[3.19] Donkster5' LS Champ - Still great! Leaguestart to endgame SC and HC. Updated 8/18

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SnotZombie wrote:

Been looking for an interesting starter this seems a ton of fun to blast through the early atlas honestly. Like you mentioned though I'm worried for a Champ nerf and defensive layers gutting as well lol, hope not though.

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Nizreb915 wrote:

Where is the +1 pierce coming from?

Never mind I found it, it is crafted on your helmet!

Looks like a fun build and I was looking for something exactly like this, Thank you!

@SnotZombie - I don't think they'd want to nerf Champion at the moment, because their aim seems to be slowing down and making top end builds less offensive. Champion is basically the perfect exemplar of what they want. It's a mostly defensive ascendancy. If they nerf anything it'd be Master of Metal... again, but I bet the nerf hammer hits Raider before anything else.

@Nizreb915 - There are a couple places to get +1 Pierce. The easiest is on the Projectile Damage passive wheel on the right side of the tree. I have it allocated in the leveling trees, I believe. It just takes two passive points and works just fine until you can craft it on the helmet. If you think another helmet craft is more valuable than two passives, just stay pathed into it.

So what is a priority to scaling this?

1. Flat Lightning damage
2. Attack speed
3. Critical Strike/Multi

Also, why to maximize damage, you want to stand far away from boss? Don't you miss your melee and that way bolts have a chance to miss? Also, if you would stand close to boss, all the bolts hit boss, if you stand further away, just a few of them.

What do I understand wrong and why?

EDIT: also, what is the point of static strike? I barely generate any rage

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Donkster5 wrote:

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SnotZombie wrote:

Been looking for an interesting starter this seems a ton of fun to blast through the early atlas honestly. Like you mentioned though I'm worried for a Champ nerf and defensive layers gutting as well lol, hope not though.

"

Nizreb915 wrote:

Where is the +1 pierce coming from?

Never mind I found it, it is crafted on your helmet!

Looks like a fun build and I was looking for something exactly like this, Thank you!

@SnotZombie - I don't think they'd want to nerf Champion at the moment, because their aim seems to be slowing down and making top end builds less offensive. Champion is basically the perfect exemplar of what they want. It's a mostly defensive ascendancy. If they nerf anything it'd be Master of Metal... again, but I bet the nerf hammer hits Raider before anything else.

@Nizreb915 - There are a couple places to get +1 Pierce. The easiest is on the Projectile Damage passive wheel on the right side of the tree. I have it allocated in the leveling trees, I believe. It just takes two passive points and works just fine until you can craft it on the helmet. If you think another helmet craft is more valuable than two passives, just stay pathed into it.

Awesome, thanks!

I'm REALLY struggling with this build while leveling on a 4 link LS at level 31. (Just hit the Aquaduct).
Using the 2 level rule, I'm getting my ass handed to me by bosses like General Gravicius, and the upper sceptre boss fights (killing Grav took me over 5 minutes) and a few other def+ bosses. I can only imagine the nightmare kills coming my way with Daresso, Kaom, and Piety.

Does anyone have a leveling setup for this build that is smooth with plenty of single target damage? My character is ChampeenZapZap (running SSFUlt). I don't think the gear/level is too terribly bad for a faux practice league start, but any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch!

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Thojorkill wrote:

I'm REALLY struggling with this build while leveling on a 4 link LS at level 31. (Just hit the Aquaduct).
Using the 2 level rule, I'm getting my ass handed to me by bosses like General Gravicius, and the upper sceptre boss fights (killing Grav took me over 5 minutes) and a few other def+ bosses. I can only imagine the nightmare kills coming my way with Daresso, Kaom, and Piety.

Does anyone have a leveling setup for this build that is smooth with plenty of single target damage? My character is ChampeenZapZap (running SSFUlt). I don't think the gear/level is too terribly bad for a faux practice league start, but any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch!

I think you need basic uniques and a bit of luck for this to feel good while leveling. AND 100% Vaal version of skill, that alone is insane dps when you drop both charges on packs or mobs.
After trying it out now, I would always level with chaos skills...maybe bow chaos or smth. And only would use L Strike once I have my ascendancy setup(3 skills), 5-6L and half decent claw, along with all gems leveled in offhands. Somewhere white/yellow maps in the game. No sooner....or you are just shooting yourself in the foot with this masochism. Look at my toon now, Riemhann. And I still need sometimes to chunk down yellow mobs, bosses do take a bit time, not much (If I have both vaal charges).

