[2.4]Moonblade - Bladefall Totems Inquisitor

Moonblade

Inspired by Pohx' Blade Vortex Inquisitor I did a Bladefall Totem Inquisitor. I always liked the Totem playstyle and this one is quiet enjoyable.

By using Moonbender's Wing and Physical to Lightning all physical damage is converted to elemental damage which on crit is unmitigated. This shatters almost any mob.

Warning :
I got feedback that the build is too squichy. The strain on life by using Rat's Nest as well as Maligaro's Virtuosity is too big so that only an effective life pool of a bit over 5k HP is possible when using both uniques.

Videos :
Atziri [at level 85, deathless, including casual Haast kill, thanks to Brightchan !]
Deathless Atziri

Gorge [Beyond, Monstrous treasures] ( at level 81 )
https://youtu.be/7CT5SvZg9Zs
I just wanted to record a quick video to show the build in action but on a beyond map the monstrous treasures prophecy triggered so it should show how capable / safe the build is ( Bameth spawned a few times and to round it all up at the end the boss is revived with onslaught by the last strongbox as well which caught me off guard a bit ^^ )

Current stats ( at level 82, lots of room to grow ):
- 15.4k Unbuffed DPS per totem
( 18k DPS when using whirling blades + possible further buffs Vaal Haste, Taste of Hate, etc )
- 4.6k HP
- 61.74 crit chance
( roughly 69% after picking up Shaman's Dominion on the tree )
( roughly 80% with crit boot enchant )

Weaknesses
- Less / no regen
- Blood Magic
- Elemental Reflect - we wont die but the totems will kill themselves rather fast
- Physical damage - as a totem build most of it can be dodged easily. But I will explore any option to see whats the best way to deal with it

Current gear :






Current tree :
http://poeurl.com/ICW

Final Tree :
http://poeurl.com/IDo

Bandits :
Normal - Oak
Cruel - Passive point = kill all
Merciless - Passive Point ) kill all

Playstyle
Keep using whirling blades every few seconds since it keeps up the Instruments of Virtue Buff which adds a considerable amount of damage. Furthermore it provides Fortify when needed.

Note : Added Cold in the Bladefall setup is only used because I didnt get more off colors on Kintsugi. Ideally one would instead use Concentrated Effect for maximized damage or Empower lvl 3+ for maximum damage without drawbacks ( or Less duration until one gets an Empower level 3 ). Kintsugi is not even the best in slot chest piece - I only happen to have a 6L one. Best in slot probably is Carcass Jack for maximized damage / AoE ( even though Kintsugi has the benefit of trap damage reduction in labyrinth ).

Note : The exact same build can be played as Shockwave totem with the exact same power, just different playstyle. Ethereal knives totems can be done with just minimal changes ( move AoE to Projectile Speed / damage ). All three variants offer reliable shattering and feature completely different playstyles / positioning. However Bladefall totems have proven to be strongest and safest ( due to their ability to target enemies while covering an area as well ).

2.4 Levelling tracker
( not my first build so I had a Tabula, bought 2 Axioms and had some mediocre gear )

Level 10 ( Basics ) :
- Axiom Perpetuum will carry the build till Moonbender / Divinarius
- Levelling Spell Totem
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUAAQSzCaqLjKIAwGbAmtn84XP53Q==



Level 20 ( Rushing Ancestral Bond ) :
- Active Buffs / Auras : Herald Of Ice, Clarity
- Levelling Physical to Lightning
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUAAQSzCaoWbxpsJKo26VjlZp6Cm4uMmjuiAMBmwJrVptn84XPjauQi7Tz53frS


Level 30 ( Templar AoE & skill towards Witch Area ) :
- Use Dual Flame Totem and switch to Bladefall [Shockwave] totem ASAP
- With a Tabula levelling now is fast and easy
- AoE is big enough to use Concentrated effect
- Dexterity is a bit tight - try to craft it on gear
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUAAQSzCaoRLRZvGmwkqjLRNuk8BUVHRZ1TUljlWitmnnyDgpuLjJo7muCf36IAo_LAZsCawxPVptn842rkIuvu7TzvfPnd-tI=


