[3.21] 🌿Ultimate Claw Poison Pathfinder - Untouchable Viper - Molten Strike update by FEL

Very fun build to play, thank you Torstein for posting it!!!

This build restores my faith in non-spell builds :) All melee i tried before were unplayable at endgame if not using cheats (like trading) or investing a lot of currency to craft. And this build is very satisfying and challenging while playing SSF. Current budget is 0 chaos lol.

If someone is interested, look what SSF trash u can use and still be ok at delirium in t13 maps with this build ( lvl 88, 1 death ). Btw, not using Iron Reflexes currently (but planning in future). Acro + Phase Acro (with Atziri's Step) + Flesh and Stone + flusk buffs+ Arctic Armor + Steelskin is surprisingly solid.



TLDR: playing this build self-found way is fun as hell

The fact that the bis claws are so easy to craft makes me wonder if I should league start this again next time. I tried five other builds and they all got stuck into red maps without significant investments.

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minmod wrote:

All melee i tried before were unplayable at endgame if not using cheats (like trading)

Trading is cheating now? Welp, time to get banned I think.

Great that you have fun playing SSF, but please don't call trading "cheating" that's just bull...

About leaguestarting:
It is decently easy getting sufficient damage with this build. Survivability was way more of an issue for me in the early stages of the league. Maybe swapping out Malevolence for Grace in the early stages could be a good option to boost survivability. Malevolence only really takes off when you have a Watcher's Eye for it anyway.

About the weapons: Crafting them now is cheap and easy, but Ilvl 83 Elder claws were 2ex in the first week of the league, no reason why that should be any different next league.

Also we don't know if fossils will be as common next league as they are this league. With delirium probably not appearing in every map they are likely to become more expensive, if the next league mechanic doesn't also drop them en masse.

But: Wasp Nest is just not that bad for it's 2c price tag. Even way into red maps it's still enough damage.

Personally I will definitely not start with this build again, not because it's bad or anything, just because I need something new after so much time playing and optimizing it this league. If I go with the same build again I'll just end up comparing it to my current version, which will probably take several weeks to reach again, if at all.

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About the weapons: Crafting them now is cheap and easy, but Ilvl 83 Elder claws were 2ex in the first week of the league, no reason why that should be any different next league.

Also we don't know if fossils will be as common next league as they are this league. With delirium probably not appearing in every map they are likely to become more expensive, if the next league mechanic doesn't also drop them en masse.

Couldn´t agree more. Still, some counterpoints: Since that build works good in delves I don´t see why we couldn´t just farm the fossils ourselves. And the other thing: A lot of builds depend on fossil-crafting at some point, so you would have to find a build that excels on a cheap unique-weapon that is still a good league-starter with great scaling at not a too big pricetag. Kinda hard to do in my opinion :D

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Personally I will definitely not start with this build again, not because it's bad or anything, just because I need something new after so much time playing and optimizing it this league. If I go with the same build again I'll just end up comparing it to my current version, which will probably take several weeks to reach again, if at all.

In the end that is totally down to personal preference. For me, I am 99% sure I will start with this one, just because I know the build inside out and know how to quickly get ahead in the league. For me, that is what a league-starter is supposed to do. I won´t be getting corrupted uniques this time, will skip awakened multistrike, no -9 chaos res helmet and possibly no 21/23 stones. Also, the first claws with t4 attackspeed and open prefix will do, no optimizing for +1 amulet etc. Like that the build suddenly drops from a 140ex pricetag down to like 6-7ex and with that I´ll farm the build that I am planning on actually playing the league with. If you can´t stop optimizing a char then u might as well start with your final build anyway :D

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If you can´t stop optimizing a char then u might as well start with your final build anyway :D

Yep, that's the plan. I generally start with something I don't know yet, just to explore it from beginning to end.
At least as long as it's somewhat leaguestart viable.
I know it's not ideal, it's of course better to start with something you know in and out to make the big buck in the early days of the league, but there's no fun in that for me. So: new season, new build. Maybe I'll come back to this in a future season, but surely not 3.11

The thing I would optimize is the progression. Figure out what is the minimal amount of gear I need to farm guardians as this is a good source of income. A large part of my deaths were from delirium itself and this won't be the case next league (maybe it will be more rippy, who knows). I picked the wrong helmet enchant (+40% PS damage instead of blood rage). What to do before you get a 6L Perfect Form?

