Exploding Totem Pathfinder (Need help with more defensive layers)

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Optio82 wrote:

Do yourself a favor and play something else with your PF. I played the PF Poison Explode Totem build for a while. Killed Sirus, all the Guards, all the Enforcers, Maven's The Formed, some tough Curcible Forge bosses, BUT in the end, the defense layers are sub-par overall and the game play is actually terrible imo. You will die a lot. Some T16 map bosses that phase will even kill you.

Sure killing Baron instantly for example, was fun the first time, but the game style to get there is poor. Can't really do Legions, can't do Breach Bosses at the high level, etc. Another words, sure if you are boss mechanic expert you can make Explode Totem PF work, but for most of us -- it just lacks overall.

It does work decent in Delve, as the tunnel effect of the monsters coming at you forces them into traps/totems exploding. But even then you risk easy death the deeper you go as you run around like a chicken with no head in this small space hoping your traps go off soon!

The Div Orb investment to make it have some D, is high. And the game play remains poor to me. You become so reliant on either a Life Flask or the whole complexity of Pet Blood & Prog Flask, no thanks.

well, I too am reading mixed reviews.
I've completed the challenges and was able to kill the uber bosses with a toxic rain PF, and before quitting the league I wanna have some fun and respec into this famous exploding totems pathfinder.
I have the currency to make the build work optimally (level 100 with all the proper jewels, progenesis, bow, tree etc.) and while some people are enthusiastic about this build, other definitely don't, saying it's overrated, that mapping is terrible, that they can kill uber bosses but have trouble staying alive during the phases etc. etc. I understand that people may not play the build correctly or have the proper pieces but at a closer look not everyone was gearing it wrong.
I don't know, maybe it's still tankier and surely deals more damage compared to my toxic rain, dont know about the mapping

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Giammafix wrote:

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Optio82 wrote:

Do yourself a favor and play something else with your PF. I played the PF Poison Explode Totem build for a while. Killed Sirus, all the Guards, all the Enforcers, Maven's The Formed, some tough Curcible Forge bosses, BUT in the end, the defense layers are sub-par overall and the game play is actually terrible imo. You will die a lot. Some T16 map bosses that phase will even kill you.

Sure killing Baron instantly for example, was fun the first time, but the game style to get there is poor. Can't really do Legions, can't do Breach Bosses at the high level, etc. Another words, sure if you are boss mechanic expert you can make Explode Totem PF work, but for most of us -- it just lacks overall.

It does work decent in Delve, as the tunnel effect of the monsters coming at you forces them into traps/totems exploding. But even then you risk easy death the deeper you go as you run around like a chicken with no head in this small space hoping your traps go off soon!

The Div Orb investment to make it have some D, is high. And the game play remains poor to me. You become so reliant on either a Life Flask or the whole complexity of Pet Blood & Prog Flask, no thanks.

well, I too am reading mixed reviews.
I've completed the challenges and was able to kill the uber bosses with a toxic rain PF, and before quitting the league I wanna have some fun and respec into this famous exploding totems pathfinder.
I have the currency to make the build work optimally (level 100 with all the proper jewels, progenesis, bow, tree etc.) and while some people are enthusiastic about this build, other definitely don't, saying it's overrated, that mapping is terrible, that they can kill uber bosses but have trouble staying alive during the phases etc. etc. I understand that people may not play the build correctly or have the proper pieces but at a closer look not everyone was gearing it wrong.
I don't know, maybe it's still tankier and surely deals more damage compared to my toxic rain, dont know about the mapping

Ive just been mapping with grand design, no specific league mechanics. Kinda weird strat, I dont have a strat. I need to get a bow + quiver + some other pieces to really get to killing ubers and everything else. half of me wants to give up on the build and roll something else, half of me wants to keep playing it. Im at a crossroad, Im aware my gear isnt the most optimal, running the amulet for temp chains aura was to increase survivability. Idk...

