These are our best builds for the League of Path of Exile with the newest patch, 3.19 Lake of Calandra. All these builds in this list are thoroughly tested and beginner friendly, allowing you to have a smooth start. Have the best start with PoE currency right at the start of your journey.
What Is the Lake of Kalandra in Path of Exile?
Lake of Kalandra is the latest Season/League coming soon to the Path of Exile with 3.19; it includes Challenger league, 14 new unique PoE items, enhancements to the Atlas Endgame, and further buffing 100+ uniques, four new gems, Beyond and Archnemesis, and so much more.
Reflections of Wraeclast
Uncover ancient mysteries and how Kalandra got her powers in these alternated dimensions that are reflections of Wraeclast, where you need to fight hard to survive these challenging encounters.
Influence the Lake
Acquire a different collection and reflection on the ancient tablet allowing you to enter the Lake of Kalandra once all the reflections are acquired.
Control Your Destiny
You can mix and match the Mirrored Tablet to change the layout and difficulty of the encounters significantly while reaping more fantastic rewards. You get more choices the more encounters you surpass.
Rare Jewelry Reflection
Among many rewards in the Lake of Kalandra, you get a choice from picking jewelry that you get there. Each ring or amulet will have a reflection offered to you, where each reflection will have buffs and debuffs while the reflection will have the complete opposite. You must choose which is best for you and what debuffs you can bear.
Atlas Memories
Reliving past events in branching maps which you can explore and face increasing difficulty with each map node.
New Gems
We are excitingly waiting for three new skills gems and one support gem where all three are lightning damage and shock-based themes.
Loot Exceptional Powers
Grinding Gears have added 14 new items where one ring is League exclusive and other fantastic gear you will have fun wielding. Furthermore, for more great loot in the game, the new map, the Tower of Ordeals, is introduced where you can fight and challenge Trialmaster to loot the Ultimate League fame gear.
BD 1 Lightning Strike Champion
This great build will easily take you from the league start to the end game. Lightning Strike build will help you fight and kill all the uber bosses while building it under budget. We recommend this build especially for beginners to experience this fun build. Now let's discuss a few intricacies of this build.
Gems
Following are the gems and their offshoots that you should look out for.
● Ancestral Warchief
Multiple Totems
● Ancestral Protector
● Precision
● Withering Step
● Vaal Molten Shell
Cast when DMG taken
● Determination
● Whirling Blades
Mark on hit
● Assassin's Mark
● Grace
● Defiance Banner
● Vaal Lightening Strike
Nightblade
Awakened Elemental Damage
Trinity
Awakened Added Cold Damage
Inspiration
Passives Tree
You can overview the passives in this build with the tree mentioned below.
Strength and Weaknesses
This build is moderately tricky but built on a great budget; furthermore, the boss killing and map clear are great for this budget.
Skills
Let's look at the primary skills for this build:
Lightning Strike
This skill is your bread and butter for this build and the primary source of DMG. Remember that you need a certain distance between you and the enemies to procure more than one strike. When using Vaal Lightening Strike, you need to charge it up for great DMG, which may take some time for the boss fight to start.
Whirling Blade
This build's movement skill allows excellent mobility in many difficult situations. It scales well with attack speed.
Utilities and Auras
We are using Determination, Grace, and Defiance Banner gems to proc their skills to add to the build making your Champion extremely tanky while getting Evasion and Armor.
The following combination is Molten Shell with Cast when Damage Taken Support which will help you reduce burst damage from the enemies and bosses, absorbing up to 75% damage for a short duration.
Single Target Debuff
We are using Assassin's Mark gem linking it to Mark on Hit Support. Firstly, it adds power to your Critical Strike aspect of the build, and Mark on Hit will automate your procs.
Totem Buffs
We have used 2 Totem buffs in this build, Protector, and Warchief, which you should use just before fighting a boss.
Withering Step
You should keep this skill at your left click, ensuring you get the maximum effect of the buff and giving you an additional layer of defense.
Ascendancy Breakdown
The Champion provides one of the best defensive layers in the game, and you should invest in following Ascendancies.
Fortitude and Unstoppable Hero
These two will give you 2o fortification stacks for the Champion, drastically mitigating received DMG by 20% plus stun immunity.
First to Strike, Last to Fall
Applies intimidation on the target if you are fighting them, increasing DMG they receive by 10% and Adrenaline for 20 sec to your Champ. You will also get healed for 25% when low on life, increasing DMG, movement speed, and a further 10% reduced DMG.
Inspirational
You get the banner for free without any reservation on your bar.
BD 2 Corrupting Fever Gladiator/Champion
As the name suggests, this build uses the Corrupting Fever to do damage and is impressive for a clear early game map. Note that this build is one of the fastest map clears in the game for this League. The primary reason for the fast clear is the Bleed Explosion skill, but it falls off for a single target in higher difficulties. If you plan your build accordingly, then this build is perfect for you.
Gems
Following are the gems must for Corrupting Fever build:
● Corrupting Fever
Brutality
Efficacy
Swift Affliction
● Exsanguinate
Brutality
Controlled Destruction Spellslinger
● Kinetic Blast
Life Gain on Hit
Lifetap
Greater Multiple Projectiles
Maim
Culling Strike
● Dash
Life Tap
● Vaal Molten Shell
Cast when Damage Taken
● Blood Rage
● War Banner
● Herald of Purity
● Determination
● Pride
● Vulnerability
● Blood and Sand
Passives Tree
Following is the overview of the skill tree passives.
