TheForceIsStrong's The Molten Strike's Back Build

How does it work?

First, let's outline molten strike. Molten strike takes your physical damage (and only physical) and increases it by 120%. Then, 60% of that total damage is converted to fire damage. The other 40% remains physical. Additionally, 3 projectiles are created that are 72% of your full weapon damage (60% fire).

Avatar of Fire (AoF) passive will convert 50% of all physical, cold, lightning damage to fire and you can Only deal fire damage. This isn't a multiplier this is a flat 50%. That means that the remaining 40% physical from molten strike is completely converted to fire damage which in turn means molten strike with AoF will deal 100% fire damage.

Avatar of Fire is a very nice passive that will boost your damage early on with full bonuses from WED gem and elemental passives. However, because it turns your damage dealt into pure elemental (fire) damage you can not leech mana or life without a leech gem. This means you need to use a Blood Magic (BM) gem to keep up with the mana cost.

This is the reason that, ultimately, removing AoF and replacing BM gem with an offensive gem becomes more powerful. Before you can do that you need to have a way to mitigate the mana cost. You need about 4% mana leech on gear to make it viable. You may get away with 2% and mana pots but it's not ideal.

Imagine leveling and every upgrade you need to check your mana leech on gear. It would be crazy and eventually expensive. For this reason we stick with AoF and BM gem until we get more towards endgame.

Preface
These level numbers are estimates. We will level up with the aim of using AoF until we are close or at endgame. You will grab these gems to level in your offhand for later use: Hatred, Life Leech, Faster Attacks, Concentrated Effect. Alternatively you can buy them at good levels.

You will be using Molten Strike and you may choose any other skills if you like. Searing Bond tends to be useful. You could even use spectral throw as well for a bit but dex may be some trouble later.

Passives are in a section below.

Until late merciless use whatever gear you find. Try to save up your currency. You can buy a cheap 4link (white) and toss an alch on it. Brightbeak is nice to level with early but nothing is required unless stated.

Levels 0-15


Levels 15-35


Levels 35-50


Levels 50-65


Levels 65-75


Level 75+


Once you have the following you can remove AoF:
1. 5link chest
2. 3-4% mana leech on gear
3. capped resists from gear/passives (without need for purities)

You will:
1. remove Anger and purity of lightning.
2. Remove avatar of fire
3. Run Hatred
4. Remove BM gem for Faster Attacks gem
5. around 80 mana free or more. so 600 mana and level 18 or above reduced mana gem
6. You can optionally respec out of reduced mana passives for more life/dps.

Oak (life) - Kraitlyn (attack speed) - Kill All (passive)

Helm - Three Dragons - with static blows and the node after you have 20% chance to shock. This will increase the dps. Without static blows get any helm that has life and resists.

Spectral Throw - GMP - Blind - Culling Strike

Blind to increase survivability.

1H weapon - PHYSICAL damage. Good attack speed too is nice. Survivability is key and you want fast attacking. Faster you attack the more projectiles spit out. The tooltip can't show you this.


vaal haste - increased duration - Leap Slam (increased duration won't affect it)


Chest - Lightning Coil. 5Link minimum. While leveling any 5link armor woudl do.

AoF: Molten Strike - Life Leech (Use Life Gain on Hit until about merci piety) - Blood Magic - Weapon Elemental Damage - Multistrike - Concentrated Effect

Non-AoF: Molten Strike - Life Leech (Use Life Gain on Hit until about merci piety) - Weapon Elemental Damage - Multistrike - Faster Attacks - Concentrated Effect

If you get enough lightning resists on gear you don't need purity of lightning you may be able to remove the BM gem. I'll need to test this but I highly doubt it'd work and may require low level clarity. It would be replaced with Fire Penetration.

Gem Quality is only needed on Weapon Elemental Damage then Molten Strike then Life Leech then Faster Attacks.


Shield - Highest armor or ev/armor or armor/es even with life and resists.

Cast when Damage Taken - enduring cry - Increased Duration (level as you level. Starting with level 1 or 2 cap working to about level 10 cap) Since we don't have an open 4link (unless you swap with your blind/culling strike skill) we don't use immortal call. It doesn't last long and the 4 endurance charges provide more damage mitigation.

Gloves - Increased Attack Speed!! You want that. Then life and resists. Armor or mixed should be fine.

