[3.4] Firestorm Leech Tank - DirtyDot's updated build

First of all, thank you to DirtyDot for this build. I'm in love with Firestorm. I'm using his build since 3.2 and looking for upgrades every time. It's still working, and still fun to play! :)

Link to the Original build:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1944728/page/1

Pros:
- Pretty tanky: I'm on 68/73 block chance at the moment, and i feel enough, but at the cost of some life, or damage, you can reach the 75/75 cap easily.
- 75%+ elemntal and chaos resist.
- Around 50% physical damage reduction from armour. And 11% more reduction from Arctic armour. And Enfeeble.
- T15-16 clear time is fast enough.
- Low risk.
- More then 80% Fire penetration (Fire Penetration - Flammability - and tree).
- 3 Curse, 2 Aura.

Cons:
- You are not immortal, but almost.
- Can't do Reflected Elemental damage maps.
- Hexproof and Cannot regenerate Life.. maps are can be donee, but painfully..
- Not too cheap, but also not so expensive.

- Tree -

This is my tree on level 95: www.poeurl.com/b7cr

Ascendancy: Mistress of Sacrifice - Commander of Darkness - Invoker (Optional) - Bone Sculptor (Optional)

Bandits: Kraityn or points

Pantheon:

Major: Brine King until you get Unwavering Stance, then Arakaali
Minor: Tukohama

For 75/75 Block chance, you can go for Alchemist node (3 SP, +5 to Attack, +2 to Spell damge block chance), and there are few more Attack block chance at the bottom of the tree, like Solidity (2 SP, +4 to Attack damage block chance), or you cen get is from jewels or gear.

For more Life, there are some unallocated +5% to Maximum life node, around the Constitution node.

- Gear -

Helm: Hrimnor's Resolve. Damage, armor, life, chill and freeze immunity.



Body: Anything with as much life as possible. Belly of the beast is still BiS but good luck coloring it to 5B1R. (A Tabula Rasa should be enough under T11)



A trick for coloring:
Buy 1 better stat Belly without 6 sockets on it (around 40c), then Vorici -> creat 3 socket -> color to 3 blue (Vorici) then lets play -> 4 sockets - 3 sockets - 4 sockets.. til you get the 4th blue socket, then 5 sockets - 4 sockets - 5 sockets... til you get the 5th blue socket, and if you are lucky, then the 6th socket will be red for first try, then link them.

For double Life Leech you can try a Cherrubim's Maleficence, but a cost of life.

Belt: Stygian vise with max life and resists.

Shield: Rathpith Globe. It's still 15% Spell Block chance. (If you can, then buy one corrupted one with +4-5% axtra Attack, or Spell Block chance, or X% Physical damage taken as Chaos/Fire/Lightning/Cold damage - what you prefer)



And there are some changes compered to the original build.

Amulet: Impresence with 100% reduced Flammability Mana reservation mod. Flammability is a huge damage buff.
(It's around 1 ex)



Boots: Windshriek for +1 additional Curse limit.
(You can buy a Windscream for cheap and upgrade it)



Gloves: Commandment of the Pit for the automated Arcane Surge and socketed Extra life, addad Fire damage, like at belt.
(Not so expensive)



Rings:
- 1 Shaped with Warlord's Mark on hit for life and mana leech.
- 1 for Life and resists.



Weapon: Doryani's Catalyst. It's a good choice i think for high Elemental damage buff and for extrea life leech.
(It's around 1 ex)



Jewel: The Blue Nightmare - Under the Faith and Steel node
It's important for extra 14% Spell block.

Flasks:

You can use anything for 5th, i have 1 more Life flask just in case, but you can use Wise Oak for more damage or what you want.

- Skill links -

(Changed)
Firestorm - Spell Echo - Elemental Focus - Controlled destruction - Fire Penetration - Concentrated Effect / Spell Cascade / Combustion

(Original)
Blood Rage(1) - Desecrate(1) - CWDT(1) - Immortal Call(1)

Desecrate will auto create corpses for Bone Offering.
Blood rage will grant frenzy charges while mapping and also trigger the Soul of Arakaali 50% recovery bonus. It works because immortal call stops the blood rage degen.
Note: don't use blood rage until you update Soul of Arakaali with Arachnoxia.

(Original)
CWDT(15) - Bone Offering(17) - Increased Duration(20) - Tempest Shield(17)
for faster activaton or

CWDT(20) - Bone Offering(20) - Increased Duration(20) - Tempest Shield(20)
Bone Offering for maximum Block Chances. This is the reason why Necro and not Elementalist. And Spiritual Aid also a great Damage buff, but not a reason.

(Changed)
Blasphemy - Flammability - Enfeeble
Since your Warlord's Mark is on your ring.

