In most of this guide, we tend to have a Softcore player complete all the content in the game with a single build, so this build prefers a single target rather than a cleanup speed.

Some features of this build are enough for the player to endgame: All Content Viable, Tanky, Resolute Technique. It also means that expensive budgets are not suitable for league starter. But if you are looking for a powerful build and it is still strong in Betrayal League, then this will be a good choice for you.

 

Quick Jump

• Pros & Cons

• Skill Tree 

• Gems Setup

• Gear Setup

• Leveling

• Expectations & POB

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• All Content Viable.
• Tanky.
• Resolute Technique.
• Unique Items Heavy.

Cons

• Not a great league starter.
• Have to reroll some map mods.
• Can be high budget.

 

Skill Tree 

Ascendancy

• Slayer
• Raider
• Path of the Duelist

Alternatives: Raider could be swapped for Pathfinder, Elementalist, Juggernaut, Inquisitor, Chieftan, or Berzerker for individuality sake!

Bandits

This quest is given to you by Eramir in the Forest Encampment after you complete Through Sacred Ground or talk with any of the bandit leaders. There are three different bandit leaders. You can either side with one of them (and kill the other two) to get the respective reward or you can kill all of them to get the reward from Erami - from Gamepedia

Kill them all. Help Alira if you want to go down the Crit path.

Pantheons

The Pantheon List

• Major God – Soul Arachali with 50% increased Recovery of Life and Energy Shield if you've stopped taking Damage Over Time Recently
• Minor God – Gruthkul for mapping Yugul for Uber Elder

Passive Tree

 

Gems Setup

Elemental Hit

Single Target:

Elemental Hit - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Combustion - Mirage Archer - Fire Penetration - Damage on Full Life

Clearing;

Elemental Hit - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Combustion - Mirage Archer - Fire Penetration

If you are using Frostferno I like putting my Single Target:

Elemental Hit - Elemental Damage With Attacks - Mirage Archer - Combustion

NOTE: Cold to Fire is top priority if you aren't using Pyre Ring.

NOTE: Experiment with taking out Mirage Archer for Faster Attacks if it suits your playstyle more!

Auras

None! This is a Blood Magic build. Before picking up the keystone: Anger/Flammability-Blasphemy/Herald of Ash/Arctic Armor can all be considered.

Utility

Cast When Damage Taken – Blood Rage - Immortal Call – Vaal Cold Snap

• Don’t overlevel your gems. You need to keep these gems relatively low level because we want CWDT to proc at a lower life threshold. By keeping it low – it also limits what level of spell it can cast. 
• Vaal Cold Snap does double duty here. It will automatically cast the non-vaal version of Cold Snap when you get hit (which applies a chill). Remember applying different ailments allows Elemental Hit and Yoke of Suffering to give you More damage! The Vaal Cold Snap can gives you the chill on demand.

Blink Arrow - Faster Attacks

• Great mobility and gap crossing.

Lightning Golem

• Gives attack and movespeed if you can afford to get the links.
• Can be annoying to recast and keep up so try having a high level Cast When Damage Taken. Culling Strike, Blind, and/or Increased Item Rarity are good ways to get more value from your golem.

Decoy Totem

• A great utility totem which helps for bosses.

Other Nice to Haves

Vaal Grace

• Some extra survivability for bosses.

Vaal Haste

• For all the speed demons.

With any of these Vaal Skills consider linking to Increased Duration!

Quality Priority

Elemental Hit > Damage Supports (All give .5% increase) > Attack Speed Supports (GMP)

 

Gear

Helm

Rare. Good spot to pick up Life, Resists, and Int. (Rat's Nest or Devoto's Devotion, Lightpoacher)

Stats to look for: Life > Resists > Int

Chest

Kaom's Heart.

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Resists

Weapon

Chin Sol. 50% More Damage with Arrow Hits at Close Range. Rares with + to gem levels are also great

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): + Gem Levels > Attack Speed > Elemental Damage with Attacks (% or flat damages) > Utility (charge generation, chance for double damage, etc.)

Quiver

Rare. For the single target setup it's a non-fancy life and attack speed quiver (Rigwald's Quills)

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Attack Speed > Elemental Damage with Attacks > Utility (Movespeed, Pierce, Point Blank)

Gloves

Tombfist's. Abyss Jewels and Intimidate are great for the build.

