Rock Of Defence – Low Budget Newbie Friendly Softcore/Torment 2Hand Axe Cleave Build

Hi folks, this is my very first build I´d like to share with the PoE community and I´m still pretty new to the game. I started to play PoE in Rampage League, 3-4 months ago and I´m enjoying PoE a lot.
I´m looking forward to your feedback and please be generous with my bad english (I´m not a native speaker) and my build as well.
Thanks in advance

Well, when I started PoE I was amazed by the opportunities the game offers and I got excited by all those builds with crazy DPS numbers and tried to rebuild them.
But, to be honest, I failed all the time in endgame, because I was lacking currency big time.

So when GGG came up with the changelog for patch 1.3 I thought it´s time for a different approach to the game. No crazy DPS numbers, no legacy gear – to cut this short: No build that would cost me a few dozend exalt.
When I read: „RIP Duelist“, „Melee is dead“, „Armor sucks“ and „Two Handed needs more love“ I got excited. Only a small minority would play this sort of build and that means cheap gear!

In the beginning I was planning a Flicker Striker, but flickering all the time caused headaches to me. This quick moving and screen flickering was just too bad and on top of it: I couldn´t control the target in the heat of a battle.
So I went for Cleave, but didn´t change the tree.

I do not claim ownership of this build!
Doing some research in the forum I couldn´t find another build like this, but I´m pretty sure someone else did it already.
So all props to you, whoever you are.

Pros
- very tanky (90% phys damage mitigation)
- cheap
- easy and funny to play
- can be done self found for most parts of the gear
- melee

Cons
- no crazy DPS numbers
- no crits
- no spellblock
- needs mana leech on gear
- melee

Yes I know, I´ve listed „melee“ as Pro and as Con.
Well, I think meele is funny to play, so it´s a Pro but on the other hand you´ll have hard times against some bosses. You´ll have to facetank each and everyone of them.

Pictures

Offence:

Hitting Lvl 85 recently and having just a 5 link at hand we do „only“ have 20,500 tooltip DPS, which is not amazing.
Most of my gems have no quality at all. So getting some qualitiy and a 6 link will boost the DPS a lot.
Right now we do have about 30K DPS with 4 frenzy charges up and a popped Atziri´s Promise.
Still not great, but enough to fully clear Lvl77 maps such as Shrine including Piety.
Couldn´t find a Lvl78 map yet, but I´m sure it can be done.

Defence:
This is where this build shines.
About 5K life and a max phys damage mitigation of 90% speaks for itself.

With armor based gear and a grace aura ( + Iron Reflexes) 60% phys damage mitigation can be achieved easily.
6 Endurance Charges will increase this to 84% and the remaining 6% (to complete the 90%) can be done by popping a Granite Flask.
Additionally we do have about 15% life leech plus about 400 life regeneration per second on top, so we are pretty much immune to physical damage. Even those big hitters like „Kole“ & friends can be facetanked easily.

To sum it up:
We are not the fastest killers out there in Wraeclast, but as long as we are fighting (and leeching life) it´s hard to stop us.

In endgame we´ll use „Wings of Entropy“, so you might want to go for the dual wield cluster instead of the 2handed. Feel free to do so.
You´ll have a slightly increase block chance and attack speed, but you´ll loose some phys damage at the same time. I don´t know what´s more efficient, but you´ll have to spend two more passive points on the tree to achieve that.

Oak, Oak, Oak

Auras 4 linked: Reduced Mana / Grace / Herald of Ash / Vitality

CWDT 4 linked: CWDT / Endu Cry / Molten Shell / Decoy Totem

Cleave 5 linked: Cleave / Multistrike / Melee Phys / Added Fire / Life Leech
Gem 6 would be Faster Attacks or Conc Effect. Since we are lacking INT I´ll go for Faster Attacks.

Movement 4 linked: Leap Slam / Endu Charge on Stun / Faster Attacks / Endu Cry (as Utility)

Utility 4 linked: Vengeance / Endu Charge on Stun / Life Leech / Melee Phys or Melee Splash or Blood Rage if can´t find another slot to put it in

1. Trigger „Blood Rage“ to create Frenzy Charges for more Attack Speed.
2. Trigger „Endu Cry“ manually to create Endu Charges.
3. Leap into a mob and create more Endu Charges by doing so.
4. „Vengeance“ and CWDT will take care of keeping up the charges in battle.
5. Cleave the hell out the mobs.
Repeat steps 3-5 untill everything is dead.
Repeat steps 1-2 if you have to.

When facing hard bosses:
Pop a granite and your Atziri´s Promise flask as well.

Honestly, it´s that easy.

I´d recommend to grab the generic „Two Handed Cluster“ just below the Duelist starting region first and then travel the long way to „Discipline and Training“, „Shaper“ and „Constitution“.
Depending on your gear you might want to pick up some damage or life on the way – just do it when you feel you need it!

When hitting merciless you should have picked all of the three Keystones in this build.

- Iron Reflexes to convert your Grace Aura into armor
- Unwavering Stance to deal with stunning enemies like Rhoas and such alike
- Resolute Techinques to make sure every strike is a hit

RT should be first one to pick, IR & US should be picked at the same time.

Use any weapon with decent DPS to level untill you hit Lvl27. Buy „Goefri´s Baptism“ and continue – should cost something like 1-2 Alchs.
No big deal for a great weapon and it will serve you a long time.

When reaching Lvl40-50 Geofri´s will be outdated.
Keep your eyes open for any good axe on poe.trade and do not spend more than 5 chaos. Just make sure that this weapon will do the job untill you reach Lvl60.

When hitting Lvl46 buy a „Belly of the Beast“ chest.
It will boost your life-pool a lot! I got mine for 25 chaos and this is the biggest invenstment untill Lvl80.

Buy „Wings of Entropy“ on Lvl60. I got mine for 5 chaos (with no links) and that´s been enough to reach Lvl80. From this time on you need to get a 5 linked Wings of Entropy or Belly of the Beast.
It doesn´t matter if buy a 5 link or craft it on your own.
Be prepared to spend 2-3 exalt to get a 5 link.

Resis:
You might have trouble to get your resists capped.
If so, specc into „Cloth and Chain“ and get 18% all resist, which is very helpfull.
Respecc later.

What you´ll need is:

Resis
Life
Phys Damage
Attack Speed

Make sure to buy gear that fits into this buils.
Having all resis capped is mandatory as well as having at least 70+ life on every piece of your gear.
That way you´ll reach 5K life easily, when you´ve picked enough life nodes on the tree as well.

Try to save your Alchemy Orbs and Fusings whenever possible untill you reach endgame.
DO NOT waste them on gear you´ll use for something like 10 levels.
If you need a better weapon or any other piece of gear, keep your eyes open for white gear with 3 or 4 links on it. Transmute them and spend an Augmentation to get a second stat if needed.
This will be enough for a few levels – just repeat it again and again.
If you have to, browse the NPC vendors for a decent piece of gear and buy it for something like a Transmutation or Alteration Orb. Do not spend more currency on levelling gear that will last for 5-10 levels only!

When you´ve started to run maps in endgame, keep an open eye for white rings & amuletts while looting. Grab them, put them into your stash and sort them by ingame-level.
The higher the level, the better.

Start to Alch every ring or amulett with high ingame levels you can find and sell them.
When running low on Alchemy Orbs, start to sell you rings/amuletts for Alchs or browse sites like exilebro.com for a exchange shop with a decent ratio.
Turn some of Chaos Orbs into Alchs and go on.

That way you should be able to accumulate enough currency to buy good endgame gear.