[outdated] King of the Forest (Crit version)

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fiqst wrote:

Been really enjoying this build so far. The beauty of this build is that it doesn't require a ton of damage nodes to work as we let the chaos damage scaling to do the work. This frees up lots of nodes and more choices for us to use them.
...
I'm really enjoying this build and my thanks goes to cmphx for designing a great guide.

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S1xE wrote:

This is one of the most fun and fastest builds I've ever played! (I can even keep up with vaal sparkers, lol :))
Uber Lab/Argus/Izaro are a breeze and really easy to farm. Just place your decoy, pop your pots and go mad at them, can easily do full key runs.

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FloopiFloop wrote:

Definitly the most fun i have with a build in this league thanks for sharing it :D
this game was made for archers

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MFJones wrote:

Doing the build on ESC. This is a great build. Last time I played a lightning arrow build was in Tempest league and the DPS and clear speed was not even close. Reach of the council is truly OP, all other unique bows don't even come close anymore.
...
Very fun build with fast movement speed and generally better survivability than the average bow build.

Thanks for sharing, this build is MFJones approved.

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CosmicMidget wrote:

I must say this is THE BEST build i have played until now. Very balanced, fun and strong.

Good gear is kinda expensive, but it's worth it.


I'm struggling a little with my resists(just a few % overcapped) but that aside i'm totally in love.

Thank you.

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Bambulix wrote:

I've been playing bow-builds right from the beginning and i have to admit: I've barely seen a build that's been more impressing than this one. I am in to this build for a week so far and got to say: Lovin' it!

Clearspeed is amazing while still feeling incredibly strong versus single targets. On top of that, this build provides a lot of options in terms of modifications that can be done based on personal preferences. I am trying out the Arrow Dancing/Enfeeble-Blasphemy version right now and really like it. But I am not sure wether or not it is worth switching from the standard AA-Setup.

For everyone who is about to start this build: Use Snakebite as soon as possible. Leveling becomes amazingly smooth once you are able to handle Bloodrage combined with the gloves.

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Dratax9 wrote:

Hi there I have just made it into the 70s with the build and I have cleared t11 and t12 maps already at 75-6and compleated poorjoys this new version is amazing and anyone with enough currency for it should make it. Also this is my 2nd time playing this build and it's still great fun

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lethaldamage33 wrote:

Well, all i've got to say is that i'm absolutely in love with this build. Insane clear speed, insane single target damage combined with super stong survivability. The cost is relatively small compared to other bow builds where you have to invest a lot of currency. Definately would recommend to use this.

Nice job with the build :)!

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deadpanda83 wrote:

For a long time I wanted to play an archer. A dream come true. Thank you.
Nice build.

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dankNstein wrote:

Back to post that I dropped ice golem completely as a gem slot, linked faster casting to my wither spell totem + started using a sulphur flask like the creator of this build and killed the shaper. Died 2 times because Zana died to his adds and then he instantly black ball phased but was easily able to pick it back up with wither totem and sulphur flask. Thanks to cmphx for this amazing build. This was the first POE expansion/league I ever tried to push into any sort of endgame and get to level 90+ and it was a blast on this character. Sadly no starforge but I will get it one day! ;)

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aristona37 wrote:

It is one of the strongest builds I've ever played since open beta. Kudos!

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fiqst wrote:

Hi. I'd like to showcase my current adaptation of this build:

Items:

Stats:

Tree:

111 Points

The tree is basically identical to the OP's, minus the frenzy and movement speed nodes

Notes:

I use Cospri's Will to bypass the need for frenzy generation. I lose out on the movement speed but thats a minor hindrance (IMO). I feel i'd rather not be constantly aware of my charges at all times, especially during nervous boss fights. It also saves a gem slot and a hotkey bar slot since i don't need the frenzy skill.

I use Vuln on hit gloves to curse and poison enemies. Being non-Snakebite, i was able to get a cheaper pair with life and res for 70c

It's true that the first shot is needed to curse and the second to poison, but i haven't felt lack of performance in any way, since my preference is to spam at enemies off-screen. It also doesn't matter so much in groups as everyone does the cursing for you in every direction.

