Frankenberry's Tanky Phys Bow Ranger - LVL 100 - Can clear all content

Criticism, questions and comments are welcome. English is my second language so feel free to point out if you find sentences that makes no sense or are unclear :)

This build is one of many variations on physical bow rangers.
This is posted to showcase a strong ranger build that can clear all content (except twin core) so you to can go out there and clear them core maps with a bow character. You will find nothing new or groundbreaking in this thread, but I hope you will be inspired to try out a Harbinger build that focuses more on defensive stats and less on clear speed :)

To learn about Harbinger bow setups in general and leveling refer to this guide
Spoiler
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1041989
or one of the many other bow guides on the Ranger forums.

Core idea of the build:
Spoiler
A simple Harbinger setup, which is more tanky than most other phys bow builds, that is capable of clearing all content. The build can do all map bosses including twin T15 bosses, Vaal temple and Über Atziri (See below). Core Malachai is still deadly though but definitely doable. Also the build can do all map mods except no leech.
On the other hand we sacrifice some damage and some clearing speed. The build is done somewhere around level 93.


Offensive:
62,2K Tornado Shot (without blood rage, flasks, frenzy charges or other buffs).
39,7K Ice Shot (Curse on Hit) (without blood rage, flasks, frenzy charges or other buffs).

Defensive:
6,8K HP
Lightning Coil
High Dodge (Acrobatic nodes + Vaal Grace)
Arrow Dancing
High damage reduction (Lightning Coil, Taste of Hate, Basalt Flask)
Overcapped on Resistances

Bandits:
HP / Passive / Passive
Bandit discussion:
Spoiler
This build prefers passive points in cruel and merciless. This is because it grants us extra life nodes earlier in the process. After lvl 93+ we gain access to another jewel slot and some other nice passives so extra passive points are still superior all the way to level 100 (for more information see below on frenzy charge discussion)


Ascendancy Class:
Spoiler
I chose Deadeye for the +1 chain and Far Shot to make up for the somewhat low damage and I already felt the build was quite tanky so Fortitude was not needed.
Champion with Fortitude and Inspirational or Raider with Avatar of the Veil and Rapid Assault are also solid choices.
Pathfinder is also good with a bit of gem tweaking. Champion of course also requires a bit of passive tweaking which makes us even more starved for points.


Passives lvl 79 (without Acuity):
Spoiler
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAIAAJuNCC7tgxmOAF7Tfn1173r-uu4Ou-P8xaOKxKINjSP2p9Rbr4d2TZKNff7IIXZOKpAK458wfKGkhs5M_yPTSn1_K1FH4dvBM0Mxj2A51JUFjb8GI9rBjX5299nGCIkFtdQjexR07be2MfoylJrxwuwwcQUtdcugn38CXWi0xd2oeu_qYr6npuDKqWKsS3hlTWyMOkK9Np2qR342PYTZ62MB3BEvtUh349RCqW6Eb8Aadf14DW87Fr-18iaVNZJh4ti9VUuMNonTcFI=


Passives lvl 93 (without Acuity):
Spoiler
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAICAABeAdwFLQW1BiMILgiJDY0RLxPaFUMWvxmOIXYj0yP2JP0mlS5TMHEwfDH6MpQ1kjY9N9Q51DpCOuFDMUd-Sn1LeEz_TZJN404qUUdVS1uvXWhh4mKsZU1sjG87cFJ07XXLdf1293fjeA1673sUfXV_An8rhG-E2YbOh3aJ04w2jX2Nfo2_j2CQCpUFmvGbjZ2qoJ-hpKOKplem4KfUqW6xAbTFtUi18re2u-O9Nr6nwBrBM8LsxKLKqc9e02_TftQj1ELWiti92cbawd2o4dvjn-dU6b3qYutj7T_tg-4O73rwu_JF_MX-Cv6P_rr-yP_e


Passives lvl 100:
Spoiler
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAICAABeAdEB3AUtBbUGIwguCIkNjREvE9oVQxa_GY4ajSF2I9Mj9iT9JpUuUzBxMHwx-jKUNZI2PTfUOdQ6QjrhQzFHfkp9S3hM_02STeNOKlFHVUtbJluvXWhh4mKsZU1noGyMbydvO3BSdO11y3X9dvd343gNeu97FH11fwJ_K3_7hG-E2YbOh3aJ04w2jX2Nfo2_j2CVBZpqmvGbjZ2qoJ-hpKOKplem4KfUqW6v67EBtMW1SLXyt7a74702vqfAGsEzwuzEosqpz17Tb9N-1CPUQtaK2L3ZxtrB3ajh2-Of51Tpvepi62PtP-2D7g7vevC78kX8xf4K_o_-uv7I_94=


Passives discussion:
Spoiler

A) Frenzy Charges: Frenzy charges are great but takes up a lot of passives which makes it impossible to efficiently go for the Scion Life Wheel. Also they are hard to keep up in boss fights which is when we actually need the damage, unless we actually use frenzy as our single target attack. This is why the build foregoes investing into frenzy charges and just have 3 from blood rage.


