ES, GS, or GTFO

Anyone else noticing this lately? I feel everyone playing a Life based build is using Heavy Strike + Ground Slam. Most everyone else appears to be an ES based character (generally with CI). There are tons of people claiming 15k+ DPS with the two previously mentioned setups.

I've tried time and time again to create a life-based build that isn't melee since the past few patches...it just doesn't seem like a possibility right now. I don't play Energy Shield builds. I love life, life regen, and Blood Magic. I tried ES and just couldn't enjoy it for some reason. However, I feel like all of the powerful damage options are up in the northern section of the tree (critical/elemental passives especially!) - the polar opposite side from Blood Magic.

I've had a tough time logging into PoE lately because I cannot seem to create a non-melee, life based character who can keep up with the current playerbase's ground slammers and other miscellaneous non-life characters, even if I use old "legacy" style gear with the "OP" elemental mods. I haven't had this issue until recently, so I'd like to think it's not that I'm building badly, but who knows - maybe I am.

Does anyone have a build that can prove me wrong, show me there's still hope for this type of build? Perhaps suggestions or even some sort of motivation? I know this isn't the end of my time with PoE by any means, but I'd like to figure something out before I cave in and just play something generic. :( The most enjoyable build I've run up to Merciless that still works and seems viable is a knockoff of the Block-based build posted in the build of the week a while back. However, because it requires 100% aggro, it isn't playable in parties. I'd rather not be forced to play solo all the time. :(


EDIT: I know builds like the Wand marauder showcased recently work alright - I have a few of my own that are similar (bow, wand, casters, etc.), but I'm coming nowhere NEAR that 15k-25k+ DPS that people are claiming, and I've definitely got some above average gear. The closest I've come is ~6k DPS on a point-blank bow marauder, and he's got serious survivability problems.

To be clear, I'm not looking for "OK" or "alright" builds. I'm curious if anyone under these restrictions has even managed to break 10k DPS (without flasks) and still have enough survivability to play in high level maps with friends. Right now, that doesn't seem like a possibility.

Im currently playing a Armor/HP based Spellcasting Templar, using 1h mace and shield. GMP Freezing pulse, shield charge, Temporal Chains and some other misc stuff.

Im currently lvl 72 on hardcore, i started this char last 1 week race and ended up 23rd overall and 4th templar without really trying and my only goal was to get lvl 70 for some orbs as this was my first try at a templar with this build and i had limited time that week.

Its not a very powerfull build like some of the ones you describe, but it has decent surviibility and damage and if you play it safe it works well.

This is my current build at the moment:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQUB_oviruVj0FRn7gnqm_AqxWURcrWZLWG3sShgo9mbqBLzX-1WJgJE411VsuYIesKck4cffvNHdxirZVXSXQvBKeLjy_98wCHe62ALjdhmqSVLBiVrAJbF50UdjbSaJE9ZGpHy2kq2TItPaS1FYke48vUtu7wVIeEErelxrkcR8IoREOGeZxrsAtuIRSsjy5hqyKPtk0okjrML1SpNRKolt0uvP5c-FWtyWXzpoQ-Ogp3Re_joFl5YaZptiUcBAnFgMyR0TSzdmne9-6lxZ-ky1P8_eiMX4RQP_yilDulP78BRh03Ku5f3ictBHRFVHH1GFgm_0qe7SdIbjaSS6P1id1YlF__4kxucfIbKGYhfdyEbopNcgql0QVbyCTs1GOsrgqopxJkmuOWIgaM6g4iyqmBHBMnt17l4uPV_7STt4KjAAL82PSpIdYxRUaN_qsge

As for comparing your dps to other people, what gems are you using for supports, how good is your weapon, and what auras are you using? Cause people don't hit 15k+ dps just from passives.

"

Aplier wrote:

As for comparing your dps to other people, what gems are you using for supports, how good is your weapon, and what auras are you using? Cause people don't hit 15k+ dps just from passives.

That 6 link man, that 6 link...

