[3.5+] Finding your Way: A Guide to Path Finding in Wraeclast!
 Hello Exiles, and welcome to my guide! This guide is going to explain the ins and outs of the Pathfinder Ranger Ascendancy. I will only be going over the basics, and some builds to help you get started on your journey through Wraeclast. Just who the hell are you and why should I be taking your advice? My name is AmazeBallz, and I play Pathfinder constantly, I always end up playing a Blade Vortex Pathfinder at the start of every league because I enjoy it. I am always playing in Hardcore, so I know how survivable the Pathfinder can be. In the Incursion HC Flashback, I rode the top of Pathfinder twice, levels 89 and 91, until I unfortunately died to being a huge dumb dumb. What is a Pathfinder? The Pathfinder is one of the three Ranger Ascendancies available after the Labyrinth. The main focus of the Ascendancy is flasks; you gain many bonuses from using your flasks. In addition, it also makes flask charges easier to gain and sustain. The class is most definitely viable in Standard and Hardcore modes. What skills can I use as a Pathfinder? You can use whatever tickles your fancy. I would generally stay away from things like minions (besides the Agony Crawler) and totems, but if you can make something work for you, I would love to hear about it! What are the best Ascendancy Nodes? It all depends on your skill of choice. Let's take a look at what some of the nodes are: Veteran Bowyer
Spoiler
 Probably one of the best nodes for the Pathfinder, requiring no flask usage, only helping to sustain those flasks. When allocated, your damage penetrates 10% of elemental resistances, you gain 10% of physical damage as extra damage of a random element, and enemies you kill that are affected be elemental ailments grant 100% increased flask charges. What this means for us is that we get a free 10% penetration on all enemies, we get a free 10% of extra damage (as a random element), and of course, when an enemy affected by elemental ailments dies, we gain double the flask charges as they would normally provide. Nature's Boon
Spoiler
 When this is allocated, you take 6% reduced elemental damage, your flasks gain 3 charges every 3 seconds, and there is a 20% chance for your flasks to not consume charges. What this means for us is that we are going to take less elemental damage while our flasks are up and have our flasks up the majority of the time. You can even stand before an Izaro encounter and gain your flasks quickly! Master Alchemist
Spoiler
 Located behind Nature's Boon, this node makes us immune to elemental ailments during any flask effect, gives us 40% increased elemental damage during any flask effect, and gives us 20% chance to freeze, shock, and ignite during any flask effect. What this means for us is that now whenever we have a flask up, we are immune to elemental ailments! No more rolling flask for anti freeze, shock, or burning! This also causes our flasks to grant us 40% increased elemental damage and 20% chance to freeze, shock, and ignite! Nature's Adrenaline
Spoiler
 When allocated, this point grants us 20% increased attack speed during any flask effect and 15% increased movement speed during any flask effect. This Ascendancy point is the one that gives the Pathfinder her speed. 15% movement speed? If you're not walking, your shield charges are sure to be quick with 20% attack speed. Master Surgeon
Spoiler
 Located behind Nature's Adrenaline, Master Surgeon enables you to gain a flask charge when you deal a critical strike, remove bleeding when you use a flask, and you also gain 30% increased life recovery rate from flasks. Flask charges on critical strike and removing bleed are very useful, as well as 30% increased life recovery from flasks, but most people don't pick this node up, as most of the others are more useful. Nature's Reprisal
Spoiler
 When allocated, this passive grants 30% increased chaos damage, chaos skills having 50% increased area of effect, and when you kill an poisoned enemy during any flask effect, nearby enemies are poisoned. This is a very useful node for some skills I will mention later, 30% increased chaos damage and chaos skills having 50% area of effect are general enough, while poison proliferation during flask effect is a little more niche. Master Toxicist
Spoiler
 Located behind Nature's Reprisal, this point will grant 10% more chaos damage with attack skills , 10% of physical damage converted to chaos damage, and 10% of physical damage as extra chaos damage. Not only that, it will also cause poisons you inflict during any flask effect to have 40% chance to deal 100% more damage, and virulence stacks to expire 50% slower. This is the node one would take for a poison, Herald of Agony, or something like Caustic Arrow based build, giving us 10% more chaos damage with attacks, 10% physical damage converted to chaos, and 10% physical damage as extra chaos damage and other, more specific modifiers. What are the best flasks to use?
Spoiler
At this point, you're probably wondering, "what flasks should I use?" It all depends on what exactly you're looking for. One of my favorite flasks to use is a Stibinite Flask. I usually like to roll the "Warding" suffix on mine, as I can get up to five uses on it from the "Ample" prefix. Another very good flask to use is something like a "Vessel of Vinktar." It gives us some good damage and survivability from its "added lightning damage to attacks/spells," or "lightning damage penetrates x% lightning resistances." It also provides a very nice additive of "20% lightning damage leeched as life." The downside of Vinktar, is the fact that it shocks you when you use it, causing you to take 50% increased damage taken. However, if we take Master Alchemist, we are immune to the shocking effect. As for movement, most Pathfinders run with a Quicksilver Flask with the "Adrenaline" suffix, causing our movement speed to increase an incredible amount. The recommended prefixes include "Experimenter's," which increases the duration, and "Alchemist's," which reduces the duration, but increases the effect of the flask by 25%, making you much more speedy, but for a shorter time. What builds should I play? By now you've got the basics of a Pathfinder down, but you're going to want to actually play the game, so let's jump into some builds that are easy and cheap! Cheap/Starter Builds
Spoiler
AngryRoleplayer's Toxic Rain/Herald of Agony PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2208830 mfeeney87's Freezefinder Blade Vortex PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2255690 givemelight's Lancing Steel/Herald of Agony PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2255786 Martini's Roadrunner Lab Farmer Blade Vortex PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1860251 Jelbishi's Crit Blade Vortex Lab Farmer PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1930275 If you're beyond baby stuff and have some currency lying around, why not try these more expensive alternatives? Endgame/Expensive Builds
Spoiler
SideFX's Molten Shell PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2299878 Toma_Hawk's Queenliness Wanderfiner https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1764075 FunRoom's Crit Herald of Agony PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2205988 Poopsmith's Stormbrand PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2299346 MSOCS's Immortal Crit Bladefall PF https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2293938 End Notes Just wanted to do a quick shoutout to GGG for making an excellent game, and allowing me to play how I want to play! If anyone has any questions or would like to help me update the guide, please pm me, I should respond in a day or so. If you choose to message me in game, I'm sure I could be pulled away for a minute. :) So go! Explore Wraeclast on your own! Find new trails to blaze, and be sure to have fun! Last edited by Amaze_Ballz#3306 on Jul 2, 2019, 3:41:04 PM Last bumped on Jun 29, 2019, 7:00:40 AM
|
|
|
Under your "Cheap Starter Builds" section, the last build "g00fy_goober's Ultimate EleBuzzsaw PF" is actually a Raider build. I played it many leagues ago, so I don't know if it changed at some point, but it's also a Raider build today the same as it was a long time ago so just letting you know because maybe you want to remove it then?
|
|
