PoE Infernal Blow Build 3.25 – Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur

The Infernal Blow build in Path of Exile focuses on delivering explosive melee attacks that convert physical damage to fire damage, causing devastating area-of-effect (AoE) explosions upon hitting enemies. This build leverages the unique mechanics of Infernal Blow to maximize fire damage, AoE, and overall damage effectiveness, making it highly effective for both single-target and group encounters. By applying charged and uncharged debuffs to enemies, Infernal Blow creates chain reactions of explosions that can clear entire packs of monsters. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of how to optimize an Infernal Blow build in the 3.25 patch, ensuring you maximize your damage output and efficiency.

Key Features of Infernal Blow

Infernal Blow (Level 20):

• Attack, AoE, Melee, Strike, Fire, Duration: Infernal Blow is a melee attack that applies a charged debuff to enemies hit by the strike and an uncharged debuff to nearby enemies. Upon reaching 6 charges, expiring, or the enemy’s death, the debuff explodes, damaging surrounding enemies.
• Mana Cost: 10 mana.
• Attack Damage: 377.4% of base.
• Effectiveness of Added Damage: 377%.
• Quality: +20%.
• Requirements: Requires Level 70, 155 Strength.
• Infernal Blow Mechanics:
  • Base duration is 0.80 seconds.
  • 60% of physical damage converted to fire damage.
  • Explosion deals base fire damage equal to 6% of the corpse’s maximum life.
  • Base radius is 2.4 metres.
  • Base explosion radius is 1.8 metres.
  • Debuff deals 76% of damage per charge.

Building Around Infernal Blow

1. Weapon Choice:

• High Physical Damage Weapons: Prioritize weapons with high base physical damage to maximize the conversion to fire damage. Look for weapons with increased attack speed, critical strike chance, and added fire damage.

2. Passive Skill Tree:

• Focus on nodes that enhance fire damage, physical damage, melee damage, area of effect, and critical strike chance. Specific clusters to prioritize include those near the Marauder, Templar, and Duelist start areas.
• Consider pathing to nodes that increase life, resistances, and defensive attributes to maintain survivability.

Ascendancy Choices

1. Chieftain:

• Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance: Provides increased physical damage conversion to fire.
• Hinekora, Death’s Fury: Grants life leech and increased fire damage.
• Tawhoa, Forest’s Strength: Increases physical damage and enhances totem skills.
• Ramako, Sun’s Light: Provides increased elemental damage and life recovery.

2. Juggernaut:

• Unflinching: Grants Endurance Charge generation and reduces physical damage taken.
• Unstoppable: Grants immunity to stuns and movement impairments.
• Unbreakable: Increases armor and grants life recovery based on physical damage prevention.
• Unyielding: Enhances fortify and provides damage reduction.

Support Gems

1. Main Skill Setup:

• Infernal Blow: Primary melee attack skill.
• Support Gems: Melee Physical Damage, Multistrike, Elemental Damage with Attacks, Ruthless, and Fire Penetration.

2. Secondary Skill Setup:

• Ancestral Warchief: Totem skill to enhance melee damage.
• Support Gems: Multiple Totems, Melee Physical Damage, and Elemental Damage with Attacks.

3. Utility Skills:

• Hatred: Aura to increase cold damage, which can be converted to fire with Avatar of Fire.
• Herald of Ash: Aura to increase fire damage and cause overkill explosions.
• Steelskin / Immortal Call: For defense.
• Leap Slam / Shield Charge: For mobility.
• War Banner: For increased accuracy and physical damage.

Armor and Accessories

1. Armor:

• Body Armor: Prioritize armor with high life, resistances, and increased fire damage. Consider options like Carcass Jack for increased area of effect and damage.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Look for items that boost life, resistances, attack speed, and fire damage. Consider using items with increased armor and defensive mods.

2. Accessories:

• Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that enhance fire damage, physical damage, life, and resistances. Look for mods that increase attack speed and critical strike chance.
• Belt: A Stygian Vise with life, resistances, and increased fire damage is ideal.

Flask Setup

1. Life Flask:

• Instant Recovery: For emergency healing.

2. Utility Flasks:

• Granite Flask: For increased armor.
• Basalt Flask: For physical damage reduction.
• Quicksilver Flask: For increased movement speed.
• Ruby Flask: For increased fire resistance.
• Silver Flask: For increased movement and attack speed.

Combat Strategy

1. Engaging Enemies:

• Use Infernal Blow to apply debuffs to enemies, triggering explosions that deal significant area-of-effect damage. Utilize Leap Slam or Shield Charge for mobility and positioning.

2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:

• Leverage the Chieftain or Juggernaut passives to enhance your defenses and damage output. Use Chieftain for increased fire damage and life leech, and Juggernaut for endurance charge generation and physical damage mitigation.

3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:

• Maintain high uptime on Hatred and Herald of Ash to boost your fire damage and cause additional explosions. Use War Banner to increase accuracy and damage. Apply flasks to enhance your damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.

Example Builds

1. Chieftain Infernal Blow Build:

• Focus on physical to fire damage conversion and life leech.
• Utilize Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance and Hinekora, Death’s Fury to maximize damage and survivability.
• Use support gems that enhance fire damage and attack speed.

2. Juggernaut Infernal Blow Build:

• Focus on endurance charge generation and physical damage mitigation.
• Utilize Unflinching and Unyielding to maximize survivability and damage reduction.
• Use support gems that enhance fire damage and area of effect.

Conclusion

The Infernal Blow build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a powerful and explosive playstyle for melee enthusiasts who enjoy dealing significant area-of-effect damage and causing chain reactions of explosions. By focusing on maximizing physical to fire damage conversion, area of effect, and overall damage effectiveness, players can effectively dominate both single-target and group encounters. Proper gear selection, passive skill tree planning, and strategic use of ascendancy passives will ensure that you unleash the full potential of this powerful skill. Equip your weapons, prepare your flasks, and ignite your enemies with the explosive force of Infernal Blow to incinerate your foes.