Yoona's Marauder Tank EK 11.5 [ONS] for Newbies

Disclaimer: First guide. Always open to constructive criticism and suggestions!
Screen shots of stats will go up when I'm home.

So, I am currently bored out of my mind in a political science class so I decided to write up my Onslaught Ethereal Knives, Life Based Marauder Tank. Unlike many other builds out there, my build is not flashy, it definitely does not produce an incredible amount of DPS, and it won't be the most OP late game Crem Boss facetanker. However my build is pretty cheap to run, simply to master, and an overall great newbie friendly starter.

Pros/Cons

Pros:
EK scales purely with levels and supports so 0 DPS nodes requried.
5.5k Life, Max Res, 18k armor makes this an extremely survivable build.
Runs fine on a 4L and extremely well on a 5L.
Gear requirements are minimal.
Can solo anything and run literally every map mod.
Can hold your own in endgame parties.
DOES NOT DIE TO REFLECT (unless you're playing cross-faded with a hand tied behind your back.

Cons:
With probably some of the best gear I can find, DPS is maxed out at roughly 5k.
Against Crem boss / Shrine Piety (Spellcasters) switching to Saffell's might not be enough with some mods.
Mods such as Enfeeble/Phys Res/Cold Res/Fire Res makes clear speed significantly slower
Unlike an Soul Taker Aegis Aurora build, definitely has more rip moments with mod combinations of Vulnerbility, Half Regen, x% damage as Ele, Minus Max.


Gameplay

The brunt of the gameplay involves holding down the EK key, casting Projectile Weakness (if solo), keeping up Enduring Cry, timing Immortal Calls, and the occasional moving leap slam. In terms of fun, this build probably requires more micro/focus than Totem based builds, Summoners, or Cleavers but less than Support Dual/Tri curse Arc/Shock Nova/Cold Snap Conduit supports. Basically because you're in the front lines, you always have to pay attention contrary to popular belief.


Skill Tree


Explanation of Node Choices

No DPS Nodes?
Like I mentioned at the start of the guide, EK is a spell that scales extremely well by itself and with the right support gems. That being said, you can then build EK very similar to IB Facebreaker where you run around grabbing as many defensive nodes as possible.
Inner Force, I thought it sucks now.
This one is a toss up for most people. In my opinion, running Grace, Determination, Haste, Hatred and Purity makes running Inner Force worth it.
No Unwavering Stance
With 5.5k life, you have simply no need for this node. With the way stun works (based on damage dealt vs max life) and the stun duration (max life), you simply won't have the need for this node as you won't be stunned for long if ever. Stun chains don't even hurt you.
Iron Reflexes
Simply an amazing node. With the ability to run Grace off of Life (unnoticeable), you gain a free 2k armor (Inner Force). What's not to like? :D


Links

6L: EK, Faster Projectiles, Iron Will, Added Fire, Blood Magic, Life Leech (Many people suggest Faster Casting but it casting faster decreases survivability
5L: EK, FP, IW, BM, LL (AF if either BM/LL not needed.)
4L: EK, FP, IW, LL (Life Leech if you can out mana regen the cost, BM if you can out regen the cost, AF if neither are needed.)

4L: Reduced Mana, Blood Magic, Grace, Enduring Cry
4L: Projectile Weakness, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Blood Magic
3L: Reduced Mana, Hatred, Haste
3L: Reduced Mana, Purity, Determination
4L: Leap Slam, Faster Attacks, Blood Magic (This is the most optional Slot. I use it for a movement skill.)


Leveling

Personally, I leveled as with EK from the get go to level my gem as quickly as possible as EK damage scales the most from Gem Level; however, if you want to hit the endgame faster, I recommend seeking one of the many Facebreaker leveling guides and doing that.


