



The build will be presented via Path of Building links. If you don't know about Path of Build, you can download it and find out more here: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1716360



tl:dr:



Tanky Version :(220% life 6 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/mLZdTZBE)

Dps Version :(182% life 13.9 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/gUqBhxzU)

Mixed Version :(187% life 8.5 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/2yZUCgRW)

Budget Version:(220% life 2.5 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/3r1NDEun)





Guide Contents

1. Aim of the guide

2. Pros and Cons

3. Tree Discussion and Bandit selection

4. Gear Discussion

5. Gem Discussion

6. Boss Discussion

7. Tips

8. Taking the build further

9. Q&A





Section 1 - Aim of the guide

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I made this build specifically for myself, but decided to create a guide for it after seeing other face breaker builds and not liking the tree or their gear choices. Originally I was intending to use Zerker to dual wield, but couldn't beat the facebreaker version with substantial investment. If you take anything from this guide, let it be this: Guides are a suggestion. What I present to you here is simply that. Nothing in Path of Exile build discussions is ever "best", it's all simply a matter of opinion and what I like will be different from what you like. Feel free to change the build to your liking.





Section 2 - Pros and Cons

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Pros -

Great Damage

Pretty Tanky

Cheap

Easy to play

Facebreaker!



Cons -

Low AoE without a workaround(discussed in the Q&A section)

Playstyle is pretty monotonous. Whirl here, shield charge there.

Not a Jugg





Section 3 - Tree Discussion/Bandits

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Alira every time.



For this build, I've created four different trees, each concentrating on a different aspect, and each one easily respecced into the other if need be. I should note now that these trees have been in a state of constant change, and may not be optimal. If you notice something that would be more efficient or fit better, please let me know!



Note: On some of these trees I might have taken acrobatics, since we pass right by it. If you don't like acrobatics, feel free to take it out and place that point elsewhere. The trees are very flexible!



Also note: On all of these trees we are using impale. Unfortunately, Path of Building does not calculate impale at all. Therefore, I'm adding 104% more physical damage to a jewel manually. If you're confused or curious about how I got that number, take a look at the math here: https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/bxf4vk/impale_is_actually_insane_now/



Tanky

Spoiler https://pastebin.com/mLZdTZBE



This tree has 220% life, 6mil dps and has soul of steel and ramparts allocated. Since this tree is more about defense than offense, we concentrate on defensive jewels, hitting just over 6k life with semi-high life rolls on gear. We also use Soul Tether to get access to overleech, which goes a long way in helping keep us alive.



Dps

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https://pastebin.com/gUqBhxzU



This tree has 182% life and almost 14mil dps. We forgo soul of steel and ramparts in favor of more damage. Since we're concentrating on offense, our jewels are specially made for high dps. With semi-high life rolls, we're sitting at a respectable 5.5k life, but substantially higher dps.

Mixed

Spoiler

https://pastebin.com/2yZUCgRW



This tree is a middle of the road tree between the tanky and dps versions of the build. Sitting at 187% life, 8.5mil dps as well as having soul of steel, we have a good mix of both. One could easily drop damage nodes for ramparts, or drop soul of steel in favor of picking up a bit more damage.

Budget

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https://pastebin.com/3r1NDEun



This tree is a bit of a special case. Due to not having access to some of the better gear pieces, we have limited the gear and specced the tree defensively. Sitting at a respectable 2.5mil dps, and a substantial 6.7k life with semi-high rolls, we should not have an issue farming for currency to buy better gear. As far as cost, the most expensive item in this would likely be the amulet or a 5 link belly of the beast. Both are very cheap, and easily acquired.

Alira every time.For this build, I've created four different trees, each concentrating on a different aspect, and each one easily respecced into the other if need be. I should note now that these trees have been in a state of constant change, and may not be optimal. If you notice something that would be more efficient or fit better, please let me know!Note: On some of these trees I might have taken acrobatics, since we pass right by it. If you don't like acrobatics, feel free to take it out and place that point elsewhere. The trees are very flexible!Also note: On all of these trees we are using impale. Unfortunately, Path of Building does not calculate impale at all. Therefore, I'm adding 104% more physical damage to a jewel manually. If you're confused or curious about how I got that number, take a look at the math here: https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/bxf4vk/impale_is_actually_insane_now/TankyDpsMixedBudget



Section 4 - Gear Discussion

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Required Items

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The build simply won't work without these. Luckily they're pretty cheap and can be obtained easily. The build simply won't work without these. Luckily they're pretty cheap and can be obtained easily.



