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

I've been enjoying this build a lot, I've played your DP totem build in a previous league. But I've been more following the build you've had on the ladder than the posted build as the elemental conversion jewels interaction had been nerfed pretty hard in 3.4. I'm sorry to see you RIP'ed last night, what happened?

I noticed around level 81 (yes I've been build stalking you :> ) you stretched to take Hematophagy for the improvements to leech, but later you respecced out of there, putting the points into what I assume to be the Marauder start, then respecced the Marauder start into the Duelest start. How did you feel about Hematophagy? Or life leech in general on this build?

Re: Which build to use
The original version of this build is dead imo. I really ought to have made a new thread but I have been:
1. Intensely testing the new build in delve
2. Otherwise busy in any downtime I've had
3. Feeling a bit on the tired side

And so I don't think I am going to write the guide up separately. This hidden build embedded in the dead one is the collective prize for anyone who has bothered to follow this thread. :>

I can verify that if you aren't just plain dumb (like I was-see below) the new variation in 3.4 can do all guardians, shaper, red elder, Chayula and delve a lot deeper than I actually went. It could even do Uber elder/uber atziri in standard. I have simply not gotten good enough at those fights to do them deathless in hc.

Re: RIP

Sometimes, when we start to feel invulnerable, we do stupid things. Down past level 250 or so (T15 Map equivalent with some damage mods), I decided that (instead of logging and re-running a delve, like a sane person) trying to run through a large group of sparking obelisks would be a good idea. The problem was that when I decided to do that, there was nothing my totems were fighting and I had stopped leeching. I burned through 4 charges worth of instant heal flasks and died before I could react in time. Entirely my fault. I failed at the most important concepts in POE:
1. NO build is invulerable to death if you stop paying attention
2. Always respect the enemies

Re: Respeccing
Downright flattered to have a stalker. :> When I am working up a new idea for a build (particularly one, like this, that POB has a hard time properly calculating) I often do a fair bit of respeccing to try to optimize it, by feel. Hematophagy didn't provide enough benefit, from my perspective, to be worth the points necessary. I was in Marauder until I was high enough level/had sufficient gear to maintain close to 8k life without those nodes. From a lot of experimentation, that seems to be the breakpoint (in a pure life build) for most of the things that feel like a one shot other than mechanically dodgeable wind-up boss mechanics. After that, at the top level of the hc game, higher dps seems (to me) to contribute more to survivability than additional life (as long as you have adequate defensive mechanics in place--in this build, totem overleech), and path of the duelist provides better dps than path of the marauder. This is really a matter of taste. As always, ymmv.

Thoughts on leech in this build:
The real key defensive concept here is the chieftain/slayer ascendancy combo to get totem overleech. This is one of the strongest defensive mechanics I have ever played with in POE--so much so that it allowed me to useably slot a damage on full life gem in a non-CI build once I had my merc ascendancy. This combo is the thing that really makes me happy about the build--the rest is just dressing it up.

EXTRA TIP FOR DELVERS: Some people think you can't do delve bosses with totems. This is because during the dark/add phases the totems AI stops attacking. But they are wrong. Here's the clean way to do it:
1. Make sure you have your holy relic summmoned (slotted in an unset ring in the new build variation)
2. Drop a flare or two and use frenzy to attack the nearby adds.
3. On every hit, the relic will proc its healing aoe which ALSO does physical damage that is not disrupted by Ancestral bond.
4. The damage isn't great, but with all the minion damage nodes we take in this build, it's enough to kill the adds and move the fight forward until the lights turn back on and your totems resume working.
5. Alternate plan--use dynamite with improved radius/damage.


Anyway, hope y'all who have followed this far continue to enjoy it and delve deeper (by being less dumb) than I did.