Level 40 ( Crit, Life & Resists, Mana in Witch area )
- Lightning Golem with Culling Strike for slightly faster boss kills
- Stone Golem for Labyrinth
- Deathless normal lab at lvl 39 before Malachai ( 1.45k life, 1.2k dps ), https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUAAQQHBLMFQgmqES0WbxpsJKosnDLRNuk8BUGWRUdFnUyzU1JVxljlWitfKmaefIOCm4Pbi4yaO5rgn9-iAKPyrrPAZsCawxPQ9dWm2fzjauQi6-Tr7u0873z53frS



Level 50 ( AoE, Life & Mana - skilling towards Shadow area )
- 2k hp / 2.3k dps
- temporarily respecced a few nodes to reach Alacrity (dex) faster - gear dependant, Maligaro's Virtuosity would be useful at that point
- Time to replace the mana flask with a defensive flask ( earlier if not on a 6 link ) - ideally Taste of Hate, a Granite / Basalt flask for humans
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUBAQKWBAcEswVCCPQJqg5IES0RlhZvGmwi9CSqLJwy0TbpPAU9X0GWRUdFnUyzUlNTUlXGWOVaK18qZp5qQ2wLbRl8g35Zf8aCm4Pbi4yTJ5eVl_SaO5rgn9-iAKPyrrPAVMBmwJrDE9D10nzVptn842rkIuvk6-7tPO98-d360g==



Level 60 ( Crit, Life and Physical damage in Shadow area )
- 2.5k hp, 6k dps
- The lack of armour proved to be a weakness, especially with a Tabula
( Used two Phys flasks against Malachai, heavy usage of TPs whenever the phys mitigation flasks ran out for a deathless kill )
- Clear speed is great
- Since damage and clear speed is pretty high while life and armour are weak right now ( appropriatly for fast levelling threw the easy acts 1-3 ) cruel Ascension is scheduled to be done in act 4 or 5.
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUBAQKWBAcEswVCCPQJqg5IES0RLxGWFm8WvxpsIvQkqiaVKgssnDLRNj026TwFPV9BlkVHRZ1Ms1JTU1JVS1XGWOVaK13yXyph4maeakNsC20ZcFJ1_XyDfll_xoKbg9uEb4nTi4yMNpMnl5WX9Jo7muCdqp_fogCj8q6ztUjAVMBmwJrDE9D10nzUQtWm2fzjauQi62Pr5Ovu7TzvfPnd-tI=



Level 70 ( Life and crit )
- 3.6k hp, 7.6k dps with a 5L Carcass for now
- Smooth cruel Ascension ( Inevitable Judgement ) at level 63, right after killing Piety at 3k hp, 6.8k dps )
- Time to grind maps to get jewelry, boots and currency to get resist capped and enough life to be able to safely equip Maligro's and Rat's Nest
- Doing T5+ with the level 10 maces fast and easy

https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUBAQKWBAcEswVCBx4I9AmqDkgRLREvEZYWbxa_GmwfAiL0JKomlScvKgssnDLRNj026TrYPAU9X0GWRUdFnUlRTLNSU1NSVUtVxljlWitd8l8qYeJknWaeakNsC2yMbRlwUnX9fIN-WX_GgpuD24RvidOLjIw2j_qQVZJukyeVLpeVl_SaO5rgnaqf36IAo_Kus7VIvFbAVMBmwJrDE9D10nzUQtWm2fzjauQi62Pr5Ovu6_XsOO0873zw1fId-d360g==



Level 80 ( more Crit )
- 4k HP, 14.9k DPS

https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAABAUBAQKWBAcEswVCBx4I9AmqDkgRLREvEZYWbxa_GmwdFB8CIvQkqiaVJy8qCyycMtE2PTbFNuk62DwFPV9BlkShRUdFnUlRTLNOrlJTU1JVS1XGWOVaK13yXyph4mSdZp5qQ2wLbIxtGXBSdf18g35Zf8aCm4Pbg_OEb4nTi4yMNo5kj_qQVZJukyeVLpeVl_SaO5rgnaqf36IAo_KuEq6zsTa1SLb6vFbAVMBmwJrDE9D10nzUQtWm2fzjauQi62Pr5Ovu6_XsOO0873zw1fId96b53frS



