LOL RIP BUILD IS DEAD



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Introduction

Yes, hi.



After extensive reworking and testing, we're back!



This is a straight-forward, hardcore-tuned, defense-focused, self-cast Dark Pact build, intended to take down the hardest content in the game quickly and safely. Incidentally, it also clears maps really fast, and as long as you're good at navigating traps, is also viable for Eternal Lab.



It's my understanding that the only content in the game this build can't solo are maps with No Life Leech and Hall of Grandmasters. I am personally working on clearing end-game content to prove this to you, but I'm bad at the game, so it's been slow going. This means if I can do it, so can you!



Let's get started.



Videos

T16 Guardian of the Minotaur Facetank kill



T15 Colosseum with boss kill



Change Log

Spoiler

-Beat Hydra without dying.

-New Video.

-Beat Chimera

-Beat Minotaur without dying or dodging. 100% facetank madness.

-Looks like Doedre's Elixir works. Updated current PoB link and items.

-Added self-savage hit to to-do list.

-Beat Hydra.

-Added new gear to gear section.

-Beat Phoenix.

-Testing a new item setup. Includes Rippling Thoughts and Kaom's Roots.

-Updated my character link and gear section.

-New Video.

-Added Bandit section.

-Finished the guide in its current state.

-Added many new sections.

-Published new guide.





Path of Building Import Links

To use a link, copy the URL, download

[Import/Export Build] > [Import from Pastebin...] > Ctrl+V > [Import] > [Import]



I'm currently testing a new item setup.



My current character:

https://pastebin.com/zihXXcNH



My old character:

https://pastebin.com/PbqyK7Su



Rough guide for what to shoot for, featuring unattainable god gear:

https://pastebin.com/ZbiCHzVV



Core Concepts

Spoiler

Self-cast Dark Pact

This spell has insane damage scaling, a built-in "more" multiplier, and is naturally 100% dealt as the best element in the game. However, it has a health cost, so we have to mitigate it. We do this with huge amounts of life leech.



Chaos Damage

This damage type is unique in many ways:

-By default it bypasses energy shield, which means for most enemies, their energy shield is irrelevant.

-Most enemies do not have significant chaos resistance, so we do not need to go out of our way to crush or penetrate any defenses.

-There are no enemies or map mods that reflect chaos damage, so we don't need to do anything to mitigate or avoid reflect.

-It's purple and edgy.



Drawbacks:

-Cannot be converted (but it's the best element, so why would you want to?)

-Has no useful ailments since poison got gutted.

-Cannot damage enemies who have the player passive Chaos Innoculation (sometimes important in Hall of the Grandmasters and PVP. Luckily, no normal enemies have this.)

-Crit sound-effects aren't particularly satisfying.



Defensive Layers

-Tons of life

-Respectable Armour

-Overcapped Resistances

-Chaos Resistance from tree

-Enfeeble Curse

-Arctic Armour

-Less damage from crits via Belt of the Deceiver

-Large enough AoE to effectively kite enemies if necessary

-Fast Shield Charge to avoid telegraphed hits if necessary

-Instant leech to full after being hit hard (or popping Doedre's Elixir) via Vaal Pact and Cloaked in Savagery

-Immunity to chain stuns and chain freezes via The Brine King pantheon power

-Passive leech during stuns via Blade Vortex linked to Cast when Damage Taken



Critical Strikes

-Picking up a lot of efficient Critical Strike Chance and Damage from the tree enhances our damage by a huge margin. We use our gear to take this even further.

-CwDT Blade Vortex is linked to Power Charge on Critical, which generates Power Charges during boss fights, when they really matter.

-Keep in mind, even though Controlled Destruction reduces our Critical Strike Chance, the More Spell Damage Multiplier more than makes up for it, making it a very good support gem for us.





Solo Clears

Deathless

-Hydra

-Minotaur

-AoS Atziri

-t15 Beachhead

-t15 Colosseum Daresso

-t15 Abyss Kaom

-t15 Core Malachai



With Deaths

-Phoenix

-Chimera



To-Do

-Beat Shaper

-It has come to my attention that you may be able to proc arcane surge with cwdt. This would allow us to use a spell dagger and Kaom's Roots, but it would prevent us from using flame dash. I will meditate on it, possibly more urgently when I can find and afford a good spell dagger.

-Evaluate 10+ pages of unidentified rares

-Collect Mortal Fragments



Ascendency

Pain Reaver -> Cloaked in Savagery -> Crave the Slaughter -> Aspect of Carnage



Pantheon

The Brine King - Always (Unless you have Kaom's Roots)

Ryslatha - Traps/Sustain

Tukohama - Facetanking

Garukhan - Clear Speed



Bandit

Alira - My choice, gives good crit damage and res, as well as helping with our mana early, and we don't really need the two passive points late.

Eramir - Still a reasonable choice, if you want to get ahead on the tree.



Passive Tree

58 Points

68 Points

86 Points

101 Points

120 Points



Leveling

You're going to want to level with Sunder, using the highest DPS weapon you can find/afford as you level that works with Sunder (axe, mace or staff). Buy a Goldrim as soon as you can afford it and roll it into a 4-link. Belt of the Deceiver is also cheap and available at level 20.



Path to VP, only stopping for health clusters you don't have to path to to start taking. Don't take VP until you have Cloaked in Savagery. Start leveling a Dark Pact gem as soon as you can (when you complete A Fixture of Fate) but don't use it until you have VP and Cloaked in Savagery. When you have CiS, take VP and switch to using DP. Put it in a 4L with Spell Echo, Void Manipulation and Controlled Destruction. This is also when you want to switch away from axe/mace/staff to dagger and shield. Divinarius is available at 66 and Lioneye's Remorse at 70. When you can afford a better spell dagger, replace Div.



