[3.24] Melee Frenzy Trickster - The bonking machine

Hello exiles, this is my second build guide but the first time I'm actually using the poe forums. This will probably not be a nice clean post because I don't know what I'm doing. Still, I've decided this time to post on the forums to reach more gamers.

Introduction

For those who don't know me, I'm a one-build-a-league type of guy, usually. But this league has been... A bit hectic...
Nothing I played felt good. Either the build was too slow, too clunky, dealt too low damage, or was too squishy. I was on the verge of giving up on this league as a whole. In a last-ditch effort, I played around an interesting interaction and then, I landed on something so smooth, so fast, and with so much bonk per second, that I had to make a build guide.

Although I designed this build with mageblood in mind, I've prepared a pob which includes 2 cheaper non-mageblood set-ups if you want to copy this build, but on a tighter budget. You will also find my current set-up and 2 more expensive set-ups for you wealthy 1%ers.

Welcome, to my build guide.

Video Guide


Build Theory
Spoiler
This build uses a few different interactions as it's core mechanics. To put things short, it's a frenzy/fortification stacking trickster.

We stack frenzy charges, which gives us endurance charges and increased max fortification through replica badge of the brotherhood. We also use the new celestial brace gauntlets to go ham on fortification stacks.


For damage, we use frenzy with quality stacking thanks to Dialla's and enhance.


Build key defenses
Spoiler
Defensive skills and progenesis are not ticked in the pob nor included in this write up to show worst case scenario.
- a shit ton of HP/s leech/on hit, even on the budget version, + polymath regen while mapping
- 46 to 50 fortify stacks making us almost immune (below 50) or immune (at 50) to ailments through the mastery (not just ele ailments, poison & bleed too)
- 9 to 13 permanent endurance charges giving us 36% to 52% flat phys damage reduction
- Between 30k to 50k evasion
- blind enemies on hit (with the tattoo)
- maim enemies on hit
- chill/freeze (because we deal cold damage)
- high spell suppress for the cheap version, 100% spell suppress for every other
- 75/75/75 resistances with 75 chaos res for my set-up and above
- automated enduring cry and immortal call
- trickster heartstoper
- trickster one step ahead


Build key offense
Spoiler
- very fast bonk!!!!!!
On a more serious note...
- 9 to 13 frenzy charges inherently give us 4% increased attack speed and 4% more damage per frenzy, 11% more damage and attack speed through the skill on the cheap version, 14% for my set-up and the hundreds of divines version 15% for the mirror version,
- 9 to 13 frenzy charges also make ice bite give us a but load of flat damage
- 46 to 50 max fortification stacks give us 46% to 50% increased attack speed from the celestial brace
- 9 to 13 endurance charges makes endurance charge on melee stun a very efficient damage link with 4% more damage per endurance charge, although there's probably a better link for the cheap version
- high lightning damage with no investment into ailments giving us access to shock
- culling strike on totems, not taken into account on pob. That alone gives us basically 10% more damage.


Is this a good league starter?
Spoiler
No. There are too many mandatory uniques to make it feel good.


Pob
Spoiler
Use the Community version of PoB.

The pob has 5 different settings which are colour coded. Make sure you read through the notes and that you has the corrects of items, skills, and trees to see things working together.

Link to the POB


My Gear
Spoiler


Last bumped on Jun 8, 2024, 12:40:39 PM
Nice build with clever use of mechanics to build defenses that I haven't seen before. I like how you don't pad ehp numbers with settings that don't have 100% uptime.
I am very intrigued by your build.

Here are my 2 cents.

With so many enduring charges you should consider perma Enduring Cry.

You are next to the warcry wheel. If you get rid of Immortal Call you can use Enhance 3 and Inc Duration on your Enduring Cry. You can get 100% uptime. Tatoos are an option too.

The wheel gives you 41% warcry buff effect. You need only 9% increased warcry buff effect from somewhere else to get 36% perma phys dr from Enduring Cry (2% base + 50% more = 3% per charge).

52+36 = 88% phys perma phys dr. Against dots too.

With all that phys dr and not taking any evasion related trickster nodes evasion can be questioned aswell.

You _could_ go topaz/sapphire/ruby flasks and another aura instead of stacking evasion. Debatable of course.

*update*

I like the basic concept alot. If you use Mahuxotl's shield and click the Tempered by War notable you only take phys/fire/chaos damage.

To do that you need to spec Soul Drinker as Escape Artist.

With Everlasting Sacrifice and a Ruby Flask you get 89% fire res and 85% chaos resistance on top of the 84% perma phys dr.

Neither life (nearly 4k life leech) nor energy shield leech (700) is removed on full life or full energy shield. https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Mahuxotl%27s_Machination

Diala's might not be the best option a dex/int chest would allow Warcry buff effect eldritch currency rolls too.
Last edited by zorker#7481 on Jun 4, 2024, 8:47:25 AM
Very clever and unique build

Respect from me brother 🫡
Your strength is the law !!

MadG poe on youtube for mellee content
@zorker

Thanks for your interest in the build. It is indeed very fun to play and I had a lot of fun theory-crafting it!

I did look into your 2 cents.

"
zorker wrote:

With so many enduring charges you should consider perma Enduring Cry.

You are next to the warcry wheel. If you get rid of Immortal Call you can use Enhance 3 and Inc Duration on your Enduring Cry. You can get 100% uptime. Tatoos are an option too.

The wheel gives you 41% warcry buff effect. You need only 9% increased warcry buff effect from somewhere else to get 36% perma phys dr from Enduring Cry (2% base + 50% more = 3% per charge).

52+36 = 88% phys perma phys dr. Against dots too.


The warcry nodes on the tree do eat up a lot of points, but we can manage by removing the crit cluster jewel, the "Skills cost life instead of 30% of mana cost", and pathing differently near the projectile crit nodes.

Our helmet was the weakest slot, which means I was very happy to learn that the Warlord mod that grants 15% increased warcry buff effect is a helmet mod.

With all that combined, I landed on this updated pob which I find quite good. We only lose 0.8 mil dps compared to my previous version. The buff from enduring cry has 100% uptime and gives us PDR but also resistances, which freed up a flask suffix, allowing me to get curse immune. The main problem being that I had to sacrifice some life nodes to fit everything in.


"
zorker wrote:

With all that phys dr and not taking any evasion related trickster nodes evasion can be questioned aswell.

You _could_ go topaz/sapphire/ruby flasks and another aura instead of stacking evasion. Debatable of course.


With already high phys mitigation, evasion is an extremely powerful defensive tool. Even though we don't invest in the trickster evasion nodes, with grace sublime vision and flask nodes, we gain 30k to 50k which is considerable.

"
zorker wrote:

I like the basic concept alot. If you use Mahuxotl's shield and click the Tempered by War notable you only take phys/fire/chaos damage.

Diala's might not be the best option a dex/int chest would allow Warcry buff effect eldritch currency rolls too.


Unfortunately, Dialla's is too core to the build. Quality on frenzy is insanely good and opting out of this armour is an INSANE dps loss. Even if we go for a perfect Shaco or legacy perfect chest, we lose like half our dps.

You could do a Mahuxotl set-up, you'd gain a lot of tankiness but you'd lose a frenzy charge with that. While not as bad as Dialla's, removing 1 frenzy from my build atm makes me lose 10 mil dps.

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