Called League Starters, these builds are designed to get you up and killing with minimal effort. They're built around readily available skill gems and usually don't require too many specific unique items—which is fantastic since most uniques are very expensive at the start of the league. In short, they'll get you through most of Path of Exile's medium-difficulty content so that you can stockpile currency to spend on more expensive endgame-viable characters POE currency trade .
Even if you don't care about that extra hard endgame content, though, any of these builds will let you experience all but the most challenging of Path of Exile's maps. And they're fun as hell. For this list, I'm also trying to give you a wide variety of play styles instead of prioritizing what's technically best of the best—which is pretty hotly debated anyway.
Max Block Scorching Ray Scion
This build holds a special place in my heart because it was the build guide I followed that finally let me appreciate why Path of Exile is the indisputable king of ARPGs. The core concept around this build is using Scorching Ray to sweep over packs of enemies, letting its damage over time ability melt them away while your (hopefully) maxed out blocking stat mitigates any incoming damage.
What I love about this build is how it comes together over time. As you level, you'll start to grab nodes on the passive skill tree that increase your fire damage. Each one provides such a raw boost to your damage that it's intoxicating when you unlock one. By level 50, you'll feel like Hephaestus, God of Fire, and the entire world is yours to burn.
There are some downsides: because Scorcing Ray is a channelled attack, positioning is critical and some boss fights will require constantly moving around to avoid damage. That can get really annoying sometimes.
Engineering Eternity's build guide is the one to read, especially if you're new, since he breaks down how to level the character (something a lot of build guides skip).
Quad Frostbolt Totem Hierophant
Youtuber LiftingNerdBro's take on the Frostbolt Totem Hierophant is an excellent build if you're brand new to Path of Exile. Because it relies largely on spells that scale with your level, you don't need to worry about min-maxing your gear—in fact you can play fairly deep into endgame without any of the suggest unique items.
Totem builds aren't for everyone, as they're a very passive offensive style that relies on placing totems that cast spells for you while you focus on moving around and dodging any deadly attacks. That said, if you love the idea of being the final boss in a bullet hell arcade shooter, this build rocks because your totems cover the field in bolts of frost that rip through enemies easily. The constant application of wide area-of-effect damage means you can hastily rip through maps, so new players can focus more on the basics of movement and positioning. As I mentioned, it's also a great build in that you can easily play it using only the rare items you find on your own. While Path of Exile's unique trade economy is a blast to mess around with, this build gives you an opportunity to explore it at your own pace POE trade currency .
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