[3.10] Hierophant storm brand ultra tanky | ailments immunity | memory vault/aegis aurora

Hello, it's my first build guide, on Hierophant with storm brand and some defensives mechanics with mana vault and aegis aurora.

The build is initially based on a character i found last league on poe.ninja, and i have tried to make some improvements (cluster jewel, etc).



3.11 news

- brand recall is dead : https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2869604 (no more refresh duration of brands)
- brand duration as been lowered, no more auto chain

The nerf hammer has spoken : the build is dead.

I don't think that the new item (doryani's prototype) or the new glancing glow in tree can't change that. Maybe the build defense base can be exploited with another spell, but for brand, it's dead.


Path of building

lvl 100 goal with very high budget : https://pastebin.com/7r2AR0wr

min/max version lvl 91 "realistic" without godlike watcher'eye : https://pastebin.com/Ec9hHrWe

budget version lvl 83: https://pastebin.com/HpVsKzf7 arround 3ex with 5 link (half without lethal pride but less block = less recover on aegis)


Pro/con

Pro :
- extremely tanky : 90% reduc physical damage, block cap (attack & spell), recover 1k ES when blocked
- immune to all ailments
- nice clear speed with storm brand
- can be played on budget with somes changes

Con:
- not cheap to min/max
- bosses can take a long time to kill (to compare to some others endgame build)


Defensives mechanics

Total resistances with flask : :
8k5+ ES, 52K armour, 90% physical reductions, 75 fire, 80 cold (aegis), 75 light, chaos between 0 and 40%.

Without flask : 21k armour and 88% physical reduction (80% without watcher mod).

Mana vault : convert reserved mana to armour
Aegis aurora : recover 2% ES regen on block

We max block (75 attack and spell, doubed with Glancing Blows), we run a lot of aura to boost it, with some flask on top of it, we can achieve to recover 1000+ ES on block (2% of 52k armour). This make us pretty immune to most damage from basics monsters.

With Arcane blessing + Death's door + pantheon with are immune to all ailments. No more freeze, bleeding and others stuffs that can slow/kill us if we don't pay attention.

We run shield charge to get fortify, enduring cry to get your endurances charges (4), cast on damage taken with molten shell (nice scale with a lot of armoru).


Offensives mechanics

With awaken gems : 700k DPS per brand
Without awaken gems : 520k DPS per brand

PS : The supercharge node is not calculed in path of building, so add +20% DPS on top of this numbers.

We get the supercharge node from cluster jewel (Lightning Damage with Non-Critical Strikes is Lucky = +/- 20% damage), elemental overload, and some boost that scale on % block (arcane swiftness, confident combatant).

The others stuff are pretty common : curse with conductivity, wave of conviction, innervate, ...


Gear


Helmet


Memory vault, core of the build, can't be changed

It drop on elder guardians, so it can be expensive on first days of a new league, then the price will drop.

Enchant : storm brand cast speed or damage. To run Zealtory, one reduction on mana reserved in mandatory (discipline/wrath/determination)


Chest


Shavronne wrapping to enable low life with chayula.

Can be replaced with incadescent heart with CI on budget


Weapon


Cerberus limb. Give us a lot of ES with armour of aegis (700 with min/max version), some damage and cast speed.

Fairly cheap also.

Can be corrupted to get cast speed for more damage.


Shield


Aegis aurora of course.

Can be corrupted to get some nice things :
- reduced extra crit dmg
- +% block spell chance (can free 2-3 skills points to get more damage)
- + lvl socket aura

Fairly cheap


Boots


Death's door to bleed immunity, and one more endurance charge

On budget take the Rainbowstride (% block spell, ES, etc). If taken, it free some passives point.

Enchant : 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently for mapping / Damage Penetrates 10% of Enemy Elemental Resistances if you haven't Killed Recently for bossing


Gloves

Some rares gloves with max ES, resistances (cold/fire if you take some circle or regret)

Mine :



Belt

Crystal belt with max ES, resistances (cold/fire if circle of regret), armour (to scale with aegis aurora)

Mine :
(i need to get the recipe to craft armour/ES)

On budget take the Bated Breath Chain Belt (1c)


Ring

I choose to take twice circle of regret to max the DPS




I get some max ES on top of it, take what you can here (light damage, armour, etc). The must of the must should be conductivity i think, so we can free 3 gems and get more of it.

It can be played with mark of the shaper + some elder ring with ES/attribute/resistances and what do you think is the best.

On budget, take some ring with ES/mana/resistances


Amulet


Presence of chayula, to get Low Life, stun immunity, chaos resistance and some ES with convertion.

Budget : eye of chayula (poor but stun immunity is good), also you can take a flask to avoid stuns


Jewel

Lethal Pride - under Kiloava :
Put it near MoM to gain Glancing Blows node (Chance to Block Attack Damage is doubled, Chance to Block Spell Damage is doubled, You take 50% of Damage from Blocked Hits).

We get 50% damage from blocked hits, but with aegis aurora it's the best option (i think) to get max block without loose to many DPS/ES.

Watcher'eye :
Needed : % block spell damage with discipline (or allocate more point in passive tree on block spell chance)

Good to get :
- light penetration with wrath
- light damage with wrath
- light leeched as ES with wrath
- physical reduction with determination
- reduc crit damage with determination
- + armour with determination (scale more with aegis, maybe overkill)
- cast speed on zealtory (if you can run it)
- mana conversion to ES on clarity (if you can run it)

The blue nightmare :
Put it at the bottom left side. It will give us 14% block spell chance (28% with Glancing Blows)

Healthy Mind :
Put it at the top side, it will convert life into 200% mana


Cluster jewel

Lightning large jewel :
Get one with 8 passives, supercharge and a jewel socket.

