[2.6] Corpse Explosion Ray (CwC Detonate Dead), Zero Budget SSF / League Starter

Corpse Explosion Ray - Build Overview

Core Concepts
- Use CwC + Scorching Ray + DD to generate lots of explosions and clear screens of mobs efficiently.
- Use Elemental Overload and Elemental Equilibrium in the time-honoured fashion, to stick large ignites on bosses.
- Together with curses we are debuffing fire resistance by more than -100%.
- Use EB/MoM/ZO + 30-40% curse effect Enfeeble + Artic Armour adding up to a fairly tanky build

Gem Links
- Main setup: Scorching Ray / Cast While Channeling / Detontate Dead / Inc AoE(Conc Effect)
- Extra corpse generation (e.g. for bosses): Trap / Cluster Trap / Desecrate ( / Multiple Traps)
- Curses/Auras: Blasphemy(Enfeeble / Flammability), Arctic Armour
- Movement: Shield Charge / Faster Attacks / Fortify
- EE Proc'er: Orb of Storms / Blind / Culling Strike
- Golems: Stone Golem, Flame Golem
- Optional: Flame Dash or Leap Slam, CWDT Immortal Call, Vaal Haste, Vaal Grace
- Just for fun: Vaal Detonate Dead / AoE / Fire Pen (not a core part of the build, but an alternate way to kill bosses is to lay a bunch of desecrate traps underneath the boss and VDD them into oblivion, can also work well for breaches)

- 6L (not needed): (Main Setup +) / Fire Pen / Rapid Decay (benefits our scorching ray and ignites)

***2.6*** Tree


Leveling


SSF Gearing
- No special requirements, all slots should focus on life & resists, then also ES once you are res capped
- Only exception to the above is the weapon slot where we are looking for a sceptre with high Elemental Damage implicit and % Fire Damage mod
- Suggest you aggressively overcap you resists where possible so that when you find those nice ES+Life pieces you can slot them in straight away

Notable Uniques / BIS Items:


Gear @ Level 75 in Legacy SSF League

Gear @ Level 83 in Legacy SSF League (when switched to EM/MoM/ZO)


Ascendancy: Elementalist
Normal Lab: Conflux
Cruel: Beacon of Ruin
Merc: Liege of the Primordial
Uber: Pendulum of Destruction
Alternative option 1: Assassin (tree is slightly different, pick up all power charges)
Alternative option 2: Necromancer + Scourge Claw (credit to Torin for the idea), this is really a different build to the one show here but it would certainly be a viable option

Build Pros / Synergies
- Cheap damage: even a 1L Detonate Dead will kill things by itself just fine (not that you would want to do that)
- Tanky: DD has the damage aspect of the build covered leaving room for investment into defence.
- CwC Scorching Ray: this reduces the mana cost so we can run with a leveled DD gem, but more importantly the CwC playstyle just feels a lot less clunky than self-cast (YMMV). Scorching Ray also debuffs fire resistance by up to 24%
- Can switch to CwC DD at level 38 and level with the build from there on
- Is something different than Flameblast: it feels better than self-cast Flameblast IMO (especially if you don't have the cast speed to make FB feel smooth)
- Reflect proof
- Flexible: can build as pure life or respec as CI quite easily
- Not link hungry: easy to run Item Rarity gem for SSF'ing (replace AoE/conc if 4L, or use a 5th link once you have a 5L)

Build Cons
- Single target damage is above average (we're an ignite build afterall) but not top tier
- Clear speed again is solid, but not top tier
- The build is a solid all-rounder but not a specialist clearer/bosser
- Usual cons of ignite build, struggles with normal Atziri unless you have a high gear level

Added:
- Leveling section
- Leveling skill trees
- Bandits

Original, thanks !

Looks like this is gonna be my starter build on Legacy. Keep up the good stuff !

Wouldn't EE proc off of Detonate Dead, complicating your ignite?

Started this one, let's see how it goes.

This sounds good, but I only messed around with DD when CwC was first introduced and it didn't work at all. I know they 'fixed' it, but supposedly the explosions are pretty erratic. How do the explosions using the beam feel to you guys?

OK, level 45, started using Scorch + DD (and plus firestorm, for AoE and trying )

Yet to decide if I like it or not, but here is something I don't understand.

I have EE, I attack a target with Scorching, and yet the target gets Vulnerable To Fire. Why? EE should give the opposite, since Scorch is Fire, and sometimes it does (on those targets that don't die too fast so that I can see the change). What am I missing?

Update: Seem like I get it. Scorch does NOT proc EE, at least during short attacks (which are enough for many targets to die). At lease I don't see EE efects under most of targets even burning.

"

MisterAL wrote:

OK, level 45, started using Scorch + DD (and plus firestorm, for AoE and trying )

Yet to decide if I like it or not, but here is something I don't understand.

I have EE, I attack a target with Scorching, and yet the target gets Vulnerable To Fire. Why? EE should give the opposite, since Scorch is Fire, and sometimes it does (on those targets that don't die too fast so that I can see the change). What am I missing?

Update: Seem like I get it. Scorch does NOT proc EE, at least during short attacks (which are enough for many targets to die). At lease I don't see EE efects under most of targets even burning.

Scorching Ray is not an on hit spell. Because of this, it will not proc EE. Neither will DD (to my knowledge) because it is a secondary source of damage, similar to totems or traps.

What will proc EE is any spell cast by you that has an on hit behavior. The example used OP's build is Orb of Storms. Which will proc EE for +25% lightning resist and -50% fire and cold.

The reason you see the vulnerable to fire with Scorching Ray is the proc you get from prolonged channeling on one target.

"

Scorching ray applies a stacking debuff on enemies which deals fire damage over time, causes enemies to lose 3% fire resist per stack, and causes Scorching Ray to deal an additional 60% damage per stack to the target for each stack past the first. This effect stacks up to a total of 8 times on an enemy for a total of 24% reduced fire resistance and a total damage multiplier of 420% more damage at maximum stacks. The damage over time portion of the debuff does not increase with additional stacks, but does stack with scorching ray debuffs from other sources(totems or players). The duration of any debuff stack applied by Scorching Ray on the target is refreshed upon applying a subsequent debuff stack. The rate at which the debuff is applied is determined by the base cast speed of the skill and can be modified by cast speed. The debuff is applied to an enemy monster and increases the damage they take from scorching Ray, it does not increase the damage it deals to other targets.

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Scorching_Ray

If you have both EE and are using CWC Firestorm, you are doing yourself a disservice as you will proc EE to be +25% fire resist instead of the -50% you typically desire from an EE build.

I would suggest switching over to Orb of Storms as your opener for large groups/rares/bosses to proc EE and follow with ScorchingRay - CWC - DD. I am guessing you won't need the Orb of Storms for trash clearing primarily b/c SR - CWC - DD setup should not proc EE by itself alone.

Thank you, didn't know scorch does not proc EE, and now I understand why is EE present in this build in the first place )

lvl 45, just completed 1st lab from first try in some random clothes.

Using Abberath's Horn for additionl fire damage.