Difficulty Spike post Kitava (end game build) Help?

Greetings POE community,

Not sure where else to post this advice thread so I guess I will start here.

I have noticed a huge difficulty spike after defeating Kitava and exploring the maps in the Altas. I was able to restructure my character after the first -30% to all resistances, but restructuring for the -60% was expensive and has me a little defeated. I would really enjoy having a POE gameplay experience that feels as though I can complete almost all challenges and achievements, as well as reaching level 100, but obviously I am not there yet. I have spent 15 or 20 maps trying to get to level 82 alone and let me tell you... I'm struggling with frustration.

I am not new to structuring dungeon crawler characters, having gone through the Diablo franchise, Grim Dawn, etc. but POE end-game gameplay has me stumped. Do I really have to sacrifice damage and skill gem synergy for some maximum life and energy shield? I managed to max out my elemental resistances while keeping my own Herald build on a Trickster, and I am aware I might need to swap out unique items for the basic versions that give more life and chaos resist. But I was having SO MUCH FUN making EVERYTHING explode with Wild Strike on dual claws, elemental Heralds, and Inpulsa's Broken Heart..... but it's literally breaking my own heart that I might have to sacrifice this just to reach level 100 and complete the Atlas. I thought I was on the right path; after hitting the Atlas a few times I started to focus solely on evasion rating and dodge chance. But as I approach t5 maps I realize that's not enough and that if I was level 99, it would take me 6 months to get that last level.

So what am I doing wrong? Do I need more evasion and max life by sacrificing my damage? Did I extend too far on the passive skill tree? Is the build I have structured simply not going to cut it in the long run and should I just abandon it?

I find it super f-ing ironic that the passive tree is a "build whatever you want" kind of RPG system, but in the end it doesn't even matter (did Chester Bennington just shed a tear? I sure did), you still need to build a specific way to even complete the game. I'm super crushed that I might have to give up on the character I have gotten the farthest with, and not only that but the prospect that I won't ever be able to imagine my own characters and actually have them be a success, and instead I have to find some other premade build to play that may not involve anything I imagined in the first place.

Here's a final question, as I have been trying to make this type of character and build a success for some time now... what class should I be using to make this character concept even remotely possible? Key concept: punch things and make them explode. I sincerely appreciate your time spent reading and replying. I really really want to be a completionist with POE but the difficulty curve for end-game is almost too much.... any advice is greatly appreciated.

Make your profile public so we can see your character. Otherwise we can't give you specific advice.

You are saying that hitting level 100 is one of your goals, but this is a huge mistake. Leveling to 100 is much, much harder than beating the final boss. If you are new to this game, your goal should be to beat the final boss, and you don't need level 100 to do it.

I wouldn't say you have to build in a specific way, but you have to spend your resources (passive points, items) efficiently to make a strong build.

You hit level 82 with your own build, which is already impressive. It's time for you to follow a build guide and learn how to make a good build. After playing a few builds, you'll be able to make your own builds that can beat all content.

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N0esy wrote:

Make your profile public so we can see your character. Otherwise we can't give you specific advice.

You are saying that hitting level 100 is one of your goals, but this is a huge mistake. Leveling to 100 is much, much harder than beating the final boss. If you are new to this game, your goal should be to beat the final boss, and you don't need level 100 to do it.

I wouldn't say you have to build in a specific way, but you have to spend your resources (passive points, items) efficiently to make a strong build.

You hit level 82 with your own build, which is already impressive. It's time for you to follow a build guide and learn how to make a good build. After playing a few builds, you'll be able to make your own builds that can beat all content.

My apologies, I am new to the POE forums. I believe I have my character tabs removed from private settings now(?). I am sure I could benefit a lot from reading through some build guides for Shadow/Trickster. The searches I have made are too different for my taste (and there are so many!), so I come here to see what others have to say about what I currently have. However, I am ready for the reality that I may have to change some or all core functions to achieve super late-game progress.

You are correct; reaching level 100 is a super long term goal and not my primary focus, nor should it be. I would ultimately like to experience all final bosses and maps, and achieve -most- challenges along the way.

Okay, your build is a mess... You can improve both damage and survivability.

First, all of your items are uniques. This is not good. In most cases, rares are better than uniques. You can use some build-defining uniques, such as inpulsa for explosion. However, ditch other uniques and use rares with life/resists, and maybe some added phys/lightning damage to attacks.

Second, your main damage source against bosses should be wild strike (heralds don't do enough damage unless you specifically build around them). Socket the wild strike gem in a 6-link body armour (or 5-link if you can't afford it) and put support gems that actually scale wild strike's damage, such as elemental damage with attacks, inspiration, and multistrike. You don't need mana leech support because the claw cluster in the passive tree gives mana leech.

I don't think it is a good idea to use Hands of Wisdom and Action (HOWA) and inpulsa at the same time. You can probably clear maps but will struggle killing endgame bosses. HOWA builds want to stack int, and because int gives %ES as a bonus, you want to stack ES as well. However, inpulsa gives a shit amount of ES and no int.

I'm not familiar with wild strike builds, but this guide might help you.

You have two options.

You either learn some of the basic concepts, and then apply them to your build. This is not simple, because there are many things you need to be across before making your own build. Its not out of reach or impossible, but not something I would recommend to any new or inexperienced player.

The simplest alternative is to find a nice beginner friendly guide and follow that. This way, you can continue to progress and learn at the same time. Understand the basic requirements for a build, start using pob, understanding how gem and socket links work and how to scale damage. After 1-3 builds you should know enough to start making your own builds - if thats what you want to do.

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N0esy wrote:

Okay, your build is a mess... You can improve both damage and survivability (...) I'm not familiar with wild strike builds, but this guide might help you.

Thank you for this. I suppose I already knew all uniques was a bad idea but it was very alluring. Somehow I was finding combinations that would get me a bit farther each time I changed items out, but I was aware of how little life I had and no chaos resist is a major issue. Really the only thing keeping me alive for boss fights was the life gain per attack hits and dodging around 75% of hits taken.

I read through that article and I will now be using PoB. I was previously playing around with Path of Exile Planner online a little bit but that doesn't give me nearly as much information. I'm under the impression I should rely on gems supporting Wild Strike for my elemental damage, but I should be using the skill tree a bit more for attack damage (and potentially damage over time?). I extended pretty far in the tree thinking I was going to prioritize elemental damage strictly.

Not sure I have the patience to save up currency and respec/re-item this character, so I will make a new trickster. I have a much better idea of how it should work and making a new toon may be a bit faster. Starting fresh is always fun too :)

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BrettLee wrote:

You have two options.
You either learn some of the basic concepts, and then apply them to your build
(...)
The simplest alternative is to find a nice beginner friendly guide and follow that.

Thank you! I have decided to make a new toon and I am about to search for a few trickster build guides to use as a model. Hopefully I can make my own minor adjustments without bombing the character again.