Shield

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For the shield slot, we have some options. The best overall shield here is The Unshattered Will. Before 3.7, this was never an option, and the highest DPS shield was either Lycosidae or Great Old One's Ward. While these are still great budget options, The Unshattered Will gives us a great life roll, a good amount of resists, and a ton of damage.

For the shield slot, we have some options. The best overall shield here is The Unshattered Will. Before 3.7, this was never an option, and the highest DPS shield was either Lycosidae or Great Old One's Ward. While these are still great budget options, The Unshattered Will gives us a great life roll, a good amount of resists, and a ton of damage.

Helmet

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The Helm slot is a very flexible for this build. Personally, I like a rare helm. If you can get increased phys damage taken from a fossil, that helps out a ton. Of course Starkonja's is a good option, and the massive amount of dps from an Abyssus can't be overstated. On the dps version of the tree, switching the rare helm for an Abyssus takes us up to 19.6 mil dps. Crazy high, but crazy risky.

The Helm slot is a very flexible for this build. Personally, I like a rare helm. If you can get increased phys damage taken from a fossil, that helps out a ton. Of course Starkonja's is a good option, and the massive amount of dps from an Abyssus can't be overstated. On the dps version of the tree, switching the rare helm for an Abyssus takes us up to 19.6 mil dps. Crazy high, but crazy risky.

Body Armour

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The body armor slot for this build is really determined by your budget and what you're aiming for. A great middle of the road piece is Loreweave. Boasting great defense with it's max res, a fair amount of life, and great offensive capabilities, it's my favorite chest for the build. Alternatively, a belly of the beast or daresso's defiance are also great options. Tabula can be used on a budget, but should be upgraded asap since it has no life or resists. On a high budget, a base crit/maim/mana cost elder chest would be the highest dps option, but it isn't significantly higher than loreweave, and costs substantially more.

The body armor slot for this build is really determined by your budget and what you're aiming for. A great middle of the road piece is Loreweave. Boasting great defense with it's max res, a fair amount of life, and great offensive capabilities, it's my favorite chest for the build. Alternatively, a belly of the beast or daresso's defiance are also great options. Tabula can be used on a budget, but should be upgraded asap since it has no life or resists. On a high budget, a base crit/maim/mana cost elder chest would be the highest dps option, but it isn't significantly higher than loreweave, and costs substantially more.

Gloves

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Were you expecting anything different?

Were you expecting anything different?

Boots

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A rare here is likely going to be the best option. There's something to be said about Atziri's Step, especially if you're taking Acrobatics, but realistically it's already very hard to get the required resistances to cap, and without a rare boot in this slot, it'd be even harder. If you can make it work, go ahead!

A rare here is likely going to be the best option. There's something to be said about Atziri's Step, especially if you're taking Acrobatics, but realistically it's already very hard to get the required resistances to cap, and without a rare boot in this slot, it'd be even harder. If you can make it work, go ahead!

Amulet

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While crit facebreaker can be done in other ways(base crit corruption, base crit chest), it's expensive and not very good. Rigwald's Curse gives us a base crit of 7%, and allows claw modifiers to effect unarmed attacks. It also has a crit multi implicit, which is very juicy. This is a required piece of gear, and likely cannot be changed.



While crit facebreaker can be done in other ways(base crit corruption, base crit chest), it's expensive and not very good. Rigwald's Curse gives us a base crit of 7%, and allows claw modifiers to effect unarmed attacks. It also has a crit multi implicit, which is very juicy. This is a required piece of gear, and likely cannot be changed.

Rings

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A well rolled steel ring is going to be what you're aiming for, but realistically any rare with life and resists will work. Resists are the most important part, and the hardest to get, so fill those out first.



