[2.5/2.6] Beginner's Elementalist Dual Flameblast Totems

I apologize sincerely for my lack of attention on this thread. My job has wore me out a bit but I'll do my best to answer any questions and keep the guide updated. The response has been tremendous and as cheesy as it sounds, it really does feel good to have created something that people find useful. :)

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nord501 wrote:

I hope you will update this guide for 2.6 :)

I will do my best! It doesn't seem like much has changed as the AoE modifications don't appear to alter the build itself, and we still want to go that way for those life/mana nodes, but if it makes that drastic a difference that investing those points is negligible then perhaps there's an alternate pathing that makes more sense. There's also Area Damage in one of those clusters that helps, too. But, difficult to really be precise without testing in the new patch.

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Expire wrote:

Thank you for the guide! A nice reference for anyone who would like to try the build.

I've played a few Hierophant Flameblast Totems last HC league, but always ended up hitting a damage wall near end game (and dying to Uber lab trials..).

Made a new character in BSC and mimicked SSF to test viability for next league, and was surprised by just how much more damage the Elementalist ascendancy had. Also dem double dipping deeps, I would like to invest in a build before the 3.0 nerf.

Definitely plan on starting with this build SSF next HC league. No hard gear requirements (4L will get you to maps) and totems in general are one of the safest builds for HC.

Glad you gave it a shot and even more so that it worked out for you! I'll be using it as my league starter for HC as well. Good clear speed + good survivability for cheap is a huge plus.

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VinLiz wrote:

Thanks very much for this build! i was looking for something like this as my legacy league starter. Just 1 thing I was wondering about: elemental equilibrium. Do you think there's enough leftover links to make a setup for it and if so, how would you change the passive tree?

Hmmm... well, it's tricky, but it could be a nice boost in conjunction with Elemental Overload. If that was your goal, then I would recommend getting them both and proc'ing them both with something like Orb of Storms. This would proc the EO effect enough to virtually guarantee 100% uptime as well as an extremely good chance at lowering the fire resistance of enemies by constantly zapping them with lightning strikes. It's a more involved mechanic but one that certainly works well if you're comfortable managing it all.

I would probably recommend something like Orb of Storms + Inc. AoE (Not 100% sure with the changes coming up, but we'll see) + Power Charge on Crit (Might even consider going to grab the +spell damage per Power Charge node if you really want, but Spell Damage doesn't double dip, which is why we prioritize Elemental + Fire Damage) + Increased Critical Strikes. If you want to really save links then perhaps just Orb of Storms + Inc. AoE, or even just Orb of Storms in a spare socket or an Unset ring. It's entirely up to you. Experiment and see what you like. :)

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Khavali wrote:

Speaking as an experienced PoE player, this guide is excellent. I think the new player focus is great, and even as someone who has played since 1.1 I got alot out of your guide. I plan on using this build as my Legacy starter for SSF and having done plenty of totem builds but never Pizza Sticks, this one has me excited. Thanks for the effort you've put into this, I'm sure it has made quite a few new player experiences positive ones.

Thank you very, very much for the incredibly kind words, sir. :)

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Mathorg wrote:

Thanks, nice guide, i will try it with the new league and SSF.
I have 2 questions though, as i have never really played any totem builds:
With Ancestral Bond, can i still run Curse on Hit instead of Blasphemy? With this kind of build id prefere using that method of cursing instead blasphemy.
Second question: if i use a lightning skill to deliver my curses, can i run EE (Elemental Equilibrium) to debuff fire resist of enemys?

Yes, indeed you can. Ancestral Bond doesn't eliminate your ability to "hit" but rather your ability to inflict damage with any sort of attack or hit, so a Curse on Hit is a very viable option.

You absolutely could and it would be a great option! I like the way you think, sir. :)

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Gooberish wrote:

I am curious about this aswell , as with the new AoE changes I assume getting all the AOE nodes are not worth it as much anymore.

Have you (Original thread poster) thought about changes to the tree since we wont be picking up everything with the diminishing returns? Of course since we dont know exact diminishing returns its hard to say. But had any Ideas ?

It's difficult to determine without any real testing which we won't know until the patch is released. I can't imagine the core of the build changing too much. Perhaps it would allow alternate pathing in foregoing be beginning Fire Damage nodes, maybe, and possibly eliminate the AoE nodes to the right of that, but it all does scale the AoE of the Flameblasts (as well as providing some area damage, too) as well as the Blasphemy curse setup. But, whether or not I would change it now is hard to say because I don't know how drastic the diminishing returns on investment are. As of now I plan on playing this build pretty much as I have it now with a few alterations later in the game.

