[3.17] [Experimental] Cyclone Summoner - Heralds of Agony and Purity, Summon Holy Relic

First time trying something like this so you probably shouldn't use this unless you know what you're doing.

Original Build Credit
Spoiler
This is an attempt at updating this build
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2217712 for 3.17


Special thanks, for helping:


Pastebin
Spoiler


Notes
Spoiler

1) Mana was not an issue in play testing. Replace cluster jewel with something more meaningful
2) Was able to complete a T16 with one death
3) Available two link: (Mark on hit + ?)


Gear - League Stating Priorities

Spoiler

It's cheap enough to be a league start but the high end stuff will make everything more comfortable.

Get the required items ASAP:

* Coming Calamity - Should be cheap in first few days of trade league
* Victario's Charity - Should be cheap in first few days of trade league
* Geofri's Crest - In 3.17 has all the benefits of the fated version, not sure hou rare it will be.
* Gloves - Look for 6L gloves and Minion Movement Speed (Fear)
* Essence Worm -
* Claws - Life gain on hit for survivability until you replace them with cold points.


Gear - Expensive Stuff

Spoiler

Energy Shield on hit Watcher's Eye - Drop your Essence Worm aura for Discipline and get an extra 20% effective health gained on hit. This helps a lot for tankiness/survivability. This also works for Vitlity and LGoH Watcher's eye. Discipline is better though if you can afford the jewel.

Rare elder helm with +2/3 to socketed minion gems and supported by Minion Damage to socket Herald of Purity-Maim-Melee Physical Damage-Ruthless/Empower(level 3+) - This setup is useful against bosses who deal large area damage and kill your Holy Relics. Relics generally are good, but not stellar against bosses like Shaper and you often need to resummon them, so having only one (socketed in boots) and stronger Herald of Purity minions suits if you're going to be chaining t16+ bosses. Note, if you use Ruthless you'll want to drop Hatred for Haste or the Discipline + watcher's eye setup.


Detailed Gem Information

Spoiler

Gems are listed in priority order.

6L Herald of Agony-Pierce-Minion Damage-Damage on Full Life

This is the core 4L after which you have the following options based on preference.
- Summon Phantasm on Kill: great for additional clear power, you can swap this for minion damage for clear/bossing (now triggers vs rare and unique enemies)
- Vicious Projectiles: huge damage
- Maim: decent damage and maim (consider using if not using maim on Herald of Purity)
- Empower: only really good if you have level 4 or a +1 socketed gems corruption
- Minion Speed: great for additional clear power, you can swap this for minion damage for clear/bossing
- Vile Toxins: good damage and option to swap for Pierce for bossing/clear

Herald of Purity-Feeding Frenzy-Melee Physical Damage-Maim

Summon Holy Relic-Minion Damage-Controlled Destruction-Meat Shield (if you find your Holy Relics dying a lot, swap Minion Damage for Minion Life)C

These three setups are your main sources of damage. Feel free to customise your Herald of Agony setup to the content you're going and personal preference.


Cyclone-Fortify-Life Gain on Hit-Blind (assuming you have double "supported by" gloves)

If you want to use Cyclone before having the double "supported by" gloves, use Cyclone-Faster Attacks-Poison-Fortify/Life Gain on Hit. Additionally, you can get only a single "supported by" gloves and not use blind if you don't have the life gained on hit vs blinded enemies elder claw yet.

Cyclone is how we trigger our minions and sustain life and mana.


Immortal Call (1)-Cast when Damage Taken (1)-Enfeeble (5)

Some nice defensive layers.


Shield Charge-Faster Attacks

Movement for when you're not Cycloning.


Hatred/Haste

Hatred = more hit damage (good if you're Elemental Equilibrium, but you'll need to generosity it or take Avatar of Fire), Haste = increased attacks = higher life gained on hit and minion attack speed - personal preference on this one (I like Hatred).


Flame Dash or Dash

Some nice movement utility you can throw in somewhere - not essential.


Leveling

Spoiler

Start the same as the "Melee" build for trees 1-2 and use Smite-Ancestral Call-Melee Physical Damage. Switch once you can respec some points to the Cyclone3 tree and have gear for 4L Cyclone, 4L Herald of Agony, 3L Herald of Purity and 3-4L Summon Holy relic

I've not converted those trees to the build.

How I've been leveling - This is not necessarily the right way, just the way I did it.