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Resists > Attack Speed

NOTE: Gripped Gloves are a nice base for those going for a rare! Elemental Weakness Corruption for big spenders!

Belt

Rare. Stygian Vises are great because of Abyssal Jewels.

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Resists > Increased Flask Effect Duration/Increased Flask Charges Gained

NOTE: A combo I like is using a Stygian Vise + Kaoms Roots for Bossing but then Headhunter + Rare Boots for mapping!

Boots

Kaom's Roots. Specifically for the Uber Elder Fight. Elder performs a Siphon Attack that slows below base movement speed and Kaom's prevents that

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Movespeed > Life > Resists/Int > Open Prefix to craft Elemental Damage with Attacks

NOTE: Leech, Damage, or Attack Speed if you've killed recently and Movement Speed if you haven't been hit recently are all good boot enchants but are not required.

Amulet

Yoke of Suffering. On top of giving stats and resist this gives a source of Enemies Take Increased Damage which is a More multiplier to your damage (additive with intimidate). 

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Resist > Elemental Damage to Attacks

Rings

Pyre. or a Rare will depend on if you're using Cold to Fire for conversion or not

Stats to look for (if you're using a rare): Life > Resists > Elemental Damage with attacks > Attack Speed > Flat Ele Damage

Accuracy

Flasks

• Quicksilver. Adrenaline is great.
• Life Flask. Instant with Bleed Removal is my preference.
• Wise Oak. Requires Fire to be your highest resist to get penetration. If you can manage to triple balance your resists then you'll get Elemental Damage Reduction of all 3 types durring the flask effect.
• Phasing/Onslaught/Sulfur/Vinktars/Taste of Hate/Dying Sun Flex flask for personal preference.

Look for Increased Duration and removal of Bleed/Freeze/Curse.

Jewels

Combat Focus jewels are essential to the build to make it to where the build always chooses the fire version of Elemental Hit.

Stats to look for: Life > Attack Speed > Damage

 

Leveling

These items can be useful while leveling: Goldrim, Tabula, Wanderlust, Prismweave, Silverbranch, Hyrri's Bite, Storm Cloud, Quill Rain, Lochtonial Caress, Karui Ward, Call of the Brotherhood, Pyre, Elreon -Mana Cost jewelery (resists/int a plus!), and buying skill/support gems with quality ready to be socketed in!

IMPORTANT: You cannot level as Elemental Hit without the Combat Focus Jewels.

Alternatives: If you have a favorite way of leveling (Abberaths Hooves, Poets Pen, Sunder, etc.) then do that!

Low Level Tree

Rush Avatar of Fire and Resolute Technique for the switch to Elemental Hit. Early game it's standard bow leveling.

• MainSkill: Ice Shot - Volley - Added Cold - Mirage Archer - Added Lightning - Onslaught - Pierce
• Mobility: Blink Arrow - Faster Attacks
• MainSkill (Replaces Ice Shot): Elemental Hit - Volley - Mirage Archer - Added Lightning - Added Cold - Onslaught

When in Doubt Life it Out

Pick up Lava Lash and start grabbing more life to make leveling smooth. The normal lab doesn't really do much for us so we can forgo that. As you get the ability to throw on Call of the Brotherhood and Pyre those items will really boost up your base damage.

• MainSkill: Elemental Hit - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Mirage Archer - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Combustion - Fire Pen
• Aura: Anger

Normal and Cruel Lab

While normal Lab doesn't really do much for the character, getting access to Slayer Overleech is huge for survivability. Picking up Vitality Void and the mana leech node underneath is great before we get to Blood Magic. Point Blank and Acro are next on the priority list.

• MainSkill: Elemental Hit - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Mirage Archer - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Combustion - Fire Pen
• Utility: Cast When Damage Taken - Blood Rage - Immortal Call - Vaal Cold Snap

The Blood Rage needs to be before Immortal Call in the CWDT setup. The order is top left in a clockwise circle to bottom left.

Final Skill Tree

 

Expectations & POB

POB link: https://pastebin.com/3EcsBxAP

(If you do not know how to use it, see the instructions below, otherwise please ignore)

• Download Path of Building (link: https://github.com/Openarl/PathOfBuilding)
• Copy pastebin URL.
• Launch path of building.
• Click on Import/Export.
• Click Import from Pastebin
• Paste the URL copied in step 2.
• Done!