[2.4] CI Bladefall Trapper - High tier mapping - EV/ES/Block - Updating for 2.4.

- pretty large nerf with Trap gem no longer giving more multiplier, overall around 25-30% LESS damage you'll be doing

- Slight poison damage nerfs

- I personally didn't stack curse effectiveness but the changes to less instead of reduced on bossess is a bit bigger nerf than poison for people that focused on boss farming

- Bladefall behaviour will not impact traps since you throw them at monsters feet already, however it's a huge usability and clear speed nerf for mine builds, they were already clunky and not enjoyable for me personally and now they'll feel even worse

- Crystal belt is going to replace magnate for me personally, that ES is just huge

- I will most definitely go back to Eye of chayula since bosses are more important this league and Kiara's doesn't do much for stuns in boss fights with it's limited usage, also relying on Kiaras without The Magnate is not advised and will be iffy

- Valyrium(stun treshhold based on ES instead of life) is not that great for this build compared to Eye of Chayula because you can get so much from a ring slot(mainly resistances) and you don't need damage mods on your amulet

- Depending on how much good rares are on the market, some new Essence mods will probably make rare chests worth it over Atziri's splendour(mainly the %damage taken as cold damage mod we had a chance to preview)

- We don't know what most new unques do so it's hard to say if more new uniques are good for the build until league starts but i will update on the go

T14 Legacy Palace

As you can see general mapping wise it's near impossible to notice any differences, this run was done with trap cooldown as 6th link and controlled destruction instead of concentrated effect meaning there's room for even more damage if it's ever an issue

Uber Atziri

I recolored my chest for optimal single target setup knowing it would be too rough otherwise and you should do the same, i show the links at the start

Take note that i haven't played the build for nearly 3 months and i haven't done Uber last league at all so i am quite rusty, all deaths are very avoidable and mostly due to silly mistakes and i lagged out a bit when setting up for double vaal and mispositioned half my traps

I also forgot that i need to switch out cluster trap for Double Vaal so it looked messy as hell

That said you can definitely feel the damage nerf here, but at the moment i still had attack speed nodes specced which you can respec to more damage and had rather low mana pool which was creating issues(you need at least 210+ unreserved mana when using links i used and at least 200 when using trap cooldown setup)

If you wanna focus on Uber you should take Occultist, go triple curse, stack curse effect and that's gonna take care of most of your damage loss, its still one of better(if not best) builds to take care of Uber Atziri now that mines are barely playable

2:24 double packsize Gorge

i know i'm usually against mid tier content in my builds but my main goal for this league was to achieve a good clear speed for this build and put an end to traps=slow clearing correlation

I know this doesn't compare to 1:30 min and less gorge clearing monsters with 400% WB attack speed but i think this is respectable for a trapper build

i have achieved my goal of making this build able to do sub 3 min perfect layout maps and 4 min or less on ok layouts and i'm quite happy with how things turned out

any time someone tells you trappers are slow you can point him to this thread and it might change his opinion

Gearing and a Canyon map

Skip to 5:30 if you're just interested in the map, don't like to upload mid tier content but it's just a preview while i build my base and i wanted for people to see that the build can function extremely well on budget

Setting up for endgame content

Uber Izaro final phase

Didn't wanna record the whole run cause OBS fucks my framerate and it would make it unnecesarily hard, besides who wants to watch 5 min of me dodging traps

This final room layout is bullshit lol, my alt + tab also bugged out and i couldn't close OBS so the video is unnecessarily long

Overgrown ruin

Waterways

Coloseum

Ran out of mana on boss because i haven't adjusted to 6L mana cost yet and map had 60% less recovery, should have been cleaner

I hope this puts to silence any doubters that think build needs more damage, this is done with a 6,8k bladefall tooltip dps in hideout without any buffs

It takes 2 sets of traps that actually hit to bring him down to next phase so if someone out there still thinks the build needs more DPS after this i don't know what to tell you anymore, this is 3rd tankiest boss in the game