Clarity L1-L4
Just for the Commander of Darkness buff, and some extra mana regen.

Arctic armour ~L13 (Because of the small amount of dexterity)
Extra Physical and fire damage reduction.

And there are 3 (without Unset rings) more free sockets for whatever you want, like

(Original)
Shield charge - Faster Attacks - Fortify

For faster moving and Fortify buff.
I'm using

Vaal Skeletons - Minion Speed Support - Minion Damge Support

It's extra damge, and they can tank bosses.

And here some tips for extra damages:
- 1 Body armour with +2 level to socketed AOE Gems (huge damage buff), and maximum life, armour, 5B1R sockets. It's rare, but i got 1 in 3.3 for 40c.

+30% Flammability skill effect or +30% Firestorm duration enchant on the helm. But it's also rare, and good luck to get it in lab.

Thank you *SO* much for this update, it's really helped me out!

Since you're not using Shield Charge, why a mace instead of a wand?

You mention combustion as a form of fire penetration; I assume you meant the "enemies ignited by support skills have -% to fire resistance" on the Combustion Support gem, but you have Elemental Focus on Firestorm; doesn't that mean that Firestorm *can't* proc combustion's Ignite?

In other words: what is the listed Chance To Ignite in your Firestorm Offense tab?, and if it's actually present and not 0, do you know *why* that is, cuz I don't get it. And if it's not present, which I'm pretty sure it won't be, doesn't that mean that Combustion is *not* providing a fire res debuff, but is only providing more damage?

In fact, just speaking in general I'd love to see screenshots of your Offense and Defense tabs for Firestorm.

First of all, thank you for your feedbacks.

1st thing. Sometimes i use Shield Charge, but i really like skeletons around me, they can tank, and they have nice damage since it's a Necro based build, and because i can get the Minion Damage bonus by Spiritual Aid node. But also i know, most of the players prefer movement skills like Shield Charge, so it's easier to change with a mace. But wand is also good if you don't want Shield Charge.

2nd thing. You are right, i totally forgot about Elemental Focus when i wrote this update. So it's just for more damage, or you can ignite bosses some other ways for more damage. Or there are 2 other options, like Spell Cascade / Controlled Destruction. If you use Controlled Destruction, then you should proc the Elemental Overload manually like in the original build. I still working on this, but this build is working at the moment, at least i have done all corrupted yellow guardians w/o deaths, done Elder and all of his Guardians on red maps w/o deaths, and i'm over on depth 300 in mines (i'm not a no lifer poe pro player, this is why just over depth level 300 :3). Killed Xoph w/o any problem, and i want to kill all other Breach bosses as well. I will try to kill Shaper and i will post the result.

The real changes in this build compered to the original is how you can get back the block chance cap, and also how you can use more curses and auras for raise survivability and damage.

You can go to a more offensive way by self-proc Elemental Overload (like in original build) with Arcane Surge, on this way you can use Controlled Destruction, and you can use other Gloves, like a Shaped Gloves with Faster Casting, more life, more Minion damage, also Resists.

You have 3 to 6 "free slots" in this build if you use other gloves, and unset rings. Also you can self-cast Bone Offering for 100% uptime. So everyone have enough space to personalize for his/her own play stile.

I am very happy to receive any suggestions for this build.

You are right, i totally misunderstood Controlled Destructions "Supported Skills have 100% reduced Critical Strike Chance", I thought it's 0% crit chance after that, but it's still 5% base. On this way, CD is way better.
Thank you.

Thanks for continuing this guide. After how popular the Elementalist build guide got I thought I'd never see this build again. Looking forward to playing it!

Good job resurrecting the build. Have you considered using scion instead? Scion's necro ascendancy has everything this build needs.

Here's how I would do it: https://pastebin.com/ssyhGtxq (using your character's gear and level)

* 7k life, 600 life regen (1k on consecrated ground)
* Dps on paper is roughly the same, but an extra duration cluster will make a lot of difference in terms of real dps
* I don't feel like unwavering stance is important anymore, so scrapped it
* Replaced arctic armour with vitality to utilise watcher's jewel - either life on hit or life recovery will be awesome.
* Inquisitor ascendancy makes facetanking easier - perma consecrated ground and ailment immunity

You still absolutely need to add Fortify to the build, 20% less damage from hits is massive.

Hey, DirtyDot! :)

Scion is a good ideal, since the only thing you need from Necro is the Offering effect.
If Unwavering Stance is not important anymore, then you can get more HP and the extra duration cluster on the witch as well, but you can not get the perma Consecrated Ground and Ailment Immunity (both can be very useful).

At the moment i have 2 two months old daughter, so i don't have much time to play, this is why i love this build, because it's safety enough. :) So whenever i have time, i want to level up a Scion and try it.