CW also has the advantage of allowing a second curse to boost any aspect i need, in this case i have Blasphemy-Enfeeble for added safety in close quarters.

Starkonja's Head is a great helmet which gives moderate crit chance and attack speed offensively, while offering up to 100 life and added evasion when you're close to death.

Conclusion:

This is one of the great builds going around atm.

With 6k+ life, and a clear speed above most other builds, i have never felt more safe and powerful.

Whether you decide to stick the King, or use my unorthodox version, you can't go wrong with this guide.

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The following stats will directly affect the damage of poison; note that some of these stats apply only to the poison whereas some may also apply to the skill that triggered it:

Damage over Time
Poison Damage
Damage
Chaos Damage
Area Damage if applied by an area skill
Projectile Damage if applied by a projectile skill
Trap Damage if applied by a trap
Mine Damage if applied by a mine
Totem Damage if applied by a totem
Minion Damage if applied by a minion

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CadmiumFlow wrote:

Man, this thread is interesting to read. You've got some people clearing Uber Lab and T14-15 maps at level 83, and others having trouble with T10s. I'm going to share some of my thoughts on the wildly differing reports of strength:

This entire build revolves around delivering as much poison damage as possible via Barrage and Toxic Delivery. This is enhanced by several critical factors that you absolutely cannot neglect, or the build simply won't work:

- Extra projectiles from Death's Opus or Reach of the Council. Death's Opus should easily carry you into red maps. This also lets you skip GMP on Lightning Arrow (and eventually LMP) - don't underestimate how much extra clear-speed you pick up from piercing projectiles off-screening and poisoning packs.

- Added Chaos Damage Gems. You need two of these, and they must be leveled. You cannot just throw a level 1 in and expect to run T10 maps. Each level is flat damage (like a spell gem) so they need to be 18+ ASAP. I would recommend buying the GCPs to quality them as well (and use your vendor recipe GCPs), because you cannot afford to run it at level 1 20% in a T12 map and expect to kill the boss. The +% chaos damage is also huge, because jewelry with this on it is extremely expensive.

- Get good Jewelry (some combination of life, resistances, accuracy, flat damage, and then crit multi on the amulet) with an open prefix and spend the 13c to Elreon flat chaos damage on to it. Alternatively, buy some Essences of Envy and try to get lucky on a Diamond or resistance ring:

I crafted the % Chaos Damage Diamond Ring, so I had to spend a decent amount on my other ring to make-up for the lack of defenses. However, buying % Chaos Damage rings with a good life roll and just one resistance is often extremely expensive.

- Keeping Frenzy Charges up to apply poison via Snakebite. If you're having trouble with a boss, you probably lost your Frenzy Charges. Make sure you get in the habit of firing Frenzy every 5 seconds or so to ensure you don't lose your 4-stack.

- Landing Critical Strikes because of the insane 100% more poison damage modifier from Toxic Delivery - this is also a good argument for taking TD before the Uber Lab. This involves using your Diamond flask properly. You should not open a tough fight by using it. Instead, fire a few barrages without it to build Power Charges - you actually need a lower crit chance to generate these. Once you're at 4, then swoop in, pop Diamond, and unload. I've yet to see a map boss (I've run up to T14) survive me for longer than 5 seconds.

- Running a Wither Totem can help a lot here too, because those Wither stacks really add up. In combination with critical strike-fueled Poison damage single targets get absolutely shredded.

- Might be a controversial opinion but I've had success with it: a 6L Barrage is more useful than 5L QotF. Buy a cheap 6L evasion chest with a good life roll (or use an essence of greed to make it yourself) and use that until you can afford to 6-link a QotF.

In terms of survavability:

- Stay mobile. This is not a tanky build. 6K+ life will allow you to do some stupid stuff and survive, but if you get surrounded in a Breach while standing still you will absolutely die. Use blink arrow, blink arrow, decoy totem, or a wither totem. Awareness is required - recognize dangerous situations as they develop and get out. Poison damage means you can keep doing damage even while you run like a sissy.

- You absolutely need high life rolls (T3 at least, T1 or T2 preferred) on all non-unique gear because this build uses uniques in several slots.