"

Aplier wrote:

As for comparing your dps to other people, what gems are you using for supports, how good is your weapon, and what auras are you using? Cause people don't hit 15k+ dps just from passives.

Compared my marauder with a friend's witch - same skill (burning arrow) + supports, same charges, same auras. Very similar gear - it's just the passive tree that made a huge difference. I ventured down to the iron reflexes area while the other was in the templar to shadow side. My marauder can barely run mid-level (65ish) maps solo while the witch runs any level in parties without much issue and has about 4x higher DPS. There's just not enough damage on the south side of the tree right now. At least not well balanced damage - plenty of physical junk as well as melee passives. There's also the fact that life builds have to put more points into defense due to lack of a huge node like CI (BM is similar in a way, but it's more for utility than defense) and lack of implicit life mods like CI essentially gets. Of course, life builds have the added bonus of generally higher armor (or evasion) and the ability to use flasks...so I understand having to spec a bit more defensively. Even so, the DPS gap is just ridiculous.

Again, maybe I'm going at it the wrong way, but I've put 30+ life based trees together in the past 2 weeks without any veritable success. I can get mediocre DPS with high survivability or crap survivability for still a fraction of what can be gained in the upper half of the tree. Going melee would change that, of course, but why should I be forced to go melee just because I want to do a life build? That's not how it was before, and it seems like one of the goals of this game is diversity. There's no point to running a mediocre DPS character like I described before, at least not in parties. It'd be a relaxing solo experience, but I want to be able to party as well - I really don't like being pigeonholed into using ES or Melee just so I can compete in damage. Using a mediocre DPS char, I'm effectively a dead-weight just collecting loot - doesn't feel good.

Well you can get high DPS on an elemental bow ranger that doesn't have CI, but you probably already know that and are talking about marauders. (also even bow rangers really like using EV/ES gear and Discipline to get some of that sweet sweet ES, so they're not really 'life based').

PS: who the hell is getting 25k DPS without diamond up. I call bullshit unless it's like the most ludicrously well geared witch in the beta or something.

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQEAANTk5gJlKoYHa5TVB4wTLAr8Kq8SIY8jFqmfNhcVF9YX7NacIP7-jikZ4xMphsCPMZNJ9zeXCEQ3xCN_PSq--EcSK3RHPIy5SVDK3VDjAjBTT2zCVgyrrVs8BoxbecGXXVWy5mibpftyleineE0Bun3biS6ECf4phNccEomDkySKhXQ9k4cffpbVBHqY9Yarm29CSpyDYtuh5oQ1ojeodqgveomodrQ9qg4KMKoWdgaqQzF8qkgB86tlVdKysMcxt6LQarnWRGG7r9-gvEfe4MDmWG_Jeg_6ygGufcvVF8_NEqyOzbEgV9E0PdfRSC0o0z_we9SLxKvUth9U1YyD9NYrD7jZbENg3SNReN20fxHfAxXU5K_cDuaQpHDw3Uh080d3GPf0myj6zqWa_KU1FA==

This works pretty damn well.

The most fun, and the most OP setup i've played and continue to play is a bow shadow.

Its level 50 at the moment and has mediocre damage due to the fact that im still using the same bow i had at level 28 (also has some very shitty gear):




I use lightning arrow as aoe dmg and currently yields about 550 dps (with Lesser multiple projectiles)

I use elemental hit for strong single target dps, it currently does about 850+ dps.

I use: clarity, disc, wrath, anger, grace auras.

I still have 40% of mana to play around with.

I have 12 points wasted in the witch ES nodes as i'm making the switch to evasion.

Let me tell you about my experience with CI and evasion.

i had over 2k ES and about 20% evasion and i was getting my ass handed to me in ruthless, i had no idea what i was going to do to fix the problem.

After much Passive skill tree planning i decided to switch to evasion, i only had enough regrets + respec points to redistrubte 10 skill points.

