Hey everyone, Exile here with an updated guide for the Detonate Dead Ignite Elementalist build, now optimized for POE3.22 Trial of the Ancestors. This guide covers the build's mechanics, leveling process, skill choices, and endgame potential. The core concept of the build revolves around using Detonate Dead to trigger powerful ignites, making it a strong choice for clearing content with high damage output.

 

• Obtaining Specters
• How to Play?
• Mapping Showcase
• Leveling
• Day 1-2 Gear:
• Early Maps Gear
• Late Game Gear 
• Sadism Support
• UberMaven Showcase

 

 

PoB Link: https://pobb.in/0tCSxn9Cr4aR

 

↖ Obtaining Specters

The foundation of this build lies in the Specters you choose to summon. Catawba Heralds are recommended due to their synergy with the build's mechanics. While Golden Corpses make corpse targeting easier, Catawba Heralds are equally effective but less visible. To obtain Catawba Heralds, follow these steps:

• Progress to Act 10.
• Place your Specter gem into an equipment slot.
• Spam Desecrate in The Canals until a Catawba Herald corpse appears.
• Make sure you have Corpse Target enabled (bind it to a key, e.g., Shift + B).
• Collect the Catawba Herald corpse using your Specter skill.

 

↖ How to Play?

This build revolves around the interaction between Desecrate, Detonate Dead, and your Specter corpse. The goal is to maintain the ignited state using your Arcanist Brand and defiled forces node. Some key points to remember:

• Desecrate to spawn corpses, then Detonate Dead to hit the Specter corpse.
• Use Arcanist Brand to refresh the ignite from defiled forces indefinitely.
• Maintain proximity of about one to one and a half screens to keep the ignite active.
• Keep the Arcanist Brand within the enemy for consistent damage.

 

↖ Mapping Showcase

Mapping with this build is smooth and efficient. You'll be using Detonate Dead to ignite enemies and clear maps effortlessly. Haste and other auras can enhance your mapping experience. Essences can be targeted for more efficient corpse creation and detonation. The build offers a satisfying experience in terms of clearing speed.

 

↖ Leveling

The leveling process involves gradually transitioning from one skill to another while progressing through the passive tree. Here's a rough outline of the leveling process:

• Start with Firewalker Life and early Fire Mastery nodes.
• Progress to Templar's side of the tree for EO, aura wheels, etc.
• Use Storm Blast Mine or Rolling Magma based on preference.
• Transition to Armageddon Brand and Cremation at level 28.
• Adjust gem links based on color availability and League specifics.
• Manage mana usage effectively, considering auras and skills.

 

↖ Day 1-2 Gear:

For your initial gear setup in the first couple of days, focus on the following considerations:

• Weapon: Look for mods that provide cast speed and fire damage. Avoid spell damage and +1 to spell skills mods.
• Armor: Prioritize resistance (res) and life on most armor items. Aim for a combination of life, elemental resistances, and one resistance suppression mod. For shields, focus on the res, life, and a resistance suppression mod.
• Helmet: Seek a helmet with Fire as extra Chaos damage implicit. Prioritize life and resistance suppression. Please obtain the Fizz as Fire implicit for additional damage.
• Chest: Look for defensive stats, focusing on armor. Exclude life mods due to investment in the Life Mastery passive. Incorporate resistances and a crafted Gravicious mod.
• Gloves: Aim for Suppression, life, and elemental resistances.
• Boots: Prioritize life, resistance, and move speed. Suppression mod is not mandatory on every item.
• Amulet: Opt for an amulet with a Damage over Time (DoT) multiplier. Anoint the Suppression passive early for the resistance cap. Look for life, res, and possible damage mods.
• Rings: Prioritize life and resistance. Consider some dexterity (dex) for attribute requirements. Shock craft can be valuable if available.
• Belt: Consider using a Crystal Belt to address energy shield (ES) issues. Craft ES or use hybrid bases for sufficient ES to cast auras.

 

↖ Early Maps Gear

When entering early maps, your gear will still be relatively basic:

• For weapons, A cast speed weapon with crafted fire damage works well.
• Focus on life and resistance across all items.
• Utilize Veiled crafts for ES regeneration on your belt.
• Consider a heavy belt for attribute requirements.
• Utilize a Jade amulet for attributes and seek attribute mods on gear.
• Aim for the Careful Planning unique Jewel to address dexterity issues.

 

↖ Late Game Gear 

In the late game, your gear setup becomes more specialized:

• Offensive Tree: Focus on a Void Scepter, higher DPS setup.
• Defensive Tree: Utilize an Oscillating Scepter for Elemental Overload.
• Shared Shield: Prioritize res, and use the It That Fled craft for chaos damage.
• Helmet: Life, res, Fizz as Ellie with Mana reservation efficiency.
• Chest: Reforge defense, high armor, Suppression, and res.
• Gloves: Seek good suffixes, possibly lock into life, and resistances.
• Boots: T1 suppression, Essence for avoiding shock, use gassy eye Jewel.
• Amulet: Life, damage over time multiplier, res, effective non-damaging ailments.
• Second Ring: Your Focus shock mod is crucial, combined with life and res.
• Belt: Opt for a Hunter Stygian Vise with life and chaos resistance.
• Militant Faith: Consider it for armor and cost reduction of blessings.
• Careful Planning: Solve Dex's issues with this Jewel.
• Use a Life and DoT Multiplier Jewel for added damage.

 

↖ Sadism Support

The main drawback of Sadism is the 88% less duration of ailments it provides. This presents a significant issue for ignite-based builds like DD, where low ignite duration can cause problems against enemies with fire resistance. When facing fire-resistant rares, the short ignite duration from Sadism can render your ignites ineffective.

 

To counteract this, you could invest heavily currency in to increase your ignite duration, but in my opinion, if you're investing so much to make a support gem work effectively, it's not worth the effort. A better alternative is sticking to the proven setup of using Replica Emberwake combined with Swift Reflection. This setup provides a healthy ignite duration of around 2.87 seconds. Even when accounting for differences in the defensive tree, you can still maintain a sufficient ignite duration of around 2.56 seconds, allowing you to ignite fire-resistant enemies and granting more flexibility in cursing monsters.

 

↖ UberMaven Showcase

Keep in mind that while Uber Maven can be highly profitable, the fights require skill and execution. This build towards a defensive setup rather than focusing solely on the damage. The amulet, Eternal Damnation, sacrifices some damage for this defensive approach. This gear setup was acquired in about five to six days of playing with some friends. The costly item is optional and accounted for in the Path of Building (PoB). I've swapped out Grace for a purity aura during the Uber Maven fight to enhance survivability.

 

Regarding the fight itself, Uber Maven is likely the most manageable Uber encounter for this Detonate Dead build. While other Uber fights can be more challenging with less damage output, this build still performs well. The Experimenter phase is the most difficult, and in this encounter, you'll need to manage ads, target priority, and positioning.

 

Conclusion:

The POE 3.22 Detonate Dead Ignite Elementalist build offers a potent and engaging gameplay experience. With its focus on powerful ignites triggered by Detonate Dead and a well-coordinated interaction of skills, this build proves its mettle as a strong starter, high-damage dealer, and even a formidable boss killer. By following the step-by-step leveling process, gearing strategies for different phases, and mastering Uber Maven encounters, players can unleash the true potential of the Detonate Dead Ignite Elementalist. Embark on this fiery journey and blaze a trail of success in Path of Exile's 3.22 update!