2.6 "KAMEHAMEHA" Self-Cast RF Scorching Ray Inquisitor/Chieftain

So I recently returned to this character and decided to go ahead and take him to the next level. You can see my new gear for him below (see the original 'My Gear' section further down for the budget option) -



The rest of the gear I left pretty much the same cos I don't like trading much and so didn't feel like doing it more. Essentially I've added a +3 bow, a defensive quiver to take care of my resists, dex requirements and add more HP and have switched my 6-link rare armor for a cheap Belly of the Beast (cheap cos it didn't have to be 6-linked since my SR setup is now on my bow). If you take all the regen nodes that are there in the build plus run Purity of Fire, Vitality, Stone Golem and add a Leo mod to your weapon to reduce the amount of damage over time you take, you can just about sustain RF without needing a Rise of the Phoenix shield (a Volls' Vision helm would also help here, although it's not needed). Note that Purity of Fire has been maxed out now - that's important for the +1% max fire resistance. You won't have much regen with RF on (although you'll have plenty with it off), but now you have a LVL 26 Scorching Ray WITH RF AS WELL (you can get to lvl 27 if you're rich enough for a lvl 4 Empower gem). This is strong enough that RF isn't actually needed - your damage without RF is about the same as it was in the budget setup with RF on. So RF essentially becomes a turbo-boost you can use as and when you feel like.

This ISN'T the maxed out setup either as I chose to get a +3 bow rather than a +3 staff since the former is considerably cheaper (around 3 exalts for a 6-linked one) than the latter (expect to shell out around 10 exalts for a 6-link with all the right mods) as well as a bow allows you to equip a quiver for more life (this was the main reason I chose a bow instead of a staff). For maxed damage, you'd use a +3 staff instead that has all the right mods on it - spell damage, fire damage/cast speed plus the all-important Leo mod to reduce the damage over time you take.

As I've said, this is a defensive build, so the life on that quiver is important. That's why I chose Belly of the Beast as my replacement chest armor. We don't have much regen now if we switch on RF, but we have a significantly higher total life pool. I'm currently sitting at over 6k life at lvl 86 and I haven't taken all the life nodes in the build yet. If I did (which I can right now if I sacrifice and postpone some of the damage nodes), my calculations say the build will end up with around 7k life. Also, there's still more life nodes nearby, which can be taken at the cost of the fire and burning damage nodes in the build (which aren't as important now due to the higher damage we've already got). If all the nearby life clusters were taken as well instead of the damage nodes, it comes out to OVER 7.5K LIFE WITHOUT KAOMS HEART (you still need sockets on your chest).

Because you like the idea of shooting a giant laser out of your hands, why else? The name comes from the Dragonball Z attack and so if you've always wanted to play at being Goku (or any of the others who use the move), here's your chance.

Also, more practically, this skill promotes a more tactical playstyle - it rewards smart positioning and timing rather than simply AoE-ing everything around you down. Personally, I find that a more fun way to play.

That's also the reason (playstyle-wise, the skill mechanics already aren't the same) why you'd choose this skill over Incinerate - Incinerate builds try to get as wide a cone of damage as possible (and, thanks to their life gain on hit from Cybil's Paw, actually stand still and play like a "channeling" build even more than this skill), whereas SR actually encourages a more mobile, repositioning-based playstyle. Or you can just pretend to be a helicopter and sweep a 360 degree arc everywhere you go. Your choice.

You can see some good videos of what an endgame SR character will play like on Zizaran's Twitch channel to help decide if this skill is for you (this guide isn't based on Ziz at all - I just later happened to come across him using it in one of his Youtube vids and so it saves me from having to record myself as I play with 150-300 latency)

Rather than doing the calculations myself, I simply use Path of Building - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1716360/page/1 (thanks Openarl) - to work out the damage. At endgame with just lvl 20 gems (no quality) and the mentioned uniques, it says our effective DPS is 286k. With quality it's over 300k. You can play around with different levels and gear on Path of Building to find out what to expect.

Your SR tooltip won't show that since it only shows the damage only from 1 stack of the skill (it stacks upto 8 in about 2 seconds with the cast speed we get) and doesn't account for several of damage boosting mechanics we throw in (like EE, curses, etc.). For an example of what you'll actually see, my tooltip DPS on a lvl 19 SR (18, with Empower lvl 2) is 12,229 (with RF, but no Frenzy charges or Elemental Overload). That climbs to 19,461 with 3 Frenzy charges plus Elemental Overload, which is what you should have against bosses. It cuts through mobs in short order.

