[3.1] GLADIATOR 1H+Shield Max Block&Spell Block Tank + a BoR version

Ladies and gents, here's the passive tree for Ascendancy for this build, with the Gladiator specialisation:

I am EXTREMELY excited about this, as the build becomes even more powerful, gets even more block chance, more DPS, AND our amulet and boots slots are now free.

Any chance this build could be modified to use either of the 2 new melee gems like Sunder or Earthquake. What would you change to deal with not scaling elemental damage?

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Wonkstar wrote:

Any chance this build could be modified to use either of the 2 new melee gems like Sunder or Earthquake. What would you change to deal with not scaling elemental damage?

In the tree: practically nothing, only 1 node: Catalyse. Except for that, absolutely nothing else would change, as you do not scale any elemental damage whatsoever in the tree. Your gem setup would change only for 1 support gem: instead of WED you could use some other nice multiplier, like less duration for Earthquake.

I will add a list of gems for Earthquake and Sunder.

This is a badass build. It's probably going to convert me from going Fortify/Leach/Block Champion build I have been theorycrafting on, as this build is pretty much what I wanted when I started out through my thinking.

Good stuff TS. Solid build proven before Ascendancy, and will be even more badass on release.

Have you thought about which Ascendancy class would work best? I can't decide between Gladiator and Champion. Having 100% of my block be spell block is really nice, and a few of the damage nodes are great too, but Fortify is really good and I can't just ignore it. Plus, with the passive tree, my block chance will already be 70%, so a lot of Gladiator's block nodes will be useless to me (nodes I can't ignore as they're on the way to full spell block). Besides that, once I do get Versatile Combatant (block = spell block), do I go for Gratuitous Violence or Outmatch and Outlast?

If anyone else has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

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RegulusX wrote:

Have you thought about which Ascendancy class would work best? I can't decide between Gladiator and Champion. Having 100% of my block be spell block is really nice, and a few of the damage nodes are great too, but Fortify is really good and I can't just ignore it. Plus, with the passive tree, my block chance will already be 70%, so a lot of Gladiator's block nodes will be useless to me (nodes I can't ignore as they're on the way to full spell block). Besides that, once I do get Versatile Combatant (block = spell block), do I go for Gratuitous Violence or Outmatch and Outlast?

If anyone else has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

The answer to your question is located both in the title of the build thread and in a few posts above yours :)

Gladiator is definitely much better. Going gladiator means you don't have to use Stone of Lazwhar and Rainbowstrides, which is pretty damn nice. Also, you can reach max spell block easily with Gladiator, which is not really doable with Champion. Finally, none of the champion nodes will compensate for 2 new free item slots and being able to potentially use The Anvil (or just a rare amulet even). We use Fortify anyway with Leap Slam.

Violent Retaliation is better since we do not benefit completely from both of those simply because it will give you most DPS. 2nd choice after that is Outmatch and Outlast.

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ComradeSerge wrote:

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RegulusX wrote:

Have you thought about which Ascendancy class would work best? I can't decide between Gladiator and Champion. Having 100% of my block be spell block is really nice, and a few of the damage nodes are great too, but Fortify is really good and I can't just ignore it. Plus, with the passive tree, my block chance will already be 70%, so a lot of Gladiator's block nodes will be useless to me (nodes I can't ignore as they're on the way to full spell block). Besides that, once I do get Versatile Combatant (block = spell block), do I go for Gratuitous Violence or Outmatch and Outlast?

If anyone else has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

The answer to your question is located both in the title of the build thread and in a few posts above yours :)

Gladiator is definitely much better. Going gladiator means you don't have to use Stone of Lazwhar and Rainbowstrides, which is pretty damn nice. Also, you can reach max spell block easily with Gladiator, which is not really doable with Champion. Finally, none of the champion nodes will compensate for 2 new free item slots and being able to potentially use The Anvil (or just a rare amulet even). We use Fortify anyway with Leap Slam.

Violent Retaliation is better since we do not benefit completely from both of those simply because it will give you most DPS. 2nd choice after that is Outmatch and Outlast.

Whoops, my bad. I overlooked the title completely. I saw you added a Gladiator build to your skill tree link, too, but figured I wouldn't edit my comment because I was still curious.

I wasn't really planning on getting spell block items either way. I guess I don't see it as that important since we can have 75% ele mitigation, but far lower physical mitigation. Maybe I'm just too sensitive to physical melee damage since I usually play casters. You do have a Fortify + Leap Slam setup, but wouldn't that Fortify only last 5 seconds? Do you Leap Slam around that much?

Violent Retaliation seems a little weak to me. It's only 4% increased damage per block. How often are we really blocking?

I really like the build path you purposed, but I have a few subtle changes (that I made) to it.


I'm not sure why you skipped out on Life Regeneration per endurance charge, as that node seems to be very efficient (1.4% life regeneration with 7 endurance charges, well worth a single point).

Soul of Steel (to the right of Unwavering Stance) also seems like a node this build would want to pick up, as it essentially acts as an additional endurance charge (4% physical mitigation).