Edit : After having pumped hundreds ( maybe thousands ) of fusings into a Carcass Jack unsuccessfuly and the league on its own being extraordinarily boring ( lots of useless essences in my stash ) and having achieved my goal (36/40 challenges - rendering my Atlas useless since I was forced to unlock all crap maps negating the only benefit Atlas would have had: not having all those shit maps drop anymore) I do not feel like pushing the build anymore this league. I am sure it would be able to achieve a lot but the game is too boring to grind to that point. Maybe next league. I recommend any other build. Well lesson learned - crafting in PoE is pointless - make money, sell anything related to crafting (e.g. essences) and just buy a 6l from Vorici / gg gear from others...

Added video

hey, nice build! Im gonna try it out on standard cause im a pleb.

But i have a question:

What is more efficient to the build? 5L Carcass Jack or any 6L body armour?

"

MigusGR wrote:

hey, nice build! Im gonna try it out on standard cause im a pleb.

But i have a question:

What is more efficient to the build? 5L Carcass Jack or any 6L body armour?

Hi, sry for the late reply, I didnt play the build anymore since I died to Haast ( who is a pain due to Bladefall totem's limited range and totems being too squishy ) and thus didn't play maps higher than Tier 9 / 10. AoE is pretty good with 20 quality on the gem, Divinarius and all the AoE from the tree but so is the damage. The 5L Carcass Jack should work fine, just dont use Added Cold which is not ideal anyways. In a 6L Carcass you would add Inc AoE / swap it to conc for bosses.

Is Moonbender necessary?

"

Mobber wrote:

Is Moonbender necessary?

This is a good question and not too easy to answer. I tested the build with a decent Spell damage sceptre and it was seemingly inferior. I will try to do some maths :

( Thesis : A second Divinarius might be better than moonbender )

97% ( tree ) + 70% ( per Divinarius ) Spell damage increase
104% ( tree ) Elemental damage increase
56% ( tree ) Physical damage increase

With Moonbender :
50% of physical converted to elemental with Moonbender
50% of physical converted to elemental with Physical 2 Lightning
+29% elemental damage from Physical to lightning
+40% elemental damage from Hatred
Total 169% - 0% physical, 100% elemental

With a second Divinarius :
50% physical damage
50% of physical converted to elemental with Physical 2 Lightning
+29% elemental damage from Physical to lightning
+40% elemental damage from Hatred
Total 169% - 29,59% physical, 70,41% elemental

Moonbender
100% elemental damage * 1+3,27 damage increase
= 427% elemental damage

2* Divinarius
70,41% elemental damage * 1+3,97 damage increase
= 349,94% elemental damage

tl;dr
(Conclusion : The build deals roughly 22% more elemental damage - which is the core of the build since it is unmitigated on crit, the physical part can mostly be neglected - with a Moonbender than with a second Divinarius if my math is correct while a second Divinarius does not nearly provide 22% more crit chance )

My guess based on those calculations is that the best Spell dagger available will barely surpass the damage which is achieved by using Moonbender's Wing, a 1 Orb of Alchemy item.

How would the build change if I decided to use SWT instead of bladefall?

Hi, i want to make this build in Atlas of Worlds for a league starter. Any noob tips that you can share with me with items and skilltree? And this build it will be good in endgame and Uber lab??? Thanks! :)

"

Jambe wrote:

How would the build change if I decided to use SWT instead of bladefall?

I tested Shockwave totem and it is also fun and strong. No changes to the build tree are required. The only thing I changed were the main links ( in order of importance ):

Shockwave Totem
+ Physical 2 Lightning
+ Increased Critical Strikes
+ Faster Casting
+ Increased Area of Effect ( replaced by Concentrated Effect against very hard Bosses, e.g. Atziri )
+ Increased Critical Damage / Empower +3

I would recommend to level Spell Totem and Bladefall gems too and try it though. Bladefall's auto targeting ( assuming it still works on totems which it should ) is very powerful and Bladefall's area of effect is so big that it is possible to not use Increased Area of Effect at all but use Concentrated Effect at all times which makes it quiet strong.