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KingExodusGG wrote:

[

Ive just been mapping with grand design, no specific league mechanics. Kinda weird strat, I dont have a strat. I need to get a bow + quiver + some other pieces to really get to killing ubers and everything else. half of me wants to give up on the build and roll something else, half of me wants to keep playing it. Im at a crossroad, Im aware my gear isnt the most optimal, running the amulet for temp chains aura was to increase survivability. Idk...

from a quick look at your character, you have mixed the double wield version with the bow version, which play pretty differently.

the dual wield version makes use of dialla's malefaction to boost the gems level and some other specific gear.
the bow version looks simpler for gear adjustments, don't know about the tankiness, probably the poison version clears faster.
you have the progenesis which is a game changer but are still missing bloodnotch and immutable force which are also game changing, and the tree is weird.
I think that if you follow the bow guide the build will get significantly better, no doubt it can kill bosses in a matter of seconds, I just wonder if the mapping is that terrible or still decent
I didn't touch legions or breach the whole league, running expedition and harvest

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Giammafix wrote:

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KingExodusGG wrote:

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Ive just been mapping with grand design, no specific league mechanics. Kinda weird strat, I dont have a strat. I need to get a bow + quiver + some other pieces to really get to killing ubers and everything else. half of me wants to give up on the build and roll something else, half of me wants to keep playing it. Im at a crossroad, Im aware my gear isnt the most optimal, running the amulet for temp chains aura was to increase survivability. Idk...

from a quick look at your character, you have mixed the double wield version with the bow version, which play pretty differently.

the dual wield version makes use of dialla's malefaction to boost the gems level and some other specific gear.
the bow version looks simpler for gear adjustments, don't know about the tankiness, probably the poison version clears faster.
you have the progenesis which is a game changer but are still missing bloodnotch and immutable force which are also game changing, and the tree is weird.
I think that if you follow the bow guide the build will get significantly better, no doubt it can kill bosses in a matter of seconds, I just wonder if the mapping is that terrible or still decent
I didn't touch legions or breach the whole league, running expedition and harvest

I am running bloodnotch and immutable force.....heres an updated POB.

https://pastebin.com/tpajQHgj

Edit - ive avoided legion farming which is one of my favorite things, traps just arent meant for legion IMO. even with prolif its not enough, this is kinda why I want to reroll into something I can spam legion with, I love farming legion,

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Optio82 wrote:

Do yourself a favor and play something else with your PF. I played the PF Poison Explode Totem build for a while. Killed Sirus, all the Guards, all the Enforcers, Maven's The Formed, some tough Curcible Forge bosses, BUT in the end, the defense layers are sub-par overall and the game play is actually terrible imo. You will die a lot. Some T16 map bosses that phase will even kill you.

Sure killing Baron instantly for example, was fun the first time, but the game style to get there is poor. Can't really do Legions, can't do Breach Bosses at the high level, etc. Another words, sure if you are boss mechanic expert you can make Explode Totem PF work, but for most of us -- it just lacks overall.

It does work decent in Delve, as the tunnel effect of the monsters coming at you forces them into traps/totems exploding. But even then you risk easy death the deeper you go as you run around like a chicken with no head in this small space hoping your traps go off soon!

The Div Orb investment to make it have some D, is high. And the game play remains poor to me. You become so reliant on either a Life Flask or the whole complexity of Pet Blood & Prog Flask, no thanks.

The play style its somewhat clunky because its a trap build with "bad" AoE.

I don't know what build your were playing but the amount of power level per investment its crazy low.

The defences for progenesis shenanigans arent that easy to pull off, but once you do, you can tank anything beside 1 or 2 uber bosses special attacks.

The amount of defences is on par with a deep delve bonashatter, and the damage out put to a mirror tier build in standard, with an investment cost less than a single mageblood.

https://pobb.in/JDnqWwEzVuJl

That is about 362m dmg precast and 288m dps, and can tank afk lethal t16 crucible.

Honestly I just need a better mapper for grand design + legion farming, idk, im rolling a shadow right now, maybe blade vortex?

KingExodusGG in game if anyone wants to chat

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KingExodusGG wrote:

Honestly I just need a better mapper for grand design + legion farming, idk, im rolling a shadow right now, maybe blade vortex?