Strength and Weaknesses
This build is amazing at Mapping with a good enough budget to bring it up to full power. As mentioned above, this build is weak at bossing and has an average defense. Finally, this build is a bit advanced skill-wise which we think you can get the hang of near the end game.
Skills
Following are the skills necessary for this build to shine.
Corrupting Fever
An essential skill for this build should remain up at all times, and the priority should be to apply it as soon as you get into a fight. If, in any case, the skill expires before the fight is over, immediately apply in a safe place.
Kinetic Blast
Kinetic Blast is the primary way you apply Corrupting Fever skill on your enemies and will use life due to the linkage of Lifetap Support Gem. Use it consistently to keep your Corrupting Fever skill up.
Utilities and Auras
The Dash is used for keeping good movement options, while Blood Rage is maintained when fighting difficult enemies and bosses.
Spell Slinger
This is a support gem that we link to an active skill allowing it to be used as an aura, and the skill in question is Exsanguinate. This is useful whenever you attack with your wand.
Single Target Abilities
For this purpose, we are using Vulnerability, especially with high-level bosses and enemies, because it allows them to take increased DMG. You can swap it with Blood and Sand gem and skill if the bosses are becoming tanky.
Ascendancy Breakdown
We are using Gladiator for this build, and his Ascendancies, which allow you great speed clears and good defense below.
Gratuitous Violence
The best one here as it explodes all the bleeding enemies in a few seconds allowing for a very fast clear.
Arena Challenger
This Ascendency gives you Challenger Charges that enhance your movement and attack speeds.
Blood in the Eyes/Outmatch and Outlast
These two enhance your DMG as we have built this build around PHY DMG over time.
BD 3 Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist
This is a ballista build and a perfect league starter build and highly recommended for those players that can take you to the end game with ease. Even though the DMG was nerfed by 20% but remains extremely strong; let's go into detail about this build for more information.
Gems
The following are critical Gems for this build.
● Explosive Arrow
Ballista Totem Support
● Frenzy
● Determination
● Precision
● Defiance Banner
● Grace
● Arcanist Brand
Flammability
Flame Surge
● Molten Shell
Vaal Molten Shell
● Flame Dash
Strengths and Weaknesses
While the build is Moderate in difficulty and might take a bit of time for new players to learn it, it is very cheap to build and has good Mapping and overall DEF. The best part is that this build is best for Boss fights and killing them easily.
Skills
Following are the crucial Skills that make this build shine.
Explosive Arrow
This is the main DMG dealing skill for this build supported by Ballista Totem Support Gem and skill. This skill applies Fuses on the enemies, which explode after a few seconds killing the enemy and damaging all around them. The more Fuses you apply to the enemy, the higher damage they will receive. Furthermore, as you are using Ballsita with this skill, you can easily apply much more Fuses in a short time without it allowing for more explosions.
Frenzy
This is the range skill on our build that gives you Frenzy Charges. This skill adds a stacking buff to attacks, increasing DMG and attack speed.
Auras
We are using Gems for our auras which are:
Determination – This is used to reduce incoming PHY DMG.
Grace – This allows you to avoid or evade enemy attacks.
Defiance Banner – Further enhances the Armor and Evasion, which stacks on already available ones.
Precision – This skill is optional only when you are low on accuracy.
Arcanist Brand Setup
This skill setup and Gems are used for single-target enemies such as Elites and Bosses. This brand allows you to automate your skills if linked and cast automatically on the enemies while focusing on other things. In this setup, we are using two support skills: Flammability and Flame Surge. Flammability will reduce all the enemies you attack and lose some Resistances, while Flame Surge creates Burning Ground under the enemies you hit. The Burning Ground area damages enemies who walk in these areas.
Molten Shell
This Gem gives us the skill that gives you an awesome defensive buff and gets higher the more armor you have. You should keep it on the left mouse button to cast it as soon as it comes off from the cooldown. In the late game, you can use it with or replace it with Vaal Molten Shell that gives you invincibility for 1-2 seconds.
Flame Dash
Your movement skill for this builds, helping you escape harm's way instantly while leaving a fire trail to damage enemies too brave and stupid to follow you.
Ascendancy Breakdown
We recommend Elementalist for this build as it revolves around Explosive Arrow skills. The Ascendancies in this build give an enhanced boost to the DMG, AoE, and DEF with the following:
Shaper of Flames
Extraordinary Ascendancy for this build as it allows all your DMG to ignite. This ignition isn't dependent on chance or damage types as it makes all damage "Hit always ignite."
Mastermind of Discord
This Ascendancy will reduce the Elemental Resistances of all the enemies you attack, which is a great support tool to damage Bosses and those enemies having high elemental resistances.
Heart of Destruction
You get a bonus to DMG and increase the AoE DMG with this great for fighting hordes of enemies when clearing maps.
Bastion of Elements
Another layer of defense against elemental damage.
Conclusion
This article contains the best starter builds for this season, but if you want more information, visit our blog page for more in-depth analysis.