I dont recommend playing this build as a starter build in a new league ( other than for experienced players ). It is a very solid starter build for experienced players but not for new players because crit builds are a bit heavy on gear and two uniques without life and resists ( Rat's Nest and Maligaro's Virtuosity ) will make it hard for new players to get decent defenses up. Only do it as a league starter if you are experienced with the game and crit builds. Experienced players know when to build up what ( life, resists, crit ) - this will be an issue for new players.

"

tipicozzy wrote:

Hi, i want to make this build in Atlas of Worlds for a league starter. Any noob tips that you can share with me with items and skilltree? And this build it will be good in endgame and Uber lab??? Thanks! :)

I will start with the second question : In my personal experience running the lab ( the way to Itzaro ) is easier with a non totem build because it can be hard to kill the Uber lab traps with totems because often the totems have to be placed near other traps which then destroy them. Also Proximity shielded traps are more annoying with totem builds. The biggest drawback of this build while running lab is the lack of life regeneration. A high amount of life regeneration ( roughly 8% in my experience ) makes traps feel way less dangerous.

On the other hand personally I find Itzaro himself is easier to fight with totem builds ( or 30ex face tank builds ). Totems pull aggro and not dying is mostly a matter of experience with the fight. As a totem build only his slam jumps and his Sunder like attacks can be dangerous but are easily predicted.

The build is not the fastest nor the strongest build I assume but it should be quiet safe ( and fun ). I did Tier 9+ maps at level 82 and had no issues at all ( other than Haast ). At that point I had 61% crit chance - considering a crit chance of 80% is achievable as well as many more levels obtainable and the fact that I didnt even use a Carcass Jack suggests that the build should be able to do red maps without too many issues. Adding a Taste of Hate to the build would improve survivability and damage even more. There is a lot of room to gear for highest maps and bosses I think.

With regards to levelling tips - I considered doing this build as my league starter as well - it is pretty strong and safe especially for levelling. I suggest to start levelling with Spark. Sadly Templar does not get Blade Vortex but I suggest to use it at around level 12 if it drops or is cheaply available. Also dont forget to get Spell Totem as soon as it is available to start levelling it.

On the passive tree it would be important to reach Ancestral Bond at around level 28 when Bladefall becomes available. Sadly Bladefall is not a available to Templar but you can use Shockwave totem just as fine until you find / buy Bladefall. Claim mostly Life, Spell damage and Area of Effect nodes in the Templar Area on your way to Ancestral Bond. Afterwards work your way towards the witch and shadow area. Add support gems as they become available and you have enough links, use Heralds ( of Ice and Thunder together with Clarity ) until you can buy / use Hatred which will replace Heralds. Be a bit conservative with levelling Clarity. Only level it if you have roughly twice as much unreserved mana as a totem cast costs. In the final build this is no issue even with a maxxed Clarity. Temporarily running only one Herald or Mana flasks instead of clarity is an option. Once you get Deep Thoughts and Heart and Soul neither mana regen nor unreserved mana should be an issue anymore.

Personally I have some rough life numbers I try to achieve before fighting Malachai :

Normal - roughly 1.2k life
Cruel - roughly 2.4k life
Merciless - at the very least 3.6k life

I would recommend to do the labs :

Normal Lab - shortly before or after doing normal Malachai
Cruel Lab - around or after Merciless Act 2
Merciless Lab - once you feel you got enough damage and life
Uber Lab - when you know you got enough damage and life

My personal order of Ascension would be :

Righteous providence - Start working on elemental penetration since mobs will become more and more elemental resistant
Inevitable Judgment - Crits ignore Elemental resistance, important in merciless
Augery of Penitence - Now some defenses and some more damage
Instruments of Virtue - Final ( big ) damage bonus

Try to get your crit chance up ( >50% usually is the sweet spot where crits become to feel reliable - However the build can ultimatly reach roughly 80% crit chance with Bladefall crit chance Helmet enchantment and 120% crit chance on the boots ) by acquiring Divinarius, Maligaro's Virtuosity, Rat's Nest but prioritize life and resistances over crit chance - until you get strong jewelry which enables equipping those uniques without loosing resists and too much life. The best chest would be Carcass Jack which will be expensive at the beginning but is not mandatory - its the final goal.

Edit : Added warning not to try as a leage starter build if you are inexperienced with the game.