Use Blasphemy + Warlord's Mark instead of Enfeeble until you can sustain DP's health cost against 2-3 enemies without it. This should be around level 70. After this point, switch to Enfeeble.



As far as the tree after pathing to VP, get any remaining "easy" health nodes. The two Area Damage clusters come next. Then go for Fangs of the Viper and Annihilation, followed by the Blood Drinker cluster (finish it, don't stop at the notable) and the Cruel Preparation cluster. Then go for Method to the Madness, then Atrophy. After that, you can go for Doom Cast, the Instability Cluster and Jewel slots in whatever order you like. After that, the Scion life wheel. Revenge of the Hunted should be second to last, and the very last cluster you get should be Throatseeker.



Skill Gems

Main Skill , 6L Body Armour

Dark Pact - Spell Echo - Void Manipulation - Controlled Destruction - Added Chaos Damage - Faster Casting



Steroids , 4L Head/Hands/Feet

Summon Lightning Golem - [Level 11 Arcane Surge] - Faster Casting - Increased Duration



Debuff Totem , 4L Head/Hands/Feet

Wither - Spell Totem - Faster Casting - Increased Duration



Shield Charge , 3L Head/Hands/Feet

Shield Charge - Faster Attacks - Fortify



Flame Dash , 1S Head/Hands/Feet

Flame Dash



Triggered Support , 3L Shield

Cast when Damage Taken - Blade Vortex - Power Charge on Critical



Enfeeble , 2L Dagger

Blasphemy - Enfeeble



Arctic Armour , 1S Dagger

Arctic Armour



Example Gear

I'm currently testing a new gear setup. Here's what I've got currently equipped.



















Here is my old gear setup.



















Spoiler (BoE)skill=Dark+Pact;item=Belt+of+the+Deceiver;item=Carcass+Jack;item=Lioneye's+Remorse;defense=Life;crit=true;cheap=true;hardcore=true;atziri=true;coc=false(BoE) --------Yes, hi.After extensive reworking and testing, we're back!This is a straight-forward, hardcore-tuned, defense-focused, self-cast Dark Pact build, intended to take down the hardest content in the game quickly and safely. Incidentally, it also clears maps really fast, and as long as you're good at navigating traps, is also viable for Eternal Lab.It's my understanding that the only content in the game this build can't solo are maps with No Life Leech and Hall of Grandmasters. I am personally working on clearing end-game content to prove this to you, but I'm bad at the game, so it's been slow going. This means if I can do it, so can you!Let's get started.To use a link, copy the URL, download Path of Building and start a new build. Then:[Import/Export Build] > [Import from Pastebin...] > Ctrl+V > [Import] > [Import]I'm currently testing a new item setup.My current character:My old character:Rough guide for what to shoot for, featuring unattainable god gear:HydraMinotaurAoS Atzirit15 Beachheadt15 Colosseum Daressot15 Abyss Kaomt15 Core MalachaiPhoenixChimeraBeat ShaperIt has come to my attention that you may be able to proc arcane surge with cwdt. This would allow us to use a spell dagger and Kaom's Roots, but it would prevent us from using flame dash. I will meditate on it, possibly more urgently when I can find and afford a good spell dagger.Evaluate 10+ pages of unidentified raresCollect Mortal FragmentsPain Reaver -> Cloaked in Savagery -> Crave the Slaughter -> Aspect of Carnage- Always (Unless you have Kaom's Roots)- Traps/Sustain- Facetanking- Clear Speed- My choice, gives good crit damage and res, as well as helping with our mana early, and we don't really need the two passive points late.- Still a reasonable choice, if you want to get ahead on the tree.You're going to want to level with Sunder, using the highest DPS weapon you can find/afford as you level that works with Sunder (axe, mace or staff). Buy a Goldrim as soon as you can afford it and roll it into a 4-link. Belt of the Deceiver is also cheap and available at level 20.Path to VP, only stopping for health clusters you don't have to path to to start taking. Don't take VP until you have Cloaked in Savagery. Start leveling a Dark Pact gem as soon as you can (when you complete A Fixture of Fate) but don't use it until you have VP and Cloaked in Savagery. When you have CiS, take VP and switch to using DP. Put it in a 4L with Spell Echo, Void Manipulation and Controlled Destruction. This is also when you want to switch away from axe/mace/staff to dagger and shield. Divinarius is available at 66 and Lioneye's Remorse at 70. When you can afford a better spell dagger, replace Div.Use Blasphemy + Warlord's Mark instead of Enfeeble until you can sustain DP's health cost against 2-3 enemies without it. This should be around level 70. After this point, switch to Enfeeble.As far as the tree after pathing to VP, get any remaining "easy" health nodes. The two Area Damage clusters come next. Then go for Fangs of the Viper and Annihilation, followed by the Blood Drinker cluster (finish it, don't stop at the notable) and the Cruel Preparation cluster. Then go for Method to the Madness, then Atrophy. After that, you can go for Doom Cast, the Instability Cluster and Jewel slots in whatever order you like. After that, the Scion life wheel. Revenge of the Hunted should be second to last, and the very last cluster you get should be Throatseeker., 6L Body Armour, 4L Head/Hands/Feet, 4L Head/Hands/Feet, 3L Head/Hands/Feet, 1S Head/Hands/Feet, 3L Shield, 2L Dagger, 1S DaggerI'm currently testing a new gear setup. Here's what I've got currently equipped.Here is my old gear setup. Last edited by Enblighten on Dec 11, 2017, 5:45:26 AM Last bumped on Nov 14, 2017, 6:36:30 AM