[3.5] Hardcore Betrayal Bax_CD Herald of Agony Champion Duelist HoA Beginner Friendly

After killing Hillock get Frost Blades at Nessa and buy 2 Rusted Axe. If there's none by that time it's ok. Just keep looking for those. Also buy a 2Green Linked item


On the 2Green Linked item you will put the FrostBlades that you got from Nessa in start and the Ancestral Call, Onslaught & Lesser Poison Support Gems that you get on Nessa after finishing the Medicine Chest Quest.

You will get Ancestral Protector & Decoy Totem after entering the Flooded Depths.

Link1 (2Green+1Red): FrostBlades+Onslaught+AncestralCall

Link2 (1Red): Ancestral Protector

Also get a Decoy totem from Nessa, it will help you killing Brutus and the rest of acts Bosses.


Use the Lesser Poison in an random socket just to be leveling the gem for now.

This is how your skill tree will be until the next section http://poeurl.com/b9FB

When you enter in Prision, You can get Added Fire for your Ancestral Protector and one for your Sunder. You can also keep with FrostBlades, based on your preference.

This setup will carry you until the End of Act 1. Open the Level 12 Section to continue your journey.

If you can ask a friend to buy you BladeVortex, and Use Blade Vortex + Lesser Poison, you can start HoA from level 16.

If you dont when you reach Merveil's Cave choose the Sunder Skill Gem and place it combined with Added Fire Support Gem.

If you already found a 3L Red item put Ancestral Protector with Added fire & Melee Splash.

Keep an eye to get life itens, like Coral rings and Leather Belt. Also remember to upgrade your Life&Mana Flasks.

This is how your tree will be until the next section of your journey http://poeurl.com/b9FL

After finishing Chamber of Sins you can buy the Herald of Agony Gem on the vendor and start Leveling it on an Item.

If you had a friend to buy you Blade Vortex + Lesser Poison Support, you can start using you Herald of Agony.

Using these combinations:

Link 1: Blade Vortex + Lesser Poison

Link 2: Herald Of Agony + Minion Damage Support + Damage on Full Life Support

If you don't, it's ok. Just keep using Sunder, or Frost Blades, or whatever Skill you prefer to level with.

Kill all bandits and remember to keep upgrading your Life&Mana Flasks and keep searching for High Life Itens

Kill all

After killing The Weaver on Spider Cave grab Damage on Full Life & Faster Attacks and Level them up

Place Sunder + Added Fire Support + Melee Physical Damage
In your 3L 3Red item

And keep Ancestral Protector + Melee Physical + Added fire in your 3L 3Red

This is how your Tree will look like until the next section of your Journey http://poeurl.com/b9FQ

Remember to keep upgrading your Life&Mana Flasks and Searching for High Life itens.

Get Convocation it will help you to control your Crawler's Position on the battle field. Start Leveling it.


At level 24 you can put an Aura of your Preference. Usually I go with Hatred to boost my damage. But if you feel like going a bit safer, use Purity of Elements.

Keep an Eye for 4L Itens (Specially 2Green+1Red+1Blue)

In further league you can choose to start leveling all the Gems/Auras you will be using on the build. It is not viable in the very start of the league because the high alteration cost.

Here's the list of Auras you could be leveling in offhands to complete your build later on

-Vitality
-Discipline
-Purity of Ice
-Purity of Fire
-Purity of Lightning
-Grace
-Haste
-Hatred
-Determination

Remember to keep upgrading your Flasks & High Life Itens.

Keep an Eye for 4L Itens (Specially 2Green+1Red+1Blue)
Also 4L with 3Green+1Blue

In act 3 after reaching Ebony Barracks, lead yourself to the Library quest instead Piety.

After completing Library, assuming you found 4L itens you can buy the gems required to start your HoA setup and your Poison Setup
Get Ball Lightining and Poison Support

You will replace your Sunder/FrostBlades setup for Ball Lightning at this point
Setup 1: 4L (2Green + 1 Red + 1 Blue)


Setup 2: 3L (2Green + 1 Blue)

If you find a 3Green+1Blue you can place Lesser Multiple Proj support, or Slower Proj Support. But it is not required.

Also add Fortify to your Shield Charge + Faster Attacks setup

With this setup you can carry on until the end of acts. And you can keep using it, life based, doing maps to farm for your Low-Life Itens & for Regret Orbs (you are going to need a lot of Regrets)

This is how your tree will look along the way

Arround library quest in act 3
Level 28 http://poeurl.com/b9F0

Arround end of act4
Level 40 http://poeurl.com/b9F2

Arround end of act 7
Level 55 http://poeurl.com/b9F5

Arround blood aqueducts or start of maps
Level 70 http://poeurl.com/b9F9

You can always choose to pick the Jewel Sockets on the tree on your leveling, IF you have good jewels to place there.

This is how your tree will be at level 80+, while maping, farming for your Regret Orbs and for the money to get your Low Life Gear.

Level 80+ http://poeurl.com/b9Gf

After you are done with farming your Low Life Gear & Regret Orbs you can respec into the Real and Final Tree. This is the end of leveling section and the begin of the real thing.

For Hardcore Players, specially on league start, I sugest you to do the same as me, and than respec the Fortify point later, after Uber. Because the 'Taunt on hit' is kinda rippy while leveling.

Normal Lab: Unstoppable Hero

Cruel Lab : Inspirational

Merciless Lab: Master of Metal or First to Strike, Last to Fall ( Still haven't decided which is better. Need to test with the new gems. )

UberLab:After UberLab I will probably be geared and than I will respec the Unstoppable Hero out and get the Taunt Nodes; Conqueror & Worthy Foe

In the 'leveling section' of this guide you don't really need any specific Item. Focus on getting High Life & Resistances gear and you will be golden. Some uniques like the sword Aurumvorax, or The Goldrim Leather Cap are really helpfull to cap your resistances, but you don't really need them. With this leveling tree I developed it is really easy to Max out your resistances using the Rare itens you get along the way.

Build Tree

PasteBin:https://pastebin.com/z2msngUk
If you want to check my Passive tree, Select the Character 'Bax_CD' on my Profile. The PoeURL is bugged atm.
https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/Bax_CD

Ascendancys:
-Master of Metal
-Inspirational
-Conqueror
-Worthy Foe

Some of these gears you can get without the corruptions, to make it cheaper, but these are the itens you are aiming to get for End game content. The helmet can get much better if you craft with Bound (for the 5% mana reservation roll) and Dense fossil (for the ES).

Gloves:


Helmet:

The Order of the gems Need to be like this Cast on damage taken > Desecrate > Spirit Offering to make the setup work properly

Weapon:
Probably will be Generosity + Banner + Hatred. I can't fix in the begin of league because I will be busy playing. Come to my stream if any you have any questions.

Shield:


Body-Armour:


Boots:

Kill all

The amount of '-1% Mana Reserved' Corruption on your Jewels depends on your Enlighten Level, on your Helmet Mana reservation Roll etc... You can always drop one aura on the very start of the build and than build your way to Optimize the build to 100%.

These are the important Jewels to have on the build


The Watcher's Eye
Personally I like the permanent Phasing for Delving, and the Regen/Recovery is always nice..

A good Option would be a Watcher's Eye with Life on Hit while Vitality. With that you could drop Life on Hit Ring and use either a Lori's Lantern for Defenses and Chaos resistance, or The Pariah Ring for flat 100ES.

Kill all

Pantheons really depends on what content you are doing.

I usually go with Soul of Solaris for the Major Pantheon
And Ralakesh for the Minor Pantheon