In Scourge, Champion ascendancy has more defense mechanisms, which is very suitable for league starter. This PoE 3.16 Scourge Duelist Toxic Rain Champion Builds is starter viable which means you can make it work with less than amazing gear. Therefore, it's cheap. However, TR is not necessarily cheap to scale fully into endgame in a trade league.

 

Pros & Cons

  • + SSF viable
  • + HC viable
  • + League starter
  • + run and gun, stuff dies behind you
  • + Consistent damage without direct attacks
  • + Tanky enough for the Gauntlet
  • + Should be able to clear all content (UE down deathless in <3 minutes at level 90 in standard)
  • + Most map mods are no problem
  • + No uniques required 
  • - Totem delay (you can selfcast TR in maps should you prefer)
  • - Needs 111 Int and 109 Str (155 str for a fully leveled enduring cry)
  • - Self cast enduring cry
  • - TR based so expensive to min/max
  • - Will not oneshot bosses
  • - Avoid Cannot Regen Life and Mana Maps
  • - Requires prioritizing Mana. Use an enduring flask, gems, and tree passives accordingly.

 

Skill Tree

Ascendancy: Unstoppable Hero, Fortitude, Inspirational, then First to Stike/Last to Fall or Conquerer

Pantheon

Major: Solaris (Bossing) or Lunaris (Mapping)
Minor: Garukhan or Ryslatha

Bandit: Kill All

Passive Tree & PoB

Path of Building Link: https://pastebin.com/bkdZA9eg


 

Gems Setup

TR Ballista 6L ON BOW: Toxic Rain - Ballista Totem - (A) Viscious Projectiles - (A) Swift Affliction - Empower or Efficacy - Concentrated Effect

TR selfcast 6L ON CHEST: 3 options

1. My Preferred is (Both DPS and QoL): Toxic Rain - Vicious Projectiles - Swift Affliction - Mirage Archer - Withering Touch - Life Gain on Hit

2. Damage: Toxic Rain - Vicious Projectiles - Swift Affliction - Mirage Archer - Withering Touch - Efficacy

3. Pure QoL: Blast Rain or TR or Frenzy - Mirage Archer - Withering Touch - Hextouch - Despair - Increased Duration or Life Gain on Hit

CWDT - Steelskin

Enduring Cry - Urgent Orders

Movement Skill of Choice

Enlighten - Malevolence - Vaal Grace - Vaal Clarity or Vitality or Flesh and Stone or Arctic Armor

The following single gems stick in wherever you can:
Blood Rage
Despair (until you get a Despair on Hit Ring)
Defiance Banner (once you get Ispiration)
Withering Step (Bind this to left click so it auto-casts as you run around)

Gear Setup

Early Levelling Gear / Skills

For Ballista: Toxic Rain - Ballista Totem - Vicious Projectiles - Swift Affliction.

For Selfcast: Toxic Rain - Lifetap - Vicious Projectiles - Mirage Archer

Leveling Uniques for those with access to them:

Bows: Quill Rain. A six Link Quill Rain can take you well into endgame if you so choose

Quiver: Skirmish

For all other gear, focus on resistances, attack speed, and DoT/DoT Multiwhere applicable. 

Endgame Gear

BOW

+34% to Damage over Time Multiplier
+1 to Level of Socketed Gems
18% increased Attack Speed
Can have up to 3 Crafted Modifiers
+2 to Level of Socketed Support Gems
+39% to Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier

This bow is no longer possible as of 3.15 as of the DoT Multi being moved to a Suffix. As a result, it is easier to craft a really good bow and will probably be harder to craft an amazing bow.

BOW CRAFTING

Use a 3-socket resonator socketed with a Metallic Fossil, Prismatic Fossil, and Corroded Fossil. It usually takes just a few times to hit +3, but you may want to reroll a couple times to get a secondary mod that's helpful. Both Attack Speed and DoT Multi are useful mods, everything else is secondary or useless.

QUIVER

20% increased Global Critical Strike Chance
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+14% to Damage over Time Multiplier
+25% to Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier with Attack Skills
7% increased Attack Speed
+63 to maximum Life
9% increased Movement Speed
+261 to Evasion Rating
+24 to maximum Energy Shield

CHEST

+1 to Level of Socketed Active Skill Gems
+48 to Dexterity
101% increased Evasion Rating
+23 to maximum Life
+10% to all Elemental Resistances
+16% to Lightning Resistance

BIS is a +1 skill gem and/or Attacks have -15 Mana chest. They are both Warlord Mods. There is an example of a very good craftable chest in the PoB.

HELMET

Toxic Rain deals 40% increased Damage
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+88 to maximum Life
+41% to Fire Resistance
+3 to maximum Fortification
20% chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments

BiS is now ilvl 85 Hunter Lion Pelt with nearby monsters have -9% chaos resistance.

BOOTS

70% increased Mana Regeneration Rate if you've cast a Spell Recently
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+6 to Evasion Rating
20% increased Evasion Rating
+44% to Cold Resistance
+30% to Chaos Resistance
34% chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments
21% increased Movement Speed

Lvl 81+ Shaper Boots for 31-35% Elemental Ailment Avoidance.

AMULET

Allocates Panopticon
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+30 to Strength
------------------
+15% to Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier
+42 to maximum Mana
+43% to Lightning Resistance
+34% to Chaos Resistance
+1 to Level of all Chaos Skill Gems
Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost

Lvl 82+ Hunter Amulet with +1 to Chaos Gems or +1 to Dexterity Gems.

RINGS

22% increased Chaos Damage
------------------------------------------------
+35 to Strength
Adds 2 to 23 Lightning Damage to Attacks
+12 to Evasion Rating
+16% to all Elemental Resistances
+33% to Cold Resistance
+53 to maximum Lif

One Lvl 75/80 Hunter Ring for Despair on hit

OTHER

Life, Resis and Stygian Vise with "chance to gain Onslaught" Searching Eye Jewel