[3.6] Milky's Scorching Ray Totems (updating process)

Update on Operation Ascendant Guardian/Raider.

I still haven't managed to complete Uberlab due to Trials not cooperating and 820 being dead, but I've gotten to experience the playstyle a little bit. I've been using a faster attacks - blink arrow - frenzy - GMP setup in my Iron Commander. Eventually I might add culling strike and + lightning damage on the quiver to help proc EE.

Overall conclusion: Meh, so far anyway (which actually exceeds expectations slightly).

It is definitely neat to blast around with Onslaught and a Quicksilver up, and I'm seriously addicted to Totem Placement Speed at this point. Even with only 3 frenzy charges up and none of my attack speed passives yet, attacks are very quick. I suspect I can place a totem and frenzy in about the same time it takes a variation with lower totem placement speed to plunk down a totem. Keeping Frenzy charges up is definitely feasible using the bow. On bosses, I've noticed that Orb of Storms does a good job of keeping up frenzy charges/onslaught without much need for bow intervention, so that's nice.

With that said, it "feels" more than a little bad every time I have to remember to fire the bow, even as quick as it is, or run out of Frenzy duration. Without the one frenzy duration node that will be available to me, the charges expire way too fast. I feel like it would really need two duration nodes in order to really be viable, which is not possible in the tree (or Restless Ward, which defeats the purpose of everything). I'll ride this thing to the end though and upload a video of the finished product when I can. The speed is rather nice.

If I give up on Raider, I'll test Pathfinder with Silver flasks and a brightbeak/doryani's weapon swap. I suspect it will feel much much better. I've even been eying Trickster for some MoM shenanigans.

But, yes, I also think Guardian/one of the marauder ascendancies is definitely the more reasonable answer for Scion still.

Can you drop any of the gems if you only can get a 5 l?
For example, can you drop minion and totem resistance gem?

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TheLastWound wrote:

Can you drop any of the gems if you only can get a 5 l?
For example, can you drop minion and totem resistance gem?

of course you can. I listed the priority of gems in the gem section

Once again, sorry for the noobish question, but once you pick up Ancestral bond, do you typically drop searing bond and fire storm altogether, or do you simply cast 2X RF and 1X searing bond?

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fleetwood417 wrote:

Once again, sorry for the noobish question, but once you pick up Ancestral bond, do you typically drop searing bond and fire storm altogether, or do you simply cast 2X RF and 1X searing bond?

once i start using rf totem i drop firestorm and keep using searing bond

Hey Milky, thanks so much for taking the time to create this guide and your videos!

I have a possibly strange request - would you be willing to post a quick video of you completing a map without your really costly gear? I'd like to see how this does without the Tukohama's fortress especially, but also with budget flasks, jewels, and other gear. Say, anything that costs more than 1-3c each? The only things that jump out at me are the Tukohama's, the Witchfire, the Doryani's and maybe your jewels but I'm not confident about prices. You talk about it being an awesome build for very cheap budgets, so I'd like to see just how well it can do, I'm thinking about starting 3.0 with this and using it to fund my next build (without ever investing in something expensive like the Tukohama's). Something like a t12-15 would be perfect. For me to choose this, I'd need to be confident that it can clear mid-high tier maps under about 20-30c. I'm considering this, a summoner, or a trapper.

Thanks for reading~!

Hi Milky,just wanted to know.
Did you run another comparison between 2.6 and 3.0 after the RF nerf?Does that translate to a direct -20% damage on RF?Just asking because I have no idea how this game does the math to get the final numbers and I'm not used to path of building yet.

Also damage numbers on berserker would be interesting, changed my ascendancy on live the other day from chieftain to berserker and the clear speed+heal on warcry are really tempting.

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Andizlack wrote:

Hey Milky, thanks so much for taking the time to create this guide and your videos!

