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[LVL 100 - Beyond Rank 4] 10.3k Hybrid Life/ES Flameblaster - 50/52 Block - LVL 22 AA w/ no EB

1.3 Passive Tree in Testing
https://poebuilder.com/character/AAAAAgUAQ8hPBKdVW6B8Dmjy8B-iAASzwGaf3-98PAWCm5o71abtPOw4kFUnLxo4wBqxQvMRcYVG1-NqFm826SSq6-64k6cIU1JFnZrgrJgulJeFNPchsPFs7FUqjUkbNtiD21XGOlgEB0yzUlOXlT1fl_RtGacrNbkRUGpDwFQI9EuuGyXZW-kC34q86h1P-eiCxyj68kX-Crc-QYfYvf6PNZJN4zrhpldCS9--hcWdrhps2CQ2xRJpGGVxeRccHwKvtzI0h2UQWCycw21ca4RI99d65mP9jHa3MVcrvYL-s3RVXyr53YuMDXxXyeQi2t0=


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This build has been in the making since the beginning of Nemesis league and was used mainly as a cheap and effective way to solo end game maps with fast clear speed. It has been used in the 2 week race (Nemesis) and 1 month race (Invasion) with great success.

As a reference the link below will direct you to the build in its state during the Nemesis 2 week race (Lvl 91 - RIPed @ rank 24).

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/927263

With the recent changes to the passive tree this already strong build has been significantly buffed. Given no unexpected issues arise, I plan to level to 100 and have this character used in the Hall of Grandmasters. That is the goal.

On to the build..

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Pros and Cons

Pros:
- 50/50+ Block/Spellblock.
- High effective life to combat reflect and other large elemental hits.
- Cheap to get up and running with the option to run high level Arctic Armour later (very tanky). Running 21+ AA requires investment in a good amount of mana and mana regen gear.
- Solo end game maps quickly and with ease.

Cons:
- Chaos damage/Degen.
- Reflect while leveling/gearing up. Not so much later when you have high effective health and purity of fire.
- Little to no armor. Have to make good use of granite/rumi's and CWDT immortal call setup.


Gear




Required Uniques:

Rathpith Globe - Majority of your spellblock will come from this item. The max life % and spell damage % also makes this unique strong for this build.

Rainbowstride Boots - Decent amount of spell block and resists with high ES. Has a nice amount of flat mana which is also great for this build.

Optional Uniques:

Rumi's Concoction - This will temporarily cap your block and spell block at 75% while still giving you the granite's base 3000 armor. Very nice unique but definitely not needed for the build. I did not get my Rumi's until after I got a 6L. I used Perpetual Granite Flask of Iron Skin up to level 98 and it works just as good. Using a granite flask of iron skin will give you more mitigation against hits that are not blocked which is why it is just as good in comparison.

Stone of Lazhwar - The amount of spellblock this amulet gives is amazing and could cap you out at 75%. I have tried this for a time and felt it is not really necessary for a caster who is already mitigating most spell damage through studder stepping. If this was a melee build I would likely want to cap out spell block with this item but I would prefer a nice rare amulet for this build and feel it is already tanky enough against spell damage.

Stats on rare gear in order of priority: (Just to get an idea. Priority will change as needed to be able to support auras etc.)

- Elemental Resists (until you are capped)
- Max Life
- Energy Shield
- Chaos Resist (enough to get closer to 0% res)
- Mana Regeneration
- Max Mana

*You will need to fit some dexterity and strength in your gear as well if you plan to use high level Arctic Armour and Decoy Totem*


Flask Setup

Flask setup is important with this build. Get used to using your granite/rumi's when you know your about to take a good bit of damage. Use a Perpetual Granite Flask of Iron Skin in place of Rumi's if you do not have one or can not afford.

Always use ruby and rumi's (if you have one) before blasting a reflect pack.




Gem Setup


Flameblast - Ele Prolif - Fire Penetration - Concentrated Effect - Spell Echo - Faster Casting

I keep a chance to ignite gem in my inventory to swap with faster casting for certain bosses and curse immune maps but prefer faster casting for general clear speed.

