[3.15] Elemental Hit Ballista Totem Hiero | Budget Friendly | League Start to Endgame

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Vei wrote:

Just want to add a note here in case I don't have time to write my Summary(Which I suspect so) I mentioned in my announcement.

For Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider) and Chieftain, no need to worry about life due to leech. As for Mana, if you have problem, as long you have already took the "Totem Leech Life to you Ascendancy Notable", just spec into Blood Magic(No more Auras) Keystone and Mortal Conviction(Choose 1 Aura, either Grace or Skitterbot) Keystone until you get the 2 x "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost".

For Raider/Deadeye, I have mentioned in the 2 post(Refer to today's announcement) my way of approaching HP/Mana Regen for them.


The other thing I want to mention is try to avoid the Map Mods:

- Players have 20%/40%/60% less Recovery Rate of Life and Energy Shield
- Players cannot Regenerate Life, Mana or Energy Shield

Not friendly for our build after the nerf unless we use 3 x "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost" which will make our Totem cost 0.

Going to zz, will reply unanswered post tomorrow.

Skitterbots aura doesnt affect you so you cant benefit from Mortal Conviction(You can use it but it will reserve a lot of life).

Another idea to solve the HP/mana issue with Raider. This idea comes from other class guide. Take note that i rarely play any leagues so i have no idea whether is it "practical" or "cheap" or the playstyle too clunky for league. I'm also POB noob so calculation might be wrong.

We still use Gluttony Belt for it's Life/mana gain and culling strike on cursed enemies. The movement skill damage is basically negated with Life Regen(Based on current Raider POB).
Instead of Frenzy+GMP+Hextouch+Flammability we switch to
Barrage(Level 1)+LGOH+Hextouch+Flammabiltiy.

We take Volley Fire Viridian Jewel to have Barrage shoot extra 6 shots at first and final Attacks.

Barrage(Level1)+LGOH+Hextouch+Flammabiltiy combo cost only 10mana per attack. With Gluttony belt, mana cost is negated as long as 1 shot hit target.

Let say we ignore the extra shots from Volley Fire Jewel for simple calculation, a single Barrage attack on 1 target would let u gain 74x5=370HP(LGOH 20/20 gem 54HP+ 20HP from belt) and 50 mana(10 mana from belt. I'm using the worst value from belt for both calculation btw).

With Quill Rain Bow, we are shooting Barrage very very fast. Now when you start including the extra shots from Volley Fire Jewel and +1 pierce Quiver, you are gaining HP/Mana at an impressive rate.
The more mobs there are , the more HP/Mana we gain per attack. This also suit the new league/Maven fight of having more and more mobs in a enclosed area). With Raider high evasion/dodge, we can practically just stand and spam Barrage/totem and just tank through the damage with our high HP/Mana gain.

Further more, if you can get hold of curse on hit ring down the road, you can swap out Hextouch+Flammability for GMP+Power Charge on Crit support or other gem. With GMP included, Barrage will shoot 9 shots per attack, further boosting the Life/Mana gain.

Also because Barrage cause us to stand in place while shooting, we can use Arctic Armor for it's 13% less damage taken(I did not check if we have enough mana to reserve all these auras btw, POB expert will need to check).

We will lose Frenzy charge but we can get Frenzy charge with Way of the Poacher and drop either Avatar of the Veil or Avatar of the Chase. However i do not know how badly will our dps value be affect if we swap out either Avatar of the Veil or Avatar of the Chase so POB expert will need to check again.

Edit** Just realised Blood Rage has 25% chance to get Frenzy Charge on Kill. With Culling strike on cursed enemies, we should be able to get Frenzy Charge easily without changing any ascendary option.

Was getting so pumped on this build, did practice runs, loved the setup, and realized a huge problem...

This is not going to be a great League Start for a single reason---

Frostferno is gated behind Estuary maps

Estuary is T15. So even if we get our hands on Vision of Fire and Ice early (which is still 'spensive), we still have to drag the HF along until we can convert the heatshiver.

So day 2? Day 3? Absolutely. But racing to maps in 5 hours and trying to convert to Ele Hit totems will be impossible (unless we use a different setup).

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Kaevar wrote:

And what would be the cost for any of them then? I am very bad at judging those things. Is it like 10ex+?

