[3.0] [SC-HC] Trickstal Explosive Arrow [MoM + Life Leech to HC] [High DPS]

My well-dressed exile.

Brief history
I've tried this build before, and I'm testing again, but now with several different things. Now using Trickster, Spell Totem + Scorching Ray and using more appropriate items. For now playing softcore like I was playing hardcore, avoiding dying and with tree to hardcore version.

Playstyle
Like any other bow build, just hit the enemies from far away and wait for them to die. The critical damage caused by the explosion is very high.

Against bosses, remove LMP by Slower Projectiles (if this boss who does not invoke large amounts of minions), use Scorching Ray + Spell Totem, Flammability, and Vaal Lightning Trap to optimize damage.

Why play with this build instead of one with Elementalist or Inquisitor?
Because that I like of Shadow. :)

Trickster after 3.0 is very good because of the changes in Swift Killer (DoT and Power Charges on Kill), increasing their damage over time. Although this is not your main damage (counting, still, with the death of double dips) is a reasonable damage that must be taken into account. 150k ignite damage over 5.6 seconds.

Not to mention that Weave the Arcane has a perfect synergy with MoM and the cost of Explosive Arrow (which has a very high mana cost) is never a problem. :)

Goal with this build:
- Easy to play;
- Best damage possible to each version (softcore and hardcore);
- The basic defensive set based on Life Leech + Arctic Armour to all versions and MoM to hardcore version.

Videos

Ascendancy
Trickster is the best ascendancy to this build.

Weave the Arcane > Swift Killer > Patiente Reaper > Walk the Aether.

Pantheon
Major god: Soul of Lunaris
Protects you from the physical damage. Movement speed. Usefull against breach.

Second option can be The Brine King: protect you against stun.

Minor God: Tukohama
Additional defense against physical damage.

Versions this build
For math purpose, 5L = EA + Slower Projectiles + Critical Chance + Elemental Damage with Attacks + Life Leech
Softcore
Pros: highest damage, 5 jewel slots
Cons: lowest defensive means (Cloak of Flame + Life Leech + Arctic Armour), 157% of increased maximum life
Damage potential at level 90 against bosses using 5L, gems level 19 no quality, 5 stacks, +2 bow, Scorching Ray + totem (4 stages), Flammability, 8 charges and Vaal Lightning Trap.
346k dps + 167k ignite damage over time against bosses.
https://pastebin.com/mvCrAGnW

Hardcore version
Pros: highest defensive means (MoM + Arctic Armour + Cloak of Flame + Life Leech), 195% of increased maximum life
Cons: lowest damage, 4 jewel slots.
Damage potential at level 90 against bosses using 5L, gems level 19 no quality, 5 stacks, +2 bow, Scorching Ray + totem (4 stages), Flammability, 8 charges and Vaal Lightning Trap.
241k dps + 149k ignite damage over time against bosses.
https://pastebin.com/9nVeAiqK

Leveling guide
Use Freeze Pulse until level 28, then you can buy Explosive Arrow with Sciosa. Then use Cloak of Flame, Maligaro's Virtuosity and Quill Rain as soon as you can.

Take your first ascendancy points at level 38, before you will have difficulty keeping the mana cost with Explosive Arrow, you will be bound to keep a flask of mana. After you get Weave the Arcane it is only joy.

Against Kitava act 5 you can have at least 3L (EA + LMP + Crit Chance) and this passive tree to hardcore version.

Before Brine King act 6, you must have at least this passive tree to hardcore version.

I recommend normal Izaro around level 38. Go cruel Izaro around level 60. Go merciless Izaro when you feel safe.

Use Quill Rain until you have a good +2 or +3 bow.

Passive Tree
Softcore version:
Level 90

Full tree

- Hardcore version:
Level 90

Full Build

Unique items

Rare items
About rare items, +2 or +3 bow with at least critical multiplier and elemental damage with attacks (implict and/or preffix - preferably both). To craft a 6S bow with the correct colors will not be an easy task. 2 green, 1 blue, 3 red, that is, 4 off colors.

According to the Vorici Chromatic Calculator, the best (cheapest) way of achieving this is using Vorici to craft 1 red socket. Average Cost = 415.6 chromatics. Success Chance = 0.96257%. Average Attempts = 103.9. Cost per Try = 4 chromatics.

You can use Slower Projectiles instead Empower. It's less expensive. 3 green, 1 blue, 2 red.
According to the Vorici Chromatic Calculator, the best (cheapest) way of achieving this is using chromatic manually. Average Cost = 52.1 chromatics. Success Chance = 1.91925%. Average Attempts = 52.1. Cost per Try = 1 chromatic.

Spike-Point Arrow quiver with at least critical multiplier, life and elemental damage with attacks.

The rest of rare itens with life, resistance and, if possible, fire damage and/or elemental damage with attacks.

Enchantment
It is worth doing the merciless lab to at least get some interesting enchantment for the boot and, depending on the case, some for gloves. For both you'll have 1/15 chances, what is extremely low, it is worth spending time to make several attempts. Do this in a good boot that you do not have the intention of updating it so soon.
Gloves:
Offensive: Of_Flames, Of_Inferno (both usefull to your fire damage nodes).
Defensive: Of_Reflection (creates a clone of you), Of_the_Grave (summons three icy skull minions), Of_Winter (projectiles that chilled ground).

Boots:
Offensive: 12% increased attack speed on kill, 90% increased critical chance of you if you haven't Crit Recently.
Defensive: 0,5 damage leeched as life and mana on kill (usefull, my favorite - total sinergy with MoM + Vaal Pact).

