What is easiest/best first character hardcore solo build?

I've just started hardcore and tried to mess around with my own build with marauder, but I dove in and died around level 20. I'm looking to make a first character that is the easiest and best hardcore build. Something with good survivability and easy to solo through the game. I've looked everywhere on forums and couldn't find anything. Could anybody tell me a good build to use so I can get through the game relatively easy. I would like to make a hardcore character first so I can farm material to trade for future character. What are suggestions?

the easyest and least gear dependent would be the ele-cleave Templar imo
http://www.exilepro.com/builds/templar/517-templar-elemental-cleave-dual-wield-offensive-tank

the only thing you'll need to buy later on is a Lifeleech gem

It IS a melee Build so you'll run into problems later in the game, but it should work fine without much gear until and including Docks merciless, getting to Ledge or Felshrine merciless should be a walk in the park.
When you are there you can basicly find anything for any other Build to level with easyer.


But the thing that'll kill you in HC won't be an easy or hard build to level with, it's resists.
Always look that you have good resists against the mobs you are facing (cold for mervail, lightning in Chambers of Sins, Battlefront, Barracks, Ledge and every Piety fight, fire in Docks)

My first char was a sword&board mara . Died at around 43 . Second one was still a mara , but this time i went for LA (lightning arrow) so i can get a little bit of range on things . Level 75 at the moment , all solo no parties . Can't really commentate on the build since a lot has changed regarding the life / damage nodes in one of the recent patches and i haven't adjusted my skill tree still.
Also can't tell you if it's really viable for high level maps , i can solo 66-68 maps that don't have brutal prefixes , but haven't tried higher level maps yet :)

Hmm I just went elemental cleave. Actually died really fast to a boss that froze me and I got jumped. seems like not a very high survivability for a melee. can anybody comment on the templar elemental cleave in terms of survivability?

the elemental cleave suggest has been a lot of fun. Is there any other suggestions? I might make another character to play with a friend but solo most of the time also.

any other suggestions? i've tried ground slam marauder, but not a huge fan.

could also somebody explain to me why i feel like freezing pulse does absolutely no damage after playing cleave or ground slam?

Elemental cleave abuses a damage boost, since u are hitting with 2 weapons at the same time, and every bonus elemental damage u have gets aplied to the 2 weapons all of ure elemental damage is multiplied by 2.

Take a wrath aura for instance, and u wil see when u click ure cleave, both weapons get the wrath bonus.

For leveling with freezing pulse u should get a firetrap + freezepulls, just get a whole lot of mobs, throw a firetrap and pullse them to dead.

well , i died at 57 lvl, act1 merciless due to desync in beyond league.. i would really suggest you 2 builds for harcore/beyond that i used so far.. the first one is templar, with which you should start. I played a templar for the first time, and man i farmed too much currency, so even when he died i had enough drops/currency to buy some items i needed for my duelist.. For the templar, i capped resists asap(can get some nodes in the tree, right at start) and used flamesurge(i bought a spell echo, by no means is it neccessary) for fast bursting low hp targets, and mainly flameblast. flameblast is the biggest damage nuke in the game imo. only ran clarity aura and used zombies+skeletons(+vaal skeletons that i dropped) mainly to aggro and gather the packs of monsters and blew them with flameblast. pick up life nodes, elemental damage/fire damage/ignite chance and with only a little caution you will survive for very long.. !!KEEP IN MIND: pick up a quartz scepter (+20% elemental dmg) and vendor it with a rare chain belt and a blacksmith whetstone, resulting in a magic quartz scepter with + 20% ele ++++ spell dmg, for maximum burst potencial (or drop one as i did :P).. Support gems you will need are faster casting, concentrated effect, spell echo and you can use the added fire early on.. Pretty safe build, cheap and very dps capable.

The second and my favorite build that died due to my mistake was a duelist, cleave+ melee physical+life on hit/multistrike(when you get it) +increased aoe/concentrated effect(on bosses).. max dual wield block+ some expensive uniques (woe+bor+stone of lawzhar+rainbowstride).. when you get bor you put the cleave on it with damage of full life instead of melee physical. you will not need the life on hit by that time as well if you have some life leech from passives and equipment... GOOD LUCK!

Elemental Buzzsaw builds require good rares that could cost more if you want to improve them, and a passive tree that limits how survivable you are. Oh and don't forget they're more prone to reflect as opposed to these two builds:

Go incinerator. Use Cybil's Paw, Crest of Perandus/Rathpith Globe (once you want to upgrade), and have fun getting more than 10k DPS on only a 4L setup.

Go RF. Again, only 4L and cheap. Survivability is damage, and damage is survivability. Only required item is Rise of the Phoenix. You can easily level with Incinerate.

for me, stunlock with 2H mace