The Necropolis League brings with it a host of new challenges and opportunities. To help you get a strong start, we've compiled a list of the top 11 league starter builds. These builds are designed to be robust, scalable, and capable of tackling the league's content without requiring extensive investment.
1. Lightning Strike Champion
The Lightning Strike Champion is a build that balances offense and defense. With the Champion's inherent tankiness and the high damage output of Lightning Strike, this build can clear maps quickly and handle bosses with ease.
Pros:
● High clear speed
● Strong single-target damage
● Good survivability
Cons:
● Can be gear-dependent for optimal performance
● Melee range can be risky in some encounters
2. Boneshatter Juggernaut
Boneshatter Juggernaut is all about raw power and endurance. The Juggernaut ascendancy provides immense physical damage mitigation, while Boneshatter deals devastating damage based on your life and armor.
Pros:
● Excellent physical damage reduction
● High life pool
● Strong against bosses
Cons:
● Slower clear speed compared to other builds
● Requires careful management of Stagger mechanic
3. Explosive Trap Trickster
Explosive Trap Trickster is a versatile build that excels in clearing and bossing. The Trickster ascendancy enhances the speed and damage of traps, making it a deadly choice for those who prefer a hit-and-run playstyle.
Pros:
● Great area of effect
● High burst damage
● Good mobility
Cons:
● Trap playstyle is not for everyone
● Can struggle with life sustain
4. Toxic Rain Pathfinder
Toxic Rain Pathfinder is a build that focuses on chaos damage over time. The Pathfinder ascendancy boosts the effectiveness of flasks, which greatly enhances survivability and damage output.
Pros:
● Strong damage over time
● Good at kiting enemies
● Flask bonuses provide versatility
Cons:
● Damage ramp-up time
● Dependent on flask management
5. Wave of Conviction Elementalist
Wave of Conviction Elementalist is a caster build that utilizes the Elementalist's ability to proliferate elemental ailments. Wave of Conviction applies a powerful debuff that lowers enemy resistances, boosting your overall damage.
Pros:
● High elemental damage
● Good crowd control
● Effective against groups of enemies
Cons:
● Can be squishy if not positioned well
● Mana intensive
6. Explosive Arrow Champion
A build that focuses on firing arrows that stick to enemies and explode after a duration or upon death. The Champion ascendancy enhances accuracy and provides additional impale effects, making it a powerful choice for single-target and AoE damage.
Pros:
● Can deal with both single targets and groups effectively.
● Benefits greatly from Champion's impale effects for increased damage.
● Champion ascendancy provides good defensive capabilities.
Cons:
● Requires specific gear to reach full potential.
● Can struggle with mana management without proper gear or passives.
7. CoC Detonate Dead
This build triggers Detonate Dead spells through critical hits, creating a chain reaction of explosions. It's a high-damage setup that can clear maps swiftly, especially when paired with the right gear and support gems.
Pros:
● Capable of clearing large packs of enemies quickly.
● Damage increases significantly with better critical strike gear.
Cons:
● Can be fragile if not built with enough defenses.
● Requires good timing and positioning to maximize damage output.
8. Detonate Dead Elementalist
Elementalists can harness the power of golems and elemental damage to boost the effectiveness of Detonate Dead, resulting in massive area damage and excellent clear speed.
Pros:
● Can spread elemental ailments easily for extra damage.
● Benefits from Elementalist's golem enhancements for additional bonuses.
Cons:
● Needs corpses to be effective, which can be a limitation in some scenarios.
● Vulnerable to elemental reflect mods without proper precautions.
9. Necromancer Detonate Dead
Necromancers can utilize corpses to their full potential. This build revolves around creating and detonating corpses for high burst damage, with the added benefit of minion bonuses.
Pros:
● Gains additional benefits from minion-related passives and gear.
● Can deal massive damage in a short amount of time.
Cons:
● Managing corpses is crucial and can be challenging.
● Sometimes targeting can be less precise, affecting efficiency.
10. Hexblast Mines
Hexblast Mines combines the power of curses with explosive damage. This build lays mines that cast Hexblast, dealing chaos damage that scales with the number of curses on the enemy.
Pros:
● Deals more damage with more curses on the target.
● Mines allow for a hit-and-run approach, keeping you out of danger.
Cons:
● Requires laying mines and cursing before detonating, slowing gameplay down.
● Increased area of effect may be needed to cover larger packs.
11. Lightning Arrow
Lightning Arrow is a classic build that fires electrified arrows capable of hitting multiple targets. It's known for its satisfying clear speed and is a solid choice for players who enjoy a traditional archer role.
Pros:
● Lightning Arrow excels at clearing maps quickly.
● Visually satisfying and fun to play.
Cons:
● Less effective against bosses without proper support gems or gear.
● Requires investment in projectile speed and number to maximize effectiveness.
Conclusion
Each of these builds offers a unique approach to the game, catering to different playstyles and preferences. Whether you enjoy the up-close-and-personal combat of melee builds or the strategic placement of traps and spells, there's a starter build here. Remember, the key to success in Path of Exile is not just the build but also understanding the mechanics and adapting to the challenges ahead. Good luck in the Necropolis league!
This guide should provide a solid foundation for starting the Necropolis league. Each build has strengths and weaknesses, so choose the one that best fits your playstyle. Happy hunting, Exile!