Elemental Buzzsaw & Static Strike - Solo the entire game, quickly and cheaply 1.1.0 update

Mathil,

I would like to congratulate you on this build. Very we'll thought out and I watched your videos and they are very impressive. Starting at scion, you efficiently reach all the important aura nodes and utilize those auras to provide incredible dps with really only 4 links doing any damage. Using those 2 resistance auras, dodge, evasion and block makes you bullet proof. I don't want to blow smoke, but IMO you are not getting all the praise you deserve. This is a freakin work of art.

Thank you as I can not wait to get this char leveled.

Okay i read through all the post twice now and im probably blind but what bandits did you do?

"

Daarknight wrote:

Mathil,

I would like to congratulate you on this build. Very we'll thought out and I watched your videos and they are very impressive. Starting at scion, you efficiently reach all the important aura nodes and utilize those auras to provide incredible dps with really only 4 links doing any damage. Using those 2 resistance auras, dodge, evasion and block makes you bullet proof. I don't want to blow smoke, but IMO you are not getting all the praise you deserve. This is a freakin work of art.

Thank you as I can not wait to get this char leveled.

Thanks man, appreciate the kind words.

I really do think this is "The Spec", atleast for me. No other spec I've tried or seen lets me do everything in the game and at the fast pace I try to play at.

So yea I'm somewhat confused myself I don't see more people running around playing this type of spec. As soon as I saw the new buffed Wrath/Anger and the potential of the new passives in the tree this is what came to mind.

I had tried an evasion double strike build months ago and it was great except I'd ran into the problem of dealing with reflect. Evasion did absolutely nothing to prevent damage from physical reflect which is why I came back to evasion when thinking about this all elemental ST build. I'm pretty happy with it and it's largely the reason I could compete within the top 10 ladder of Domination playing entirely solo (I had a partner for some levels up to 93). I was 4th hitting level 95 and I believe it's because the time I had mapping was more efficient than everyone else.

"

laochef wrote:

Okay i read through all the post twice now and im probably blind but what bandits did you do?

I don't think I did mention it actually. Obvious ones though; 40 life from oak, 8 attack speed from kraityn and passive point in merc, or frenzy if you plan to use frenzy charges from items or whatnot.

Hi,

I'm levelling this build at the moment, but finding that physical damage on a 2h while running Hatred is more effective while I'm levelling, as I don't have the ele damage passives/weapons or (yet) the mana reduction/aura efficiency to run multiple auras. So, hatred+physical.

Now my dilemma. Just got a quest reward option on Cruel - "Projectile Physical Attack Damage" - the new ST gem added in 1.0.3. Does this gem make physical ST now more effective than ele ST, running Hatred (with haste, wrath/anger for 3 auras)?

Thanks,
A.

with a scion i been working towards elemental, seeing this really enlightens me a lot. kind of curious, do you think a 2H weapon with some fast attack speed nodes could pull this off? i'm sure that a 1H is optimal, but i already got a dual wield duelist,and never have used any 2H before, mind shining some light here?

Big Thanks

Also, with blood magic + life leech, does this build benefit from Vaal Pact? It's 10 nodes away...which could be taken from a couple of other places. Also results in an extra endurance charge along the way.

Have you explored this?

"

Child_Of_Hundreds wrote:

with a scion i been working towards elemental, seeing this really enlightens me a lot. kind of curious, do you think a 2H weapon with some fast attack speed nodes could pull this off? i'm sure that a 1H is optimal, but i already got a dual wield duelist,and never have used any 2H before, mind shining some light here?

Big Thanks

I think it can work fine, to an extent. As you said it won't be optimal but it would still work. I found that new 2H fire sword yesterday and put it on real quick just to see the damage difference. I only lost about 1k. I think with a good roll or a really good rare ele sword you could still do the same amount of damage as I do.

The problem however is your playstyle becomes different. You're no where near as fast or fluid anymore in clearing and you lose ALOT of defense from no shield. Your shield gives almost half of your current evasion as well as 30ish block and 80+ life.