I even respecced some of the damage nodes to take more attack speed couple of hours before

This map also showcases nicely why i sell my T15s, even with double fucking packsize the map has barely any monsters in it compared to stuff like Shipyard/Waterways/Courtyard, it's a waste of money to run t15 maps

DISCLAIMER:

This is a build that is designed around doing highest and hardest tiers of content safely and hopefully at good speed, it is not cheap or very easy to play, it shines past lvl 85-90 and is intended to be able to level to 100 safely if i ever decide to give a fuck about that but i usually stop my builds around 95-96


This is continuation of bladefall poison trapper that i adapted to CI due to personal preference for that type of defense

Build went to many iterations since its inception and i try to shake up things a bit every league and put a new touch to the build, introducing new items not only to freshen up the build but to try to improve it for my goals

My personal goal this league is to create a speed clearing trap build that can tackle highest tier of maps, well at least as fast clearing as possible for a trapper

I will focus much less on Uber atziri and more on t12+ maps because due to experience penalty changes they're gonna be more important than ever before and it's in general my preference to run highest tier of content and challenge my builds to the fullest, and one of main reasons i prefer softcore path of exile gameplay

Build is entirely HC viable, multiple people achieved 90+ with the build in HC, you can even find some responses in this thread

It is designed to be primarily defensive stacking ton of avoidance through Evasion, Blind, Enfeeble and Block as it synergyses the best with CI

There are really only 2 strong options of the build depending on what your focus is, Occultist and Saboteur, each have their own pros and cons but n general i recommend Saboteur

Saboteur:

- Fastest clear speed due to extra cooldown reduction ++
- Chain reaction +++
- Shadow has better starting tree for leveling +
- Basically free blind because bladefall hits 5 times and procs it on almost every trap +
- No significant damage bonuses -
- First 2 ascendancy points are underwhelming -
- Last 2 ascendancy points you will gain from Endgame labyrinth are also underwhelming -

Nodes:

Chain reaction + Blinding assault, finish of with Born in shadows after endgame lab(not a priority)

Occultist:

- High damage boost via -15%chaos resistance ++
- Insane ES regen and quite a bit of extra flat and percentage ES ++
- Each 2 ascendancy points including last 2 feel equally rewarding +
- Has option to get double curse with ascendancy +
- Less clear speed due to no cooldown recovery and loss of chain reaction --

Nodes:

Double curse, recharge cannot be interrupted and -15 chaos resist are my recommended choices

Overall pick Saboteur if your focus is on mapping and you plant to take full advnatage of the build and get to high levels

Pick occultist if your focus is purely atziri/uber farming or endgame lab farming or you're inexperienced with trap builds and don't want to invest too much, Occultist can ease up the overall gear cost to achieve decent ES numbers and the regen can make up for bad positioning and open up more margin for error

- Build is very easy to level, get deerstalker at lvl 28, you can start using them as soon as you get bladefall

- Once you get Deerstalker you will be using Bladefall - Multiple traps(replace with Cluster later)- Trap and mine damage - Poison

- This setup will remain until you can afford 4 coated shrapnel jewels which should be a priority on spending

- After that i personally like to replace Poison with Trap cooldown but if you want to rush Atziri/Uber Lab farming early you should use Concentrated effect instead

- Take some Life nodes while leveling in general i try to get at least 2,2 - 2,4k life for merciless dried Lake farming and that's usually when i do Cruel Lab to get chain reaction because it speeds up things immensely

- Spend as much time in Dried Lake and t1-2 maps as you need, you will need roughly 30 chaos or so worth of stuff to get going with CI

- First priority is getting resist jewelry and Eye of chayula, don't bother getting much ES on jewelry, just search for 1-2c high resist pieces

- After that you want to get 550+ ES chest, 300+ ES helm(Martyr's crown is very good and rather cheap option), 150+ ES gloves and 350+ ES shield