You can see some good videos of what kinda damage/clearspeed an endgame SR character has on Zizaran's Twitch channel to help decide if this skill is for you (this guide isn't based on Ziz at all - I just later happened to come across him using it in one of his Youtube vids and so it saves me from having to record myself as I play with 150-300 latency)

Less than half an exalt (excluding getting a 6-link, of course, though that's not required). The only needed unique is Rise of the Phoenix, which is dirt cheap. The other recommended uniques are Doon Ceubiyari/Singularity sceptre (or Doryani's Catalyst if you've got the money) and Repentance gloves. They aren't required from the outset either. The build assumes you'll eventually get them, however, which is why so much intelligence has been taken rather than stacking obscene amounts of strength for Iron Will (you need lots of intelligence to equip the gloves). They are significant damage boosts rather than necessary equipment pieces. Voll's Vision/The Formless Inferno/Brine Crown are only 1 to a few chaos. If you choose to go for an Astramentis, then it'll cost you about an exalt currently (though that will go down), but I managed to make the build work without Astramentis by just using cheap rares. The build can also work with as many links as you have on your current gear i.e. you don't need to have a 5/6-link right from the start.

+Tactical/positional play aka interesting
+Excellent on bosses
+Cheap (less than an exalt for all the gear)
+You'll be the hottest exile in Wraeclast - literally!

-Tactical/positional play aka tricky
-Lower clearspeed than pure AoE builds like Flameblast/Firestorm
-Vulnerability while channeling (this disappears when you've got good damage + cast speed)

I'd recommend you level with another fire skill like Firestorm or Flameblast. You can level with Scorching Ray just fine (I did it), but it won't be as smooth. If you choose to do so, then make sure to use Faster Casting in your setup while leveling.

Scorching Ray is a DoT. So you DON'T need to keep focusing down every mob. Indeed, if you've got your damage up properly, then 1-2 quick sweeps over white/blue mobs should be sufficient to kill them. They won't go down immediately, however. Although SR technically doesn't ignite i.e. apply the ignite status ailment on mobs, it does light them on fire. They will keep burning from that fire for a little over a second even if they're not in your beam anymore. Your job is just to put a few (upto 8, though 8 are only needed for rares and bosses) stacks of SR on them and then leave them to their fate - death. It won't be apparent at first how much you have to burn them before their fate is sealed, but over time you'll work this out. Once you're comfortable with SR, you won't be standing in place channeling on mobs until they die but rather applying just enough degen on them and then moving on. Remember that last bit - playing a channeling skill is all very well, but stay mobile.

Also, you don't need to use Orb of Storms on everything. If your damage is sorted, then white and blue mobs should die easy without needing to be cursed, EE-ed or EO-ed. Orb of Storms is for rares, bosses and ambushes i.e. breaches and strongboxes.

Finally, Decoy Totem is your friend. He is, imo, the best defensive mechanic in the game.

Both take 40 HP from Oak in Normal and passive point in Cruel (you can take the cast speed if desired, but I prefer the passive). Only Chieftain takes the Endurance charge in Merciless, however, as I don't consider Endurance charges worth it for the Inquisitor without a reliable way to constantly - and passively - keep them up (and his passive tree reflects that). Stopping to Enduring Cry all the time or using Warlord's Mark curse just for getting charges (you won't get any other benefit out of it) doesn't enthuse me. If you decide to get Daresso's Defiance chest, then you can adjust the Inquisitors' tree accordingly, but there are better chests.

Fortunately, others have done the work of calculating this for us. See here for table of the cutoffs (you only need to pay attention to the first 2-3 columns) - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xEdITPLfz6oA-H8PB7c2N2MdyrY2R34HLnMg2ZFnCWc/pubhtml?gid=1282039528&single=true

Also, there's a calculator you can use to work it out yourself. Find it here (just download the Excel sheet to be able to use it) - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MWIcNVeLFA8bs0LisDyf6M870IcHZaYoV_STnNugIxc/edit#gid=0

These items come highly recommended, in order of priority in which they appear -

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Rise_of_the_Phoenix (necessary)

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Doon_Cuebiyari

Note: Doryani's Catalyst sceptre is also good (albeit pricier), but only for the high elemental damage. You won't get the leech or Prolif (and the crit is just a minor boost to Orb of Storms/Ice Spear). If you get around 600 or so (and definitely if over 640) strength, then Doon is much better, especially thanks to its higher cast speed.

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Repentance

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Formless_Inferno

(or) http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Voll%27s_Vision

(or) http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Brine_Crown

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Astramentis (makes gearing easier, but NOT needed)

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Ngamahu_Tiki (Only in Standard. A marble amulet is safer)

Kaoms' Heart isn't a strict upgrade for this build as, while it'll make you much tankier, you'll also lose out in damage significantly from not having a potential 6-link. If you do decide to go for it, then I'd recommend dropping Righteous Fire, Doon Cuebiyari and Rise of the Phoenix and switching to the Searing Touch (or a +3 fire gems) staff instead. That's a different build, however, with a different passive tree (it won't need to stack any regen, for instance, as it doesn't run RF).