KingExodusGG in game if anyone wants to chat

I didn't touch legions a single time if not for 5 ways leveling this league since I played a toxic rain build, if you really like those either blade vortex or lightning arrow

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Giammafix wrote:

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KingExodusGG wrote:

Honestly I just need a better mapper for grand design + legion farming, idk, im rolling a shadow right now, maybe blade vortex?

KingExodusGG in game if anyone wants to chat

I didn't touch legions a single time if not for 5 ways leveling this league since I played a toxic rain build, if you really like those either blade vortex or lightning arrow

Yeha im thinking blade vortex assassin or trickster

I have finished my bow exploding totems build, did some runs today.
Oneshotted Uber exarch deathless, uber shaper deathless, finished 30 waves of simulacrum deathless, done some t16 100% delirium juiced maps.
The build is working fine and I still can upgrade stuff like jewels, refine gem sockets and links etc. Clearspeed is slightly better than toxic rain totems.
Overall the build looks tanky enough and has great dps to oneshot uber bosses, I'm playing the bow + poison version though.
if you want you can look at my character or I just send a pob

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akaflux wrote:

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Optio82 wrote:

Do yourself a favor and play something else with your PF. I played the PF Poison Explode Totem build for a while. Killed Sirus, all the Guards, all the Enforcers, Maven's The Formed, some tough Curcible Forge bosses, BUT in the end, the defense layers are sub-par overall and the game play is actually terrible imo. You will die a lot. Some T16 map bosses that phase will even kill you.

Sure killing Baron instantly for example, was fun the first time, but the game style to get there is poor. Can't really do Legions, can't do Breach Bosses at the high level, etc. Another words, sure if you are boss mechanic expert you can make Explode Totem PF work, but for most of us -- it just lacks overall.

It does work decent in Delve, as the tunnel effect of the monsters coming at you forces them into traps/totems exploding. But even then you risk easy death the deeper you go as you run around like a chicken with no head in this small space hoping your traps go off soon!

The Div Orb investment to make it have some D, is high. And the game play remains poor to me. You become so reliant on either a Life Flask or the whole complexity of Pet Blood & Prog Flask, no thanks.

The play style its somewhat clunky because its a trap build with "bad" AoE.

I don't know what build your were playing but the amount of power level per investment its crazy low.

The defences for progenesis shenanigans arent that easy to pull off, but once you do, you can tank anything beside 1 or 2 uber bosses special attacks.

The amount of defences is on par with a deep delve bonashatter, and the damage out put to a mirror tier build in standard, with an investment cost less than a single mageblood.

https://pobb.in/JDnqWwEzVuJl

That is about 362m dmg precast and 288m dps, and can tank afk lethal t16 crucible.

I agree with you! I agree for less than 10 Div, once you get the Totem Explode Crucible Tree weapon, the build is really decent. I tried several Def layers with some additional Div Orb investment in Defense (lightning coil setup with 100% Phys to Ele dmg take conversion) and it was solid. And I do think it is a great way for players to see and kill bosses they may not have seen otherwise.

I scoured my Explode Totem bow, its now a Level 18 white with a great Totem Tree and it is the ideal leveler, it literally one shot/insta-phases all Act bosses even "hard" ones like final Kit.

But I had some good currency built up as I killed a lot of end game bosses with a RF Jugg as my league starter Another solid good build.

So I took my Pathfinder and went with Uberdan's FR PF with 4th Vow and the Div Flesh (amongst others) Shield. And it was literally almost impossible to kill. Now the cost was no where near a starter league build, but it was nice to feel that powerful and he figured out how to get really respectable damage out of it (used Replica Sorrow to mirror EB). And with the PF's flask power it is a great build. Still a smallish area of effect killer but it can take tons of damage (without Pet Blood, Prog Flask shenanigans). Admittedly it was way more expensive.

I would never discourage anyone from trying the Explode Totem for sure. One shot'ing Baron and Searing for example, were highlights of this league for me.