PoE Defiance Banner Build 3.25 – Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur

The Defiance Banner build in Path of Exile is designed to enhance your character’s defensive capabilities while providing powerful aura effects to you and your allies. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of how to optimize a Defiance Banner build in the 3.25 patch, ensuring you maximize your defensive strength, support, and overall survivability.

Key Features of Defiance Banner

Defiance Banner (Level 20):

• AoE, Spell, Duration, Aura: Defiance Banner is a skill that places a banner with an aura, enhancing your defenses and providing beneficial effects to you and your allies.
• Mana Cost: 19 mana.
• Cooldown Time: 1.00 second.
• Cast Time: Instant.
• Quality: +20%.
• Requirements: Requires Level 70, 98 Strength, 68 Dexterity.
• Valour Mechanic: Gain Valour from melee combat to use this skill. Consumes all Valour to place a banner.
• Duration: Base duration of 12.00 seconds.
• Radius: Base radius of 2.4 metres.
• Area of Effect and Aura Effect: 10% more area of effect and 10% more aura effect per Valour consumed.
• Aura Effects:
  • Grants 8% increased Movement Speed to You and Allies.
  • Grants +8% chance to Suppress Spell Damage to You and Allies.
  • Grants -12 Damage taken of each Damage Type from Suppressed Hits to You and Allies.

Building Around Defiance Banner

1. Weapon Choice:

• Melee Weapons: Since Valour is gained from melee combat, prioritize weapons with high damage, attack speed, and defensive attributes to maximize Valour generation and survivability.

2. Passive Skill Tree:

• Focus on nodes that enhance aura effects, melee damage, life, and defensive attributes. Specific clusters to prioritize include those near the Marauder, Duelist, and Templar start areas.
• Consider pathing to nodes that increase area of effect, life regeneration, armour, and resistances.

Ascendancy Choices

1. Guardian:

• Radiant Crusade: Provides increased damage and defense when you have at least five allies.
• Unwavering Crusade: Increases the effects of auras from your skills.
• Bastion of Hope: Grants a block chance when you or your allies are critically struck.
• Time of Need: Provides life regeneration and removes ailments every few seconds.

2. Champion:

• Unstoppable Hero: Grants increased attack speed, damage, and immunity to stuns while you have fortify.
• Fortitude: Grants fortify, providing damage reduction and increased defenses.
• First to Strike, Last to Fall: Provides Adrenaline, increasing damage and survivability when on low life.
• Inspirational: Enhances the effects of your banners and provides increased damage and defense.

Support Gems

1. Main Skill Setup:

• Defiance Banner: Primary support skill.
• Support Gems: Generosity (to increase aura effect on allies), Increased Duration, Enhance (for increased quality), Empower (for increased levels), and Enlighten (to reduce mana reservation).

2. Secondary Skill Setup:

• Leap Slam / Shield Charge: For mobility.
• Support Gems: Faster Attacks, Fortify, and Endurance Charge on Melee Stun (if using Shield Charge).

3. Utility Skills:

• Steelskin / Immortal Call: For defense.
• Blood and Sand: To switch between Blood and Sand stances.
• Dread Banner / War Banner: Additional banners to provide various bonuses.

Armor and Accessories

1. Armor:

• Body Armor: Prioritize armor with high life, resistances, and physical damage reduction. Consider options like Loreweave for increased resistances and overall survivability.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Look for items that boost aura effects, life, and resistances. Consider using items with increased aura effect and defensive attributes.

2. Accessories:

• Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that enhance aura effects, life, resistances, and critical strike chance. Look for mods that increase Valour generation and defensive attributes.
• Belt: A Stygian Vise with life, resistances, and increased defensive attributes is ideal.

Flask Setup

1. Life Flask:

• Instant Recovery: For emergency healing.

2. Utility Flasks:

• Quicksilver Flask: For increased movement speed.
• Basalt Flask: For physical damage reduction.
• Granite Flask: For increased armor.
• Jade Flask: For increased evasion.

Combat Strategy

1. Engaging Enemies:

• Use your melee attacks to generate Valour and place the Defiance Banner to provide powerful aura effects to you and your allies. Maintain high Valour levels to maximize the banner’s effectiveness.

2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:

• Leverage the Guardian or Champion passives to enhance your defenses and support capabilities. Use Guardian for increased aura effects and defensive support, and Champion for fortify bonuses and enhanced banner effects.

3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:

• Maintain high uptime on Blood and Sand stances and leverage the increased damage and control provided by each stance.
• Use your flasks to boost damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.

Example Builds

1. Guardian Defiance Banner Build:

• Focus on aura effects and defensive support.
• Utilize Radiant Crusade and Unwavering Crusade to maximize aura effects.
• Use support gems that enhance aura effects and duration.

2. Champion Defiance Banner Build:

• Focus on fortify and banner effects.
• Utilize Unstoppable Hero and Inspirational to increase damage and defense.
• Use support gems that enhance banner effects and fortify bonuses.

Conclusion

The Defiance Banner build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a powerful and supportive playstyle for players who enjoy combining melee combat with strong defensive auras. By focusing on maximizing aura effects, attack speed, and physical damage mitigation, players can effectively support both themselves and their allies in combat. Proper gear selection, passive skill tree planning, and strategic use of ascendancy passives will ensure that you unleash the full potential of this powerful support skill. Equip your weapons, prepare your flasks, and rally your allies with the formidable power of Defiance Banner.