[3.4 HC] Orion's 3 Totem Ele-Hit (includes non-conversion variation for 3.4)

Ele Hit does all three types of elemental damage each time it hits, but uses only one type at a time, alternating between them. That may seem confusing at first, so here is an example: Let's say your EH gem does 100 fire/100 cold/100 lightning. All three damage types "happen" but only one gets processed each hit. So you might swing and do 100 fire, then 100 cold, then 100 lightning.

BUT, let's say you convert 50% of your cold to fire, via a cold to fire gem. Then when fire is chosen, you will swing for 150, when cold you will swing for 50, when lightning you swing for 100.

There are also 3 variations of a unique jewel called "Combat Focus" that prevent Ele hit from choosing one element each. In the above example, let's say you socket the jewel preventing cold damage. Now you will alternate swinging for 150 fire, then 100 lightning, then back to fire. If you also socket the jewel preventing lightning damage, you will just swing for 150 fire every time.

Now lets say you then convert 40% of the lightning damage to cold via call of the brotherhood (50% of which then gets converted to fire with that cold to fire gem) Now you are swinging for 170 per hit.

Now take avatar of fire, which converts 50% of -all- damage to fire. You are now swinging for 290 fire damage per hit. This conversion process is the core offensive mechanic of the build.

We get there using the Frostferno helm, which provides better than a 6-link, with its built in lvl 30 cold to fire and level 5 empower (since ele hit is a fire, cold, and lightning gem, frostferno gives it +4 gem levels)linking ele hit, RAT, combustion, and pierce (or ele dam with attacks if using another pierce source). To get 3 arrows per totem, we use the rain of splinters unique jewel.

Add to this 100% increased pre-conversion lightning damage with APS of up to 1.95 from the Tempest Bow, 3 frenzy charges, -20% enemy fire res from combustion with a 100% ignite chance, 13% fire pen on the tree, 15% fire pen from a wise oak flask, Curse on hit flammability for another 44% fire res reduction, pierce, cull from the slayer ascendancy, covered in ash (20% more fire damage taken) from the chieftain ascendancy, 3 totems courtesy of the skirmish quiver and ancestral bond, and you have the best totem offense I have been able to put together with relatively little investment in damage on the tree.

There are several key defensive pieces to this build: Not all are in place while leveling, but they combine to truly awesome effect when the build is complete.

1. Decoy totem: Our damage is sufficient that for any even moderately dangerous situation, we can throw down a decoy totem with two offensive totems, replenishing as necessary for excellent safety. That said, I use a decoy totem infrequently post-merc ascendancy because the other defensive mechanics are usually sufficient.

2. Just to the left and below the scion wheel, we use a pair of might of the meek jewels. These overlap in a way that brings dramatic value to a number of nearby important nodes, providing significant increases in life, elemental res, movement speed, attack speed, and totem placement/duration.

3. Because our helm provides a 6-link plus, we are free to wear Kaom's Heart for 500 bonus life with armor (and extra fire damage).

4. Because we require relatively few nodes for damage, we are able to get a massive life pool, totalling over 9k life on my current character at lvl 94.

5. Regen on tree and a stone golem gives us a base flow of up to 700+ life/second.

6. We have totem based leech from the chieftain ascendancy that does not stop when we are at full health due to the slayer ascendancy. Without getting deeply into leech mechanics, which are complex and explained in detail by others elsewhere, the net result is that so long as we keep our totems up, we have a virtually constant flow of life recovery at a rate of around 2500 life/second at build completion.

7. We use two Forbidden taste flasks, which provide us an instant heal of our entire life pool with two charges each.