- Jewels need 6-7% increased maximum life. This is mandatory if you want 6K+ life. Do not waste rolls on increased critical strike chance. These are cheap for a reason because 10% isn't going to make much of a difference and you don't need it anyway. On the flip side, critical strike multiplier is huge. Also read up on how Poison damage "double-dips" - this limits the types of damage mods you should go for, but also means you get much more from each jewel.

- Fill out the tree - if you skip the far left sides of it you are missing out on over 50% of increased maximum life. This is what gets you out of the typical 4-4.5K bow build health range and into the upper 5Ks. As mentioned, Jewels will then put you over 6K.

- Use a basalt flask and Arctic Armor. I like layered defenses rather than banking entirely on Evasion, but this comes down to personal preference.

- CWDT with Immortal Call and Increased Duration is enough - we don't need Endurance Charges. This question gets asked like every page of this thread.

- Don't get hit. Seriously, the high-tiered bosses hit like trucks but a lot of them are pretty well telegraphed. If you get hit by a big spell, expect to die. That's how the the game is unless you have 15K+ ES.

- KEEP YOUR CHARGES UP! You fight without them and your damage suffers greatly. Then you die, because the fight goes on a lot longer than it should.

- Watch the map mods. As I said before, this is not a tanky build. Throw on unlucky dodge chance, -max resistances, monster critical strike chance, vulnerability, etc and hits can be extremely painful. Bow builds tend to lend themselves to popping a Quicksilver Adrenaline and yolo'ing from pack-to-pack, but even with 6K life this stuff can and will kill us quickly. I also suggesting getting red map elemental weakness capped (169% in hideout) - jewels can help with this.

- Consider a Kintsugi instead of a QotF if you don't trust yourself to not get hit. Sometimes I'm tired and play stupid, and I hate getting one-shot, so I think I'm going to try this when I can afford to 6L it.

I hope this helps for those who have been struggling a bit. This is an expensive build and it does take a while to get it going. But in terms of run and gun bow builds, it's easily one of the best if not the best out there.

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Thaya wrote:

Just hit level 100.

Final gear/tree, I believe I have one of the best, if not the best setup on the league:

Spoiler

https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAYBAABeAdwDHgUtBbUHmQguDY0QkhEvFCAWvxmOH0EhdiPTI_Yk_SaVKgsqWysKLlMwfDH6MjI1kjY9N9Q51DrhQzFDNkQNRJ5Hfkp9TI5M_02STeNOKlBHUUdS7FO7VUtW-lnwW69d8l8_YeJirGVNZ6BqjGwIbIxvJ287cFJ07XXLdvd343gNeWh59nrvfXV_K4SihNmGzod2idOMNo19jX6Nv49gnaqgn6LZpleooqluqviw2LTFtUi18re2vG-9Nr6nv9XAGsEEwTPB2MLsyBTI8NNv037UI9i92Ybawdvn45_nVOpi62PtP-2D7g7vDu968YryRfVv_MX-Cv6P_rr_3g==

Some notes about it, in order of importance:

- I used a Diamond Flask when I didn't have a +1 Power Charge bow. The difference that +1 Power Charges makes is it lets you achieve 95% Crit Chance by just speccing into Heartseeker node in the tree (Crit Chance + Crit Multi), and then you can use Sulphur Flask for an +40-50% increased Damage that applies to and double dips everything. It makes your "number of shots per pack required" number go down to a solid 1 even in the hardest maps. I'd argue that it's actually better than +1 Arrow - the Damage mod is just really, really good for Poison builds. The Arrow would probably make your LA even more laggy, too.

- Taste of Hate is something I ran in my T15 Courtyards with 7x Sextant mods and high map packsize, which is all I've been doing for 97-100 (averaging 18-20mil xp/h at 99). I felt like getting a bit more safety was more important than getting a bit of speed, as I couldn't exactly speedrun thru those maps (majorly due to the lag big density gives, as well as proximity shields from some of the sextant added mobs and other similar big 'slowdowns'). If I did easier/faster content, I ran Silver flask with a Runspeed mod:

