PoE Perforate Build 3.25 – Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur

The Perforate build in Path of Exile is a versatile and powerful melee attack that allows players to switch between two distinct stances, Blood and Sand, to adapt to different combat situations. This build focuses on using a sword or axe to smash the ground, summoning spears that deal significant damage to enemies. Perforate’s ability to switch between Blood Stance and Sand Stance provides flexibility, allowing players to choose between focused, sequential strikes or wide area-of-effect (AoE) attacks. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of how to optimize a Perforate build in the 3.25 patch, ensuring you maximize your damage output and efficiency.

Key Features of Perforate

Perforate (Level 20):

• Attack, AoE, Slam, Melee: Perforate is a melee attack that smashes the ground to bring forth multiple spears to damage enemies. It has two stances, Blood and Sand, each with unique effects.
• Mana Cost: 13 mana.
• Attack Speed: 80% of base.
• Attack Damage: 622.6% of base.
• Effectiveness of Added Damage: 622%.
• Quality: +20%.
• Requirements: Requires Level 70, 98 Strength, 68 Dexterity.
• Perforate Mechanics:
  • Blood Stance: Creates multiple spikes that burst from the ground in sequence, able to hit enemies multiple times. Deals 75% less damage.
  • Sand Stance: Thrusts spikes outwards in a wide area, providing 76% more area of effect.
  • Creates 9 Spikes: Consistently generates spikes regardless of stance.

Building Around Perforate

1. Weapon Choice:

• High Physical Damage Swords or Axes: Prioritize weapons with high base physical damage to maximize the effectiveness of Perforate. Look for weapons with increased attack speed, critical strike chance, and added physical damage.

2. Passive Skill Tree:

• Focus on nodes that enhance 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. Gladiator:

• Arena Challenger: Provides increased attack speed and movement speed, enhancing your mobility and damage output.
• Blood in the Eyes: Grants bleed chance and blind on hit, improving your crowd control and damage over time.
• Painforged: Increases block chance and provides damage boost after blocking.
• Versatile Combatant: Converts block chance into spell block chance, enhancing your defenses.

2. Slayer:

• Headsman: Provides increased damage against rare and unique enemies, and increased AoE.
• Bane of Legends: Grants culling strike, making it easier to finish off tough enemies.
• Endless Hunger: Provides life leech effects and immunity to bleeding, improving your sustain in combat.
• Brutal Fervour: Enhances life leech, providing more life recovery.

Support Gems

1. Main Skill Setup:

• Perforate: Primary attack skill.
• Support Gems: Brutality, Melee Physical Damage, Multistrike, Fortify, and Ruthless.

2. Secondary Skill Setup:

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

3. Utility Skills:

• Blood and Sand: Aura to switch between Blood and Sand Stance.
• Flesh and Stone: Aura to reduce incoming damage and increase damage to enemies.
• Steelskin / Immortal Call: For defense.
• Leap Slam / Shield Charge: For mobility.
• Dread Banner: For increased accuracy and physical damage.

Armor and Accessories

1. Armor:

• Body Armor: Prioritize armor with high life, resistances, and increased physical damage. Consider options like Belly of the Beast for increased life and resistances.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Look for items that boost life, resistances, attack speed, and physical damage. Consider using items with increased armor and defensive mods.

2. Accessories:

• Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that enhance 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 physical 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.
• Sulphur Flask: For increased damage and life regeneration.
• Silver Flask: For increased movement and attack speed.

Combat Strategy

1. Engaging Enemies:

• Use Perforate to quickly engage enemies and unleash powerful melee attacks. Switch between Blood and Sand Stance to adapt to different combat situations. Use Blood Stance for sequential, high-damage hits and Sand Stance for wide-area attacks.

2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:

• Leverage the Gladiator or Slayer passives to enhance your defenses and damage output. Use Gladiator for increased attack speed, movement speed, and bleed effects. Use Slayer for increased damage against tough enemies and enhanced life leech.

3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:

• Maintain high uptime on Blood and Sand to switch between stances as needed. Use Flesh and Stone to reduce incoming damage and increase damage to enemies. Apply flasks to enhance your damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.

Example Builds

1. Gladiator Perforate Build:

• Focus on increased attack speed, movement speed, and bleed effects.
• Utilize Arena Challenger and Blood in the Eyes to maximize damage and crowd control.
• Use support gems that enhance physical damage and attack speed.

2. Slayer Perforate Build:

• Focus on increased damage against rare and unique enemies, and enhanced life leech.
• Utilize Headsman and Endless Hunger to maximize damage and sustain.
• Use support gems that enhance physical damage and area of effect.

Conclusion

The Perforate build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a dynamic and powerful playstyle for melee enthusiasts who enjoy combining direct melee attacks with versatile stance mechanics. By focusing on maximizing physical damage, 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 smash the ground with the overwhelming force of Perforate to decimate your foes and conquer the battlefield.