[3.3 ISC] - Elemental Hit with Reach of the Council bow || End game build with budget items.

Introduction
After long era of disgrace, elemental hit finally got buffed.
Even after a bit of disappointment in actual release (initial buff was with 188% damage effectiveness, but not implemented), EH is now in very solid state. While there is no consensus made how to optimize the elemental hit build, here I propose my approach.
I, initially, tried to play EH as melee attack using ‘brightbeak’, but end up using bow since using bow is like x10 better to play. Melee should have an adjustment as “20% more area of effect for melee usage” to compete against range builds.

Gameplay Vides
Spoiler

T15 Sunken City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoAM102CIqw&feature=youtu.be


Pros and Cons
Spoiler

Pros
- "Cheap" (Core unique items are extremely cheap) + No 6 Link required
- End game viable.
- All map mode capable (except no leech)
- Tanky 6k+ HP @Lv90 (Using Rare jewels instead of Grand Spectrum Viridian Jewels)
- Great Leech w/ Acrobatic & Phase acrobatic
- Exact same passive tree for melee version (though it’s more suitable for bow attack)
- Great damage scaling based on EH Gem level.
- Very easy to cap resistance.

Cons
- low movement speed (compare to traditional bow builds)
- Not the best single target (compare to 3.2 Barrage builds)
- Not the best map clear (compare to 3.2 tornado shots builds)
- Melee version is not preferred in current speed clearing meta


Passive Tree / PoB link
 Skill Tree: https://tinyurl.com/y9b9la3k
 PoB: https://pastebin.com/E354uDcY
 Bandit: Kill All

For the people want more damage || ~1.2M Shaper DPS (not budget)
Spoiler

 PoB: https://pastebin.com/xaNMLfze
 Bandit: Kill All

AoF version with Chin-sol + Signal Fire + AoF w/Call of the brotherhood.
The damage is x3 better (~1.2M against Shaper Mode) in close range but require more investment.
This requires clearing setup (5L/6L) in Chin-sol and single target setup in Frostferno helmet.

But using only fire is boring in visual - unless you aim to farm shaper/uber-elders the current version will have no problem while being much cheaper.


Build Mechanism
Spoiler

With the “Combat Focus jewel” of no cold damage chosen and with 90% Cold damage converted into Fire damage. Elemental Hit deals alternating Fire and Lightning damage. From the key stone of “Elemental Equilibrium” and “Elemental Overload”, our attack will get massive benefits.
This build is very cheap because our EH gem will be placed in frostferno helmet – requiring only 4 links for the end game.
This build is very tanky due to the combination of large health pool, Vaal pact, Ascendant’s slayer node for leech, and acrobatic/phase acrobatic.
As the elemental hit is an attack doesn’t benefit much from weapon base damage but gets benefit from attack speed, we need a weapon for high attack speed.


Ascendancy Explanation
Spoiler

1) Why Ascendant
- Great leech from Slayer’s node with Vaal Pact.
- reflect free
- easier approach to key-stone “Elemental Equilibrium”, “Elemental Overload”, and “Avatar of Fire”

2) Elementalist / Slayer
- pros
Reflect free
Shock has minimum 10% damage increment.
Elemental damage penetration
- cons
Less damage out-put compared to dead-eye

3) Other Combination – Elementalist / Dead Eye
- Pros
Better damaging (One additional projectile, free pierce so that we can drop pierce support, and far-shot like option).
- cons
Not reflect free
No benefit from elementalist shock effect -> might be better to go ‘Avatar of Fire’ with ‘Call of the brother hood’


Core unique items
Spoiler

1) Frostferno/Pyre

Frostferno provides +4 level to Elemental Hit Gem with Lv30 Cold to Fire.
Just like Explosive arrow, elemental hit is the attack gets massive benefits from gem level & +4 level from Frostferno is extremely effective.
As we convert our 90% cold damage to Fire damage (50% from Cold to Fire from Frostferno + 40% from Pyre), Fire attack has great base damage.

2) Combat Focus – Cannot deal cold damage
You need this to prevent dealing cold damage. Otherwise, dealing cold attack (10% left after conversion) will lower the overall damage output.

3) Reach of Council

By the time of its initial release in Prophecy leagues, it was once considered as the best bow.
After big nerf of base damage and additional projectile, this bow left the scene for a while – making it very cheap compare to other bows.
For this build, Reach of Council was chosen since it has a relatively good attack speed among unique-bows providing additional arrows.
(Reach of the council – 1.51 APS || Death Bow – 1.32 APS || Arborix – 1.25)

* Why not Tempest?
Q: EH gets benefit from attack speed, then why don’t you use tempest bow of 1.95APS?
A: Tempest is a solid choice but requires GMP/LMP/Volley support gem which will lower your damage. With Reach of council, we can use faster attack support & ends up dealing more damage then using tempest bow.

**Compare to Chin-sol (Swapping)
Chin-sol will absolutely deal more damage in close range – so use it for boss if you are comfortable swapping weapons.