The rest of your gear can be composed of good rares, although, if you want a great unique chestpiece, I recommend Kintsugi, Belly of the Beast, Lightning Coil or Daresso's Defiance (if playing Inquisitor) in that order.

Altogether, the above cost me around half an exalt (I actually found the 6-link, believe it or not). Until lvl 77, I was on a 5-link and it was fine. Empower lvl 2 (lvl 3 is hella expensive) adds just about the same damage as Increased Burning Damage. A lot of the gear (especially the jewels) is weak, but that's the point. The most expensive thing I payed for is the Doon Ceubiyari sceptre (12c, iirc). Some of the jewels I bought for an alc and still use. Build still works. If you pay more, of course, you'll get more.

The ones separated by commas rather than a + mean that they don't need to be linked. The linked gems are also listed in their order of priority.

Scorching Ray + Elemental Focus + Controlled Destruction + Rapid Decay + Increased Burning Damage/Spell Totem (for totems) + Faster Casting/Empower (if you've got the money)

Note 1: Before you get the Templar cast speed ascendancies, use Faster Casting gem. Chieftain may want to keep using Faster Casting permanently as he doesn't get as much cast speed.

Note 2: Empower lvl 2 is about equal to Inc. Burning Damage. Lvl 3+ is strictly superior.

Note 3: Quality on Scorching Ray is beam length. This is highly recommended for safety.

Note 4: Helmet enchants are beam length, damage, cast speed - preference in that order.

Righteous Fire + Inc. AoE + Elemental Focus + Increased Burning Damage

Note: RF is supplementary - you don't need to RF everything. Given that you already have another source of damage, I also wouldn't recommend you give yourself the headache of using Concentrated Effect instead of Increased AoE due to the tiny range (we've taken no AoE nodes).

CwDT + Ice Spear + Molten Shell/Immortal Call + Blood Rage

Orb of Storms + CoH + Ele Weakness + Flammability/Temporal Chains

Note 1: The above two setups serve three functions - applying curses, triggering Elemental Equilibrium and triggering Elemental Overload. Blood Rage is just for more damage, Molten Shell for more defense (use Immortal Call on Chieftain).

Note 2: Alternately, you can give up an aura - Vitality or Purity of Fire (I recommend Vitality as PoF affects your RF sustain more) - to run one of the curses on Blasphemy instead. Less tanky, but the build will run smoother.

Leap Slam/Shield Charge + Fortify/Clarity lvl 1 + Summon Stone Golem

Note: Chieftain can use a 'spell' movement skill instead (Lightning Warp, Flame Dash), but the Inquisitor gets a bonus for using attacks and hence I only listed attack movement skills above.

Decoy Totem, Purity of Fire, Vitality

Arctic Armor (Unset Ring) (Can also replace Blood Rage/Fortify/Molten Shell with AA instead)

Optional: If you're having issues with mana sustain, there's plenty of options to deal with that. You can consider running a lvl 1 Clarity in another Unset ring or using an Elreon Ring in your other slot or try getting mana regen on gear/jewels, using Survival Secrets quest jewel (or any of a number of other cheap mana-focused uniques) or give up 2-4 minor life/damage nodes to get Mana Flows from the Duelist area and/or Deep Thoughts from the Witch area.

Best gems to get quality on are Scorching Ray, Righteous Fire, Elemental Weakness, Curse on Hit and then all the SR support gems (they all add the same amount of damage - 10% each) - in that order.

Here's what I'm using currently -



2 life flasks, 1 Ruby that serves to bring back some of your powerful regen for tanking (and also works as anti-freeze), 1 Ample Quicksilver of Adrenaline for moving around fast and one Basalt of Heat for tanking physical bosses as well as switching off your RF, when desired.

Look for these mods -

%max life
%cast speed
%attack and cast speed
%fire damage
%elemental damage
%spell damage
%spell damage while holding a shield
%damage over time
%damage
+ to strength or intelligence
%resists, if needed

1) If you are going strictly for SR, how would a +3 staff and Kaom's rate?

+3 staff and Kaoms' would face the same issues as The Searing Touch and Kaoms' that I mentioned in the guide i.e. you'd have to give up RF to run it. If you're okay with that, then sure. The Searing Touch is very good for this skill and is much cheaper. I expect it'd be about even with a +3 staff unless said staff also had really good damage and cast speed roles. I've actually tested The Searing Touch (without RF, of course) and found it lost out to the RF setup (albeit with my tree rather than a non-RF Searing Touch-based tree). If you go the staff route, it'd probably be better to use a different tree since you won't have to go chasing after regen nodes everywhere. Get more flat life and damage instead.