Yes it's more than 10ex. Unnatural Instinct cost 10ex already. The build can do without Unnatural Instinct(It basically works starting from 40c) it's just lesser DPS and some additional stats.

Follow the equipment suggestion in my guide, go for

10. Budget Equipment Details (Around 40c but will be most costly this league due to Frostferno being on Tier 15 Estuary unless you buy it much later)

then

11. Mid-Tier Equipment Details, here you add the 2x Might of the Meek into the build which is around 50c each.

Unnatural Instinct is an end game/top end addition to the build so don't worry about that early on. Watcher Eyes is an optional addition. Could replace the Slot with a Replica Conqurer's Efficiency for the -9 mana.

The POB is based on 11. Mid-Tier Equipment Details equipment suggestions(Except those equipment that was changed/added, e.g. Atiziri's Step, Might of the Meek X 2, Unnatural Instinct, Watcher Eye

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lillbrorsan wrote:

Hello Vei!
I've been looking through your guide and various recent posts to try and decide on which Ascendancy to go for but am still not sure.

I've played loads of PoE before but never totems and I really want to finally try a ballista build and do as much endgame content as possible.

I was initially going for Hiero but having looked at your latest FAQ I'm leaning toward Chieftain or Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider).

Is there anything you could add that might help me finally decide or should I just go with my guts / spin a wheel? xD

Thanks. can't wait to try it out!

Hello lillbrorsan!

Then it's Time to Spin A Wheel! Nah... just kidding!

Here's some comparison:

Tankier vs Dodge
Defense wise chieftain is base on damage reduction from those "Less damage taken" and "physical hits taken as fire damage" whereas Ascendant(Chief/Raider) is based on Dodge so different Mechanics here, Chiefttain gets hit more but take lesser damage per hit, while Ascendant get hit less but takes more damage per hit. A bit simplified but you get the idea.

Flexibility
Chieftain is locked to the Ascendancy while Scion can change Ascendency combinations. Scion with more Passive Points allows more ways to "Configure" the build.

Starting
Scion has might be a slight bit harder to start compared to Chieftain due to only having access to ascendancy power at 2nd Lab. But for casual players I don't think it makes too much differences

Investment Ceiling
Ascendant has a higher upside with more currency invested(i.e. Unnatural Instinct)

Gender
I am a guy and straight, so I prefer a Female Character :)

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nathlar wrote:

Thanks again Vei for the great job. I think I'll go chieftain , for safety and cheaper options as a starter.

Does anyone has any recommendations on ascendancy nodes order?

I'm thinking
1.- Tukohama: Just to pick Blood Magic early and forget about mana problems, and also for safety
2.-Ramako , fire pen and damage
3.-Arohongui , its a little less damage , but it affects all mobs , also fire immunity in case i need it for ele reflect maps (not really needed at the beginning)
4.-Hinekora , more dmg on rare/unique mobs

Any suggestions? Or if its in the guide can someone point me to where , beacuse i couldn't find it.

You are welcome. For me, I will take them in this order:

1. Tukohama
2. Ramako
3. Hinekora
4. Arohongui

Arohongui providing Fire Immunity is a good point too for Ele Reflect Maps so I think 3 and 4 is basically up to individual's needs/preferences

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AUDAClTY wrote:

For Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider) and Chieftain, no need to worry about life due to leech. As for Mana, if you have problem, as long you have already took the "Totem Leech Life to you Ascendancy Notable", just spec into Blood Magic(No more Auras) Keystone and Mortal Conviction(Choose 1 Aura, either Grace or Skitterbot) Keystone until you get the 2 x "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost".

Just to point out that Kikuey mentioned that Mortal Conviction doesn't work with Skitterbot as Skitterbot is not an aura on us so we can only use Grace.

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AUDAClTY wrote:

I had a look and can see the build only seems to really utilise two auras anyway. My only concern is if i use the above method and drop skitterbots, would this build still be capable of doing endgame content like uber elder, or would the dps drop off too much? Is the -9 jewellery a must?

Yeah taking away Skitterbot does hurt quite a bit in terms of DPS. I would think the best solution is try to get at least the -7 mana craft X 2 as soon as possible which definitely helps solve most of the issue(Maybe add a level 1 clarity if mana allows) so we can stop relying on Mortal Conviction and use Skitterbot.

I posted some tips on getting the -mana benchcraft previously, will copy paste here for reference

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kikeuy wrote:

Skitterbots aura doesnt affect you so you cant benefit from Mortal Conviction(You can use it but it will reserve a lot of life).

