SSF player. I feel like I'm running out of builds to play

I generally play POE twice a league in intense bursts. Once at launch in SSF standard and once for BPL. I don't always play the most meta build, but I at least typically play a strong build. I don't really have a lot of interest in litigating what that means.

I'm just going to define a strong build as one that can consistently and quickly kill:

* essence mobs
* an expedition with the keystone
* harvest in a T11 map

on a 5L without gear that requires you to have already farmed that content. There are quite a few builds that can do that:


* Boneshatter jugg
* Choose your own adventure Ele DoT delivery vehicle
* PF green DoT delivery vehicle
* Lightning Arrow Champ
* SRS
* RF
* Slightly worse versions of the same builds on suboptimal ascendancies. Shoutouts to cold-dot scion/heiro.
* crit brand heiro (thanks jung)

I think I have played all of these (some more than once) since the last time something new was added to the list and in the mean time many more things have been removed from the list.

It feels lame to know that if I wanted to make a new build I basically have to make a template where I fit in determination defiance banner and another defensive aura, suppress cap, and depending on what my favorite color is that week solving mana with elreon, EB, or lifetaps. Then I click on ~15 thematically similar damage nodes, select an ability that is probably 40-60% weaker than the ones listed above, and then click an ascendancy that isn't worse than scion.

If you show me a build that isn't constructed this way, doesn't require a rare-ish unique, and meets the criteria above, then I will be impressed. Then I will play it next league. Then I will be out of builds and you will be out of ideas.

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TL;DR Today I opened up the POE client to reset SSF on a new build 3 times, couldn't decide on a build, then closed the client to play league. I want to want to play POE. It is my favorite game and has been for a long time. The current class balance is EXTREMELY stale and it has been for probably ~4 leagues.

You could give impale shield crush a try. I don’t have a PoB for it on hand but there’s usually a few players who run it. It actually got me 40/40 in SSF during AN league. Didn’t have any problems scaling into early or even late reds on basic gear.

Splitting Steel into Corrupting Fever/Vaal Reave Champion?

My spell totem guy (hiero) this league isn't constructed that way. Ticks every single box. You may think he's squishy but with the right playstyle, he almost never gets hit (and with his traps up, he has ~25MM dps; much more if you play in trade league). I generally don't have a problem getting him to 100 in SSF.

I should add in case you are scratching your head because Herald of Purity takes me to like 2k life. I only flip that on for tough bosses if I need to nuke one. Otherwise, that herald stays off.

Well there are a lot more builds to play other than the few meta builds that you've listed.
Just gotta have to play around some with ideas/ the skill tree and stuff in order to have a viable build without x requirements.

If you want more variety, don't play SSF. For better or worse, this game is single mindedly desined around trade. Skipping trade means many items that would be easily available are difficult to get which obviously reduces your build options by a LOT. Playing trade doesn't mean you have to trade all the time, just enough to get the item you need, rest of the time you can play selffound.

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DichotomousThree wrote:

You could give impale shield crush a try. I don’t have a PoB for it on hand but there’s usually a few players who run it. It actually got me 40/40 in SSF during AN league. Didn’t have any problems scaling into early or even late reds on basic gear.

You have a POB for this?

If holding onto this idea [that you can't play something unless it's a predetermined 'strong build' according to arbitrary criteria] isn't leading to you enjoying the game, then I would suggest questioning its value.

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Baharoth15 wrote:

If you want more variety, don't play SSF. For better or worse, this game is single mindedly desined around trade. Skipping trade means many items that would be easily available are difficult to get which obviously reduces your build options by a LOT. Playing trade doesn't mean you have to trade all the time, just enough to get the item you need, rest of the time you can play selffound.

I agree with your comment to the extent that trade increases the number of build options, and I understand why you're making it, it just doesn't work for the way I get enjoyment out of the game. For me finding and building my own gear and increasing my character power through my own resources is what feels good. It might sound stupid but I have a hard time enjoying the game playing in trade league even if I never interact with trade.

My two cents for this: don't think about a character being ONE build forever...at least to me that's what it seems like. You go into SSF with a build in mind, stick to that build, and then once its done...you are done.

Rather, change your mindset: choose a STARTING SSF build and then CHANGE when and if you drop that unique that makes other builds possible. There are plenty of common enough build-defining unique items that are entirely possible to find SSF, if you are hunting uniques using scarabs and such.

SSF isn't really the limiter here: its your own expectations and playstyle more than the mode I think. For example, what if you wanted to try Popcorn SRS but Tavukai is super difficult to find SSF? Or even Primordial golems? Well...then go into SSF running a standard witch of ANY OTHER variety, farm for a while, and then respec when you find the item you need to do so.

I thought THAT^ was the entire point of playing SSF...not limitation for limitation's sake, but opening up the world to the discovery of new builds based on your rng drops. If you approach SSF with a build you KNOW is SSF friendly with no intention of changing it later...what's the point?