Helmet
Increased Explosive Arrow damage.

Links
5L: Explosive Arrow + Lesser Multiple Projectiles + Critical Chance + Life Leech + Elemental Damage with Attacks
6L: + Empower or Slower Projectiles (can be very expensive 1 blue and 3 red in the bow)
Against bosses use Slower Projectiles (if this boss who does not invoke large amounts of minions) instead Lesser Multiple Projectiles.
Maps with mod Cannot leech life or mana use Fire Penetration instead Life Leech (take care with elemental aura reflect)

Other Skills
4L: Scorching Ray + Spell Totem + Faster Casting + Increased Duration
With 8 stages, this set reduce Fire resistance against bosses by -24% (24% more fire damage).

4L: Arctic Armour + Clarity + Flammability + Vaal Lightning Trap
Arctic Armour + Clarity to defenses and Flammability + Vaal Lightning Trap to offensive actions.

4L: Ice Golem + Blind + Minion Life + Faster Attacks
Ice Golem together with Scorching Ray totem is a very good like a meat shield. Helps a lot.

4L: CwdT + Immortal Call + Increased Duration + Blink Arrow
CwdT + Immortal Call to help against physical damage and Blink Arrow to movement skill.

Jewels
Softcore version: jewels with Fire Damage, Critical Multiplier with Fire Skills, Projectile Damage and generic increased damage.
Hardcore versions: jewels with life, Fire Damage, Projectile Damage and generic increased damage.

Bandits
Help Alira

Flask
I recommend using a defensive flask, Stibnite, Basalt or Granite (I personally prefer this). With Surgeon's preffix.

Example of gear:

Updates

I updated with a video against Kitava at level 66 using 4L. I had to go back several times to the town to not die (I did not die against him), but now I think I understood the mechanics of the fight (I did not see anyone's video/tutorial - I like to learn by myself). Any other build I make from now on will be easier now. It's a good video to see how MoM helps not to die (I almost died about 2 or 3 times).

So far I have died only once against The Brine King in Act 6 (it was not properly ready, low cold res [40%] and was without MoM).

Now that I'm on the maps the actual test starts, but overall the build has been very good with very good damage and I'm going to try to get my 5L to use life leech with Vaal Pact.

After lvl 58,can i equip a better unique bow than Quil of rain or just a rare bow?Also i want to ask at the 6 link of armor what gems can i use?Because i will have two 6links:body armour and bow.

"

Snovian96 wrote:

After lvl 58,can i equip a better unique bow than Quil of rain or just a rare bow?Also i want to ask at the 6 link of armor what gems can i use?Because i will have two 6links:body armour and bow.

I think that only Death's Opus can be better that Quill Rain (because of its critical damage and 2 additional arrows [removing LMP]). But this has low attack speed.

About the 6L in the chest, I think that Scorching Ray is better, use 4L + controlled destruction + Efficacy. :)

I was doing some simulations here and I think the ignite dps of the build is smaller than the one shown in PoB. The PoB calculates the ignite damage taking into account the Elemental Damage with Attacks gems and, as far as I can remember, this does not count (but I may be wrong).

If the calculation is really wrong, the ignite damage is much smaller than shown. But still reasonable. 96,5k ignite damage over 5.6 seconds.

"

Carrasco_Santo wrote:

I was doing some simulations here and I think the ignite dps of the build is smaller than the one shown in PoB. The PoB calculates the ignite damage taking into account the Elemental Damage with Attacks gems and, as far as I can remember, this does not count (but I may be wrong).

If the calculation is really wrong, the ignite damage is much smaller than shown. But still reasonable. 96,5k ignite damage over 5.6 seconds.

Well, Elemental Damage with Attacks applies YES to ignite:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/13810/page/7#p14871557
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/6rdvsa/is_pob_bugged_or_elemental_damage_with_attacks/
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1894471

The "Elemental Damage with Weapons" stats that were found on the passive tree, items, and the Weapon Elemental Damage support have now been replaced with "Elemental Damage with Attack Skills". This has two notable effects:
These new stats now modify all of the damage dealt by Attack Skills, not just the attack damage. This means that Damage Over Time dealt by an attack skill, such as Ignite and Secondary Damage (including the explosion from Infernal Blow), will be affected as well. We've made this change to create a natural increase in Ignite damage for characters investing in Elemental Attacks, as a benefit for fire characters.

That being so, this is great. :D

Well, I'm level 83 and the build is very good, it causes a lot of damage and against bosses who tend to be a bit more time consuming because of the buff in life they got. I already do tier 10 maps and for now I have not dropped any red maps to test more.

Currently I do not have 5L and I'm starting to feel the need, because of elemental reflect (which starts to get dangerous) and to recover life in dangerous situations (like breachs).

Because of the lack of leech life, breach has been a bit dangerous, if it has to be done very carefully and do not stay too long (movement is life). I have not tested yet, but next breach I will remove the EDA for life leech and see how it works.

As I said before, I'm playing softcore like I'm playing hardcore so I have not died once since I died for Brine King in Act 6. So I've played very carefully and avoided certain dangers, for example double boss Cells with damage mods.

The last question is: I bought a bow +2 with interesting mods (flat lightning damage, procs it equilibrium + shock, global critical multiplier and elemental damage with attacks) and put 6 sockets in it.

I'm really in doubt whether it's worth 5/6L on it or a Quill Rain as I've been using it, it's very useful attack speed to quickly stack 5 arrows and Quill Rain fits this need very well.

My gear for now: