[On Hold] Storm Brand Inquisitor - Beginner Friendly - SSF/League Start Viable - All Content

Hi Thi3n

Been playing this build in flashback league and loving it!

I am thinking about running it as a league start for Legion but in anguish about whether to choose Elementalist vs Inquisitor!

I know in your guide you say Elementalist is good damage, and Inquisitor is more beginner friendly not worrying about elemental pen.

Would you mind helping flesh out the differences you see between the two in terms of end game mapping and bossing potential as a league starter? I looked on POE Ninja and it is roughly the same proportion of elementalist and inquisitor rocking storm brand.

Appreciate your thoughts!!!

Nerf again? Im sad.

"

bankai1009 wrote:

Hi Thi3n

Been playing this build in flashback league and loving it!

I am thinking about running it as a league start for Legion but in anguish about whether to choose Elementalist vs Inquisitor!

I know in your guide you say Elementalist is good damage, and Inquisitor is more beginner friendly not worrying about elemental pen.

Would you mind helping flesh out the differences you see between the two in terms of end game mapping and bossing potential as a league starter? I looked on POE Ninja and it is roughly the same proportion of elementalist and inquisitor rocking storm brand.

Appreciate your thoughts!!!

Elementalist is dead for this build. It may still work but all the reasons to go Elementalist over something else got nerfed hard. Other classes might show up now which are better suited. Inquis should still be ok. The skill itself didn't get nerfed too hard, but the witch got crushed by the hammer.

pob is updated?? also now with wands you can use shield charge and fortify buff could be a good combo, what do you think?

For Legion, the 3.6 version of this guide's skill tree is almost entirely unchanged. The only real change to the passives in 3.7 is the 3 increased mana regeneration nodes behind Mind over Matter are gone. RIP 50% increased maximum mana. As an alternative consider the 3 nodes around Deep Thoughts. Not quite as good (36% increased mana) but you do also pick up 20% more mana regeneration.

The skills itself I think will still work fine in Legion. Storm Brand got nerfed some in its AOE (the "shotgunning" change) but its single target damage got buffed and my guess is overall it will play as well or better. The loss of Warlord's Mark may hurt more; this build doesn't really suffer from mana problems unless you're taking damage, in which case Mind Over Matter drains your mana pool very fast. Some alternate source of mana regen would be nice.

This guide is for a crit-focussed Inquisitor. That should still work. Elementalist, Trickster, and Occultist all got nerfed so may not work as well as before. I'm curious if Hierophant might be a good variant though.

Nicely written guide, thanks!

New Video!

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Can you reliably shatter trash mobs with added cold? Is flat added cold from jeweles enought to shatter?

Added Cold is a great gem for shattering trash but you lose a bit of value with Wrath aura not interacting with it at all.

"

Hi Thi3n

Been playing this build in flashback league and loving it!

I am thinking about running it as a league start for Legion but in anguish about whether to choose Elementalist vs Inquisitor!

I know in your guide you say Elementalist is good damage, and Inquisitor is more beginner friendly not worrying about elemental pen.

Would you mind helping flesh out the differences you see between the two in terms of end game mapping and bossing potential as a league starter? I looked on POE Ninja and it is roughly the same proportion of elementalist and inquisitor rocking storm brand.

Appreciate your thoughts!!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. It looks like you read my thoughts on Elementalist vs Inquisitor already. I think they're both fine choices but prefer inquisitor as it just has nice quality of life and better single target which are things I care about. I think now that Elementalist lost prolif... Inquis really stands out to me as the premiere class for this ability. Take that with a grain of salt though because I am the guide creator for the Inquis verison after all.

"

Nerf again? Im sad.

The demise of storm brand has been greatly exaggerated.

"

pob is updated?? also now with wands you can use shield charge and fortify buff could be a good combo, what do you think?

I was already using fortify and the build strongly recommended daggers for the build because of that. Now wands are a viable option with shield charge and as always I recommend using Shield Charge or Whirling Blades to go with Instruments of Virtue and the defensive layer of Fortify.

"

For Legion, the 3.6 version of this guide's skill tree is almost entirely unchanged. The only real change to the passives in 3.7 is the 3 increased mana regeneration nodes behind Mind over Matter are gone. RIP 50% increased maximum mana. As an alternative consider the 3 nodes around Deep Thoughts. Not quite as good (36% increased mana) but you do also pick up 20% more mana regeneration.

The skills itself I think will still work fine in Legion. Storm Brand got nerfed some in its AOE (the "shotgunning" change) but its single target damage got buffed and my guess is overall it will play as well or better. The loss of Warlord's Mark may hurt more; this build doesn't really suffer from mana problems unless you're taking damage, in which case Mind Over Matter drains your mana pool very fast. Some alternate source of mana regen would be nice.

This guide is for a crit-focussed Inquisitor. That should still work. Elementalist, Trickster, and Occultist all got nerfed so may not work as well as before. I'm curious if Hierophant might be a good variant though.

Nicely written guide, thanks!

Pretty good analysis. I was happy with the patch notes as I think my version of Storm Brand was already my favorite way to play it and the other versions seem to have gotten a bit worse. I anticipate this guide being a little more popular in the upcoming patch especially with people looking to do higher single target damage with buffed rare monster health.

i am about to start with storm brand , only thing i am wondering is if i should go elementalist or hierophant just for the leech node since warlords doesnt work any more

would like to hear any suggestions

thx

ps i prefer inquisitor only wondering about leech

Still viable after nerf? Returning to the game after skipping last league, looking for a good starter.

how leech life after nerf Warlord's Mark???

Playing this build as Starter.

Currently lvl 53, starting act 8, i feel like i need much more damage and im really squizzy, specially against powerful monsters.

All resists 75+

Love Storm Brand so i will start mapping with it, but in the past league i used Elementalist Storm Brand and i was feel much more comfortable at this point.


Very very good and deep guide, thx man for the work.