PoE Shield Crush of the Chieftain Build 3.25 – Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur
Shield Crush of the Chieftain is a fiery melee skill that utilizes your shield’s defenses to deliver devastating area damage in three powerful waves. This build guide focuses on optimizing Shield Crush of the Chieftain, emphasizing skill setup, passive tree configuration, gear choices, and combat strategies to maximize your effectiveness in Patch 3.25.
Key Features of Shield Crush of the Chieftain
Shield Crush of the Chieftain (Level 20):
Type: Attack, AoE, Fire, Melee
Mana Cost: 15 Mana
Attack Time: 1.00 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
Attack Damage: 100% of base
Quality: +20%
Requirements: Level 70, 155 Strength
Skill Mechanics:
Base Off Hand Fire Damage: 389 to 583
Added Fire Damage: 13 to 20 per 15 Armour on Shield
Central Wave Area of Effect: 128% more
Wave Overlap: Enemies can be hit by two waves
Building Around Shield Crush of the Chieftain
1. Weapon and Shield Choice:
High Armour Shields: Use shields with high Armour to maximize the added fire damage.
High Physical Damage Weapons: Swords or maces with high base physical damage to complement Shield Crush effectively.
2. Passive Skill Tree:
Fire Damage and Conversion: Focus on nodes that increase fire damage and physical-to-fire conversion.
Attack Speed and AoE: Invest in nodes that boost attack speed and area of effect to enhance the coverage and frequency of Shield Crush.
Critical Strike: Consider critical strike chance and multiplier nodes if using crit-based gear.
Ascendancy Choices
Chieftain:
Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance: Converts a portion of physical damage to fire damage and increases fire damage.
Hinekora, Death’s Fury: Adds fire damage to attacks and causes enemies to take increased fire damage.
Tawhoa, Forest’s Strength: Grants increased damage and life regeneration while stationary, enhancing both offense and defense.
Ramako, Sun’s Light: Provides additional fire penetration and chance to ignite, further boosting damage output.
Support Gems
1. Main Skill Setup:
Shield Crush of the Chieftain: Primary attack skill.
Support Gems: Combustion, Fire Penetration, Melee Physical Damage, Elemental Damage with Attacks, and Increased Area of Effect.
2. Utility Skills:
Leap Slam / Shield Charge: For additional mobility.
Ancestral Protector: Totem to boost attack speed.
Support Gems: Multiple Totems, Melee Physical Damage, and Faster Attacks.
Herald of Ash: Aura to add fire damage to attacks and overkill burn.
Armor and Accessories
1. Armor:
Body Armor: Look for armor with high life, resistances, and fire damage increases. Kaom’s Heart is an excellent choice for its high life boost.
Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Prioritize life, resistances, attack speed, and fire damage.
2. Accessories:
Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that increase fire damage, life, and resistances. Mods that boost attack speed and critical strike chance are also beneficial.
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.
Sulphur Flask: For increased damage and life regeneration.
Ruby Flask: For increased fire resistance and reduced fire damage taken.
Combat Strategy
1. Engaging Enemies:
Use Shield Charge or Leap Slam to quickly close the distance to enemies. Follow up with Shield Crush of the Chieftain to deal significant area damage and clear groups of enemies efficiently.
2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:
Leverage Chieftain passives to enhance your fire damage, physical-to-fire conversion, and survivability. Use Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance for increased fire damage and conversion.
3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:
Maintain high uptime on Herald of Ash to add fire damage to attacks and apply overkill burn. Use flasks to enhance your damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.
Example Build
Chieftain Shield Crush Build:
Focus: Increased fire damage, physical-to-fire conversion, and armor.
Support Gems: Enhance Shield Crush with Combustion and Fire Penetration.
Conclusion
The Shield Crush of the Chieftain build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a powerful and dynamic playstyle for players who enjoy combining melee combat with fire-based area damage. By focusing on maximizing fire damage, physical-to-fire conversion, 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 fiery skill. Equip your shield, prepare your flasks, and crush your enemies with the overwhelming force of Shield Crush to conquer the battlefield.