I have a possibly strange request - would you be willing to post a quick video of you completing a map without your really costly gear? I'd like to see how this does without the Tukohama's fortress especially, but also with budget flasks, jewels, and other gear. Say, anything that costs more than 1-3c each? The only things that jump out at me are the Tukohama's, the Witchfire, the Doryani's and maybe your jewels but I'm not confident about prices. You talk about it being an awesome build for very cheap budgets, so I'd like to see just how well it can do, I'm thinking about starting 3.0 with this and using it to fund my next build (without ever investing in something expensive like the Tukohama's). Something like a t12-15 would be perfect. For me to choose this, I'd need to be confident that it can clear mid-high tier maps under about 20-30c. I'm considering this, a summoner, or a trapper.

Thanks for reading~!

Currently i am participating in the race and its a huge difference between a lvl 75 or lvl 90+ char for a showcase ;)

The uniques you mention do not that much for dps (witchfire could be replaced with a sulphur flask for excample) and are more Quality of Life items (extra totems, cursing without oos for trashmobs mainly).

Before the soulmantle rework i regulary killed atziri with ~lvl 67 every league with shit gear, this league i killed her with lvl 62.

in 3.0 they buff the fire% rolls on weapons and introduce burning dmg% rolls as well, lowering the gap between a doryani and a rare sceptre by a lot (and can even be better).

you can (should) use MoM except with a tukohamas and can add 2x puritys of element/whatever to make gearing easier... and drop it once resists are good... which helps a lot in the leveling process.

Totemlife jewels are in general very cheap since its the only build (besides Meme rat nuke) that wants the stat. i usually get them for 1-2c early on.

On beta, where stuff is more expensive since the playerbase is slimmer, i bought soulmantle, 2x kikazaru and like 4 jewels for 13c and just 4l the mantle (then bough another one to 6 socket-5link it).

I have beta footage in the beta post, like a act 7 playthrough which shows how it works halfway through the act with ssf gear... and it only gets better with every level.

I use the build every league as a starter to unlock the atlas for my needs including shaper, same for the next league.

My goal is farming atziri and shaper pretty early on a 5link mantle + kikazaru and mostly rare gear to get enough life/resists.

If you want much footage of some dude running the build ssfhc in the mayhem race, ZiggyD used the build as his starter for the Race. You can see the progression in his twitch history without soulmantle shenanigans and a slightly different setup

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sabotagge wrote:

Hi Milky,just wanted to know.
Did you run another comparison between 2.6 and 3.0 after the RF nerf?Does that translate to a direct -20% damage on RF?Just asking because I have no idea how this game does the math to get the final numbers and I'm not used to path of building yet.

Also damage numbers on berserker would be interesting, changed my ascendancy on live the other day from chieftain to berserker and the clear speed+heal on warcry are really tempting.

Did a quick math for RF only (not including searing bond):

2.6 dps: 601654.8 DPS

3.0 prenerf dps: 1005967.4 DPS

3.0 after nerf dps: 811548.1 DPS

on a chieftain.

3.0 after nerf dps for the berserker would be 959138.7 DPS

So overall the DPS will be higher than in 2.6


Gear and passive tree was used from my 2.6 character and just swapped inc aoe for burning dmg for the singletarget dps and efficacy for totem resists (rf + spelltotem + ele focus + burning dmg + rapid decay + conc effect + Efficacy in a soulmantle)

Overall dps will be higher in 3.0

Hey Milky, amazing guide, i have been inactive for almost 2 years and came back recently since the 3.0 is comming soon; i never played as a templar and i wanted to try him with this build, as a hierophant.
Is it worth to try the character with a MoM variant instead of going pure BM life? I read nearly everything on the guide, but as 3.0 may change some nodes, i was wondering if its viable, and if its not to much to ask, i would like to know some tips, and which keystones are must. Picking the hierophant i would be able to place 2 totems more if i am not wrong, that way is it necessary to go for ancestral bond? Thanks in advance