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smelcami wrote:

The last league play Inquisitor to boot .. clear speed was bad, so now I am thinking of playing this guide.

Some questions that I have in my head.

Elementalist is good to start the league?

I want to know if the Beacon of Ruins radio was nerfed?

Does the skill tree remain the same or do you plan to make any changes?

Elementalist is a fantastic ascendancy at any point. It is incredibly powerful, particularly using a skill like Flameblast because of the huge hit it provides given that it essentially always detonates with a full 10 stacks.

As to the Beacon of Ruin ascendancy node, I can't say for sure whether or not that was nerfed or buffed or remains unchanged. I simply don't know, unfortunately. I don't recall reading anything to suggest that has changed, I think it's just the scaling of AoE via the Skill Tree and equipment that has changed.

I do plan on making a few changes but the core of the build should remain the same. As far as the end game tree goes there is a way to save a skill point that I noticed a bit after I created this guide, but it only works if you have no intention of getting the Elemental Overload notable, then it's the same amount of points. You can eliminate the two intelligence nodes just above and to the right and instead path over from the start after the cast speed nodes toward Shamanistic Fury. The reason why I didn't recommend that in the leveling guides is that it is one more skill point to get to the more meaningful nodes at the earlier stages of the game whereas with Shamanastic Fury it isn't something you really would pick up until much later. It's a good thing to do, with no Elemental Overload, later that you can use your Respec Points on if you so choose.

As far as any big changes I'd really have to see just how much or how little adding in an entire cluster of AoE effects the radius of the Flameblast. If it makes a fairly big difference then I'll re-evaluate the tree and see if there are some other alternate pathings that allow a more efficient build. :)

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phopper33 wrote:

I transitioned to this build and it is very powerful, however, it is likely a learn to pay problem, but I find myself getting easily killed by random damage spikes in Tier 9-10 maps. Seems like this build should definitely be able to handle much higher than this.

That being said, not 100 percent sure what is killing me. I know my flasks need fixing and I am still running a good bit of gear optimized for Firestorm versus Flameblast. I am considering running this as a SSF character in the next league, but would like to know how high you all are pushing in maps with this build as I want to run something that can do T13 maps at the very leat, and comfortably, without dying all the time.

Hmmm. Well, I have taken this build into T14/15 in HC without too much difficulty. It's hard to give an exact answer as I don't have access to the details of what was happening when you died. I've been playing PoE for over 4 years now, started when Open Beta was released, and one of the most important skills you can develop aside from maybe flask management (which is the most difficult and the skill that most players develop the least of or not at all), is that of character positioning. Inherent in this skill is the ability to recognize what can be a danger to you and positioning your character in relative safety in relation to the potential threat. This is something that usually only comes with time and experience. I don't even want to know how many characters I've lost in mapping, it'd probably be too depressing.

I know in, I think, Perandus, I lost 16+ mapping characters, so it's not like it's something that I just got immediately but rather through extremely painful learning experiences that forced me to have to understand what can kill me, from where, and the limits of my character. If you watch the top racers this is one thing they're extremely good at knowing; the limits of what their character at any given moment can do and what will kill them. They will push through many instances where most players wouldn't for fear of dying but because they know that the character can survive given their skills with flask management and general comfort level, they are able to progress much faster and much more efficiently. It's really something to watch, I think, and something that I myself am working on improving. I can level fairly quickly but the best at it just make me look like an amateur. You can be better than 95% of players, but the difference between the 95th percentile and the 99th percentile is absolutely enormous because at that point it's the smallest of details that make the difference.

Sorry if that doesn't answer your question specifically or was a long-winded version of an answer but I suppose I'm trying to say is that perhaps with more experience (I don't know, I don't know your level of experience in the game, so I'm guessing here, and apologies if I'm mistaken), you might recognize some things are more dangerous than you currently do and make adjustments accordingly. There are so many things that will kill you in this game it's ridiculous, and most of them you won't even know it's possible until it actually happens. Pretty sure most of my deaths have been to things I didn't even know were possible at the time. But, that's part of the fun! Because PoE is so difficult and unforgiving, once we do conquer whatever challenge it is we set for ourselves it is that much more rewarding. :)

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Wandymage wrote:

Enjoyed this in the final days of Breach. Going to be my Legacy starter, thanks and good fun.

Very welcome Mr. Wandy! Very glad that you enjoyed the guide and I myself will also be using this as my HC league starter. :)

Thanks to everyone for the continued comments and questions. It really does make it worthwhile to see that people are enjoying the guide and using it to enhance their experience. I'm very glad I made this. :)

I have updated the build guide to include a small snippet regarding the dexterity requirements for the Lightning Golem skill gem, compliments of an excellent question I received via a PM.