An important thing to note is that this build requires a total of 111 int. We get 44 from the tree, leaving 67 int required from gear. It can be done, but can be difficult to achieve while also capping your resists. If you need to, feel free to spec in to one or two 30 int nodes on the passive tree, and fix it later when you can afford to get better rings. I recommend using Essence of Spites to get that guaranteed int roll. If you have to craft a life roll on it afterwards, that's fine.



If you can get it, a -X mana cost craft on a ring is phenomenal. It makes your cyclone almost free, and allows you to potentially run an even higher level of precision!

A well rolled steel ring is going to be what you're aiming for, but realistically any rare with life and resists will work. Resists are the most important part, and the hardest to get, so fill those out first.An important thing to note is that this build requires a total of 111 int. We get 44 from the tree, leaving 67 int required from gear. It can be done, but can be difficult to achieve while also capping your resists. If you need to, feel free to spec in to one or two 30 int nodes on the passive tree, and fix it later when you can afford to get better rings. I recommend using Essence of Spites to get that guaranteed int roll. If you have to craft a life roll on it afterwards, that's fine.If you can get it, a -X mana cost craft on a ring is phenomenal. It makes your cyclone almost free, and allows you to potentially run an even higher level of precision!

Belt

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We have a few options for the belt slot. The first, and my personal favorite, is soul tether. Soul Tether gives us two important things. The first is overleech, and the second is up to 40 int. Using soul tether is like combining berserker and slayer, and goes a long way to making us feel even safer. Alternatively, a good rare can be used if you need the resists. A well rolled stygian is a great mix of defense and offense when considering the abyss jewel slot. The max dps option, and also likely the most expensive option, is Ryslatha's Coil. It needs to be well rolled to be great which is somewhat difficult to do.

We have a few options for the belt slot. The first, and my personal favorite, is soul tether. Soul Tether gives us two important things. The first is overleech, and the second is up to 40 int. Using soul tether is like combining berserker and slayer, and goes a long way to making us feel even safer. Alternatively, a good rare can be used if you need the resists. A well rolled stygian is a great mix of defense and offense when considering the abyss jewel slot. The max dps option, and also likely the most expensive option, is Ryslatha's Coil. It needs to be well rolled to be great which is somewhat difficult to do.

Flasks

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While there is some flexibility in flask slots, this is likely the five flask types you'll be running. The diamond flask can't be changed, lion's roar is a ton of damage, a quicksilver's movement makes cyclone feel like a dream, and the onslaught from a silver flask is really nice. If you can get onslaught elsewhere, you could consider swapping it out.

While there is some flexibility in flask slots, this is likely the five flask types you'll be running. The diamond flask can't be changed, lion's roar is a ton of damage, a quicksilver's movement makes cyclone feel like a dream, and the onslaught from a silver flask is really nice. If you can get onslaught elsewhere, you could consider swapping it out.

Jewels

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Transcendent flesh is simply bis for this build. The crit multi and physical damage reduction are very important, although it is a bit expensive. If you can't afford it, grab the baby version, Tempered Flesh. It's almost as good, but just doesn't give you the physical damage reduction. Socket this in the jewel node right under resolute technique for best results. For rares, you want to look for life/damage/crit multi.

Transcendent flesh is simply bis for this build. The crit multi and physical damage reduction are very important, although it is a bit expensive. If you can't afford it, grab the baby version, Tempered Flesh. It's almost as good, but just doesn't give you the physical damage reduction. Socket this in the jewel node right under resolute technique for best results. For rares, you want to look for life/damage/crit multi.

Required ItemsShieldHelmetBody ArmourGlovesBootsAmuletRingsBeltFlasksJewels



Section 5 - Gem Discussion

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Cyclone Single Target



Cyclone Clearing



Auras(Enlighten not needed)







Utility





We have an open four link if setup correctly. You could use this for ancestral warchief/protector, steel skin, cwdt immortal call or even molten shell. Use whatever you like here.

Cyclone Single TargetCyclone ClearingAuras(Enlighten not needed)UtilityWe have an open four link if setup correctly. You could use this for ancestral warchief/protector, steel skin, cwdt immortal call or even molten shell. Use whatever you like here.