- If you followed my passive tree progression that kind of gear around lvl 75 will net you somewhere between 7,5-8k ES with Discipline depending on exact rolls

- This is enough to cruise control low tier maps

- DOn't forget proper flask affixes, you need "of heat" "of staunching" and preferably "of warding" flasks to mitigate downsides of ES builds, just get any flask with those suffixes and bother with perfect prefixes(charges etc.) later, you need cash for other stuff too and rolling perfect flasks can be costly early on

- This is when i get Atziri's promise, they usually start at 2-3c but can go down to 1 alch very fast

- After that i usually start saving up for Rumi's concoction(anywhere from 50c - 1 ex depending on rolls and how much the league has progressed) until then i use Granite of Iron skin

- After getting Rumi's i can comfortably start mapping in mid tier maps and start piling currency and upgrade my gear piece by piece

- "Endgame" jewelry usually costs 20-30c for high res rings with some ES and preferably flat mana, try to get ones with open prefixes for %ES from Elreon but don't sweat it, that's one of last upgrades you'll do and is reserved for 90+

- On my belt i try to get ES, high strength roll and flask mods(charges gained/reduced charges used + increased flask effect duration) as majority of your percentage mitigation is in flasks these mods are very important, that's why i prioritze high resist rings so i don't have to get resists on my belt

- 450-500 ES shield by the time you need it will be roughly 2 exalts, possibly 3 if you get one with high resists

- Average gloves with 200-220 ES can be picked up for roughly 20-30 chaos, also increases with high resists, attack speed etc.

- After i get that it usually puts me at around 9K ES which is enough to even start lower red maps if you want to really push fast but i don't rush it and i level to 90 doing mid tiers with ocassional red

- Next step of purchase is Heretics veil and lvl 3 enlighten, this comes in a package because without one the other is kinda useless, it usually costs 5-6 EX to get this(this is only for people who want to do highest tier content, if you're sticking with mid tiers and plan to ditch the build around lvl 85-90 don't bother spending the currency, it's not necessary)

- After that i aim to get ES version of Atziri's Splendour and 5L it so i can replace my Deerstalker with ES boots and boost my ES to 10k+, Splendour prices vary every league and depending when exactly you get one but they're mostly around 2 ex early and down to 1 ex after few weeks

- As last part comes putting %ES on my rings and then usually sacrificing millions of fusings on a 6L attempt

- Then i enjoy my godtier status

Example gear when i switched to CI in Essence league, total cost of roughly 30 chaos:

Tree around when you get Bladefall + Deerstalker

Tree around Cruel Malachai fight

Starting maps tree (around lvl 70)

Switch to CI around lvl 75-80, takes 16 respec points, can be done with quest rewards

don't forget to respec out of acrobatics

Lvl ~95 More damage version

Lvl ~95 More ES version

https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAYDALDYotliT6B5yBTJBkIs9W9nTv1KaoxvdxPfFr8mlXX9YeKEb1VL1EK1SOtjES8rCl3yDkjuFRGWt3UHHn_GlS6TJ_DVbAu-iu-Ij_pJUSL0oS_5N-wY0NBtGdfPZKpHBpf0CPRJsZuG2-dSU8BUajZsCHBRtMWXlT1fvOpqQ_GKdm-zA2KswuxMs36wMhhsjAW1BAfQH9hUnaqNv4Pb7-tRR9QjVcYwfDfUOliNfX8r7T8j9lb6TZLuDpAN73ozeNN-5zp9dQBeG-D-uhmO7YMILg==

i plan to be able to get good enough gear by lvl 80 but this is a bit higher level in case someone gets stuck and needs to farm a bit more, as i said this build shines hard at highest levels and at the start of the league takes some time to transition into, until then i will play life and hybrid until i get good enough gear