If you're interested, this guy tried it with a +3 staff versus Shaper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COfOvZ14WSI Note that he hasn't built for it or anything, just slapped it on an existing toon (his Scorching Ray gem is just lvl 15 too). So yeah, it works.

2) Would vulnerability be a better choice than ele weakness as it will degen the monsters faster?

Vulnerability makes mobs take 33% more damage. Flammability is much better at 44% followed by Ele Weakness at 39% (44% with quality). I still gave priority to Ele Weakness mainly because it's more party-friendly and only costs you 5% more damage. A tri-curse build can definitely use Vulnerability as well, but it strictly comes third among those three. I might not even use a second damage curse, tbh, since Temporal Chains works well for us both defensively and offensively.

3) Would a Consuming Dark also work with this build? Not for the conversion but for the poison.

Nope. Neither the conversion nor the poison will work. Conversion cos this is a DoT and DoTs don't convert and poison cos 1) that requires either physical or chaos damage and this is all fire and 2) it requires a hit and Scorching Ray doesn't hit.

Another option for 1-hander would be Doryani's Catalyst. You won't get the leech or Prolif (and the crit is just a minor boost to Orb of Storms/Ice Spear), but it does give over 80% elemental damage. If you get more than 640 strength, however, then Doon Ceubiyari outperforms Doryani's, especially since it has a higher cast speed.

4) What about the new Cast When Channeling support gem?

The obvious choice for SR would be Flamesurge due to its bonus damage to burning enemies, but I wouldn't recommend it. Flamesurge has a pathetic range without AoE increases (which we don't get). It'd add damage to bosses only if you stand right next to them, in which case you're playing it just like a regular RF + Flamesurge character anyway and so you might as well just make Flamesurge your main skill. The advantage of SR is that it gives you a decent range to fight from. Also, I'm not sure if you'd gain much (if any) damage since it'd eat up two support gem slots that were supporting SR and it comes with a 20% LESS damage penalty to boot.

If you want to use Cast When Channeling with this skill, I suggest Firestorm. It'll give you some AoE coverage along with the straight line that SR handles and benefits from all the same support gems (take out Rapid Decay and either Faster Casting or Increased Burning Damage, depending on if you're using Empower/Spell Totem instead of Increased Burning Damage or not). However, a better use would to use it to proc some support or the other. This can be a curse, a cold/lightning spell for Elemental Equilibrium and Overload proccing or, better yet, some sort of defensive ability (like, say, Immortal Call). Personally, I plan to try the gem out of curiosity but I expect (though I could be wrong, of course - we'll see) that it's best to just stick to the damage supports I've linked in the build.

Cast When Channeling is probably best utilized for when your channeling skill is being used as a support ability to another build rather than as a link on your main channeling damage setup. Or maybe something like Cast When Channeling used to proc Discharge or something. But in that case, Discharge is your main damage skill, not SR, plus I expect the multi-nerfed CoC would still be a better delivery mechanism for Discharge than Cast When Channeling (with a different trigger skill, obviously). So I suggest either just sticking with the regular damage setup or using Cast When Channeling to keep up some defensive ability or the other to make yourself tankier.

5) Hey i was wondering how it is you get enough int to wear the Repentance gloves?

See the 'My Gear' section.

Repentance is really more of a stretch goal than a key part of the build. We can't stack enough strength for it to be much more than really nice damage boost. As for where we get the int from, the simple answer is gear. We've got some int from the passive tree (about 170), but the rest (113 to 122, depending on if you play as Templar or Marauder, respectively) will need to come from gear. There's also jewels, if you're desperate. In this build, both strength and int on gear, which usually are wasted mods on items, actually serve a purpose. Remember that they can also be crafted by Masters.

There's also a bunch of potential uniques in the game that help with stacking int. The best way to find out how and where to find intelligence is to check out some Whispering Ice builds.

Also note that we pass by the Ancestral Knowledge notable passive just above the Marauder area. That's another 30 int. You can choose to take that if needed, resulting in either 83 or 92 more int required from gear. To compound matters, you'll also need to get a bit of dex as well to use all your gems, particularly Stone Golem. Also Rapid Decay (though you can postpone this by making it your sixth link), Arctic Armor (you don't really need to level it all the way) and Blood Rage/GMP (neither needs to be leveled at all). The 68 dex required for Stone Golem should be your main goal, no need to push further.

The simplest way to get all that would be to wear an Astramentis amulet. However, it's a low enough amount that you should be able to get it from multiple pieces of regular rare gear.

Simply put, you won't be able to wear Repentance until late game. It isn't necessary so don't worry too much about it. First focus on getting RF to work comfortably i.e. with regen to spare (a marble amulet helps in this regard, although that takes away from the slot where you could choose to put an Astramentis).