A note: I tend to make significant gear/gem improvements all at once and then continue to level until I hit a gear wall. This may not be an ideal way to play for everyone and certainly not a good strategy for hardcore.

Act 1 - I got Smite, Ancestral Call, Melee Splash as soon as I could. This was basically all of my damage output for act 1. I got my favorite dash skills when available and just rushed through the act. When summon holy relic was available I purchased and equipped it. I also found a gorebreaker unique spiked club which has been my primary wep for the next few acts.

Act 2 - I went right first so that I could get Herald of Purity. Between purity and smite I had enough damage to finish the act without any additional modifications.

Act 3 - As soon as I got my hands on an all red 4 link I added melee physical to my smite setup. Just before Dominos I did a major gear overhaul. Using the Library vendor I bought the following gems

Cyclone -> Fortify -> Life Gain On Hit - (I kept smite setup in a 4 link in case this wasn't enough damage. I didn't have to use smite to beat Dominus.

Herald of Agony -> Pierce -> Minion Damage

Summon Holy Relic -> Minion Damage -> Controlled Destruction -> Meat Shield

I also got a few other gems I know I'll need in the future just to start leveling them. Gems like Maim, Blind, and Feeding Frenzy


Feedback welcome.
Last edited by vonwolven on Feb 9, 2022, 2:16:47 PM
Last bumped on Jun 5, 2022, 3:37:52 PM
To be clear I'm mostly posting this for myself and maybe get some feedback on how it can be improved. The original build was before cluster jewels and masteries so I'm trying to find a way to take advantage of both those systems.
Im gonna keep an eye on this one that build u linked to was the most fun ive had in POE and a really smooth starter, pretty happy to see someone pick it back up to see if it works

EDIT: Couldnt help but notice there is no holy relic on your version is there a specific reason why? Just asking because I remember siiting on my ass waiting to buy the prophecy to upgrade the unique helm. Also harmony of purpose doesnt apply to minions in case you didnt know, I feel like time of need would be overall better for survivability.
Last edited by SalamiTheGreat on Jan 28, 2022, 4:59:01 PM
So the lack of relics is actually because this build was based on my end game version of the main build. In the OG guide he suggested ditching the relics in late game bossing because they die a lot.

If I can get around to building the early game versions I'll put the relics back. That said, I guess I haven't looked to see if we can even get that fated helm now, so I'll check on that.

You're right, time of need is probably better.
I also need to check if you can even get the fated helmet now or if it's one that got nuked.
In testing on standard mana doesn't seem to be an issue so the flue the fight cluster jewel is probably unnecessary.
The fated helm actually became core :D so its super accesible now so its definetely a consideration for leveling this build. also id recommend adding a fortress covenant in the place you put that cluster jewel in since you dont need the mana sustain the fortress covenant is gonna add more damage and also some defences for the minions
"
The fated helm actually became core :D so its super accesible now so its definetely a consideration for leveling this build. also id recommend adding a fortress covenant in the place you put that cluster jewel in since you dont need the mana sustain the fortress covenant is gonna add more damage and also some defences for the minions


I'll look into it! I was also looking into Call To The Slaughter which gives a 100k dps boost.
Building something like this for ascendant (Guardian/NEcromancer) but experimenting with non-cyclone ways to proc poison and stay out of danger, i.e. venom gyre/whirling blades, a strike skill, or a chaining skill.

So many of the new archnemesis monsters are just cancerous at cyclone range, I've all but given up on close-up melee, whereas just having more projectiles to proc LGOH/MGOH/heralds with a good crafted gemini or HoWA with high poison/maim chance just seems safer and more efficient.

For the same reason, fortify on hit seems like a nonbo; getting around ailment threshold on anything bigger than a weta just means you're mis-allocating damage nodes to your own damage to proc it when you could be getting better dps overall giving it to your minions.

I love LGOH on blind, and arguably it's in a better place now that the map ailment immunity mod reads "chance to avoid poison, impale, and bleeding" rather than "poison, blind, and bleeding".

Have considered 3 ways of doing this:

-Geofri's Crest for extra relic
-Replica Alpha's Howl for that sweet-sweet + heralds gems level but this limits you to 2 supports shared across both, unless you split the difference and put one in hat and one in calamity;
-Guardian/Champion for fortify chance and aura effect, letting you drop fortify support and replace with something that generates charges, cwc-flesh offering, sort of setup.
[19:36]#Mirror_stacking_clown: try smoke ganja every day for 10 years and do memory game

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