Hi Exiles! Today we have an extremely strong build that is almost a poison. This is the PoE 3.23 Splitting Steel Pathfinder Build. If you are interested in poisoning your opponents to death while not even flinching from their hits, then you are at the right place. Use this guide to learn how to maximize your poison damage and tankiness, so that you can take down bosses effortlessly.

 

• The Core Mechanics
• The Poison Powerhouse
• Positioning Matters
• Achieving 100% Poison Chance
• Weapon Essentials
• Withering Your Foes
• The Curse Square
• Extra Goodies
• Defense Strategy
• Petrified Blood for Big Hit Protection
• Breakdown of Gear
• Pantheons
• Passive Tree Highlights
• Charms and Ascendancy

 

PoB Link: https://pobb.in/BiIBu9fAaxHg.

 

↖ The Core Mechanics

Splitting Steel is a skill that fires off one projectile that divides into several more upon contact. The minimum number of splits is five, but with additional projectiles from the tree and Sniper's Mark we achieve ten. When returning projectiles are also considered, they will produce some major added base damage.

 

↖ The Poison Powerhouse

We are promoting poisons here, and you can reach normal boss poison cap if properly geared and set up-this translates into 35m DPS over a 7 second ramp-up period. Can we say Ubers? Respectable 15M DPS range.

 

↖ Positioning Matters

You want to be as close as possible to bosses for maximum damage by allowing all returning projectiles to hit them. Map bosses would be a joke besides Uber ones which require accurate positioning.

 

↖ Achieving 100% Poison Chance

Because alternative quality Herald of Agony does not exist anymore, we do not have any other way of having a full chance to poison without any sweat breaking out. You only need to collect all poison chance points on the tree (65%), add Herald of Agony (20%) and find a weapon with at least 15% poison chance – easy peasy.

 

↖ Weapon Essentials

Your equipment is your everything in Path of Exile when it comes down to playing efficiently. You need high attack speed, poison chance, and "Hits cannot be evaded" craft for the best results since you should not be wasting affixes on accuracy instead of increasing your damage.

 

↖ Withering Your Foes

By default, wither stacks up to 90% increased chaos damage taken and our ascendancy node builds on this while introducing the chance to inflict Wither with every hit. Considering our rapid fire rate of projectiles, are we never going to let those 15 stacks drop.

 

↖ The Curse Square

Anathema lets us add four curses: Temporal Chains (for longer-lasting poison), Despair (to lower enemy chaos resistance), Sniper's Mark (more splitting projectiles), and Enfeeble (to reduce enemy damage).

 

↖ Extra Goodies

We will use Ming's Heart for additional chaos damage boost and generating frenzy charges using a frenzy-on-hit trinket.

 

↖ Defense Strategy

Classic Pathfinder Tactics – convert almost all physical damage taken to elemental damage (98%). For example, we are running Lightning Coil, Taste of Hate (+increased flask effect) and a helmet with physical damage taken as elemental. Finally, what could be better than an extra security layer given by a Watcher's Eye?

 

↖ Petrified Blood for Big Hit Protection

Petrified Blood staggers some proportion of incoming hits over time which means we can survive the strongest ones. Combining that with our insane recovery rate from Pathfinder ascendancy, it is impossible to kill us.

 

↖ Breakdown of Gear

• Weapon: High attack speed and poison chance are key here as having "Hits cannot be evaded" finishes it off.
• Shield: Aim for maximum elemental resistances.
• Gloves: Attack speed plus chaos resistance is your way out.
• Boots: Find something with suppression ability plus life/movement speed.
• Amulet: Anointment Toxic Strikes.
• Belt: It is important that you gain some charges from flasks.
• Helmet: Base energy shield with life and chaos resistance.
• Flasks: Increase the effect of elemental resistance flasks plus one Silver Flask for bossing.

 

↖ Pantheons

For bossing, Soul of Solaris and for low-life recovery, Soul of Ryslatha.

 

↖ Passive Tree Highlights

Wicked Pall, Unwaveringly Evil, Unholy Grace, Brewed for Potency, Flow of Life and Ancestral Vision are all cluster jewels that are in use. Furthermore, a physical damage taken as lightning Watcher's Eye is obligatory.

 

↖ Charms and Ascendancy

Choose Wildwood Primalist which provides increased poison duration and helmet energy shield evasion rating boosts. Nature's Reprisal should be the first Ascendancy to choose with Master Toxicist or Nature's Adrenaline following it depending on your levelling path.

 

Conclusion:

This is a Splitting Steel Pathfinder Build that can tank the game's hardest content while delivering lethal poison hits. Just remember not to run physical reflect maps and you should be fine. If you want to melt bosses like butter this build is for you – make sure you hit that like button harder than Shaper hits Elder!