Getting 2EX early isn't that hard if you know how and can do red maps. Plus you can sell less than ideal claws attempts. Most of my income was from Syndicate Safehouses and Fragments early on. A lot of the builds I tried could not do these two due to lack of damage/stun locks. I did not have this issue with this build though. Guardians are still quite hard for a starter so we'll see.

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minmod wrote:

Very fun build to play, thank you Torstein for posting it!!!

This build restores my faith in non-spell builds :) All melee i tried before were unplayable at endgame if not using cheats (like trading) or investing a lot of currency to craft. And this build is very satisfying and challenging while playing SSF. Current budget is 0 chaos lol.

If someone is interested, look what SSF trash u can use and still be ok at delirium in t13 maps with this build ( lvl 88, 1 death ). Btw, not using Iron Reflexes currently (but planning in future). Acro + Phase Acro (with Atziri's Step) + Flesh and Stone + flusk buffs+ Arctic Armor + Steelskin is surprisingly solid.

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TLDR: playing this build self-found way is fun as hell

Tyvm for feedback! Glad you made it in ssf! :)

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Corioliss wrote:

About leaguestarting:
It is decently easy getting sufficient damage with this build. Survivability was way more of an issue for me in the early stages of the league. Maybe swapping out Malevolence for Grace in the early stages could be a good option to boost survivability. Malevolence only really takes off when you have a Watcher's Eye for it anyway.

It's good as any other damage aura.

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Corioliss wrote:

Personally I will definitely not start with this build again, not because it's bad or anything, just because I need something new after so much time playing and optimizing it this league. If I go with the same build again I'll just end up comparing it to my current version, which will probably take several weeks to reach again, if at all.

You have to understand, Cori is flexing a little bit here since he made strongest Pestilent PF in Delirium league. :P

https://poe.ninja/challenge/builds?skill=Pestilent-Strike&sort=dps

Congrats bud again, you really made a terrific char!

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Yalpe wrote:

The thing I would optimize is the progression. Figure out what is the minimal amount of gear I need to farm guardians as this is a good source of income. A large part of my deaths were from delirium itself and this won't be the case next league (maybe it will be more rippy, who knows). I picked the wrong helmet enchant (+40% PS damage instead of blood rage). What to do before you get a 6L Perfect Form?

Getting 2EX early isn't that hard if you know how and can do red maps. Plus you can sell less than ideal claws attempts. Most of my income was from Syndicate Safehouses and Fragments early on. A lot of the builds I tried could not do these two due to lack of damage/stun locks. I did not have this issue with this build though. Guardians are still quite hard for a starter so we'll see.

+ For the people who know how to league start good (like i don't) 2ex is not much. Also who doesn't want to league start with boring stuff like brands or totems, this one is good choice.
One of the advantages that build has is affordable defenses meaning, you can get decently high Vaal MS with just 1 flask and it will carry you vs bosses even though you might have lower dps.


Please everyone, if you have ideas to improve build for the next league, feel free to share and discuss.
Thing that i'm not willing to sacrifice (like removing block) are defenses for the sake of dps, although some would disagree. MS value can be lowered at it will be fine but difference from 40% block and 10% are huge. It's like not having Acrobatics in a Dodge build.

Ill optimize early leveling some more to make Act 1 faster, which is the worst one for poison skills since you don't get any poison chance from the tree and Merveil is chaos resistant on top of it.

Act 1 isn't too hard with explosive traps and frost bomb (need witch mule I think).

Hey guys,

level 89 now and i feel like the wasps are getting meh...
I am looking the trade to find some 60%, attack speed and chaos damage claw but no claw at all have chaos damage on em!

is this normal ?
what should i aim for then?

thank you

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Yalpe wrote:

Act 1 isn't too hard with explosive traps and frost bomb (need witch mule I think).

No need for mule.
Caustic Arrow will do the job fine just level the gems along the way.