Gem Setup
Spoiler

- (Helmet) Elemental Hit – Elemental attack damage – Pierce – Faster attack
- Blink Arrow
- Haste
- Summon Ice Golem – Cast when damage taken.
- Summon Fire Golem
- Immortal Call – Cast when damage taken.
- Herald of Thunder – Curse on hit – Elemental Weakness


Item Choices
Spoiler

0) Core Uniques (Read above Core unique Item Sections)
Reach of the Council
Frostferno
Pyre
Combat Focus

1) Quiver **
Lv80+ Shaper Quiver for +1 arrow.
Accuracy/Life/Attack speed are great options

2) Glove
Tombfist
Rare gloves w/ elemental weakness on hit corruption

3) Boots (rare)
Movement speed (+25%)/Life/Resistance

4) Belt (rare)
Life/Resistance/Elemental attack damage

5) Jewels
a) Using Rare Jewels (More Health)
Maximum Life / Attack Speeds / Attack Speeds with Bows / Projectile Damage
, Or
b) Using Grand Spectrum Viridian Jewels (More Damage)
** Using 3x 6% Maximum jewel will have +200~+400 HP different


My Current Gears
Spoiler





Leveling Tips
1) Don’t use EH on leveling – I tried and it was not pleasant. Use your favorite skills for leveling up. Using EH is good after gem level over 16.
2) Ascendancy points.
Go Slayer 1st then Elementalist

If you want to play as melee
- Use ‘Brightbeak’ or rare weapon with high attack speed
- Gem link: EH – WED – Multistrike – Ancestral call




Last edited by krinsk2011 on Jun 13, 2018, 11:47:19 AM
Last bumped on Aug 28, 2018, 9:36:48 PM
Hi
sorry if i make mistake but english is not my native language.

Why do you convert cold to fire with EH Cannot choose cold ?
Your attack can't choose cold so it cannot do any cold damage due to the new EH mechanism

Why not a quillrain ? You'll need a support gem like LMP/GMP/Volley for clean but you get a base bow at 3att/sec (phys dmg means nothing with EH)

thx for your reply

.
Last edited by krinsk2011 on Jun 8, 2018, 7:41:57 PM
"
Wismerill wrote:

Why do you convert cold to fire with EH Cannot choose cold ?
Your attack can't choose cold so it cannot do any cold damage due to the new EH mechanism


1) The way elemental hit choose its final damage is after base damage converted.
So if we have 90% converted damage into fire damage, it means EH can either deal
a. 100% Lightning damage
b. 10% Cold damage
c. 90% Cold-to-fire converted damage + 100% Fire damage.
, then it does choose only one elemental damage (with damage increase and multiplication).

Since we do 90% conversion, it's waste to deal cold damage since it only use 10% base cold damage; therefore, it's logical to block cold damage choice.

"
Wismerill wrote:

Why not a quillrain ? You'll need a support gem like LMP/GMP/Volley for clean but you get a base bow at 3att/sec (phys dmg means nothing with EH)


2) Quill-rain has it's unique explicit of "40% Less attack damage" which means it reduce elemental hit hit damage 40%. Also it doesn't provide any additional arrows - meaning further less damage from volley/lmp/gmp supports.

Hope these things makes sense to you.
Hey man, you use pierce for the more dmg modifier? Can there not be better gem? The explosions clearing well with 0 pierce

Also what about Lioneye's glare, good BAS, hit chance, far shot, but need projectiles tho
Last edited by Phantomik on Jun 9, 2018, 12:29:41 AM
"
Phantomik wrote:
Hey man, you use pierce for the more dmg modifier? Can there not be better gem? The explosions clearing well with 0 pierce

Also what about Lioneye's glare, good BAS, hit chance, far shot, but need projectiles tho


1) It's okay to clear without pierce support, but clearing is way better with pierce gem. If you don't like, you can use slower projectile support.

2) Glare is a great bow. Just as you say it needs extra projectiles. It becomes much better once you use Avatar of Fire since it converts 50% of Glare's physical damage into fire damage.
Thx for the explanation about the conversion and the mechanics.
Due to this mechanics it will be good to play Avatar of fire (or some other sort of conversion) and block Light as well.
You'll EE but can find other penetration maybe
I was trying to put something with White wind and make EH choose Cold evertime but my reflexion was not good with the conversion system :)
"
krinsk2011 wrote:

2) Glare is a great bow. Just as you say it needs extra projectiles. It becomes much better once you use Avatar of Fire since it converts 50% of Glare's physical damage into fire damage.


What about signal fire with glare (convert+extra phys to fire) and if +arrow corrupt, can go lmp for a little more dmg, but 5 projectiles feels real good man, I can't help it despite it being 1 projectile difference compared to 4 arrow when tried reach of council, which was better at ST dmg on the other hand
"
Phantomik wrote:
"
krinsk2011 wrote:

2) Glare is a great bow. Just as you say it needs extra projectiles. It becomes much better once you use Avatar of Fire since it converts 50% of Glare's physical damage into fire damage.


What about signal fire with glare (convert+extra phys to fire) and if +arrow corrupt, can go lmp for a little more dmg, but 5 projectiles feels real good man, I can't help it despite it being 1 projectile difference compared to 4 arrow when tried reach of council, which was better at ST dmg on the other hand


Glare + Signal fire + AoF is great combo as you say.
This guide is written to give insights how to build elemental hit - rather than a single best optimized answer. So you can make variants from my build. As AOF is only 4 points from current tree it's really easy to change this build as what you've been saying.
All I wish is you having fun!

Cheers.

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