Welcome to a full build guide for the Champion Artillery Ballista build in Path of Exile! This build is completely different from Explosive Arrow and is incredibly strong, with an estimated 5 million damage that could reach up to 13 million against bigger bosses. However, it does struggle with multiple monsters on screen.

Before we dive in, please note that this build is not for beginners and requires a well-optimized passive tree. You cannot level with this build and will need a Crucible tree that has, at the very least, full damage from Ballista hits and the ability to poison enemies.

For this build, you will need a high elemental damage bow, and it is recommended that you craft your own. Spamming rare essences is a good way to obtain high-tier elemental damage, but it can take a while. Once you have a good base, you can use annulment orbs to remove unwanted affixes and open up a suffix for added bonuses.

 

• Pros and Cons
• POBLINK
• Passive tree
• Ascendancy
• Gear
• Gems
• Early Game Focus
• Frenzy with Manaforge Arrows
• Blood and Sand
• Valhast and Flame Dash
• Endgame Focus
• Divergent Herald of Agony and Enlighten

 

↖Pros and Cons

• + Good clear speed and single target damage
• + No required uniques
• + Can be easily adapted to different playstyles
• + Strong in both softcore and hardcore leagues
• - Not as tanky as some other builds
• - Requires good positioning and timing to maximize damage output
• - Can struggle against fast-moving enemies

 

↖POBLINK: https://pobb.in/-oNoMx7HrsYn

 

↖Passive tree

• Grab the Ballista and Poison nodes in the Ranger area
• Head towards the Duelist area for Attack Speed and Damage
• Pick up the Blood Magic Keystone to support the high mana cost of Ballista
• Grab life nodes as needed
• Consider picking up the Unwavering Stance Keystone for stun immunity

 

↖Ascendancy

For your ascendancy points, choose Worthy Foe, Master of Metal, Unstoppable Hero, and Conqueror. These choices will give you increased damage, armor, life regeneration, and stun immunity.

 

 

↖Gear

For your gear, prioritize getting high life, resistances, and elemental damage. Look for items that grant bonuses to your ballistas or allow you to summon more

 

↖Gems

In terms of gems, use a 6-link bow with Greater Multiple Projectiles, Ballista, Elemental Damage with Attacks, Vicious Projectiles, Damage on Full Life, and Swift Affliction. For your auras, use Herald of Agony and Precision.

 

↖Early Game Focus

At the early levels, you should focus on getting the skill gems you need to create your build. The primary focus of this build is to create a totem build that utilizes poison and chaos damage. Start by getting Awakened Early, and then get another totem. You can also opt for Deadly Elements to deal more damage, but keep in mind that it will reduce the impact of your initial hit and can be annoying for clearing.

 

↖Frenzy with Manaforge Arrows

One of the best things about this build is that you can keep Frenzy up all the time without doing anything. Use it in combination with Molten Shell, which is great for stacking armor. When you are about to take a lot of damage, press Withering Step or Vomit Shell.

 

↖Blood and Sand

Use Blood and Sand at the moment and have Dance of Blades on your sword. If you change stance recently, it will increase your damage output. If you don't have Sleepless Entries, which is what you would want to use, you can use Dance of Blades instead.

 

↖Valhast and Flame Dash

Use Valhast for increased attack speed, even if you're not using Haste. Flame Dash is also a good option. You can also use Blasting Setup to keep withering up, as it increases your damage output. You can see the damage difference when you have 15 stacks of Wither up, and it's very good.

 

↖Endgame Focus

In the endgame, your focus should be on getting the items you need to maximize your damage output. You don't need to change your bow, but it's ideal to get one with high poison chance or high fire, cold, and lightning damage. You can also get a high attack speed quiver, and use Divine Dynam to fit everything in without needing Charisma.

 

To start off, you'll need to use two Poe divines to get the desired mods on your weapon. After that, you'll need to use another two divines to get the perfect rolls. This can be a costly process, but it's essential for this build.

 

Once you've gotten the perfect rolls, it's time to move on to the harvest crafts. You'll want to add and remove speed to get the best possible results. This is the best-case scenario and can end up being quite cheap.

 

Now, if you're feeling brave, you can take a risk and use the prefixes cannot be changed mod. This is where things can get really expensive. You'll want to do an add/remove chaos and hope that it removes the prefixes cannot be changed. If it doesn't, you'll have to start over or do an augment speed, which can be costly.

 

If you do end up with just projectile speed, you can try again and be guaranteed attack speed since there are only two speed suffixes. However, this can be a scary process since it won't work if it adds first and then removes.

 

↖Divergent Herald of Agony and Enlighten

Use Divergent Herald of Agony and Enlighten to increase your poison chance. You can also get Herald of Agony to eliminate poison tans entirely. Deadly Draw is also important for Bow Mastery, as it increases your AoE.

 

Overall, the Champion Artillery Ballista build is a powerful choice for boss-killing and single target damage, but struggles with clearing large packs of monsters. It is recommended for experienced players who are willing to invest in crafting and optimization. Good luck and happy hunting in Path of Exile!