Welcome to the build guide for the Chieftain Herald of Ash Blade Vortex bomber, featuring Lone Messenger, Supreme Ostentation, and a unique approach to maximizing your character's potential. In this guide, we'll delve into what this build excels at, its limitations, gearing choices, skill gems, and more. Let's get started!

• Strengths and Weaknesses
• Leveling
• Labyrinth Progression
• Gear Choices
• Jewels and Tattooed Passives
• Flasks
• Path of Building and Character Link
• Upgrades and Optimization
• Defenses

↖ Strengths and Weaknesses

First, let's briefly discuss what this build is good at and, perhaps more importantly, what it's not suited for.

Strengths

• Designed for Pure Mapping: This build is tailored for efficient map clearing with a focus on extreme monster density, making it ideal for juiced-up mapping.
• Hardcore Viability: With its tanky nature, this build is well-suited for hardcore leagues, offering increased survivability.
• Great for Various Map Mechanics: It excels in content like Delirium, Beyond, Domination, Abyss, Ambush, Breach, Harbinger, and Ritual due to its ability to handle large groups of monsters effectively.
• Suitable for Delving and Heisting: When you want a break from standard mapping, this build performs well in delves and heists.

Weaknesses

• Not a Bosser: While it can handle map bosses, guardians, and conquerors with relative ease, it's not recommended for farming pinnacle bosses or Uber bosses due to suboptimal damage output.
• Active Playstyle: This build requires you to constantly maintain Blade Vortex stacks, which means stopping to cast frequently. It's not an idle playstyle.

↖ Leveling

This build can be leveled in several ways. Personally, I recommend leveling with Splitting Steel through Act One until you switch to Spectral Helix. You can acquire Herald of Ash in Act Two and maintain a similar setup throughout the early acts. As you reach Act 8 and level 72, you'll be ready to equip the gear designed for this build. However, I don't recommend this as a league starter. If you must level without gear ready for respeccing, consider starting with Righteous Fire for easier transition into Blade Vortex.

↖ Labyrinth Progression

• Normal Labyrinth: Take Salo's Cleansing Water for comfortable resistance gearing and synergy with leveling using Righteous Fire.
• Cruel Labyrinth: Choose Hinekora's Death's Fury.
• Merciless Labyrinth: Opt for Tasalio, Cleansing Water.
• Uber Labyrinth: You can postpone completing Uber Labyrinth until later stages when it's more convenient.

↖ Gear Choices

• Cloak of Flame (Body Armor): While Lightning Coil is a viable alternative, I prefer Cloak of Flame for its fire resistance and life regeneration. It grants 40% of physical damage taken as fire damage, including physical damage over time, allowing us to use the Ralakesh minor Pantheon for bleed immunity.
• Weapon (Wand/Scepter): Look for a wand or scepter with +1 to physical or all spell gems. These are essential for boosting Blade Vortex damage. Consider crafting with Chaos Orbs to obtain the desired modifiers.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Prioritize life and resistance on these pieces. Helmets can benefit from delve modifiers that convert physical damage taken to fire. Gloves can eventually have a spell suppression craft. Boots can be crafted with Chill Avoidance.
• Rings: Circles of Anguish with Herald of Ash buff effect are ideal. Consider additional modifiers like maximum fire resistance and fire damage. Synthesis implicits can be powerful.
• Amulet: Replica Dragon Fangs Flight with +3 to Blade Vortex gem levels is top-tier. Anoint as needed for extra benefits.

↖ Jewels and Tattooed Passives

Utilize Timeless Jewels and tattooed passives to maximize your character's potential. Lone Messenger and Supreme Ostentation are key keystones. Tattooed passives should focus on recovery rate, damage, and area of effect.

↖ Flasks

• Taste of Hate: Shifts physical damage taken into cold damage and offers a damage boost.
• Quicksilver Flask: Provides a speed boost for efficient mapping.
• Divine Life Flask: Ensure one flask has the "Seething" prefix for instant life recovery.
• Quartz Flask: Grants phasing for additional defense.
• Silver Flask (optional): Use if you need Onslaught, especially if you lack the onslaught on hit ring.

↖ Path of Building and Character Link

You can find a detailed Path of Building link in the description below. This includes my current setup and a level 100 skill tree. Additionally, you can track real-time updates and character progress on PoE Ninja.

PoB Link: https://pobb.in/cqSf72RxHKlq

↖ Upgrades and Optimization

Consider upgrading your gear further to enhance damage and survivability. Look for double-corrupted Cloak of Flame, craft spell suppression on more gear, and enhance your gems. Level 21 Val Blade Vortex is a significant damage boost.

↖ Defenses

With the build's current setup, it achieves high elemental resistances and chaos resistance, effectively mitigating physical damage taken from hits. The combination of gear and passives allows you to reduce the impact of critical hits and elemental damage, ensuring solid defenses during mapping.

This Chieftain Herald of Ash Blade Vortex bomber build is not only powerful but also highly customizable. Whether you're looking for efficient map clearing or a character that can handle various content, this guide provides the foundation for success. Happy mapping, Exiles!