Also Armour Mastery seems like an easy choice.
38% armour
3% movement speed
and 0.5% life regeneration for 2 points seems efficient, at least to me.

I also take the jewel socket near Marauder. Other than that the changes are very minor.

This build also leaves more points available than yours does (it leaves 11, yours 5) so more room for modifications.

With Anvil+Gladiator(14% block total)+Aegis+(23%) block from tree you'll be 1% block off of the cap of 78%. You can get that 1% block from a jewel, or something. Also, if you take Gratuitous Violence over Retaliation you'll be 3% off cap, requiring either Tempest Shield or a Corrupted Variant of the Anvil.

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RegulusX wrote:

Whoops, my bad. I overlooked the title completely. I saw you added a Gladiator build to your skill tree link, too, but figured I wouldn't edit my comment because I was still curious.

I wasn't really planning on getting spell block items either way. I guess I don't see it as that important since we can have 75% ele mitigation, but far lower physical mitigation. Maybe I'm just too sensitive to physical melee damage since I usually play casters. You do have a Fortify + Leap Slam setup, but wouldn't that Fortify only last 5 seconds? Do you Leap Slam around that much?

Violent Retaliation seems a little weak to me. It's only 4% increased damage per block. How often are we really blocking?

Spell block is extremely powerful, you're underestimating the danger they pose. It is especially powerful with bosses like Atziri. Without it, this build wouldn't be able to do Atziri at all.

If you use Leap Slam for movement - which you should - then you'll always have fortfiy up.

That's the point: Violent Retaliation is weak if you have low block. But if you have 75% block chance AND 75% spell block chance, you block 3 out of 4 attacks and 3 out of spells. Since you're melee and are in the thick of the action all the time, that is quite a lot of blocks. Especially if you're confronting fast attacking monsters. For example, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEofW8amDhc can you even try to count the amount of blocks that happen within 4 seconds? (btw, this amount of blocking also wouldn't be possible without spell block, since vaal construct projectiles are spells, not attacks).

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Relytz wrote:

I really like the build path you purposed, but I have a few subtle changes (that I made) to it.

Spoiler

http://poedb.tw/us/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAwQBAZEB5wSHBLMFLQY5DPcNzRLhFCAUTRT2FewYkRo4Gj4aVRv6HM4l3ycvKS4rUC3SL8wyTjboOtg7Oz0PQKBGt0d-TUZQR1FgUeZVqVcNXz9gkWEhYuxlTWdYaGVo8moBcql07Xasd1N5OXrvfLh8u3zZfuKCB4TZhO-GO4ZgivCPmZBVkc6WbJe0nsWezZ_LogCi6qQZpzCplayvr2yvp7Crtiy5HbvtvJ-9Nr6nwGbAv8GCxBXEgsT2xYrPftIh02_aweRR5K3p1eoY7w7wH_JB8wbzm_cy-Ov7qvxL_lQ=

I'm not sure why you skipped out on Life Regeneration per endurance charge, as that node seems to be very efficient (1.4% life regeneration with 7 endurance charges, well worth a single point).

Soul of Steel (to the right of Unwavering Stance) also seems like a node this build would want to pick up, as it essentially acts as an additional endurance charge (4% physical mitigation).

Also Armour Mastery seems like an easy choice.
38% armour
3% movement speed
and 0.5% life regeneration for 2 points seems efficient, at least to me.

I also take the jewel socket near Marauder. Other than that the changes are very minor.

This build also leaves more points available than yours does (it leaves 11, yours 5) so more room for modifications.

With Anvil+Gladiator(14% block total)+Aegis+(23%) block from tree you'll be 1% block off of the cap of 78%. You can get that 1% block from a jewel, or something. Also, if you take Gratuitous Violence over Retaliation you'll be 3% off cap, requiring either Tempest Shield or a Corrupted Variant of the Anvil.

First of all, the reason the tree I linked has 5 points remaining is because the ascendancy points are counted into that, so it has 12 points remaining actually!

Secondly, I always encourage ppl to change the build according to their preferences, but the changes you made are something which would make the build worse. This build doesn't need more tankiness; it doesn't need more armour. What it does need is more DPS, as it is already in the lower tier compared to currently average DPS builds. What you did is exactly the opposite of that: you ditched DPS nodes for more armour nodes, which are almost completely useless (trying to get more armour after you have 16k+ already won't change much for you, that's what's called "diminishing returns"), and some life regen, which we already have in abundance.

Sure, it would be NICE to have even more armour, but you can't have the cake and eat it too. The point of making good builds is knowing what to prioritise and in what measure. This build already did prioritise tankiness and survivability. It already has lower-than-average DPS. Your tree just takes that to an extreme, making things worse overall.

In short, I would honestly NOT recommend you play that version of the build, as I believe you would be quite disappointed after a few days of map runs and abysmal clear speed (not to mention you would be a completely non-existent factor DPS-wise in parties).