[3.25] Holy Flame Totem Scion -- League Starter -- HC / SSF viable

I will try this one, I can use a wand instead a sceptre you go?... Thanks...

Yes, you can go wand! I actually use wand more often, just got lucky on my scepters lately. ^^

I’m not crazy about skin of the lords/loyal cause they have no life or resistances.

What mods do you recommend for a rare chest piece?

Thanks for sharing the build enjoying it so far but confused about lone messenger. Does the build not use clarity and vitality at endgame?

@Ajji11

In HCSSF I only cared about life, mana, resists. Chaos res and phys dmg red (from str armors) are great too. %life and %mana from Jun's craft also very good.
I don't know if there's something else for dps there.


@Chopzo

Indeed, I'm not using clarity+vitality in my endgame in softcore. If it was HC, I'd certainly use ay least clarity (lifesteal surpass vitality if you don't want it)
The damage boost from Calamity Visions is very high when you also use 2x Circle of Anguish, and I wanted more damage to do stuff like awakened t16 maps and Sirus. Before that point, it's completely viable to go without it (and probably even then, but sone stuff will take longer to fall)


Hope you all are having as good of a time with the build as I've been having. Feedback is much appreciated! Thanks!

Updated the build to use only Life instead of Mind over Matter, using some other techs to make it tankier, but keeping almost the same DPS. I like this more for the endgame content:

POB: https://pastebin.com/ipKe5Hvw

obs: I added a "Arcane Surge" lvl 1 to orb of storms in POB because POB wasn't counting Hierophant's "arcane surge when hit"

Considerations:
- With only Life, lifesteal makes the build amazing;
- Since less mana taking damage, using Hybrid Flasks feels great now;
- I switched Golem for WoC Mines to proc exposure and Combustion, so now I can use chaos golem cwdt for extra tankiness;
- Removed Calamity Visions to be able to use more auras - clarity, vitality, flesh and stone. Also switched one ring for more life.

I am doing this now. This is where I am at https://pastebin.com/mH9ybGi1 last was the Heart of Flames then Breath of flames wheel and then Precision. Now I am heading to Arsonist finally Magmatic Strikes.

I found the totem placement speed in the boots makes it much smoother.

I am not sure whether the CWDT+SRS+Blind+Combustion idea works. If it does, it should be useful.

Crown Of The Inward Eye is superb in a build like this, DPS and lots of survivability. An uncorrupted one is very cheap, but even one with burning damage can be found for 30c or less this late in league.

The shield was surprisingly cheap despite the two very useful shaper affixes (+1 to maximum number of totems, 10% reduced reservation for socketed gems) it seems more expensive now, about 1ex. I guess I got lucky or something.

Some of the affixes to scale our damage are obvious (Adds # to # Fire Damage To Spells prefix, increased fire damage, cast speed, increased damage) but some are less obvious: spell damage is good but unlike the previous ones, it doesn't count in burning damage. Normal jewels have a separate prefix for % increased Cast Speed with Fire Skills which can occur together with the % increased Cast Speed suffix.

We have so many skills converting physical to fire it is converted 100% but also we are gaining fire based on it and a lot (45% from added fire damage lvl21, 5% from Divine Fury, 15% from Herald of Ash and then 5% goes to Lightning which gets further converted to Fire) so flat physical is even better than flat fire and Hypnotic Eye Jewels have "# to # Added Spell Physical Damage while holding a Shield" prefix and "Adds # to # Physical Damage to Spells" suffix.

Another big surprise for HFT is "Projectile Speed: Affects the distance that the projectile will travel as well as its speed". So the area your totems can cover is based on projectile speed. I am getting some from my wand and the gem quality.

Obvious improvements are +1 to all fire level on wand and better affixes on the jewel next to the scion starting point.

This is my current HC SSF character -> https://pastebin.com/4ykijhdD
Poe ninja -> https://poe.ninja/challengehcssf/builds/char/gui_orioli/Oriolicka_IV
It's the tankiest version of this build I could come up with. Did Uber Lab and now seeing how far I can get in maps.


Notes:
- Avatar of Fire is not necessary if you pick Magmatic Strikes + Divine Fury instead;
- Killed Oak - More tankiness (phys reduc) and more damage (phys dmg adds to HFT). The regen is a bonus;
- This build is stacking as much armor on gear as possible (If anything else, Body armor and Helmet should be pure-str bases);
- Using Mines or Traps + Wave of Conviction to proc Combustion and exposure (Mines are better due to High-impact mine's aura, but I can use traps for the convenience);
- Combining Skitterbots and Dread Banner defensively, and using Molten Shell (with dynamo) left-click, alongside with totem lifesteal, makes me VERY tanky;
- Skitterbots also gives DPS through shock;
- Enfeeble can be switched to Flammability for more DPS if wanted;
- Clarity is needed, and the mana nodes, to sustain everything.
- Now using either Lightning Golem or Chaos Golem CWDT for an extra free buff;
- Using Flame wall to make projectiles travel through it, adds dps;
- Coldsnap with CWDT is a flex slot, but I like the chill it gives.

Update - got my SSF HC to 90, here's the updated build I like the most:

pastebin - https://pastebin.com/5mti3tnu
poe.ninja - https://poe.ninja/challengehcssf/builds/char/gui_orioli/Oriolicka_IV

I tested a lot of ideas around, and finally got to this version of the build.

I prefer recasting Flame Golem every fight instead of mines/traps -- Just recast him at the beginning of fights, and recast when they take long, don't bother checking if he's alive. I also fit Flame Wall for extra DPS, and using Flammability and Culling Strike with Storm Brand, with Enfeeble+Cold Snap CWDT.

Upgrades missing are - leveling gems, getting a +1 totem shaper shield, and beating Sirus for Crown of the Inward Eye and Thread of Hope.

Hope you like it, this is probably my final update before 3.16.

From what I've seen of the tree, the repositioning of totem nodes and the masteries, this build is getting some nice buffs in 3.16 :D