The other node can be whatever you want : stormdrinker, vengelful commander, etc. I will not take the node under lvl 98+.

Attributes : 2% increased attack and cast speed with lightning skills.

Brand medium jewel
I think the best option here are : grand design and holy conquest.
I you think it can be better, tell me

Block small jewel
With confident combatant to get 75% more damage
Attributes : chaos resistance, some damage or strenght


Anointment

Budget : Prodigal Perfection (scale damage with mana)
Normal : Tranquility, or Charisma to run Zealtory (need helmet enchant)


Flasks

- Atziri's promise : more damage
- Granite flask, with the most % armour you can get
- The wise oak for lightning penetration (need lightning resistance to be the
highest)




Gems

Storm brand on chest :


Cast on damage taken on gloves/helmet/boots

Linked with wave of conviction to lower lightning resistances, innvervate to add some damage, molten shell to tank a bit more.

Shield charge :

Linked with faster attack and fortify to get 20% damage reduction

Conductivity :

With tempest shield, that will be 100% on with a lot of block (help to max block at start also). If you see a better option to get this curse on, tell me.

Aura :
- wrath
- determination
- discipline (with vaal)
- herald of thunder

Get one with 50% reservation with blood magic lvl 20 to get le most life reserved (Low life enabler). To run the others, it will be needed to have to somes skils points in aura nodes.

My setup :


We can run zealtory with enligten lvl 4 and charisma in anoitment, and some enchant for reduction of mana reserved on helmet.

Brand recall where you want. Can be played with second wind if you have some free space (with conductivity on a ring for exemple)

Last : enduring cry where you want to get our endurance charges.


Ascendancy

1 - Illuminated devotion
2 - Arcane blessing
3 - Divine guidance
4 - Sanctuary of thought

I choose to not take Sign or purpose. It add some nice bonus to brand, but we can get another brand in tree, and immunity to ailments is better in term of QoL (and avoid death on freeze is good).


Pantheon

Soul of solaris : reduction of critical damage and elemental damage
Shakari : poison immunity, to complete the ailment immunity


Leveling

Get freeze pusle, then orb of the storm. Once you get storm brand ruch the Runebinder nodes to double damage, and explosives runes to one more brand.

Get most life nodes, elemental overload.

After the campaign start to build arround ES. Before that get as much as life/resistances as you can.


Upgrade order

Once you have the core : memory vault/aegis/cerberus with CI and incandescent heart :

1 - get Lethal pride with kiloava to double your block chance
2 - get Blue nightmare to get 28% block spell chance (14x2)
3 - get Shavronne's Wrappings + chaluya, get more auras with blood magic
4 - get your 6 link
5 - get a watcher eye with block chance + some determination mods (or wait for it to get better mods, with more block spell chance in passive tree)
6 - get the dual circle of regret
7 : get Death's door boots for bleed immunity
8 - get a nice pair of gloves
9 - get a nice crystal belt

Then try to get nice corrupts, a nice watcher'eye, your enlighten lvl 4 to run zealtory, awaken gems, etc.


Content done

I have done :
- all guadians except hydra
- simulacrum (3 deaths on boss and some chaos modifiers), deathless now, pretty simple
- all conquerors, sirus (3 death last time)
- i run most map in t16 with delirium and i can pretty much afk in it.

I will add somes videos of content if i have the time.


If you see a element that can be improved, tell me.

Also sorry for my english, i'm not a native.



Last edited by Pierre_Tombale on Jun 17, 2020, 10:27:21 AM
Last bumped on Jul 4, 2020, 7:45:12 PM
Great build, I found your character on poe.ninja as I wanted to do something similar (I love max block/aegis/memory vault combination) and running it right now. Super tanky, could be a bit stronger DPS-wise, but I'm hoping for it to get better once I get the cluster jewels (only lvl 78 atm.).

What's your pantheon choice? I was thinking Shakari for poison immunity and Solaris for elemental and crit defence.
Thanks,

For the DPS, the cluster jewel help a lot. The wave of conviction debuff + innvervate on cast on damage taken also.

For the panthon, yes, i think it's the best panthon choice, it complete the "weakness" nicely. Currently i dont have captured the soul for it, but i will.

I will add a section on the guide.
No brand Recall? how does it feel to recast brand every time?
Of course i play with brand recall, look at the end of gems section :)
Love this build, thank you for taking the time to make it.
Nice build mate. Thanks for sharing.
changed 1 or 2 passives thats all.

capped chaos res with belt and cold and fire with gloves and
corrupted
Question:
You are wearing eye of chayula to "get low life" (probably to get the pain attunement keystone).
BUT when are you considered low life? since my healthpool still is full (bein 900hp)
Last edited by CryingDutchman on Apr 1, 2020, 11:26:20 AM
"

Question:
You are wearing eye of chayula to "get low life" (probably to get the pain attunement keystone).
BUT when are you considered low life? since my healthpool still is full (bein 900hp)


To get low life, we need to have blood magic linked with some aura.
With this combo, we reserved more or equal to 65% of our HP, and we gain LL (LL need to have less than 35% HP).
Hi, great build.

Can you please tell me how you generate your endurance charges ? Your PoB shows them but i can't see the source...

Thanks!

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