My items:
Spoiler



Item discussion:
Spoiler

Standard Harbinger item setup. However a few things to note.

A) This build is doable without Acuity. Acuity is without a doubt best in slot since it offers fantastic survivability due to instant leech but you can play without it for a long time. I got mine around level 95.
Instead use rare gloves with dual res, attack speed and high life.
Something like this.

This also makes it much easier to make use of Lightning Coil without having heavy resistance on jewels.

B) Remember to overcap yourself on resistances. Go overboard for that tough content. Remember Lightning Resist both generates physical damage reduction and lightning reduction. This is why we utilize resistance on our jewels. Why? Because elemental weakness will be there in a big chunk of your map pool and enemies cast elemental penalty curses on you from time to time.

C) Prioritize damage on specific items. Your main dps items besides the bow is your quiver, amulet and Rat's Nest. Focus on damage stats on these items. Do not be afraid to have defensive rings with lots of resistance and life. You will have to keep at least 1 defensive ring (with a lot of lightning resistance).

D) I got lucky with crafting my bow. You do not need a 464 dps Harbinger to make this your damage work. I cleared T15 maps with a selfcrafted 6L harbinger with 345 dps. It worked just fine.

E) Flask setup - I like 2 x life flasks to make no regen / vulnerability / desecration grounds or a combination of these safer. Quicksilver for clear speed. Taste of Hate + Basalt flask for damage reduction - also the damage boost is nice.

F) 8% movement speed on kill boot enchant is better but I didn't want to farm for it when I had the next best thing.

G) Fury Enchant on gloves is mainly for coolness effect and the extra damage on bosses. However it does make reflect maps much more dangerous since it has a lower crit chance than your TS shot. If you want the extra safety vs. reflect drop this enchant. I prefer war. This is also the case vs. Atziri (see below).


Atziri and Uber Atziri:
Spoiler
Atziri is doable. However there are two problems.
A) +1 chain Deadeye talent vs. reflect is a mess.
B) Fury vs. reflect is also extremely dangerous.
You need to work out a strategy to avoid these problems. I farmed for an enchant that did not pose a reflect threat (War). I also removed the +1 chain and instead utilized the Sharp and Venomous talent and made use of puncture traps for the split phase.
Overall - Atziri is certainly doable but if you want a dedicated Atziri farmer you will need a few tweaks.


Gem Setup:
Spoiler
6L = Tornado Shot - GMP - Faster Attack - PPAD - Increased Critical Strikes - Added Fire Damage
5L + 1 = Ice Shot - GMP - Pierce - Curse on Hit - Assassins Mark + unlinked Hatred
4L = Increased Duration - Cast When Damage Taken - Enfeeble - Blood Rage
4L = Summon Ice Golem - Faster Casting - Vaal Grace - Increased Duration
4L = Blink Arrow - Faster Attack - Faster Projectiles OR Mirror Arrow - Herald of Ash


Gem setup discussion:
Spoiler

A) I find Increased Critical Strikes + Added Fire vastly superior compared to Physical to Lightning + Weapon elemental damage.
Yes PTL + WED gives you a slightly higher tooltip dps. However there are huge drawbacks - especially in endgame top tier maps. You are even more susceptible to elemental equilibrium and high enemy elemental resistances. Physical damage is in most circumstances a better damage source.
Also the ICS gem makes sure our crit chance is even higher which also increased our survivability with Acuity equipped. Also this setup is safer vs. reflect since we split our damage equally between physical and elemental - this is especially important if you do not have acuity yet.

B) TS and AoE + Single Target skill. TS is safe, deals solid damage and is easy to use. Yes Blast Rain is fantastic but it deals elemental damage (see above) and from time to time it becomes annoying to actually hit a boss with it - Especially vs. T15 Daresso or Core Malachai. Also since we only use TS this frees up the 5L for a Curse on Hit setup.

C) Herald of Ash vs. Herald of Thunder / Ice + Curse on Hit setup. I straight up prefer Herald of Ash. Ash works in Curse immune maps and it gives me higher damage vs. bosses, which is when it counts.
Herald of Thunder setups are easy to use, gives us 3 power charges but offers very little when it really counts. Especially in drawn out boss fights. Also we got the curse which we can apply whenever we want to.


Map Mods:
Spoiler
Rule #1. Use your head - know your limits and do not do silly stuff. Minus max resist, +100% lightning damage, +100% cold damage, +boss damage Shrine boss is a bad idea ;)

Temporal Chains - I re-roll this mod since it can turn a situation that shouldn't be dangerous into something a deadly situation. Also xp / hour goes down >.< This is not the fastest bow character out there so re-roll it and thank me later :D (If you get a nice rolled corrupted map with temp. chains do it and be careful not to mess up boss fights / strongboxes).

Phys reflect - Turn all damage into elemental damage. LA + PTL + WED + PPAD + GMP + FA.
Elemental Reflect - Turn all damage into phys damage (TS + ICS + life leech + PPAD + GMP + FA) + Haste / Grace Aura instead of Hatred and turn of Herald of Ash.
Also without Acuity get rid of fury glove enchant. It is deadly, even with a 50% phys - 50% fire damage conversion.