This spec with a 2H should still give off comparable damage but I'm not sure you'll be clearing absolutely everything through 78 maps with ease. Your chances of dying will increase quite dramatically.

You could alternatively go for something like Koams chest and then run Grace, or dip your toes into a armor based version with that? I don't know. Going 2H isn't something I've wanted to do.

"

Altissimus wrote:

Also, with blood magic + life leech, does this build benefit from Vaal Pact? It's 10 nodes away...which could be taken from a couple of other places. Also results in an extra endurance charge along the way.

Have you explored this?

I imagine having Vaal pact would solve any current problems you may have with elemental reflect but that's about all it does. I didn't really consider it for this spec because it's a pretty lengthy 10 points away, 10 points that I do not have and I don't have enough troubles with reflect to care for it. Specs that go Vaal pact are hard hitters that risk 1 shotting themselves without it. This is a steady stream of damage and thus your reflect is far more manageable.

That said I've tried Vaal pact as a life based spec before (not this one) and it felt just awful. The reason it works with ES is because you can regen your ES outside of combat where as life based you just run around wounded and it often catches up with you.

Endurance charges are useless for this build as well by the way. Being evasion based you don't get hit reliably enough to really make use of the CODT gem and endurance charges don't increase your survivability very much at all given you start with close to 0% damage reduction and I think (don't quote me on this) endurance charges give you half the benefit to DR because of Acrobatics. At least that's what I think I remember when I tried it.

As for 2h phys vs ele I'm not sure which would have a larger damage output right now. I've tried 2h phys and played with multiple scions of that spec and the results have always been underwhelming. I've historically had way more damage and also provided 5 highly useful auras for the group.

That said I think 2h phys and maybe even 1h/shield phys ST with the new gem could possibly do more damage than my spec but the problem and one of the reasons I shy away from those specs these days is you need a near mirror worthy weapon to pull it off.

Leveling it doesn't much matter which spec you go. I remember doing this spec from level 1 and blasting through with terrible gear as long as I was getting the right stuff (blood magic at 24, wrath/anger, fast wep, etc).

Likewise with 2h phys ST. It's fast and doesn't require too much, just have to update your weapon every now and again.

The thing I hate about 2h phys ST though is grouping with those people, they feel so useless. They attack super slow, their damage is subpar and on top of that they give selfish useless auras. I on the other hand literally doubled the damage of every STer to join with me and cleared much faster due to my attack speed and playstyle of being more defensive at the same time.

Bottom line for me is if you have 100exalts laying around then go nuts with a phys ST spec, it'll be fun. If you don't, I think ele with auras is the way to go.

hmm, see your point, guess defense is the bugger here. I guess i'll just do the build you do here, seems perfect with whatever the gear.

Look like a very interesting build. Just in time because I just unlocked my scion... And my main charaters are a ranger (http://pathofpoe.com/builds/view/budget-physical-life-lightning-arrow-ranger/) and a melee marauder...

IMHO, you should update the OP with more informations. For example, what passives points should be invested first, then next, etc.? Is it mandatory (or highly recommanded) to create it Domination as mentioned?

If I may, I suggest that you edit the OP rather than answering individually, if possible. Just a suggestion here.

And again, if I may, I found this build to be well made and informative:
http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/73072
Surely it could be better or there mignt be better but it's a good inspiration.

I'm still very newbie at that game but we have to remember one of it's flaw: it's unfriendly to newbies...

thanks and nice build

Hi Mathil,

Another question please:

Which provides more DPS benefit:

15% + 3% + 3% buff effect on you (Inner Force), or
24% + 8% + 8% weapon elemental damage (Catalyse)?

And do they stack? For example:

You have 100 elemental weapon damage.
You have 50 damage from Anger.
21% Inner Force on Anger = 10
40% weapon elemental damage from Catalyse - is that
a) 40% of 100 (base elemental damage only), or
b) 40% of 150 (base elemental damage plus Anger elemental damage, before buffs), or
c) 40% of 160 (base elemental damage plus (Anger with buff))?

Maths is fun.

Thanks,
A.