AoF: Anger - Grace - Purity of Lightning - RM
Non-AoF: Hatred - Grace - RM - ??

?? could be Vaal Molten Shell or some other skill.

you can swap out grace for haste (both should do about same dps) if feeling overly strong. Yes, you can run 2 60% auras and a 40% aura with this tree and still cast your cull/blind spell.

Boots - I'm using Windscream for dual cursing :) Heck to the yeah. I dropped these which is why I'm using them mostly. Otherwise not a necessity but very helpful.

Flammability - Vulnerability/enfeeble (may swap them depending on area) - Blood Magic - ??

?? again could be whatever. I have been using reduced mana.

chance to ignite from flammability curse means your Hatred has a change to ignite with 3 dragons helmet.

Amulet/Rings/Belt - Without avatar of fire you want 2-4% mana leech (likely 2 items) and physical damage rolls. With avatar of fire Weapon Elemental Damage helps a ton. life and resists. Extra armor/evasion is always nice.


Weapon Swap

Generally used for leveling gems. Also good for portal gem if no slots or an optional thing but I like to do this.

Any Skill (spectral throw) - GMP - Culling strike - Increased Rarity

Arc would work or Lightning strike or spectral throw or possibly spell totem and spark? Use this for bosses if you have enough time. Or in a party you can use this if the other members have good enough damage and AoE. It's culling with rarity so really just an extravagance.

These are suggestions. Using the tree above you can focus more on what you feel you need to. Luckily, molten strike is very strong while leveling.
35pts


50pts


75pts


90pts (still with AoF)


90pts (without Avatar of Fire)

I leveled early with a brightbeak for most of the time and whatever shield I could find (crest of perandus eventually) and whatever gear. Wanderlust as well early on. Did use perandus signet for a while (until act 3 cruel) since I had one. Wurms Molt for a bit as well. Searing Bond used as both decoy and to help kill mobs while leveling.

I did not put a life gem until merciless ledge (could have done so earlier). Blood Magic gem was around cruel sometime I think (was a fluid leveling process testing things out). Mostly Molten - WED - added fire. Vitality was also run during this (2% leech from wurms molt and 3% from crest helped but was soon overtaken by end of cruel/merciless).

This experience was done with me constantly changing the tree while learning the ins and outs of Molten Strike.

For reference my gear at level 49 merciless ledge-
Some stuff in there just to level up. I have other gems leveled in my stash and some in my weapon swap.
The rings and belt are leftovers from my elemental spectral thrower. I only just put them on forget what I had before but not nearly as good. Belt also just replaced wurms molt at level 49.


For reference here is my gear at level 59 running through act 3 merciless. 3.8K tooltip dps which does not represent the projectiles (they do more)


For reference here is my gear at level 67 running merciless piety. 3.4K Life, ~4.6K tooltip dps which does not represent the projectiles (they do more). Goal is to have more life on jewelry and I still need to grab the WED and Life nodes in templar area. A gem or 2 needs to be added/replaced (vaal molten strike and culling strike)


Hit level 69 while playing 71 and 72 maps. Had no troubles. 5.3K tooltip dps, 3600 life (this will be upped in a few passives and once I replace rings/ammy)
current gear.


Hit level 72 with same stuff and have played some level 73 maps without any hitch.

Dinged 74. Alch'd a few 74 maps and blew through them. Any reflect is a non issue.
Added a 2nd mana leech ring. Now, if I had a 2% ring and low level clarity (~lvl 6) everything is fine. However, that would be on blood magic which I don't love. I could remove the blind setup and put clarity-bm-rm but rather not. Without clarity it does stutter.
Also, added a sanctified mana flask. Don't generally need it but for enemies that move it's helpful like piety when she runs off you may miss which means no leech. Popping the flask lasts for 14 seconds.
So, 2% ring + high mana regen is fine or 4% leech with substandard regen.
4.1K HP. tooltip is 6845. mana cost 40. free mana after reservation is 80. no issues casting.
current gear


Level 75. Nabbed a Doryani's Catalyst for 2.5exalts. Big DPS boost. For me was about 1K. here's my gear. I currently have about 8.1K tooltip. Level 75. health about 4.7K.



tree


Whenever I get to a 6Link I may consider taking mana reservation nodes.