Example leveling gear

Fencoil
Goldrim
Le heup of All x2
Amulet with stats you're missing
Deerstalker
Doedre's tenure
briskwrap
Any random belt with life you find or belt of the deceiver

Gem links for leveling until 31

Lightning trap - trap dmg - Controlled destruction

Fire trap - trap dmg

Blade Vortex also works as a leveling skill, you can basically do whatever you want until you get your Bladefall setup in Deerstalker

herald of Ice + Herald of Thunder

when you switch to bladefall use

Bladefall - trap damage - poison - Multitrap and swap in cluster trap for multitrap when you get it

Bear trap - poison - trap damage - to help with single target while leveling

rest of the gem slots aren't important and just use it for leveling other gems you'll need

I continued using triple heralds to boost my damage a bit

Literally anything works but here are my recommendations:

go Kraytin in normal if you feel feel like you're gonna be starved on resists

Kraytin for faster whirling or skill point in cruel

Oak if you plan on using Enduring cry otherwise Skill point in merciless

Bladefall - Trap - Trap dmg - Conc effect/controlled - Cluster trap - Trap Cooldown - swap in void manip for trap cooldown vs bosses

Enfeeble - Vulenrability/Temp chains - Enlighten - Discipline - In Heretic's Veil helm

Decoy totem - Flame dash/Lightning warp - Golem of your choice - Vaal Lightning trap

Vaal Discipline - Increased duration - 2 open slots(use 2 Vaal Disciplines for example when Uber atziri farming) or use for gem leveling while mapping, it's up to you how you fill it

CWDT - Immortal call - Tempest shield

Whirling blades - Faster attacks - Fortify

subjected to change if i discover something that i feel fits better

As i noticed some people are using weird flask setups:

You want to have 3 main affixes with 1 flexible flask spot

"Of heat" "Of Staunching" "Of warding"

Ways to achieve that are many and flasks are mostly personal preference, one way how you can achieve that is:

Basalt of Heat, Mana of Staunching, Jade of Warding, Rumi's, Atziri's

you can alternate Jade flask with Topaz for maps with Lightning bosses and also replace of Warding with "Of grounding" as very few bosses use curses

Spark damage has been buffed to the point it's one of the most dangerous damage sources in the game right now and i might even consider running "of grounding" suffix permanently in maps if lightning damage proves to detrimental in red maps

In general you should adapt your flasks based on encounters you're facing, for high elemental damage you'll want proper elemental flasks, for attack based bosses you'll want a Jade flask

Stibnite is not very useful for Saboteur since you get "free" blind from ascendancy nodes but it's a decent option for Occultist

Highly recommended(for high tier content):

- 4 Coated shrapnel jewels to achieve 100% poison

- Atziri's SPlendour(ES version) or rare EV/ES Chest due to needing 5 green gems

- Heretic's Veil, at least lvl 2 Enlighten and +1 curse amulet to be able to run Discipline and 2 curses on blasphemy(doesn't have to be chayula since you have Kiaras for stun immunity and you should aim to get stun avoidance on your boots)

- Rumi's Concoction, Atziri's Promise and other flasks with proper suffixes(read above section on flasks)

- Vaal Lightning trap and decoy totem make a HUGE difference in bossfights, these gems are as mandatory as your main links

- Vaal Discipline for when you're getting pounded on

- Everything else in my gem links is personal preference and you're welcome to change it to whatever the hell you want

Recommended(these ES values are for t12+ mapping, for lower maps check out my budget section above):

- 200+ ES Gloves with resist and if you can fit it in: attack speed roll

- 200+ ES Boots with resist(movement speed not necessary due to whirling blades) with "chance to avoid stun if you've killed recently" enchant

- 450+ ES Shield with resists(preferably 25% block base like Titanium, extra block chance as a mod doesn't hurt either so you don't need Tempest shield)

- Rings with ES and resists ( i try to get rings with as much resist as possbile and 30+ ES, that way i don't have to spend much on other pieces of gear and rings like these aren't very expensive: 20c-1ex depending on rolls)