Section 6 - Boss/Map Discussion

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There is only one map mod this build can't run, and that's phys reflect. Outside of that, I don't recommend running no leech or 60% less regen maps.



As for bossing, shaper and uber elder go down very quick once our rage builds up. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to get to max rage in the Shaper fight. He phases before I can even get half my rage up. While using our single target setup, our AoE is very small, so it's very important to position yourself appropriately.



Strangely enough, the build has a hard time against Atziri. Atziri has 2% physical and elemental reflect passively, and although on most builds this isn't noticeable, I've one shot myself a number of times because of this. I was able to take her down using an unlinked ancestral protector, but it's very important that if you're running this on hardcore you're aware of this.



As for map layouts, cyclone prefers linear style maps. Waste pool, toxic sewer, strand, etc. Straight maps are great for cyclone's playstyle.



Section 7 - Tips

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SWITCH BETWEEN BLOOD AND SAND STANCE. I can't overstate how huge this is. It increases your damage significantly in blood stance, and gives you a nice aoe boost in sand stance. You probably won't need blood stance for normal map bosses, but for guardians, shaper and elder it's a big thing to remember.



Section 8 - Taking the build further

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As you may have noticed from my PoB links, I typically don't add in mirror tier, super well rolled items. I add in items I expect myself to be able to obtain. Obviously, getting better rolls on everything will increase your life and damage, but there are a few things worth noting. First is the enchant. On my personal build, 40% cyclone damage is the highest dps enchant possible, with cyclone attack speed being second. These are obviously optional, but if you can get one, it's great.



Corruptions can be very big for this build. On gloves, a vulnerability on hit corruption goes further than a base crit corruption, but not by much. Both are good. On your belt, if using a soul tether, getting crit multi during flask effect is pretty easy, and big damage, even if it's min rolled.



The last thing I can think of would likely be a watcher's eye. There are some really good ones out there. Obviously a great one would be crit multi with precision, but another good one would be the extra 2 impale stacks with pride. Pride isn't as good for us as our other auras, but if you can get that watcher's eye, it very well might be worth it.



Section 9 - Q&A

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Q1: But Sephrik, what can I do about my aoe? Even with pulverize and inc aoe it sucks!



A1: Well first, I disagree. I can full clear almost every legion encounter with my aoe. Second, there is a way around it if you're willing to weapon swap. On your weapon swap, equip two paradoxicas. Try to get a phys damage roll and maybe an attack speed roll. Without calculating impale, your clear dps should be anywhere from 500k to 1mil. That's fine for clearing maps, but not amazing for bosses. That's where we swap back to our unshattered will. It's not a great work around, but it increases our aoe substantially. I said it'd work, not that it's great :p



Q2: Why aren't you using the rage support? PoB says it's a big dps increase!



A2: While that is technically true, PoB is incorrect. The rage gem specifically states that the increased phys damage is for weapons. Since we aren't using a weapon, it won't help us out at all. Path of Exile is very specific in it's use of wording, and hopefully this bug will be fixed in PoB soon.

Welcome everyone to my first guide! This build was made in part because of my innate love of Facebreaker, but also because I got tired all the slayer builds I was making. So, without further ado, let's get started.The build will be presented via Path of Building links. If you don't know about Path of Build, you can download it and find out more here: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1716360tl:dr:Tanky Version :(220% life 6 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/mLZdTZBE)Dps Version :(182% life 13.9 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/gUqBhxzU)Mixed Version :(187% life 8.5 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/2yZUCgRW)Budget Version:(220% life 2.5 mil dps - https://pastebin.com/3r1NDEun)1. Aim of the guide2. Pros and Cons3. Tree Discussion and Bandit selection4. Gear Discussion5. Gem Discussion6. Boss Discussion7. Tips8. Taking the build further9. Q&ASection 1 -Section 2 -Section 3 -Section 4 -Section 5 -Section 6 -Section 7 -Section 8 -Section 9 - Last edited by sephrik on Jun 18, 2019, 6:31:46 PM Last bumped on Sep 6, 2019, 12:35:47 PM