In this guide, LOLTANK Editor will explore the intricacies of the Mahuxotl's Machination unique shield in Path of Exile. This shield is known for its complexity, offering a wide range of Keystone modifiers. We'll delve into each Keystone briefly, discussing their effects and synergies. Before we begin, it's worth noting that this shield can only be obtained as a rare drop from the Tower of Ordeal's unique map, which requires assembling Vow pieces. Let's dive into the details of this unique shield.

• Acquiring Mahuxotl's Machination
• Keystone Modifiers
• Maintaining Energy Shield and Everlasting Sacrifice
• Building Around Mahuxotl's Machination
• Conclusion

↖ Acquiring Mahuxotl's Machination

Mahuxotl's Machination can only be obtained as a rare drop from the Tower of Ordeal's unique map. This map is where you fight the Trial Master boss, known from the Ultimatum league. To access this map, you need to assemble vowel pieces, similar to Harbinger items. Obtaining the shield can be quite challenging, as it is a very rare drop from the Trial Master.

↖ Keystone Modifiers

Mahuxotl's Machination grants six keystones, each with its own unique effect.

Let's take a brief look at each of these keystones:

• Corrupted Soul: Grants 15% of maximum life as extra maximum energy shield. The downside is that 50% of non-chaos damage bypasses energy shield.
• Divine Flesh: Converts 50% of all elemental damage taken to chaos damage and provides 5% maximum chaos resistance. However, all damage bypasses energy shield, overriding Corrupted Soul's modifier.
• Eternal Youth: Applies energy shield recharge to life instead, while penalizing life regeneration rate and maximum total recovery from life leech. This penalty is negated by another keystone, Valpakt.
• Valpakt: Disables life regeneration but doubles the maximum total recovery from life leech, canceling out the penalty from Eternal Youth. It also doubles the total recovery per second from life leech.
• Immortal Ambition: Sets energy shield to zero, prevents its recharge or regeneration, and decays it at a rate of 5% per second. However, it grants an overreach effect, preserving life leech instances even when your unreserved life is full. When at full life, life leech will recover energy shield instead of life.
• Everlasting Sacrifice: Exclusive to Mahuxotl's Machination, this keystone grants +5 to all maximum resistances for 4 seconds when you reach full energy shield before sacrificing all of it. This requires finding ways to consistently refill your energy shield.

↖ Maintaining Energy Shield and Everlasting Sacrifice

To maintain Everlasting Sacrifice's +5% to all Maximum Resistances buff, you need to consistently fill Energy Shield every 4 seconds. 

Several methods can accomplish this:

• Immortal Ambition and Life Leech: Using the Energy Shield recovery from Immortal Ambition, you can recover Energy Shield through life leech instances. Masteries for instant leech introduced in the Crucible League will also apply to Energy Shield recovery. Dealing sufficient damage and hitting enemies frequently will ensure permanent uptime on Everlasting Sacrifice.
• Venomous Spinnerets: These unique boots grant up to 20 Energy Shield per enemy hit while affected by Aspect of the Spider's web effect. Rapidly hitting enemies is necessary to generate enough Energy Shield within the 4-second window.
• Flask Sustain: The combination of Pathfinder's Master Surgeon notable and Sorrow of the Divine or Replica Sorrow of the Divine unique flasks allows life recovery from flasks to continue even when life is full. This provides enduring life flask effects for Energy Shield as well, ensuring constant refreshment of Everlasting Sacrifice.

↖ Building Around Mahuxotl's Machination

With Everlasting Sacrifice and Divine Flesh provided by Mahuxotl's Machination, you gain access to one of the strongest Keystone combinations in the game. Divine Flesh converts 50% of all elemental damage taken to chaos damage, while Timber by War converts 50% of lightning and cold damage taken to fire damage. This allows you to forego gearing for lightning and cold resistance entirely.

You can focus on maximizing chaos and fire resistance instead. Additionally, you can incorporate mechanics to take a portion of physical damage as fire or chaos damage, further enhancing your survivability. Various unique items, helmet modifiers, and armor masteries can help you achieve this.

↖ Conclusion

Mahuxotl's Machination is a rare and complex unique shield in Path of Exile. By understanding its Keystone modifiers and synergies, you can create powerful builds focused on chaos and fire resistance. The shield's Everlasting Sacrifice mechanic provides a unique playstyle centered around maintaining Energy Shield and gaining resistance buffs. With careful planning and itemization, this shield can be a potent asset to your character.