Struggling with Mana - Molten Strike Build

Hi All,

I know its been asked a billion times, but everything I'm finding is so specific. I'm trying to run a molten strike build, but am having issues with Mana.

I'd like to run Herald of Ash + Anger + Flesh and Stone (blood stance) - but that brings my Mana to 0.

Running just Anger + Herald of Ash is ok - but I run out of mana pretty quick. Here's my PoB if anyone could take a look and provide some pointers? I'm kinda new at this, so any feedback really would be helpful


https://pastebin.com/3a85QknS

I also am not sure if I should run Herald of Purity for the extra phys damage? does that impact the amount of life/mana leech?

Just wondering how everyone seems to run so many different auras/buffs and I'm struggling with 2 or 3 and the ability to run Molten Strike at the same time??

there are many ways..

* reducing mana cost to zero would allow you to use skills despite having all your mana reserved. there are mods on jewelry and body armour that reduce mana cost by a flat amount

* one mana leech passive (like on Vitality void cluster) is usually enough for attack builds to sustain

* mana on hit, found on some passives and also on rings and jewels will do the job too especially with skills that create many hits like Molten strike..

Mana on hit like in gloves and rings

e.g.

Mana leech but has it's weaknesses like no leech maps

Zero out cost with warlord influence chest -15 mana - best way but gotta give up a lot of DPS chests

Blood magic found on gems, tree, and influenced rares - use life instead of mana

I usually run 2x mana cost reduction on rings. If that's not enough to bring the attack to 0, I have some leech and a small mana buffer so I don't go oom in most situations.

For attackers, mana is a tax you have to pay. There are a dozen ways to eliminate mana from mattering but they all have their costs.

Get that jewel socket left of Marauder and stick a Conqueror's Efficiency in there. That will free up 9 mana from your reserve, and will also set your Molten cost at 9. That gives you some flexibility to run your preferred reserves.

Then you probably need to adjust your rings a bit. Shouldn't be hard at all to find a suitable replacement for Le Heup. A damage mod, a life mod, some cold res and maybe a little fire to account for what you'll lose, and either +mana on hit or -mana cost of skills. You shouldn't need to bring your mana cost to 0, but that would be optimal as you could skip the jewel if you can. Either way, you will either want to further reduce it from 9 or get some more quick mana recovery if you don't bring it to 0.

Thanks everyone! I took your advice and grabbed the first node above Vitality Void and that seems to have fixed my issues for now - had to refund a few passives and pivot to a different direction.

I've tried following Hybrid's Molten Strike build, but without any of the cluster jewels I've tried to play it within the tree I've got at the moment.

I've switched out my 5-link setup for Molten Strike-Multi Strike-Inspiration-Fortify Support-Ancestral- Call (gem swap Elemental Damage with Attacks for bosses).

my POB says I lost a ton of DPS as a result - like from the Melee Hit for MS being something like 160,000 now down to like 97,000, and the magma balls are doing now less than 25k. at Lvl 87 I guess I'm kinda lost at where to go from here - solved the mana issue, but can't get the DPS up, even with something like Grelwood Shank


I think I'm stuck - might need to reset/start over?

updated POB:
https://pastebin.com/d1VkMj1p

Its not worth taking that many nodes to get mana leech when your mana cost is so low. Its much easier and more efficient to bench craft -mana cost on your ring(s) or slot in replica conqueror's efficiency. Those 5 points could be used to take Devotion (8% life + stuff) and the two 6% life nodes, as well as 2 more 5% life nodes around Constitution.

Edit: Not saying that I wouldn't path like that when levelling, but I would probably spec out of that as I start to push harder content, access the relevant crafts and find suitable rings.

I use this annointed amulet for my mana needs
Mind Drinker grants 0.4% of Attack Damage Leeched as Mana, 18% increased maximum Mana and Recover 2% of Mana on Kill