Hit Level 79. (wish I had more time to play). 5K health, 8.1K tooltip. Smash through 75 maps. Will start some 76 and higher. I have 89 mana unreserved with grace and hatred. The mana leech on gear seems to be working though trouble spots include enemies with immortal call (exiles/dark forest kraitlyn) because they are immune to physical during that brief time but should be hit by elemental. I don't leech mana with elemental. But mostly fine.
gear

tree

contemplating life without grace. purity of lightning could replace it and even a clarity at the right level. Then I could drop need for mana leech gear but leave myself open. Perhaps stone of lazwhar for extra block/spell block since mana leech and lightning resist would be less worrisome.

Level 83 Big Change. I decided to test out removing Three Dragons as I was clearing quite well. Turns out I still clear well. I had an alpha's howl sitting around so tossed that on. I regrabbed the aura nodes and kept 2% mana leech ring. At this moment I can take my amulet off and use anything there I wish (spell block stone of lazhwar for instance). I have 54% block. That could be 63% if I used a crest of perandus (which I may if I get resists sorted). Life is about 5K (want more) and dps is about 9K. I ran with a friend that ran same auras as a elemental buzzsaw and my dps jumped more than double!
gear.
I'm using the alpha's howl mostly for the reservation. I went up the aura effectiveness nodes instead of the reservation which would have been +8% reservation so that I could get and extra 1% from purity of lightning. Otherwise any helmet would do and will be testing that eventually.

passive tree


Hit level 85. NEW CHANGE
I use a rare helmet for life. 2% mana leech ring. Stone of Lazhwar for spell block. Crest of Perandus for high block. I am using a level 8 clarity on blood magic and mana is not an issue (at 5link). My reserved mana nodes allow my purity now at level 20 to give me an extra 1% for total 84% lightning resists. It's been a balancing act but it all works. Tanked palace dominus today. Felt good.
gear


passive tree

-Life Leech on gear/passives just won't work end game. No matter how much physical you add from tree it will not work. Casting off BM makes it too difficult without a life gem.

-Life Gain on Hit is superior to Life Leech until you produce enough damage to have a better leech. That comes around merciless piety or about 3.5-4K tooltip.

-You can use crest of perandus and physical leech gear like wurms molt until about end of cruel or beginning of merciless. After that point you will need BM gem and life gain on hit and can drop those gear. OR once you get avatar of fire you must use a life gem.

-Vitality was the first aura I ran while leveling to synergize with the physical leech gear. Anger followed as soon as I was able to fit it and/or when I dropped vitality for life gem.

-Searing Bond while leveling is very helpful as well.

-I thought about running Iron Reflexes but ultimately I do not believe it will be strong enough by itself. A layered approach of Evasion, Block, Armor and good health pool is ultimately stronger.

-Avatar of Fire and Blood Magic gem work great while leveling and yes you can stick with it indefinitely. Removing Avatar of Fire and running Hatred and a gem to replace blood magic nets higher DPS (both tooltip and ultimately projectiles).

Removed Three Dragons at level 83. Didn't notice the loss whatsoever.

added lightning coil

added three dragons to replace alpha's howl (which would be needed if you ran a 60% aura instead of purity of lightning.)

I took down Iron Reflexes. I just don't entirely trust stocking up on 1 defense.

TheForceIsStrong is my character name not an assumption on the build vs others just in case people were wondering :)

Revised the tree.

Switched IC and EC because wasn't sure on the enduring cry/immortal call setup. Now have enduring cry on CWDT gem and immortal call self cast. That way enduring cry is up more often when needed and we won't 'miss' on immortal call.
Ended up removing immortal call altogether

Need to test if main attack can be run without BM IF purity of lightning is removed. Highly doubt it will work too well and it may require low level clarity.

Have been thinking about tempest shield but unsure.

Reconsidering avatar of fire with anger for not taking the passive and using hatred. It could lead to removal of BM gem from 5link. Will need to test.

Removed mana reservation nodes after switching to hatred/nonAoF. Mana is slight issue but managed well with leech on gear and +mana on anything at all.

Considering placing mana reservation nodes back onto tree to allow running of Tempest Shield (gear setup has an open spot in gloves which could allow user to level up with AoF and purity of lightning then swap to Non-AoF and tempest shield.)