Thanks for pointing this out. I missed this.

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Dezparrow wrote:

Was getting so pumped on this build, did practice runs, loved the setup, and realized a huge problem...

This is not going to be a great League Start for a single reason---

Frostferno is gated behind Estuary maps

Estuary is T15. So even if we get our hands on Vision of Fire and Ice early (which is still 'spensive), we still have to drag the HF along until we can convert the heatshiver.

So day 2? Day 3? Absolutely. But racing to maps in 5 hours and trying to convert to Ele Hit totems will be impossible (unless we use a different setup).

I factored that in already, Refer to 10.3 Note for Early League Rushers and 10.4 Farming Tabula Rasa/Chaos Orbs in my guide

Please Read Before Venturing into 3.13 with this Build

This is a 1 stop info and summary of things for people to catch up quickly. For people who are already following the thread and news, there might still be some info that is useful more to the bottom.

*I have also placed a copy of this in my 3.13 Initial Thoughts/Comments Section and a link from Pinned Announcements

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Things to Know

We only place ONE totem per cast now, just in case you are not following the news.

Estuary Map is Tier 15 - This means Frostferno will be rarer and not that accesible early which will make it more expensive. For Reference, in Harvest 3.11, Estuary was T14 and Frostferno costed 50c on Day 4.

For Early League Rushers, Refer to 10.3 Note for Early League Rushers and 10.4 Farming Tabula Rasa/Chaos Orbs in my guide on what is the alternative to do after leveling to 60 with Holy Flame Totem.

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What's New

Now that we only put 1 totem per cast, some other ascendancies become possible options for this build. Here's a summary with some info for you to see what are the possible choices:

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3005581/page/12#p23750951

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Ascendancy Chosen, where's the POB?

(18th Jan 2021) Malachai's Artifice + Summon Lightning Golem setup has been removed from all POB

Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider)(Defensive Focused/For Starting/leveling): https://pastebin.com/9MNdkk2u(Updated added Sniper's Mark)

Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider)(Offensive Focused/For switching to later): https://pastebin.com/yAnRPQXp(Updated added Sniper's Mark)

Raider: https://pastebin.com/dxGw0Ta0

Chieftain: https://pastebin.com/nHNrtHG9

Hiero(With almost same setup/settings as above for comparison): https://pastebin.com/9cDJvvkr

*Note 1: Have ran through the Gem positions in the POB but might not be the most optimized positions
*Note 2: Other than Hiero, and Offensive Ascendant POB, the build uses Enduring Cry Gem. To use it, bind the skill to your left mouse button so it will auto cast as you walk around as long you have Call to Arms Keystone
*Note 3: Enduring Cry, if on the Bow, shouldn't be linked to the other 5 gems because Increased Duration will increase Enduring Cry's Cooldown


Ascendant POB
A bit of detail on Ascendant's POB, the Defensive one is the one to follow when leveling, after which you have 3 options:

A. When you have about 6.5k HP, switch out Kaom's Heart for other Body Armour like Hyrre Ire, Kintsugi, Replica Shroud of the Lightless(If you can get 6 nice Abyss Jewels) or if you have some Favourite Armour you like.
B. Before reaching 6.5k HP, along the way, slowly respec into the Offensive Focused one.
C. Stay with 6.5k HP no change

Raider POB
There are 2 Options under Gloves, one is based on Clarity + Vitality(Enabled), the other is base on Grace(Disabled).

Chieftain/Hiero POB
Nothing to Note

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What is the priority for the Ascendancy Notable?

The following is my recommendations:

Chieftain
1) Tukohama, War's Herald
2) Ramako, Sun's Light
3) Hinekora, Death's Fury
4) Arohongui, Moon's Presence

Raider
1) Rapid Assault
2) Quartz Infusion
3) Avatar of the Veil
4) Avatar of the Chase

Ascendant(Ascendancy Choice)
1) Chieftain
2) Whichever you selected as 2nd Ascendancy Choice

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Where's the leveling guide?

For Scion/Ranger/Maurader here you go:

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3005581/page/14#p23752320

For Hiero, please refer to the main guide's "09. Leveling Guide(Level 1 to 60)"

Note that my leveling guides are meant more for Casuals not are not suitable for rushing to Maps.