Gear Specifics

Weapon: You'll want a sceptre (low int req) over a wand. Stats in order of importance are Spell Damage, Projectile Speed, Cast Speed.
Shield: Ideally you'll want to grab a Lioneye's Remorse and Saffell's Frame. Lioneye's Remorse provides an incredible amount of armor for a cheap price while Saffel's is perfect for switching into on your offhand for spell damage bosses. (Piety, Crem Boss, Merveil daughters)
Helm, Gloves, Chest: Between these pieces you'll want to try get a good balance between life/armor/resistance. Life + Res gear is cheaper while tacking on armor mods gets much more expensive. I aimed for 70-80+ Life with at least one 35+ Res.
Boots: With the amount of Movement Speed reduction you'll have through your chest piece and Lioneye's Remorse, you'll want Movement Speed. Life should also be 60-70+ while Armor/Res are secondary.
Belt: Ideally a Rustic Sash is better than a Leather Belt because of the huge DPS boost. Life roll is great. Aim for Chaos here if you have good res from everything else.
Rings:Life, again is the main target. Cast Speed is nice here for the DPS boost but focus on res first.
Amulet: Life, as always. If your resistances are maxed/overcapped, aim for both Spell Damage and Cast speed, otherwise focus on the former over the latter.


Bandits

Normal: Oak (because life is life is life is life.)
Cruel: Oak (The physical damage applies nicely to EK.)
Merciless: Oak (The extra endurance charge helps against large hits like Kole, Vaal and small hits like Snipers.


My Gear for Reference




Afterthoughts

Ultimately, I would say this is a great cheaper build for new players to hit endgame maps without dying. Personally, I plan on eventually re-specing into a Aegis Aurora based build to become a true tank but that build is much more expensive. If you have stacks of exalts, I would recommend skipping this build, but if you are new, this is the build for you.


Reference

No videos yet but I can tell you I've facetanked double Kole extra damage on Colonnade, Overlords + Onslaught Kole, Maze Vaal with extra damage (I had Immortal Call up to be fair.), Vuln + Overlords Kole, GMP + Overlord's Temple Piety.


If you ever have any questions; feel free to contact me ingame ign: YoonaNoona, visit me on the reddit global channel /global 5055, or post here/pm me.

Bloodlines: yoona
Standard: PrincessYoona
Vouch Thread: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/495186
Last edited by 김태연 on Sep 24, 2013, 5:53:57 PM
I've always wanted to ask you what your build was, now I get to see it without even asking!

Overall great guide, detailed and fleshed-out. My only problem is that it has no 'eye-candy', which although it's a small problem, it does make the guide less interesting and boring for some.

You should add in some pics of your character - in town, with auras and an action shot. That will polish up your guide pretty nicely.
After the new EK nerf its nothing but a tank for a group, they nerfed the dps into the ground and its just dumpster now.
"
After the new EK nerf its nothing but a tank for a group, they nerfed the dps into the ground and its just dumpster now.


Wrong. EK did got hit, but it's damage is still sufficient, even for mapping. Yes, it's not faceroll it used to be, yes - you won't clear as fast as some other builds out there, but it's great soloing build for beginners. It's damage might suffer in large groups, but having a true tank is not a bad thing. So, don't badmouth the build solely on the amount of damage it does compared to cookie-cutter builds...
"
After the new EK nerf its nothing but a tank for a group, they nerfed the dps into the ground and its just dumpster now.


I don't disagree with you but it's still respectable in DPS output. I manage 5k which keeps me contributing in endgame groups so that's fine. Maybe it is dumpster for wealthy people but I think it's a nice start for someone new to the game.
Bloodlines: yoona
Standard: PrincessYoona
Vouch Thread: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/495186
so its basically etups build. veteran eker here, and this is in my opinion the strongest ek build. that being said, the damage is abysmal. spend 10 exalts on any CI char and youll do way more than an 80 exalt ek marauder
ign: hoya on hardcore
hoya is really shit at mapping
This guy is known as a troll in onslaught glob 1 chat i wouldnt be surprised if he copy pasted etups build and act like its his
"
ghdtmdvy35 wrote:
This guy is known as a troll in onslaught glob 1 chat i wouldnt be surprised if he copy pasted etups build and act like its his


I'm a troll? Sorry you feel that way but I never go into Onslaught global 1.
Bloodlines: yoona
Standard: PrincessYoona
Vouch Thread: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/495186
Ppl who were in glob 1 know u ;) you stopped coming and bsing when u hit lvl 70 ;) u also bragged how u could lvl 70 in two days and got kicked out from docks pub groups sry troll we all kno u. U and xiandrii and barracla glob1 poison
How do you feel this build will hold up in 1.0.0? Are you going to revise it?

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