Also updated a few of the skill trees to include optimal pathing for leveling due to changes around Explosive Impact. Doesn't change the end build but can perhaps save a point to get to more important areas faster. Also included a change in the Final Skill Tree to save one total skill point assuming one does not use Elemental Overload, which I wouldn't recommend for beginners. This change has you pathing to connect the tree near Shamanistic Fury to the beginning thus allowing us to remove the two intelligence nodes near the Elemental Overload notable.

Best of luck to everyone in the upcoming Legacy League! :)

How would u build your tree if your goal would be getting CI eventually?

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Completed 36 ChallengesVinLiz wrote:
Thanks very much for this build! i was looking for something like this as my legacy league starter. Just 1 thing I was wondering about: elemental equilibrium. Do you think there's enough leftover links to make a setup for it and if so, how would you change the passive tree?



Hmmm... well, it's tricky, but it could be a nice boost in conjunction with Elemental Overload. If that was your goal, then I would recommend getting them both and proc'ing them both with something like Orb of Storms. This would proc the EO effect enough to virtually guarantee 100% uptime as well as an extremely good chance at lowering the fire resistance of enemies by constantly zapping them with lightning strikes. It's a more involved mechanic but one that certainly works well if you're comfortable managing it all.

I would probably recommend something like Orb of Storms + Inc. AoE (Not 100% sure with the changes coming up, but we'll see) + Power Charge on Crit (Might even consider going to grab the +spell damage per Power Charge node if you really want, but Spell Damage doesn't double dip, which is why we prioritize Elemental + Fire Damage) + Increased Critical Strikes. If you want to really save links then perhaps just Orb of Storms + Inc. AoE, or even just Orb of Storms in a spare socket or an Unset ring. It's entirely up to you. Experiment and see what you like. :)

I tried it elemental equilibrium out, but it doesn't work with ancestral bond as you need to do elemental damage to actually proc it. My plan now is to go with orb of storms to proc EO, curse on hit flammability (I play sc) and go for mind over matter. That should add alot of effective hp on our already high life pool.

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VinLiz wrote:

I tried it elemental equilibrium out, but it doesn't work with ancestral bond as you need to do elemental damage to actually proc it. My plan now is to go with orb of storms to proc EO, curse on hit flammability (I play sc) and go for mind over matter. That should add alot of effective hp on our already high life pool.

Ah, very smart! I did forget about that. EE is used in the self-cast variation of FB, but you are correct, we are not damaging enemies. Thanks for the correction, I completely forgot about it!

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LryxnIa wrote:

How would u build your tree if your goal would be getting CI eventually?

That's a tough one. If you were going to take the time to travel to that side of the tree you're almost better off making a crit variation, in which case you're probably better off being a Templar, or perhaps maybe an Assassin/Trickster, but your playstyle changes quite a bit with the latter choices, and the gem setup for the Templar. I'll give my thoughts on the Hierophant.

For the Ascendancy points it's tricky. I would be tempted to take the Conviction of Power notable if and only if it grants us a change at an Endurance Charge when we gain a Power Charge even if we're already at max power charges. So, if we're at, say, 5 Power Charges, and we would hypothetically gain another, but don't since we're at max, but it registers as a "gain" and as such are potentially granted the Endurance Charge, then I would take this for the defensive benefits and proc it with the standard Orb of Storms + Inc. Crit Strikes (might not even be needed), to gain a fair amount of survivability coupled with an Immortal Call CWDT setup.

You could also make use of the Sanctuary of Thought in conjunction with the new Mind Over Matter changes. I haven't used MoM since my old summoner, but it seems like a decent option, plus it giving you added Energy Shield seems all right.

This would be my skill tree if I were to take it, preliminarily, of course:

http://poeplanner.com/AAYAANElEQBm-d03R2usRUfAZjwF73yf35o7gpvsOClPnjyMdjLR6-6FMpctSU-8qqcIj0aboffXhEhca8NtfIOnlF5d0f23MWaeWOUqE1oro_LYJDbFg_NOrrE2rhJEoayYEQ_bXlAwIG5Ms5eVUlM9X5f0bRkRUDW5pyvZWxslS67pAiL0bAuTJ--I-TfXz0mxvoqhL3_GoqNRdBqBppkPxDt8uMrBxewYLL8V14auVmOP-uv18h3DCbmT8NVJUXRVXypoWgRROhaGgismA5p1KnFiAAAAAAA=