- No other changes to the setup compared to the version in the OP. I have tried or researched most other configurations, but they all turned out to be worse. The ones worth noting that were talked about in this thread:
1) Cospri's version - I don't like how small Blasphemy auras are on this character. Cospri might be good for bosses where you can afford double cursing and being very close (Vuln + Temp Chains for maximum poison memes), but for mapping, it seems entirely wasted when you will generally kill everything before its on your screen. The runspeed, life, and resists from QotF will always outperform it in clear.
2) Dropping the CWDT-IC cluster. This might be viable for speedrunning lower tier/easy layout maps, i.e. if your plan is to do Shaped Strand to 100, go ahead. It might also be very viable for bosses, as the damage you take is very predictable. But I can't count the number of times where CWDT saved me from either spell bursts when I'm misplaying or things like Porcupines, or has given me just enough time to escape and/or logout macro in time, or saved me from a Volatile mob blowing up in my face because some other hit has procced it JUST before that rare died. Don't undervalue CWDT-IC.
3) In addition to the above, I feel like having any Curse application via Frenzy or selfcast to be entirely unusable in clearing. It only makes sense to do with a 2nd curse that you use only on bosses or longer targets, and for those longer targets, you could just... item swap into a boss setup. This is just T16 bosses and "pure" boss maps like Shaper or Izaro. Everything else has too small of a health pool to bother.

- Most important thing that I had to learn in order to stop dying completely: never shoot more than 1-2 times from the same location. The build relies on its movement speed and 'snappiness' to avoid spell damage, which is mostly projectiles or ground AoEs. You can't REACT to all of them, but you CAN just always be on the move and thus mitigate the threat completely. Using only open map layouts help this a bit.

- Also, avoid killing rares on top of yourself. Especially unearthing fucking Golems with Volatile. Trust me, I learned the hard way. You better run thru the entire pack of sleeping Golems and shoot them in the back, or just skip them completely. Same with Devourers or anything that unearths. Be especially wary vs any mob type that has "Extra Health" on it by default, i.e. bears. Volatile on them will kill you guaranteed.

- All of my rare items happened to be self crafted. I tried to craft an Envy amulet till the very end (last attempt was at like 80% xp at 99), but beating the one I have just turned out to be really hard even without chaos damage.

- My resists are 170/169/170. I crafted the boots in exactly one Essence of Zeal. That was the most precise craft I've ever seen of anything ever. The item isn't even that good, it just happened to be perfect for my particular setup.

- Had this happen in a blue Shrine map at level 99, 40% xp:

Spoiler

Was already wearing a HH, +1 Bow, and sitting on like 100 exalts on top of it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- I will be breaking this character and selling everything. If you want the entire character, you got like 2 days max to contact me.

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ggsbv wrote:

Hey guys

So its end league and I wanted to share my experience with the build. Played it to death so I figure some people can learn from my experience.

Firstly, here's the gear:

Spoiler

With high end gear this build kills everything. Chimera is easily dealt with if you have bleed removal and just manage potions relatively well, and Hydra takes a bit of practice but dies every time. The fights against Hydra and Chimera take long, but they are definitely do-able.

For Softcore, this build is pretty much what you want. Easy transition from levelling into maps and can start high tier maps with relatively little currency investment. 5L Death's Opus and 5L QofT and some decent rares and you can do T12 comfortably.

For Hardcore, this build is certainly viable but you are going to have to deal with the fact that you won't be able to do some end-game content. I don't think Hydra or Chimera are safe in HC, unless you run them blue and concentrate. Other than that, the build is tanky enough to make a mistake here and there without dying. In HC, Shaper will probably be scary because you can't make a mistake or you will just brick your map or risk dying. I would say Uber Atziri is not an option in HC, but in SC she is comfortably do-able but you are going to be using some portals to finish her off.

It must be said though, that this build represents what one of the strongest builds in PoE should be like. It isn't broken, and it isn't extremely cheap. It takes off with little currency investment but it scales extremely well the more you invest. But it doesn't trivialise end-game content, and it can't comfortable do all end-game content. The meta builds SHOULD be like that, and not how it is at the moment, where builds like blade flurry, HoWA ST and Signal Shot can just facetank and destroy everything while the player simultaneously studies for an exam tomorrow and watching a stream.