6-link is definitely not required. I didnt have a 6 Link until level 98 and while it increased my map clear speed by quite a bit, I was doing just fine up to that point using a 5L.

Early levels I would use chance to ignite but it would slowly lose priority as I gained more ignite chance through quality flameblast and flammability. With 1.2 out the skill tree adds 15% more ignite chance making chance to ignite even less needed at later levels.

Flame Surge - Concentrated Effect - Spell Echo - Faster Casting

Previously I was using LMP fireball to finish off burning mobs or stragglers. Flame surge is much better because it deals 50% more damage to burning targets. Using this skill on ignited targets does amazing damage and provides the ability to burst down any ignited target you need to. You should first prioritize mobs with nasty mods such as extra physical damage.

CWDT - Enduring Cry - Immortal Call - Increased Duration

The order you put these gems in a 4L is important. You want to put CWDT on the top left of the 4L and then Enduring Cry on the top right. This does matter as CWDT will first cast the link that is next to it going clockwise. If you put immortal call before enduring cry, it will not work as efficiently.

Stop leveling CWDT at gem level 9, Immortal Call at gem level 9 and Enduring Cry at gem level 10 while maxing Increased Duration to level 20. This will give you close to 5 second duration immortal calls if you have 20% quality Immortal Call and Increased Duration. The neat thing about this is when you have immortal call up for 4-5 seconds, your ES will start to replenish by the time the immortal call duration has ended due to the "faster start of energy shield recharge" nodes in this build.

Reduced Mana - Clarity - Discipline - Purity of Fire

Starting out I leveled with clarity and tempest shield and then added discipline just before maps when I start stacking ES. Once I had a big enough mana pool and a 20/20 reduced mana, I was able to drop tempest shield for purity of fire.

Decoy Totem - Flammability - Faster Casting

Decoy totem is your distraction tool. Use it to help mitigate damage for a second while charging up a flameblast or for buying time to replenish ES.

I suggest using Spell Totem + Summon Skeletons while leveling up as it doesnt require as much strength.

Arctic Armour

Wasnt incorporated into build until Beyond league. This is somewhat optional and I have ran this build without AA for the longest time but it is in no doubt very strong when you can level it to a decent level. I am currently running level 20 AA but trying to corrupt a level 21 as I will be able to sustain @ 250 mana regen.

It goes without saying that if you plan to use a high level AA then this build gets a bit more expensive since the build doesnt run EB. You will have to get mana regen and mana on just about any piece of gear that can roll it. I would suggest watching your AA closely while leveling it up and dont go any further until you know you can support it.

Lightning Warp - Reduced Duration

Invaluable for mobility and opening boxes.

Vaal Discipline

Easily the best vaal skill for this build. If you have room while leveling or are able to get an unset ring with decent stats, this is worth running.




Playstyle and Grouping

This section is dedicated mainly to those who are progressing through maps and starting to have everything in the build come together to make it all work. (AA, block, high ES, etc)

In a ranged hybrid setup you need to keep the following things in mind:

- Your ES is meant for most of your incoming damage. Since you do not have sustain through leech, if your ES is low you have to play SMART and avoid damage through studder stepping, decoy/skele totem, high block and having a decent amount of energy shield start time. Rarely should you ever need to run away from combat to replenish ES.

- Your life is meant for chaos damage, degen, and extra overall effective health for large hits such as reflect.

- CWDT setup is our workaround for having little to no armor. It is not suggested to ignore this setup unless your are trying a hybrid armor variation of this build. With the energy shield start time nodes and the suggested levels of the CWDT setup, it is extremely powerful against physical damage and in most cases your energy shield will have started to regenerate by the time immortal call buff expires.

With the above said, it is difficult to use this build in a group setting unless you are clearing things fairly quickly. I say this through experience because I originally made this build as a solo racing build that best suited my playstyle when pushing the ladder.

With this build in a solo setting your going to be killing packs in 1 shot including the burn damage. This is actually fairly important in how this build all comes together to work end game. If mobs are staying alive too long (they most likely will in a group setting) then you are not giving youself the time needed between packs to replenish ES.