Thanks a bunch, masochism was the right word :) I was hoping for LS to smoothly transition from start to end. I'll stick it on the weapon swap and go pure chaos to level, thanks!

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ShoveMoneyDeeper wrote:

So what is a priority to scaling this?

1. Flat Lightning damage
2. Attack speed
3. Critical Strike/Multi

Also, why to maximize damage, you want to stand far away from boss? Don't you miss your melee and that way bolts have a chance to miss? Also, if you would stand close to boss, all the bolts hit boss, if you stand further away, just a few of them.

What do I understand wrong and why?

EDIT: also, what is the point of static strike? I barely generate any rage

Scaling at endgame is in the following order:

1. Crit Multi (As with any crit build, this assumes good high chance to hit and high effective crit chance)

2. Flat Elemental Damage regardless of element. (Lightning is best, but by a very small margin and you never want to slow down the growth of resonance)

3. Attack Speed (I list this third because with a T1 AS Imperial Claw and the passive tree you already have plenty.)

Standing location - there are two things that can hit with LS, the melee OR the projectile. They do not both hit. However, with +1 to strike (Ancestral Call early on) we can get both a melee hit and a projectile hit by standing slightly away from the monster/boss. The melee hit shows a lightning bolt from "above" and then projectiles shoot off from that. You know you are double hitting if you see two of these bolts from above. One, where you are standing, and the second zapping the monster. The skill does not shotgun, meaning only one projectile hits per strike.

Static Strike is my first FAQ! - Static Strike is a really great utility skill for melee builds. It synergizes especially well with LS as the damage scales appropriately. Rage grows with any melee hit after the process has started, therefore it grows when LS hits melee. However, rage is not the only thing we're getting with Static Strike. The way Static Strike works is that you just tap it every few seconds. It melee hits and then sends "beams" out for a few seconds afterwards that also hit. In the endgame setup any of those beams or the initial hit can crit, which sends out WoC or gives a powercharge, depending on your gem setup. You could also use it to cast a curse with Hextouch. It is basically the OoS of melee.

Edit: Specifically regarding building rage... you can use just static strike to build rage and kill things at the same time against less dangerous monsters. For the endgame bosses where I cannot build rage beforehand in the map, I have Chainhook and Hydrosphere slotted into my high AS backup weapon. Switch weapons to backup, cast hydrosphere, chainhook hydrophere to build rage, switch back to main weapon and LS and static strike maintain rage from there with each melee hit.

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Thojorkill wrote:

Thanks a bunch, masochism was the right word :) I was hoping for LS to smoothly transition from start to end. I'll stick it on the weapon swap and go pure chaos to level, thanks!

My experience was different from this in a big way and I have leveled this up twice. Once in SSFHC and once just to test out Lifetap in early game.

Specifically regarding your original question and character, your weapons are not really helping you and you effectively have a 3 link as one of the gems is LGoH, which adds no dmg. The base types are highish AS, but there are better, or just use some alts to roll AS. Secondly, I don't see any elemental damage mods, just phys damage. In the build guide I recommend anything with high AS and/or elemental damage for leveling. I also recommend at least one high AS life gaining claw (Awl in early game) so that you do not need to use LGoH while maintaining Lifetap. Otherwise, use a mana flask and Ele attack damage and Trinity vs Lifetap.

Don't be afraid to use your crafting bench early for both defenses and offense. It adds a ton of QoL. This is especially important for SSF and HC.

I suggest making these changes and then reporting back.

Also, I haven't killed Gravicius in several leagues. His reward is generally worthless and he has a lot of life. Skip him.

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Thojorkill wrote:

Thanks a bunch, masochism was the right word :) I was hoping for LS to smoothly transition from start to end. I'll stick it on the weapon swap and go pure chaos to level, thanks!

This has some leveling tips:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3080277/page/1

Basically that build has the same problem: feels crap while leveling and until you have everything set up. So people use workarounds for that. Also tytykiller has good leveling guides on his youtube channel.

Looks like fortify is getting nerfs.