If you are comparing KotF to broken ES/GR/Vaal Pact/Vinktars builds then yeah, it is not the best build you can opt for. But for the rest of my post I am going to ignore those OP builds.

Continuing, my observations are:

1) This is the strongest bow build overall at the moment.

2) This is the best bow build that balances tankiness and dps.

3) Budget viable, and scales extremely well with gear.

4) Top clear speed, maps are a joke. 1 shot per pack.

General Notes

- As has been mentioned before, if you keep moving you will not die (barring you doing content that you shouldn't be doing)

Your biggest defense with this build is firing your arrows and moving, fire arrows, move, fire arrows, move.

- When fighting bosses, do NOT forget to first generate your frenzy charges. Rather generate frenzy charge than wasting your time barraging a boss while not at max frenzy charges because the dps is not even worth it at that point.

- In my experience, staying at 3 max Frenzy charges is best. I don't like the 2 passives just to make your life more difficult. There are too many great places to invest your points like more %life.

- * SC only * Point blank is amazing for Shaper/Guardians when your gear isn't high end yet.

- If you're going for exp, avoid killing Rare monsters that are close to you - especially tanky rares like golems etc. Volatile is disgusting and hours of careful play can just fly out the window with one Volatile on a minus max res map.

- Be wary of Promenade map boss, the lightning thorns has caused a death or two that could have been avoided with some patience...

- I managed to vaal myself a +1 Power Charges RotC. I swapped some skill points around, added a Diamond ring and managed to reach about 94% crit which allowed me to drop the Diamond Flask.

I dropped the Quicksilver only because I have a Headhunter which grabs me some movement speed from the rares in the map. I usually have too much movement speed and using a Quicksilver actually became more of a hazard than a help. Since my resistance were not EleWeakness capped, I went for "Cloth and Chain" on the tree, which capped all my resistances as well as boosting my movement speed by 10%. This all synergised so well with my HH that I felt very comfortable dropping the QS and adding Atziri's Promise. And let me tell you, the Sulphur/Sin's Rebirth/Atziri's Promise is so good. So, so good. PS: I swap my Sulphur Flask for Kiara's when I do Temp Chains maps.

- Any problems with stun disappeared when I added the Stun Avoidance lab enchantment to my boots. I was using a Kiara's Determination before which worked like a bomb, and brings me to my next point

- Kiara's Determination is AMAZING. I think it should be a staple in the KotF flask lineup. It just takes care of so much - curse, freeze and stun. Before I added Kiara's earlier in the league, I was dying every now and again to random stuns. After Kiara's, it was NOTICEABLE how much less I found myself in precarious positions. Get the Flask and test it out for yourself. Replace your standard Silver Flask with Kiara's and I dare you to tell me that it doesn't just feel absolutely amazing...

- GET %reduced flask charges used on your belt. Or %increased charge recovery. We are extremely flask dependent and that extra % is a must have on your belt.

- Avoid faster movement/cast/attack speed against Hydra, Phoenix and Chimera. It would be preferable for them to have double damage boosts instead of any movement speed and attack speed bonuses. It can be done, but you're going to use a few portals...

- Avoid increased AOE map mod against Phoenix. It just sucks...

- Overgrown Ruin map boss is a pain unless your gear is very good. I would avoid it until you are very well geared.

- Don't feel bad if you die to Shaper. This build is definitely not 100% Shaper deathless. I think even the OP can admit that Deathless Shaper is not 100% guaranteed. If the wrong adds spawn during the portal phase where you have to protect Zana, then game is hard. If one of those black balls that follow you spawn during the add phase then having to move away to trigger the ball can mean loss of momentum and therefore Zana dies. From that point on luck is required in order not to brick the run.

A great tactic to get used to is tping out if Shaper does his Ultimate Chaos, and then tp'ing back in and waiting until it is over. You have like 30 seconds of invulnerability, so you can kinda wait for a good time to strike

With practice though, I would say you can do Shaper deathless 90%+ of the time.

If I think of more comments to add to my notes I will do so over the next few days.

In conclusion, I would like to say thanks to the OP for a great build. Definitely the best bow build I have played. Had a great time this league and can recommend this build to anyone.

You can do ALL content with this build, so go ahead, invest and have fun.