Alternatively, if you are leveling a Ranger and didn't like Holy Flame Totems or want an alternative, definitely check out crimsonraziel9's post on leveling the Ranger for this build with Toxic Rain(Ballista Linked) + Caustic Arrow.

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3005581/page/21#p23759651

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Mana Issues

We will encounter this issue at some point, for Hiero, generally it's after using Lethal Pride, for others, it will be before using Lethal Pride. To resolve this issue, our goal is to get TWO sources of "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost"

Possible Sources for this Affix
- Crafting the Mod on Rare Rings/Amulet(Note: We use Unique Amulet)
- Natural Roll on Incursion Rings (Ranges from -8 to -6)
- Replica Conquerer's Efficiency (-9)
- Using Clarity and Watcher's Eye with Clarity's mod(Up to -10)
- *Praxis Unique Paua Ring (-8 to -4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills (Special Thanks to Abelun for suggesting this!)

*Praxis is actually a great buy(One with -8 mana) early because we can use it for Holy Flame Totem leveling too. We might not be able to use 2 due to requiring Resist on Rare Rings, but using 1 is definitely highly recommended until there are better solutions.

Before having the two sources of "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost"

Scion/Marauder
If you have problem, as long you have already took the "Totem Leech Life to you Ascendancy Notable", just spec into Blood Magic(No more Auras) Keystone and Mortal Conviction(Choose 1 Aura, since Skitterbot doesn't work with this Keystone, we will use Grace) Keystone until you get the 2 x "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost", then use back Skitterbot.

kikuey gave a nice tip saying if not using Skitterbot, Vaal Lightning Trap could be used(If one doesn't mind an additional button) to boost Ele Hit's Damage(EH gets 10% more damage per ailment) and also for the 15% increased damage from the Shock itself, especially useful for those who want to squeeze out more DPS during Boss Fights!

Raider/Deadeye
Please refer to these 2 post on my idea on how to go about it(Includes HP Regen) It's might not be the best but it's a start and we can improve from there:

Post 1: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3005581/page/16#p23754336
Post 2: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3005581/page/16#p23754694

For these 2 class I would highly suggest using 2-3 Life Flask and remember to drink more!

Please be careful when using Blood Rage Gem/Forbidden Taste Unique Flask especially if your Chaos Resist is at -40%! Recommended at least be at positive with Chaos Resist.


Tips on getting the "Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost" bench craft


Alternatively, a Mana Flask with the Enduring prefix will also help if you prefer this option.

Note that if you are going for the Tabula Rasa Setup(i.e. Early League Rushers), that will make the totems cost 34 Mana per cast compared to 27 on Frostferno. Enduring Mana Flask is probably the way to go for solving the Mana Cost issues in this case.

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Other things to note

Please try to avoid maps with these mods:

- Players cannot Regenerate Life, Mana or Energy Shield
- Players have 20%/40%/60% less Recovery Rate of Life and Energy Shield(For Raider/Deadeye)

They are not good for our builds.

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Thanks for reading and I wish you lots of fun and good luck in Ritual!

Ah crap. Slept well today, woke up in the morning and still can't decide which class to go for.

Well, probably as usual will toss a coin before the league start.

Unique ring Praxis can help with mana issue too.

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Abelun wrote:

Unique ring Praxis can help with mana issue too.

This is actually a Fantastic suggestion!! Considering it also helps for Holy Flame Totem leveling, I think buying one with "-8 to Total Mana Cost of Skills" early for HFT leveling, and then later using it for Ele Hit is super! Great Value.

Thanks! Added into the list credited you for the idea. :)

GREAT work OP , you have put a lot of time on this but it is looking good.

A little reminder that if you are not using Skitterbots(if you spec Mortal conviction before -mana craft) Vaal lightning trap will give you an extra 10% more dmg from EH and also make the enemies take 15% increased damage from the shock itself.
It is one extra button press but it can be very useful for boss fights early league when you are underleveled/undergeared.

Ok! Thank you Vei and everyone so much.
I'll start with Chieftain, I played Chieftain burning arrow Flashback and killed Sirius 6 for 7 days (XOPH 5link, kaom, malachai, asenath chain helm) ...
My plan about 1 week later will have enough cost to buy the core item of this build (Frostferno cannot be available early and cheap in the first week, as well as 2 gem combat focus)
Let's go Chieftain!