Hey there, Exiles! Welcome back to another exciting build guide for Path of Exile's 3.22 expansion. This time, we're diving into the world of the Toxic Rain Pathfinder, a build that's both incredibly fun and an excellent starter option. While this build might not offer the instant gratification of massive damage numbers like some other builds, it compensates with exceptional AoE damage over time effects that make enemies melt away. Join me as we explore the strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and gear choices that make this build a true powerhouse in the game.

• Pros and Cons
• Playstyle Overview
• PoB Link
• Skill Setup
• Build Mechanics
• Gear and Progression
• Conclusion

↖ Pros and Cons

Before we delve deeper into the details, let's quickly go over the pros and cons of the Toxic Rain Pathfinder build.

Pros:

• Fun and engaging playstyle.
• Great starter build with accessible gearing requirements.
• Strong defenses, especially for mapping.
• Suitable for dealing with a variety of content, including Uber bosses.
• Utilizes poison damage over time for consistent damage.

Cons:

• Lacks the instant damage of some other builds.
• Not ideal for players who dislike damage over time mechanics.

↖ Playstyle Overview

The Toxic Rain Pathfinder build revolves around utilizing Toxic Rain and Ballista Totems to deal consistent poison damage over time. This playstyle is particularly effective for PoE Currency Farming, as the pods released by Toxic Rain create overlapping areas of damage, allowing for efficient coverage of enemies.

↖ PoB Link

https://pobb.in/9yoeJkoz6wUH

↖ Skill Setup

• Leveling: Start with Caustic Arrow and Pierce, then add Void Manipulation at level 8.
• Early Bossing: Consider using Puncture to quickly defeat bosses like Brutus.
• Main Skills: Toxic Rain and Ballista Totems for map clearing and bossing.
• Special Skills: Withering Step for bosses, enhancing damage over time.
• Flask Strategy: Maintain high uptime on flasks, especially Master Surgeon for survivability.

↖ Build Mechanics

The Toxic Rain Pathfinder build leverages various mechanics to maximize its potential.

• Nature's Reprisal and Wither: Combining these mechanics grants you an excellent damage boost against enemies. With Withering Step, you can apply Wither debuffs to bosses, enhancing your damage over time output.
• Master Surgeon: This ascendancy provides consistent life and flask uptime. When charges are full, it grants 50% recharge recovery, ensuring you have reliable healing and survivability.
• Nature's Adrenaline: This ascendancy node grants increased flask effect and uptime, making it easier to maintain powerful utility flasks during battles.
• Hardened Scars: By allocating this passive node, you receive increased life recovery and reduced damage over time effects during any life loss. This makes you nearly immune to damage over time effects.
• Reduced Mana Cost: Through gear, tree allocation, and flask mods, you can achieve zero or minimal mana cost for your skills, ensuring smoother gameplay.

↖ Gear and Progression

• Early Gear: Focus on life and resistances to ensure survivability.
• Mid-Game: Aim for better gear to improve damage output and defenses.
• Bows: Look for a Short Bow with increased attack speed and later upgrade to a +2 Socketed Gems Short Bow with added chaos damage and damage over time modifiers.
• Flasks: Acquire flasks that grant reduced mana cost for cluster skills and increased flask effect.
• Energy Shield: Utilize gear to increase energy shield, enabling effective use of Malevolence and Divine Blessing.

↖ Conclusion

The Toxic Rain Pathfinder build offers an exciting and engaging playstyle for Path of Exile 3.22. While it might not be as flashy as some other builds, its consistent poison damage over time makes it a formidable choice for map clearing and boss fights alike. With well-balanced defenses, utility flasks, and careful gear choices, you'll find yourself melting enemies while maintaining survivability. Whether you're a new player or an experienced Exile, this build offers a powerful, accessible, and enjoyable experience in the world of Wraeclast.