(Here's another variant for level 89, taking some more flat Fire Damage, ES nodes, and Crit Chance/Multi nodes)

http://poeplanner.com/AAYAAPElEQB2-d03R2usRUfAZjwF73yf35o7gpvsOClPnjyMdjLR6-6FMpctSU-8qqcIj0aboffXhEhca8NtfIOnlF5d0f23MWaeWOUqE1oro_LYJDbFg_NOrrE2rhJEoayYEQ_bXlAwIG5Ms5eVUlM9X5f0bRkRUDW5pyvZWxslS67pAiL0bAuTJ--I-TfXz0mxvoqhL3_GoqNRdBqBppkPxDt8uMrBxewYLL8V14auVmOP-uv18h3DCbmT8NVJUXRVXyodFI5k96a2-p2uA3WdY18EHNyPGot6AW_i966zQZbQ9WhaBFE6FoaCKyYDmnUqcWIAAAAAAA==

This would bring you to 73. The difficulty is not knowing how the AoE scaling works because here it would make a difference in how I would path to CI, but not a huge one. I would take MoM but more out of curiosity of how well it'd work. An important thing to remember that most people taking MoM either don't know or forget, is that you want your ES pool to be at least 70% of your combined ES + Mana pool (while full), that way you're getting maximum defense against the one-shot as that is the biggest concern defensively for any player. If that ratio is off then you're losing efficiency, at least if it's more on the mana side of things.

From where the tree stands now you could take a bit more mana, again depending on your ES pool and how good your gear is, you could grab some more elemental + Crit nodes, you could grab some more ES (and possibly the Spell Damage, but SD doesn't double-dip in this instance, so it's not a high priority for us), there are lots of ways you could go, but I'm not certain how it'd play out with the changes.

Apologies if it's not the best, but it's what I came up with on-the-fly and my quick thoughts on a CI variation. :)

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Completed 30 Challengessmelcami wrote:
The last league play Inquisitor to boot .. clear speed was bad, so now I am thinking of playing this guide.

Some questions that I have in my head.

Elementalist is good to start the league?

I want to know if the Beacon of Ruins radio was nerfed?

Does the skill tree remain the same or do you plan to make any changes?


Elementalist is a fantastic ascendancy at any point. It is incredibly powerful, particularly using a skill like Flameblast because of the huge hit it provides given that it essentially always detonates with a full 10 stacks.

As to the Beacon of Ruin ascendancy node, I can't say for sure whether or not that was nerfed or buffed or remains unchanged. I simply don't know, unfortunately. I don't recall reading anything to suggest that has changed, I think it's just the scaling of AoE via the Skill Tree and equipment that has changed.

I do plan on making a few changes but the core of the build should remain the same. As far as the end game tree goes there is a way to save a skill point that I noticed a bit after I created this guide, but it only works if you have no intention of getting the Elemental Overload notable, then it's the same amount of points. You can eliminate the two intelligence nodes just above and to the right and instead path over from the start after the cast speed nodes toward Shamanistic Fury. The reason why I didn't recommend that in the leveling guides is that it is one more skill point to get to the more meaningful nodes at the earlier stages of the game whereas with Shamanastic Fury it isn't something you really would pick up until much later. It's a good thing to do, with no Elemental Overload, later that you can use your Respec Points on if you so choose.

As far as any big changes I'd really have to see just how much or how little adding in an entire cluster of AoE effects the radius of the Flameblast. If it makes a fairly big difference then I'll re-evaluate the tree and see if there are some other alternate pathings that allow a more efficient build. :)

I'm actually going to start with this guide. Apparently Beacon of Ruin was not nerfed.
I am going to change Liegue of the Primordial by Mastermind of Discord (only to prove if fire penetration is better) Do you agree ?.
Anyway I will be contributing data on SkillTree and Gear. Thanks for the guide

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smelcami wrote:

I'm actually going to start with this guide. Apparently Beacon of Ruin was not nerfed.
I am going to change Liegue of the Primordial by Mastermind of Discord (only to prove if fire penetration is better) Do you agree ?.
Anyway I will be contributing data on SkillTree and Gear. Thanks for the guide

I do agree, it's a very good choice that opens up a 3-link but it s more involved mechanic as it would change how I go about pathing in the tree. I would want to take the PC from Alira in Merc, grab the 4% Spell Damage per PC from the tree and the +1 PC as well. You might also get away with not having to worry about it for most trash in maps, but it could certainly be a big help against bosses, tough rares, and Uber lab. I do think it would be better overall, yes, so an excellent suggestion!

Your recommendation would be very good for intermediate/advanced players, not something I would recommend for beginners. :)

So, in theory you could totally transition Elementalist to a crit based CI dual/selfcast flameblast. This looks quite promising and very interesting to play around with.