Marauder - Bleed is not dead - Jugg 2h Bleed [3.0] - Forum

They said I was crazy. They said it couldn't be done.

Well I proved them...

The following is a rundown of my first end-game build for PoE, and this is even my first guide. Consequently, not only will improvements to this be likely, they're guaranteed as everything I use is simply what I landed on rather than a carefully crafted min/max machine. When I started playing, I liked the idea of having a tanky, big-hit bleed guy and so I rolled Jugg and improvised along trying to make it work. After failing to get very far, I dropped it and started looking up other beginner builds just to get going. Eventually I looked back at this toon, convinced that I could still make something work in this vein. A quick browse online and the only things that come up for bleed builds are Duelist/dual-wield/attack speed/yadayada things which really aren't my gig. Several tries later, I finally crafted a tanky bleed build that works, and I've been doing it ever since.

Put simply, bleed is not a very obvious thing to build around for late game. I for one was a fan of the idea that bleed was based off attack damage, rather than attack spam, so I wanted to make something that stayed true to that idea. There's probably no right answer, but against all odds, this Jugg build has somehow proved itself to work on most end game content (guardians, all t15 maps, among other things). First things first:

What this build is

Spoiler

This is a safe, survivable build which frankly is a tank build first and a bleed build second. We get lots of armor, endurance charges, and fortify to keep us afloat while we wear down the opposition. It's half-meme/half-serious, but with good gear we can actually knock out most content with this set-up. This can even be run on a pretty stiff budget as long as the correct corners are cut.

What this build isn't

Spoiler

This is not a gg, mil+ dps, 2 minute shaper, faceroll build.
If you're looking for that then I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. There are plenty of clever, high-end builds out there, but this is not one of them.

Now let's get this ridiculous show on the road...

Skills

Spoiler

This build revolves around Heavy Strike to get as high of single-attack damage as possible. When we get to our juicy 6L, we will run the following:
Heavy Strike - Melee Splash/Maim - Melee Physical Damage - Brutality - Ruthless - Faster Attacks

If you are a bleed baller on a budget, then Ruthless support is your lowest priority. If you're wondering why we run FA instead of multisrike, it comes down to the max damage. MS lowers the hit damage by 30%, which hits the bleed bottom line and really stings since the bleed will be 60%-70% of your total damage on extended fights. Yes, FA warrants the Dex investment, but it is very worth.

Spoiler

The only other thing we really need to run is Leap Slam to get around.
That set-up should look something like this:
Leap Slam - Fortify - Faster Attacks

The rest is pretty open ended. I've found that a good mix involves Ancestral Protector, Rallying Cry, curses, etc. are all good grabs. The world is your oyster, feel free to experiment because I'm certain I could be doing something better here.

Passives - Lvl 60

Spoiler

https://poeplanner.com/AAkAALUACREAAFfG2FhjPfyMz_ZIXz8UIO8OUEfkUZd5CZY5Dmebrj7GrgxfHKdTpcT2cqn3MnzZ6hj46_PdaGUUcdl8ggd2rM9-ZFJOMhfhJvgTTA4837_bT-DDJbw6Uhx1L9fcJ7yfGJH8SxRNAed99TboGlVan-3XZrZFqS0wYSGE76kneHqplIdqhNlHfr02ZU2-pzwtg8y3PoNfC2GvbGjyu-2RzvAfogD-Cti9wAEGxvON9IMAAAAAAA==

Nothing groundbreaking here, pretty typical Marauder things. I'm a big fan of life/regen early on, and so we lean on it before letting leech take over later. Priority bits are Resolute Technique and Weight of the Empire jewels, everything else is preference. Because I'm a lazy bum, I rather liked Unflinching for the no-thought-required Endurance charges early in.

Passives - Lvl 91

Spoiler

https://poeplanner.com/AAkAAPsACREAAHrG2FhjPfyMz_ZIXz8UIO8OUEfkUZd5CZY5Dmebrj7GrsT2C2GvbGjy8B-iADwtg8y3Pv4K2L01krXycmxsRjIJcqn3MuoY-OsUcQ48fNl2rM9-2XyCBzpSvJ8YkfxLFE0cdS_X3Cffv9tP4MMlvGFSRZrvTpOoirNXVF4TQKB67wUtdO3awYTvqSd4eqmUhNmHai5T029Hfr02Nuh99YcpGlVan-3XZrYB5xv6Jd-kGWRSTjIX4Sb4E0zBo-JhMHdZ_rvtkc6DX2EhIVUs-4oiZU2-pycg3D0HdcCmrlD-axPJZafAAQbG8430g8se0jhdpN3VAAAAAAA=

It's worth noting two things here. First, you'll have to "feel out" the bleed chance as you're playing. If you think you need more, grab some more until you have the gear to support. At end, I have 75% chance to bleed and that is plenty with as much attack speed as we end up getting. Second, the Crimson Dance node is really just for boss damage. In fact, this node holds you back a little bit for normal map clearing, and there's no need to rush it. Most trash ends up getting 1-shot though, so don't think about it too hard.

Get ready to see some shitty gear

Spoiler

Another shout out to those of us who make the most of what we have. No Disfavour? Just find the highest damage axe you can, preferably with bleed chance on it. No Kaom's? Brass Dome works too. Just get what you can and it'll work out.

Some bad accessories

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Nothing groundbreaking here, just need to cover the basics. When push comes to shove, go with the following priorities:
Res Cap > Life > Physical Damage > Armor/Stranth > everything else sucks

Non-optimized Flasks

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Almost definitely room for improvement here. Bear in mind that since we run Brutality, we won't get extra damage from things like Atziri's Promise/Taste of Hate/etc. That is the cross we bear for running a bleed build.

Final Thoughts
Looking back on this build, I have to ask myself a few things. Is this build fun? Would I do it again? Is it even good? To which I answer, yes, yes, and probably not, respectively. But this build is close to my heart, and will be the build I roll with in the next league. Probably not re-writing the meta with this one, but I'm certainly open to feedback/suggestions/insults that you guys may have. Happy bleeding.

Last edited by Guywitharock#3600 on Dec 6, 2017, 6:35:52 PM

Last bumped on Dec 6, 2017, 9:55:59 PM