Tips for running endgame (74+) maps with 2H Melee?

Hello, I am trying to figure out how to optimize a 2h melee mara build for endgame (74+) maps. I don't see very many people running this, so I'm not sure if anyone has it working very well. If you have this working, would you please help with some input? I dont have a lot of currency and I would rather not explore too many dead ends with my new build.

What skill set are you using? Groundslam, Infernal Splash, etc.
Are you running it off of mana, BM gem or BM passive?
What auras are you running?
Life/armor/chaos resist?
Are you using Unwavering Stance?
Curses?
Are there any key uniques to the build?

I am working on a Cold Crit Kongor build:

Skilltree:


Gear (some of this is being used by another character, so the gems are funny):


I have a 5L Kongor's that I have linked GlacialHammer-MeleeSplash-MeleePhys-Multistrike-BM. I Leap Slam into packs and splash chill/freeze them until they cull from the Glacial Hammer. I feel like the damage output from this is good and it is also pretty safe with the chills and the consecrated ground from a Gifts From Above. I am running Grace on life and setting up Hatred/Determination/Purity and probably Haste on mana using an Alpha's Howl (haven't tested out using the Alpha's yet). I have about 3.5k life and 9k armor. I am planning on speccing out of US after getting a little more armor and using the hopefully upcoming free respec. I'm not very happy with the rest of my gear, I have no chaos resist or life leech. I run Blood Magic/End Cry for my utility skills and have LS linked with Faster Attacks and End Charge On Stun. I feel like I'm not 74+ map viable with my current setup, but I don't have leveled or quality gems in a lot of places. I think if I could add some chaos resist and armor, I could spec out of US and put those points to better use somewhere else.

Pluses to this build: Good clear speed, very fun to play. Multistrike keeps you pretty safe from desync. Infernal splash often lags me when blowing up too many enemies and is also vulnerable to reflect. Glacial splash seems to even out damage output, so it is safer from reflect and it is also not laggy on the shatters. I feel like Glacial Splash is much safer than Infernal Splash as well, since mobs being chilled/frozen reduces the damage you're taking drastically and you're not getting the regular huge fire explosions.

Minuses: Hard to stack MF. And since I cull frozen mobs at 33% health, I think I also make it hard for an MF culler to get the kills. Best option is to weapon swap to a Reaper's Pursuit for boss kills. At my current damage output I am not freezing bosses well, I'm not sure how much more damage I would need to be able to do that. Using BM gems for all skills makes you very short on sockets, I can't use all the utility skills I would like to use. I also don't have room for a designated single target attack without a 6L somewhere.

I'm not sure if the lack of replies means I'm on the right track with my build, or if no one has a good 2H melee build for high level maps.

I asked for advice on endgame 2H builds and only got one reply, so I'm thinking this must be rare. There's a guide for 2H axe up to Act 3 Cruel, but it seems like you're already at or past that level. This is the build I'm trying out, mostly for fun/thematic reasons, but I really have no idea if it will make it even through Cruel... it's all theory. I'm thinking about going for Iron Reflexes (to run Grace) instead of this or that, but I was trying to maximize HP and damage at the cost of armor.

Truthfully, I haven't done endgame maps with any 2h melee that I can recall. Not sure what that speaks to, though I haven't been paying attention past "oh, he's melee."

This is what I do have: a glacial hammer staff build, currently somewhere around level 66, cleared merciless at level 60 and now working on optimising it before 1.0 hits and I end up de-specced from everything. Yes, I have cleared blue 66 maps. No, I don't have a 5L Marohi or Kongor to try it out with a mace, and I'm aware that using a staff is cheating.

Try search for ifartthunder aka eightkilo's 2h lightning strike build, hes running the same build as me, except that im duelist, we have been doing all the endgame there is in this game in hc.

I made 81 lvl 2h Marauder, my first one. I tried any skill possible during process, and found out that shield is essential for Merciless and maps. So if you really want to play 2h, you need to make a virtual shield which will prevent monsters to kill you immediately.

Literally spoken, Domination blow + Melee splash + Multistrike. As a support, Temporal chains totem for some nasty bosses.

Works well with IIR/IIQ. Requires only a good weapon, not necessary overpriced Marohi.
Reflect? Let your 30 sheeps kill it.

I'm leveling a marauder atm, my first solid character in PoE - pretty new to the game but i'm fairly well read.

Melee tapers of pretty sharply in effectiveness late game compared to ranged classes. The dominant melee builds are mostly blenders who abuse AIS and attack mechanics to hit 30-50k dps, with some of the insane shadow crit daggers going past the 100 to 150k mark
We often end up with less damage, less survivability, and less utility.

That said, the only decent 2h marauder builds i've seen so far are;
All RT, and generally either ground or leap slam, glacial or infernal splash, and the ocational sweeper or lightning striker.

As a 2h-er I feel very gimped compared to most blenders though :|
Whats your DPS like at the moment, unbuffed, with glacial+splash links?

"

Evantis wrote:

I made 81 lvl 2h Marauder, my first one. I tried any skill possible during process, and found out that shield is essential for Merciless and maps. So if you really want to play 2h, you need to make a virtual shield which will prevent monsters to kill you immediately.

Literally spoken, Domination blow + Melee splash + Multistrike. As a support, Temporal chains totem for some nasty bosses.

Works well with IIR/IIQ. Requires only a good weapon, not necessary overpriced Marohi.
Reflect? Let your 30 sheeps kill it.

Would this build rely on the dominated monsters to do damage as well? I wanted to go 2H axe marauder to do a lot of damage with my axe; I don't mind using Dominating Blow to get some thralls to be meat shields, but I don't want to hang back and let them do all the work either -- I wanna be in there, swinging my axe!

"

Hailstryder wrote:

The dominant melee builds are mostly blenders who abuse AIS and attack mechanics to hit 30-50k dps, with some of the insane shadow crit daggers going past the 100 to 150k mark

I'm pretty sure melee builds, especially 2H ones, are kinda gimped at the highest levels, at least in DPS terms -- 1H + shield builds make great tanks, I hear.

But in any case: ...what's "AIS"? It's probably very obvious, but I can't think of what it might be referring to at the moment. Also -- what do you mean by "blenders"? Makes me feel like a total noob, heh.

"

Hailstryder wrote:

That said, the only decent 2h marauder builds i've seen so far are;
All RT, and generally either ground or leap slam, glacial or infernal splash, and the ocational sweeper or lightning striker.

I'm doing well in Cruel, at least, with RT, Leap Slam, and Sweep; I dislike Ground Slam and find it hard to use, though. I've never tried or thought of trying Lightning Strike.

I'm fairly pleased with my build so far: workable but not competitive, 'salright with me. One thing I'm not sure about is whether it's worth the passives to go get IR and then run Grace... I'll need a lot more dex than I'll have to level that gem up all the way, too. Same with Haste. I wonder if I can just stick with Determination and be alright. Anger doesn't seem worth it.

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/387916

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Would this build rely on the dominated monsters to do damage as well? I wanted to go 2H axe marauder to do a lot of damage with my axe; I don't mind using Dominating Blow to get some thralls to be meat shields, but I don't want to hang back and let them do all the work either -- I wanna be in there, swinging my axe!

No, you will still be needed to kill mobs, as the converted ones die in about 30 seconds after dominating. So you will be main killing power, they will just help (with Multistrike and Melee splash, which they get also, they do it quite well).