Sweep Templar Build [1.02], great for going Solo

This Build also works as a Duelist and if you play a Hardcore League, you propably want to start as a Duelist. However, Templar gets easier access to Area nodes, making this Build a lot more fun to level.

Why Sweep? Its a cool ability, it has an AoE around you and it does quite significant damage. Its just lots of fun to run into a group and spin the whole screen to death.

First things you should know:

- Sweep works only with two handed Maces, Axes or Staffs
- Sweep always has an Attack time of 1.14 Seconds, independent from the weapon you use.
- Attack-speed modifiers nevertheless work with Sweep, also the ones of weapons.
- Multistrike performs 3 consecutive Sweeps. Since the Attack Speed Bonus is so high, the Animations go off very fast.
- Sweep has a pretty nice base AoE, making Area nodes pretty Strong
- Mana cost are really high for a Melee-Skill
- Stun will interrupt you, that means Unwavering Stance is a must.

Skills:

Sweep + Multistrike + Increased Area of Effect (Quality strongly recommended) + Faster Attacks + Melee Physical Damage (5L) + Added Fire Damage (6L)

Heavy Strike + Stun + Endurance Charge on Melee Stun + Melee Physical Damage + Faster Attacks (5L) + Added Fire (6L)

Why no Concentrated Effect? The answer is simple: It reduces the AoE, and Melee Physical Damage does nearly the same damage. With the higher Area, you hit more Mobs, hence more killspeed.

Auras:
Grace + Hatred + Determination + Reduced Mana (or Purity, if you need resists)

Utility:
Blood Rage + Faster Casting + Increased Duration + Enduring Cry

Further Utility:
Leap Slam + Faster Attacks


Build:


Bandits:
- Skill Point or Life
- Phys Dam
- Skill Point or Endurance Charge


Gear:
You want a Karui Maul with high Physical Damage and High Bonus Attack Speed (any other Mace will do to, but remember that the base attack speed of the weapon does not count for sweep). The Chest should be a Carcass Jack for more Area and Damage, or if you are insanely rich a Kaoms Heart. Movement Speed on Boots is really important if you dont want to use Leap Slam. You also want some Dex and Int for Gem Leveling. At least 2% Mana Leech are also necessary. Then go for:
+ Life
+ Chaos Resist
+ Elemental Resistances
+ Armor / Ev
+ Attack Speed / Phys Dam / Mana




Gameplay:
Activate Auras (usually Hatred and Grace) and Blood Rage.
Use Quicksilver, run into a pack of mobs, use Sweep, collect Loot (if Monsters are still standing, repeat). Usually, you should hit almost the whole screen with this Build. Against Bosses, be careful how to approach them. If you are in Range to Attack, you should be able to Perma-Stun most Bosses with your Heavy Strike. On my 79 Templar i can Perma-Stun Vaal, Kole and Piety almost, as well as most map bosses up to 72 Maps (Permastunned a level 71 Piety). Remember that there are certain map mods that reduces your stun chances or even permit monsters from being stunned.

Leveling:
Start with the Melee Damage nodes, pick up Heavy Strike and Sweep. Go to the Life-Nodes, followed by the Templar Area Nodes. Take any high Phys-Damage Mace, Staff or Axe. Go straight for Unwavering and Iron Reflexes and Pick up any Life Nodes that are on the way. After that, you are free to go for more Life, Damage or Area, whatever suits you the best.
At Level 27, try to get a Geofris Baptism, that will carry you easily into Merciless.
Try to get some Chaos resist gear during cruel, so that you can run Blood Rage, also Gloves or Jewelery for Mana Leech. Be careful in boss fights, since you will not be able to Stun them at this Point, in Hardcore i would strongly suggest doing at least Dominus in a group.
In Merciless, farm Ledge or Fellshrine until your defences dont suck anymore, then you can progress. Before

Maps:
- You can do most Map modifiers.
- Phys-Reflect will hurt you. Switch out Hatred for Determination to counter that and be careful in case of double reflect
- Monsters cannot be stunned can be a pain vs certain bosses
- Slow Regen is painful as well
- Be careful with Blood Magic, since your Armor most likely sucks without Grace.

Hardcore:
- Change out the upper Area nodes for more Life. Get less Damage Nodes (only the really Strong ones) and more Life Armor, also pick up the Endurance Charges, that are on the way.


Note that you can always sacrifice DPS for for more Survivability, which is strongly recommended in any Hardcore League.


My current Gear (Level 79):


Current DPS / Defence:
- Sweep is at 10000 DPS with 3 Frenzy Charges and Hatred, Heavy Strike is at 17k with Hatred
- 10000 Armor with Grace
- Capped Resistances, Chaos is at 13%
- 3.8k Life

Current Build:

Nice guide. Sweep looks fun as hell. Trying this out in Nem.

Always wanted to do a sweep build, very nice!

Like the look of this one. Gonna try it out as I was looking for a fun melee templar build.

How do you suppose this would work with a Pillar of the caged God (sorry not sure how to link the image)?

How would you have to tweak this build to get the most out of it?

thanks!

Pillar of the caged god should work well with Sweep.

I got these for leveling, and so far I'm melting through everything:



Oh, and for further dps boost:



Level 25 so far, and 1-hitting all whites and blues. 1-hitting most rares with Heavy strike as well. Most uniques goes down in 3-4 hits.

Looks fun, I'm going try this build out!

"

Stefacle wrote:

Pillar of the caged god should work well with Sweep.

I got these for leveling, and so far I'm melting through everything:

Oh, and for further dps boost:

Level 25 so far, and 1-hitting all whites and blues. 1-hitting most rares with Heavy strike as well. Most uniques goes down in 3-4 hits.

Hrimnor's is amazing. Found it on my AoF Bow Duelist and kept it in my secondary slot. I was playing coop with another archer so I switched to melee for fun at the end of act III. Turned out the DPS far surpassed that of my bow, and it really helped us through normal Dominus.

The only downside to Hrimnor's is that the ingame model looks horrible, like a plain wooden mallet.

Was looking for a melee that looked fun to play, stumbled on this guide a few days ago. As a new player, was reluctant to try out this build as it didn't have too many comments and was wondering if it would turn out to be not that good. I also worried that sweep just wasn't a very good ability, as I don't see many threads where people are talking about builds based around it. Well, this build is freakin fun and powerful and I was wrong to ever doubt it. I am now about to hit act 3 in merciless and I am tearing everything up.

What I find fun so far is that not only is the AoE dps RIDICULOUS, but the single-target damage is out of this world also. I'm 1 or 2-hit killing most rare mobs with heavy strike. Entire rooms die to sweep without being able to do anything. Bosses are stunned so much that they are barely able to do anything.

As for survivability, the only problems I have had are when I simply get overconfident because of the crazy dps and jump into a room filled with elites and a rare or two. I have over 3k hitpoints at 62 with fairly mediocre gear. Right now I am in about to hit act3 of merciless and honestly it feels like I am in Cruel on my last character. The game almost feels bugged how trivial it is.


My only worry right now is how reflect will treat me later on.

came across this searching for a melee build. new to the world of melee in PoE, only lvl 24 atm but this has been a fun and ballsy character so far


i have very little currency and no good items. i was also wondering if anyone with experience using this guide could tell me what to expect as a relatively new player, in Domination league?