Those 10 points where enough to get to me 50+ evasion and i immediately felt the effects, i lasted a considerable amount more, and i still kept disc aura on (gives + 400 ish ES atm)

with more regret orbs and upgraded gear i feel as if i could take anything on in the game.

As it stands i 1 one shot normal monsters in merciless.

Havent done Merveil yet (being busy with UNI) but let me tell you about Brutus (merciless):

Step 1: ran to within 1/2 screen away from brutus.

Step 2: Projectile weakness + 3 stacks of frenzy

step 3: ran back a little so i was 1/2 screen away still

Step 4:Hold elemental arrow,

Results: he died before he could cover 1/2 the distance that was between us, never got a hit off on me at all.

- i got that with below mediocre gear, non-melee, no CI, no ground slam, life + evasion (with Disc aura on top)


I'm telling you my little anecdote to show you that ES isnt the be all and end all of defense and that there is an alternative non-melee damage that doesnt rely on CI and or ground slam.

"

The most fun, and the most OP setup i've played and continue to play is a bow shadow.

Its level 50 at the moment and has mediocre damage due to the fact that im still using the same bow i had at level 28 (also has some very shitty gear):

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I use lightning arrow as aoe dmg and currently yields about 550 dps (with Lesser multiple projectiles)

I use elemental hit for strong single target dps, it currently does about 850+ dps.

I use: clarity, disc, wrath, anger, grace auras.

I still have 40% of mana to play around with.

I have 12 points wasted in the witch ES nodes as i'm making the switch to evasion.

Let me tell you about my experience with CI and evasion.

i had over 2k ES and about 20% evasion and i was getting my ass handed to me in ruthless, i had no idea what i was going to do to fix the problem.

After much Passive skill tree planning i decided to switch to evasion, i only had enough regrets + respec points to redistrubte 10 skill points.

Those 10 points where enough to get to me 50+ evasion and i immediately felt the effects, i lasted a considerable amount more, and i still kept disc aura on (gives + 400 ish ES atm)

with more regret orbs and upgraded gear i feel as if i could take anything on in the game.

As it stands i 1 one shot normal monsters in merciless.

Havent done Merveil yet (being busy with UNI) but let me tell you about Brutus (merciless):

Step 1: ran to within 1/2 screen away from brutus.

Step 2: Projectile weakness + 3 stacks of frenzy

step 3: ran back a little so i was 1/2 screen away still

Step 4:Hold elemental arrow,

Results: he died before he could cover 1/2 the distance that was between us, never got a hit off on me at all.

- i got that with below mediocre gear, non-melee, no CI, no ground slam, life + evasion (with Disc aura on top)


I'm telling you my little anecdote to show you that ES isnt the be all and end all of defense and that there is an alternative non-melee damage that doesnt rely on CI and or ground slam.

I agree with you mostly, but at 500dps, you arent one shotting anything except maybe squidlings on merciless

"

tramshed wrote:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQEAANTk5gJlKoYHa5TVB4wTLAr8Kq8SIY8jFqmfNhcVF9YX7NacIP7-jikZ4xMphsCPMZNJ9zeXCEQ3xCN_PSq--EcSK3RHPIy5SVDK3VDjAjBTT2zCVgyrrVs8BoxbecGXXVWy5mibpftyleineE0Bun3biS6ECf4phNccEomDkySKhXQ9k4cffpbVBHqY9Yarm29CSpyDYtuh5oQ1ojeodqgveomodrQ9qg4KMKoWdgaqQzF8qkgB86tlVdKysMcxt6LQarnWRGG7r9-gvEfe4MDmWG_Jeg_6ygGufcvVF8_NEqyOzbEgV9E0PdfRSC0o0z_we9SLxKvUth9U1YyD9NYrD7jZbENg3SNReN20fxHfAxXU5K_cDuaQpHDw3Uh080d3GPf0myj6zqWa_KU1FA==

This works pretty damn well.

2h melee physical damage = melee. I know that works well; I'm looking for non-melee, non ES.