2 of the following 3: No regen - Vulnerability - Desecrated Ground - Do not use Blood Rage in this map.

Blood Magic - Turn off Auras. Think of it as enfeeble.


Video
Spoiler

Palace Map - 5:40 standard map clear
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wddm_8KT8w&feature=youtu.be

Core Malachai - 40% phys reduction, poison on hit, 92% fire dmg - not deathless
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzInDp5elZY&feature=youtu.be

Double Village Ruin Boss - Monster Speed, 4 additional projectiles, Endurance Charges
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBHIU_pmlvA&feature=youtu.be

Vaal Temple Trio - Cold Resist, 97% cold damage, elemental ailment immune
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OvhvPlgZcc&feature=youtu.be

Palace - Phys Reflect
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q84APUDlg8&feature=youtu.be

Waterways - Double Reflect, not viable with fury and even without it seems very dangerous
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyARZMXPn8k&feature=youtu.be



Last edited by Frankenberry on May 8, 2016, 3:39:57 PM
Last bumped on Sep 17, 2016, 12:52:20 PM
Gratz for lvl 100 :)

Maybe I'll turn my archer into something similar if I ever want to level her past current lvl 95 :p. I'll need to change lots of stuff though.
Ranger builds list: /917964
When two witches watch two watches, which witch watches which watch?
If the witches watching watches watch the same watch while you watch which witch watches which watch, they switch watches; then, the watch switching witches watch which watch you watch.
Watching witches watch watches is not for the faint of heart...
"
Gratz for lvl 100 :)

Maybe I'll turn my archer into something similar if I ever want to level her past current lvl 95 :p. I'll need to change lots of stuff though.


TY TY ^.^

Hehe buy dem regret orbs ;P
no need, I haven't used my respec yet. I haven't even ascended :o.
I'm torn to buy Acuity, their price dropped a lot.
Ranger builds list: /917964
When two witches watch two watches, which witch watches which watch?
If the witches watching watches watch the same watch while you watch which witch watches which watch, they switch watches; then, the watch switching witches watch which watch you watch.
Watching witches watch watches is not for the faint of heart...
"
no need, I haven't used my respec yet. I haven't even ascended :o.
I'm torn to buy Acuity, their price dropped a lot.


If you haven't tried it yet I can give the items my warmest recommendations. It feels so good :D
Good one, playing a similiar with Champion in PHC. Its very solid

I always wonder, why people choosing Acuity over VP and are willing to pay like 20 Ex (idk PSC prizes) for it.

I will never understand it :P
Welcome to the greatest of arenas, Duelist. God is watching you.

Last edited by Astarte911 on Apr 17, 2016, 3:04:07 PM
"
Astarte911 wrote:
Good one, playing a similiar with Champion in PHC. Its very solid

I always wonder, why people choosing Acuity over VP and are willing to pay like 20 Ex (idk PSC prizes) for it.

I will never understand it :P


Personal preference I guess. To me Acuity is better than VP for the following reasons:

Acuity saves passive points since the road to VP is not very efficient imho.
Also it gives enough int to save all +30 int nodes and cut down on int on other gear pieces.
Furthermoer you regain your life regen which is very nice when using blood rage in vulnerability / desecration maps :)
My experience with VP is that a lot of situations that shouldn't be dangerous at all suddenly become so because you lost 40% hp from running around for 5-10 seconds without doing any fighting.

Also you do not really miss out on that much damage, since Acuity also have some crit chance on them.

But again - it comes down to personal preference. I never use VP combined blood rage. I simply hate it. It feels terrible imho.
Last edited by Frankenberry on Apr 17, 2016, 4:34:52 PM
"
Astarte911 wrote:
Good one, playing a similiar with Champion in PHC. Its very solid

I always wonder, why people choosing Acuity over VP and are willing to pay like 20 Ex (idk PSC prizes) for it.

I will never understand it :P


It's a bit more defensive oriented than going say facebreaker, maligaro's, shadow and dust or snakebite, but that's what makes it great! Plus, finding jewellery with tons of int and other good stats while maintaining resists is really hard. I found a pair in talisman and used them for my voltaxic, really solid. It's just an overall very solid item piece
I see that you apply manually with ice shot, but i have seen other guides use a CWDT curse set up.
What would you say the bad sides of having a curse setup of DWDT (1)-firestorm (8) (or other aoe spell) - curse on hit (20) - assasins mark (20)? :)
Last edited by nexoe14 on Apr 19, 2016, 3:34:14 PM
Do you want to take a hit from endgame bosses to apply curse on them? I don't.
Automatic curse application is fine for fast mapping in mid level map, but it isn't as good when you want to build something that can play any map and kill nearly any boss. Same goes for frenzy charges as it has been said previously.
Ranger builds list: /917964
When two witches watch two watches, which witch watches which watch?
If the witches watching watches watch the same watch while you watch which witch watches which watch, they switch watches; then, the watch switching witches watch which watch you watch.
Watching witches watch watches is not for the faint of heart...

Report Forum Post

Report Account:

Report Type

Additional Info