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

Smite is an electrifying melee skill in Path of Exile that combines powerful attacks with an area-of-effect lightning strike and a beneficial aura. This build guide will cover the optimal skill setup, passive tree configuration, gear choices, and combat strategies to maximize your effectiveness with Smite in Patch 3.25.

Key Features of Smite

Smite (Level 20):

• Type: Lightning, Attack, AoE, Duration, Melee, Strike, Aura
• Mana Cost: 12 Mana
• Attack Speed: 85% of base
• Attack Damage: 488.6% of base
• Effectiveness of Added Damage: 488%
• Quality: +20%
• Requirements: Level 70, 98 Strength, 68 Intelligence
• Skill Mechanics:
  • Physical to Lightning Conversion: 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Lightning Damage
  • Base Duration: 4.00 seconds
  • Area Damage: 10% less
  • Base Radius: 2.1 metres
  • Base Aura Radius: 4.2 metres
  • Lightning Strike: Hits 1 target within 5 metres
  • Aura Buff: Grants 12 to 220 added Lightning Damage and 19% chance to Shock

Building Around Smite

1. Weapon Choice:

• High Physical Damage Weapons: Swords, axes, maces, scepters, or staves with high base physical damage to maximize the lightning damage conversion.

2. Passive Skill Tree:

• Lightning Damage and Conversion: Focus on nodes that increase lightning damage and physical-to-lightning conversion.
• Attack Speed and AoE: Invest in nodes that boost attack speed and area of effect to enhance the coverage and frequency of Smite.
• Aura Effectiveness: Consider nodes that increase aura effectiveness to enhance the added lightning damage and chance to shock.

Ascendancy Choices

Inquisitor:

• Sanctuary: Provides increased elemental resistance and creates consecrated ground when you hit an enemy.
• Pious Path: Grants life and mana regeneration while on consecrated ground.
• Righteous Providence: Increases critical strike chance based on strength and intelligence.
• Inevitable Judgement: Ignores elemental resistances on critical strikes, boosting your damage significantly.

Support Gems

1. Main Skill Setup:

• Smite: Primary attack skill.
• Support Gems: Added Lightning Damage, Elemental Damage with Attacks, Multistrike, Lightning Penetration, and Increased Area of Effect.

2. Utility Skills:

• Leap Slam: For mobility.
• Ancestral Protector: Totem to boost attack speed.
• Support Gems: Multiple Totems, Melee Physical Damage, and Faster Attacks.
• Herald of Thunder: Aura to add lightning damage and apply shocks.

Armor and Accessories

1. Armor:

• Body Armor: Look for armor with high life, resistances, and lightning damage increases. Loreweave is an excellent choice for its balanced stats.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Prioritize life, resistances, attack speed, and lightning damage.

2. Accessories:

• Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that increase lightning 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 lightning 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 Leap Slam to quickly close the distance to enemies. Follow up with Smite to deal significant area damage and apply the lightning strike and aura buff.

2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:

• Leverage Inquisitor passives to enhance your elemental damage, critical strike chance, and survivability. Use Inevitable Judgement to ignore elemental resistances on critical strikes, maximizing your damage output.

3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:

• Maintain high uptime on Herald of Thunder to add lightning damage and apply shocks. Use flasks to enhance your damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.

Example Build

Inquisitor Smite Build:

• Focus: Increased lightning damage, physical-to-lightning conversion, and critical strike chance.
• Key Passives: Sanctuary, Pious Path, Righteous Providence, Inevitable Judgement.
• Support Gems: Enhance Smite with Added Lightning Damage and Lightning Penetration.

Conclusion

The Smite build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a dynamic and electrifying playstyle for players who enjoy combining melee combat with powerful lightning-based area damage. By focusing on maximizing lightning damage, physical-to-lightning 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 electrifying skill. Equip your weapon, prepare your flasks, and strike your enemies with the overwhelming force of Smite to conquer the battlefield.