Im not saying this build is ineffective in groups but it definitely was intended to be a solo build where you have full control over mob aggro and are able to 1 shot packs.



Videos

Courtyard:
Elemental Weakness
Chains 2 Additional Times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mv62wWo5aw



How Buffed in 1.2?

Adding up all the main stats for this build, here are the differences between 1.1 and 1.2 on the passive tree:

Max Health %:
1.1 - 194%
1.2 - 148%

ES %:
1.1 - 155%
1.2 - 180%

Block %:
1.1 - 20%
1.2 - 20%

Mana %:
1.1 - 68%
1.2 - 84%

Mana Regen:
1.1 - 180%
1.2 - 200%

Total Elemental, Spell and Fire Damage:
1.1 - 189%
1.2 - 193%

Cast Speed:
1.1 - 12%
1.2 - 24%

Burn Damage:
1.1 - 80%
1.2 - 75%

Ignite Chance:
1.1 - 0%
1.2 - 15%

Ignite Duration:
1.1 - 0%
1.2 - 40%


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Feel free to stop by my stream to check it out live in action. I will be streaming most of this characters progress in Beyond league.

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FAQ:

Q: Why not go CI?
A: This question was asked quite a bit while streaming 2 week and 1 month races. Basically it comes down to play style and preference. Both hybrid and CI have great advantages and disadvantages. Some to note are:

CI
Pros:
- Ignore HP and stack ES
- Chaos Immune.

Cons:
- 1/1 HP issues such as having to use Eye of Chayula and Dream Fragments to avoid stuns and the long freeze durations.
- Lower effective health which also means more likely to 1 shot yourself to reflect.

Hybrid
Pros:
- High effective health which is strong against large elemental hits including reflect damage.
- No real need to stack armor or evasion.

Cons:
- No ES sustain without ghost reaver or zealot's oath (neither taken in this build) which means you will have to rely on block/immortal call and studder stepping to replenish your ES.
- Chaos damage.

Q: Bandits?
A: Help oak in Normal and Kill all in Cruel/Merciless.

Q: Can this build work as a Witch?
A: Yes. Since the build connects both starting points for the witch and templar class, either classes are fine.
ign: Vexcid
Last edited by Vexcid#0156 on Dec 24, 2014, 2:21:53 AM
Looks interesting -- thanks for your work on this. I'll likely be rolling this as my first character in Beyond.
Very interesting. Looks really fun.
Last edited by Bradeh#6820 on Aug 19, 2014, 12:33:36 PM
Thanks for the comments :)

Good luck with the build and let me know how it goes!
ign: Vexcid
Last edited by Vexcid#0156 on Aug 19, 2014, 12:36:12 PM
Thanks for the post. I've also been highly considering trying Flameblast for my first character for the new league so I may try this one out.
Uploaded 2 more videos for a little variety. 24 Hour Hype!!
ign: Vexcid
Last edited by Vexcid#0156 on Aug 19, 2014, 5:28:34 PM
Will the flameblast nerf affect alot? I am thinking of doing this for my first leveling and farming character for new leagues. Would you think it's great for start?

15% definitely doesnt kill the spec by any means and the 1% base crit doesnt matter since this isnt a crit build.

Watching many of the different Garena streams that have been up the past few days has me convinced that flameblast is still really good for leveling, it was just way overkill before.

As for end game viability I can almost assure you that 15% wont do much compared to how much damage this build already does. Might notice a difference against fire res mobs but thats it.
ign: Vexcid
So would you recommend this for easy, cheap leveling and farming char?

"
LostBearz wrote:
Will the flameblast nerf affect alot? I am thinking of doing this for my first leveling and farming character for new leagues. Would you think it's great for start?



Seem like a really strong build, considering that you can play it early on in the new league.

I also dont think that the -15% dmg nerf on Flameblast will affect this build tooo much, because in 1.2 you'll get more Ignite duration, 15% base ignite chance, double the cast speed and a little bit more fire dmg through passivs. So overall you might lose 5-8% flameblast dps. No big deal tbh

Thanks alot for the build and good luck in the new league (:

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