-O

"

Orion72 wrote:

Status update:

Link to current tree:
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAABAADBAl8DlgSzBqAOPBBREMwUcRZvGFYaOCW8Jy8o-ioTLKcw-DIJNZI6xjrYOuE7KDwtQYdEJUVHRtdKn0rESshN41cpWfNaK1qRXzlgQ2DeYPhkhGVNZlRmnmdxaGVodGxGbj1uqnGFcg9ybHKpdct2rHfleyB7w3zZggeCm4LHguSDCYNfg8yEU4m8iq-K8JARkFWUb5hNmK2bLZtdoOaiAKPypAymV6asqH2omqi7qqmsqq2NsKuxQrXytz69Nr6AvqfAZsMTxILE9sauz37T-9i92XzaYtq520_e3N-_4MPjauRV6hjqYu_98B_yRfKX8932rvcy9334k_jr-ej60v4K_of-jw==?accountName=Orion72&characterName=O_R_I_O_N_Delves

Love this better than the first version for all kinds of reasons I don't have time or energy to post right now. Back to the depths!

-O

That tree uses the minion wheel to the left of the tree - why? Totems are not considered minions unless this patch changed something. Other than that, the build seems really great.

EDIT: nvm I can see why you're using minion nodes. Great build - keep up the good work

The build is working great was able to clear T15 maps ez as cake with my current items

I don't understand :(

I'm following the original guide, and it seems pretty great. Once I get the right bow, I might try switching to the new one.

Lot's of us are reading and using this guide, thank you so much for putting it up. I normally don't read the comments, but I'm glad I did on this one.

"

RinTheToon wrote:

I don't understand :(

I'm following the original guide, and it seems pretty great. Once I get the right bow, I might try switching to the new one.

Lot's of us are reading and using this guide, thank you so much for putting it up. I normally don't read the comments, but I'm glad I did on this one.

I would do the non conversion version. So far it's done great for me personally, and that's super fun/damaging/tanky all in one. Plus no need for a +4 frostferno :P.

Did a bit more upgrading to my build to push out more dps.

Current gear right now




plan to change gloves possibly later once I can get better ones. So far biggest upgrades are the 2 taming rings which give me a big boost to my dmg.

Same with the Vise belt.

Added 3 new items



possibly will remove crit chance once I can from neckless and add something I benefit from. Upgraded gloves for extra AS and boots for extra stats since the build lacks a bit in the Dex department.



I do have a question tho would you prefer the Elemental Hit deals 40% increased Damage over the 40% minion dmg on the helm?

Thanks for posting this great build.
Was looking at the tree and would appreciate if someone could explain why the minions nodes are being used, as I cannot see it :/

Thanks

"

LmSke wrote:

Thanks for posting this great build.
Was looking at the tree and would appreciate if someone could explain why the minions nodes are being used, as I cannot see it :/

Thanks

The minion nodes are used because in 3.4 they add dmg to the overall build.

Totem is indeed not a minion but the totem acts like one so it's thus a minion by default most likely.

If you have any questions about in the game. I'm currently pushing this build 600 dept.

But I've also put my own end game tweak to it. reason for that ofc is because this builds great for starting out and leaves you a lot of room to improve if you wish to do so.

Re: minion nodes:

So, first understand that totems absolutely are not minions. Without two special keystones, minion nodes and the minion helm will have 0 effect on totem damage. However, there are two new keystones in 3.4 that make these nodes useable and highly efficient.

If you look at the two templar area minion wheels carefully, you will see one keystone that causes modifiers to minion damage to apply to your damage, and another that causes modifiers to minion attack speed to apply to your attack speed. Those nodes make all the other minion damage and attack speed modes (and the bone helmet, but -not- the minion damage gem) apply to you. And any modifier that applies to you also affects your totems. Because of their location on the tree relative to everything else we need, these minion nodes are a highly efficient way to boost our damage.

This also yields the answer to another question-as between a bone helmet granting 40% inc minion damage and a lab enchant granting 40% inc ele hit damage, they are exactly the same -once you have the relevant keystone- and the bone helmet is much easier to get.

Hope that clears things up and hope y'all are enjoying the build.

-O

PS--love the idea of using 2 tamings to upgrade damage as long as you are getting enough life in other places to be comfortable.