other lot is just loot
- you die often enough to frost breaches so that they are a net xp *loss*

Finally got my hands on a Presence of Chayula yesterday, and it *totally* rocks.

Am going to experiment with a Prism Guardian (which goes for 1 chaos this league). Run Wrath and Anger in the shield, with a lvl 2 enlighten and maybe the 4% reduced reservation node near CI (until Enlighten hits 3).
Then Discipline and Blasphemy-TempChains on main, so my mana problems will be solved, as I will only reserve 70% instead of 85%.

Since Prism Guardian also has 36% all-res, the rest of my gear (rings, boots, helmet) should be free to almost totally optimize towards ES thereby covering mostly for the loss of ES from my shield.

Still have a 5L armor, but am using Controlled Destruction instead of Increased AOE, as the combination of a large ES pool, Blasphemy-TempChains, my trusty Singularity, and VERY high damage (Augury of Penitence, Pain Attunement, level 22 Anger and level 22 Wrath) all encourage taking the fight close to the monsters. They all run to me, so the Increased AOE is not necessary (with all the AOE nodes). Likely the 6L will be either Added Lightning Damage or Increased Critical Damage.

The only drawback is that I am vulnerable to not paying attention to chaos damage (have about 600 life and 75% chaos resistance, which equates to about 4000 virtual life with -70% chaos resistance). This is not bad in itself, but when you get hit by chaos damage it is not easy to see as your lifebar is quite small. So you have to pay attention as to what mobs are doing, and you definitely want to avoid "Monster hits poison" maps.

Tree (at level 88):
pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUBAAFvApYFQgceCaoMUg5ID8QRLREvEVARlhqBGyUc3B0UIvQk2CoLKhMrCiycMtE1uTbFO3w8BT1fQZZEoUVHSVFJsUuuTLNOrlF0UlNY5VorXGtcil3yXl1knWaebAttGXBSe9d8g3_GgpuD84RIhW2J04t6i4yMNox2jmSPGo9Gj_qSbpMnlS6XlZf0mjuce5_foS-io6PyppmnCKcrp5Soua4SrrOxNrb6tzG4yrxWvorAZsCaw23QH9D10f3SfNWB1abXz9gk2VvZ_OL36QLr7uv17TztYe9874jv6_DV8h33pvk3-d360g==

I think that more offense will be unnecessary (I now have 6K tooltip on a 5L) so I think I will start moving to the ES wheel above Scion, as you never have enough defense.

^^You probably mean Enlighten, and not Enhance.

Hey guys,

can anyone help me improve my character?

Char's name is Orphan_Crippler_
Passive Tree

I'm working on getting more 20% gems and maybe a 6L body armour but I'm a few exalted short. And I haven't been able to complete all uber lab trials up to now.

What other things could I improve? Is Heretic's Veil any good for this build or should I only run it when using dual curse?
In my other weapon set there's a dagger and shield I'm going to use for harder content if necessary
Not quite sure what to do next. I'd like to be able to beat most content with this character.
And should I take more dmg nodes or more ES nodes right now? With Discipline I've got 6.6k ES without shield and 8.2k ES with the shield

What do you think?

"

Piparipoika wrote:

Hey guys,

can anyone help me improve my character?

Char's name is Orphan_Crippler_
Passive Tree

I'm working on getting more 20% gems and maybe a 6L body armour but I'm a few exalted short. And I haven't been able to complete all uber lab trials up to now.

What other things could I improve? Is Heretic's Veil any good for this build or should I only run it when using dual curse?
In my other weapon set there's a dagger and shield I'm going to use for harder content if necessary
Not quite sure what to do next. I'd like to be able to beat most content with this character.
And should I take more dmg nodes or more ES nodes right now? With Discipline I've got 6.6k ES without shield and 8.2k ES with the shield

What do you think?

Your tree is inefficient: if you take the INT node to the left from Occultist Dominion, you can delete two INT nodes above that.

You also have a 30 DEX node, maybe you can take a lower level Faster Attacks? A few less % Attack speed won't kill you. You should probably buy a Q20 Faster Attacks, remove the DEX node and level it until it will no longer level.

You have a so-so ring and a very poor amulet and belt. Improve these before even thinking about expensive stuff like Heretic's Veil. Get a 148-150 crit% Voidbringer while you are at it.

Get lab enchantments.

Experiment with using Controlled Destruction instead of Increase AOE if you have trouble killing monsters.

Get 4L on your helmet and fill it out (and all other available slots in your gear and backup gear) with flameblast gems. You want to get a level 21 Flameblast.

Rolled my third toon for this league and finally settled on this build/class. Question: would taking Pious path ascendancy offset instruments of virtue? Just want to know if the added survivability helps in clearing high tier maps later on, especially breach farming. Thanks in advance!

"

Lordfolken52 wrote:

Rolled my third toon for this league and finally settled on this build/class. Question: would taking Pious path ascendancy offset instruments of virtue? Just want to know if the added survivability helps in clearing high tier maps later on, especially breach farming. Thanks in advance!

I've tried this. I'm playing with it myself right now, and it does help, primarily with breeches... but frost is still a killer. You also have to consider that only half of Sancitfy works because we are killing with spell totems. It doesn't just go up when you kill things. (Which is the primary drawback) So other than when you get hit, you need to self-cast it with a flask. Though you do get most of the cast speed back, and some ES regen, you are usually moving all of the time as a totem build, and if you are moving with whirling blades you are almost always getting that 30% cast speed buff, as well as the dmg buff if using orb of storms. And if you are moving, you are moving out of the consecrated ground area. Even with all of that said, I do have ZO specced currently, and it is nice to pop a sulphur flask and get on-demand ES regen. That Pious path tree just adds to that. There are times I would have died without it, so it can be helpful. Still, I don't think it is as good as the other two Ascendancy paths. (Instruments + Augury)

Hmmm.. I guess self proc buff > conditional (% based) buff. Final clarification: the "50% increased Attack Damage if you've Cast a Spell Recently" does not apply to spell damage correct? Since we took ancestral bond, this damage buff is wasted/unused?

"

Lordfolken52 wrote:

Hmmm.. I guess self proc buff > conditional (% based) buff. Final clarification: the "50% increased Attack Damage if you've Cast a Spell Recently" does not apply to spell damage correct? Since we took ancestral bond, this damage buff is wasted/unused?

Uh, we're not doing any attacks, so who cares. More importantly though the other three parts of instruments of virtue all help, 30% cast speed 20% attack speed 30% spell damage. You simply need to cast orb of storms to get 30% spell damage bonus for your totems. The other two parts from as you move with whirling blades. It's a lot for one point.

cookie cutter build then, although I prefer shield charge for mobility + flame dash. Any tips on gear progression? e.g. which core items to upgrade in correct order 6l chest > helmet > ammys etc