- +1 curse amulet with preferably %ES and flat ES, rest of the stat can be whatever you need

- Either Magnate(highly recommended) or rare belt with stats you need, you will need a lot of strength on your gear so you should look to get as much as you can on your belt, other good mods are resists, flask mods and open suffix for trap damage if you prefer that)

- Dagger with 20+ Attack speed and 50+ Spell damage, preferably Sai base to get block capped, you can easily craft something like this yourself, other useful mods are: mana, intelligence, mana regeneration and resists


Current gear:



took "only" 1800 fuse to 6l the damn chest

dagger is self crafted because Sai dagger market was poop, this is nearly BIS for the build 70+ spell dmg and t1 attack speed, it's hard to get something better than that, it cost me roughly 30c worth of alts to get this, i wanted t1 attack speed, if you settle for just 20+ you can get it much cheaper

gloves 1,5 ex, shield 3 ex, heretics 4,5 ex, rings ~30c each +1 ex for %ES, ammy 1 ex, splendour 3 ex non linked, boots 30c

this was purchased 5-10 days from start of the league so as league goes on further you will be able to get same ES numbers for much less so don't take the prices as set in stone

this kind of gear nets me 12,3k ES at lvl 93 with majority of good es nodes taken

This one is at the top because it's the most asked: Why Stone golem?

It's not necessary to use the golem in any means, decoy totem does a very good job of playing distraction when you need it to, however Stone Golem is the only golem whos AI i can handle because it's actually useful

Every other golem has shit AI and isn't of much help anyways

Why no Assassin/Crit?

- You aren't limited by damage on this build, your clear speed is far more limited by trap cooldown and movement than damage, Assassin would lose you clear speed in maps and that is what my main focus is

Is this build expensive?

- You can get this build rolling in mid tier maps for less than an exalt however it is a CI build so survivability scales proportionately with currency, if you wanna push high tier maps without dying you will need to invest, however it is quite possible to farm all the currency needed by the time you hit that point as i'm doing myself right now

Are Coated shrapnel jewels worth the slot?

- Yes, they give you an extra link so you can consider them as extra 12% Trap Cooldown per jewel since i recommend to use Trap Cooldown as replacement for poison, that stat is invaluable for a trap build and there are only few sources of it in the game

Can this build do Uber Atziri?

- Yes, for now you can check out my past league kills on my channel but i plan to upload a fresh run in this league SoonTM, it's not a priority currently

DPS is there, i recommend to use a single trap setup because it is much smoother for double Vaal and Atziri split phase which are 2 most problematic fights due to no leech

Bladefall - Trap - Trap dmg - Conc effect - Controlled destruction - Void Manipulation

Use multiple Vaal disciplines, have at least 2 up for Double Vaal and 3 for Split phase and you'll have 0 issues at all, you can do without them but then prepare to eath a death every few runs if RNG screws you over

Why CI instead of life?

- Because i have preference for the way CI scales and i think builds without leech absolutely need huge HP buffer for a plethora of bullshit oneshot situations this game puts you in, i have been hit for ~10k damage in a single hit that wasn't any of the "should always be dodged" Boss smashes but rather stuff in maps like Volatiles, Bearers when you inevitably lag out, Detonate dead or certain "perfect storm" situations

I also think full utility flasks are incredibly strong and life builds can't get away with that due to low HP pool overall compared to CI

What cannot this build do?

- I have trouble with doing deathless Core Malachai, it's isnanely hard for builds with no leech due to phases, but that fight takes so long that it isn't worth your time except for e-peen

Every other boss in the game is more than doable, in fact this is one of the smoothest bosskilling builds out there

However certain Bosses with map mods and Double Bosses can be hard, namely stuff like Double Daresso or Vaal temple with insane map mods because of instakill potential

Decoy totem is your friend