Ancestral Warchief Berserker
Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.7

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low

Ancestral Warchief is one of the most robust budget-friendly Melee/Physical builds in Path of Exile. It can be easily played as a very efficient League starter build and depending on your final budget; this build will be surely able to clear all of the Path of Exile's end-game content. Utilizing Rage as a Berserker grants the highest possible Attack Damage bonuses, however, it's a bit awkward in this build. We generate Rage with Cyclone, which deals 0 damage; it's used as a utility skill which grants Infusion buff, Life on Hit and generates Rage.

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1. Gameplay

Ancestral Warchief is a Totem build. It, however, uses Melee Physical attacks instead of Spells. In this build, we go with the Facebreaker Gloves which greatly increases Melee Physical Damage. With multiple ways for the Berserker to add flat Physical Damage, this build provides insane DPS on higher Rage levels. You are supposed to generate Rage with Cyclone, which has great proc coefficiency, and also it grants Infusion buff and grants high Life gained on Hit. You also have to periodically cast War Cry for extra damage bonuses, and it can act as an instant Life Recovery Flask. Also, the new Duration Spell; Berserk is used to give you insane burst DPS against Bosses. Just make sure you use it when your Rage is close to the maximum for the best effect.

0:06 Tier 16 Hydra Guardian 0:33 Tier 16 Minotaur Guardian 1:08 Tier 14 Courthouse 1:30 Tier 14 Ghetto Video recorded on level 86 Berserker in approximately 3 Exalted Orbs worth of equipment (including Gems)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with Facebreaker gloves is one of the easiest ways to level up a character. If you can (or find) items with added Physical Damage, you will be one-shotting everything. Some of the items including the Facebreaker Gloves and Meginord's Belt will be used by you when reaching the end-game content anyway, so you should be fine investing in those early on.

During your first levels, use any of the skills available to Marauder - Molten Strike/Heavy Strike/Cleave - it doesn't matter as the content is easy. Get to level 14 and equip your Facebreaker gloves. From this point onward, you can use Shield Charge as your main Attack until you get the Ancestral Warchief at level 28.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - this provides fantastic DPS on early levels with the Facebreaker gloves. It is also your main mobility skill
	Faster Attacks Support - grants increased mobility and higher DPS
	Melee Physical Damage Support - you can use this Gem in this setup until level 28 when you can socket this Gem into your Ancestral Warchief setup
	Fortify Support - gives you a powerful defensive buff on Melee Hits with the Shield Charge

Ancestral Warchief setup (level 28+)
	Ancestral Warchief - your main DPS source starting from level 28
	Faster Attacks Support
	Melee Physical Damage Support - another great DPS Gem
	Ruthless Support - greatly increases your damage on every third Hit with supported skills

Utility gems
	Summon Stone Golem - this Golem increases your Life Regenerated per second
	Pride - the recommended Aura used in this build
	Punishment - recommended Curse for this build

Bandits:

Kill all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Warrior's Blood 2) Resolute Technique 3) Devotion 4) Ancestral Bond 5) Primal Manifestation

66 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blood Magic + Mortal Conviction 2) Ironwood 3) Art of the Gladiator

Recommended leveling items:

Facebreaker - one of the best leveling items in Path of Exile. However, only for Melee/Physical DPS based classes. You should invest in a pair with the highest Unarmed Physical Damage bonus you can afford - they will be your core item the entire game

+30% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier 10% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold (600-800)% more Unarmed Physical Damage Extra gore

Blackheart - grants terrific DPS buff to all your Physical Attacks. If you are starting a new League, you can also use any Iron Ring with added Physical Damage to Attacks. Magic ones with some extra Life will do the job just fine

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks 5% increased Physical Damage Adds 1 to 3 Chaos Damage to Attacks +(20-30) to maximum Life (2-4) Life Regenerated per second 10% chance to Cause Monsters to Flee

Meginord's Girle - pretty much the BiS item for this build

+(25-35) to Strength Adds 5 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks +25 to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate

Deidbell - is a pretty decent leveling helmet. Grants a lot of DPS and you should be easily one-shotting everything on your way

Adds 10 to 20 Physical Damage to Attacks +(20-30) to Strength +(20-30) to Dexterity +(200-300) to Armour 20% increased Melee Damage Cannot Leech when on Low Life

Crest of Perandus - an excellent leveling Shield. Grants very high bonus Life and Life Regeneration

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) 3% increased Movement Speed +(60-80) to maximum Life (5-7.5) Life Regenerated per second +30% to Lightning Resistance 0.6% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life +5% Chance to Block

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:
116 Points Final Skill Tree
116 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Crave the Slaughter
2. Rite of Ruin
3. War Bringer
4. Aspect of Carnage

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%
 

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Ancestral Warchief (in Bringer of Rain)
	Ancestral Warchief - your primary DPS skill, you should already have that one, socket it into Bringer of Rain when you are equipping your "Final" gear
	Rage Support - grants very high flat Physical DPS bonus based on your Rage level
	Ruthless Support - grants very high bonus DPS on every third Hit
	Concentrated Effect Support - greatly increases Area Damage and the cost of reduced Area of Effect
Bringer of Rains Support Gems
	Melee Physical Damage Support - increases Physical Damage your Ancestral Warchief Totem deals with Melee attacks
	Faster Attacks Support
	Blind Support

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge
	Shield Charge - your main mobility skill
	Faster Attacks Support
	Fortify Support - grants a damage reduction buff as long as you Hit an enemy with Shield Charge

[UTILITY] Enduring Cry, Berserk, Punishment
	Enduring Cry - grants high damage bonuses thanks to War Bringer Passive, and acts as an instant Life Recovery Flask
	Punishment - recommended Curse for this build which increases your Melee Physical Damage and Attack Speed
	Berserk - grants insane burst DPS if you cast it on high Rage levels

[UTILITY] Cyclone
	Cyclone - channelled AoE Attack which is used to generate Rage and grant additional bonuses via Infused Channelling Support Gem. It will also grant very high Life gained on Hits
	Rage Support - generates Rage with Cyclone's Hits
	Life Gain on Hit Support - recovers Life on each Hit with Cyclone
	Infused Channelling Support - grants Infused buff which increases your DPS and grants additional damage reduction bonuses

[UTILITY] Pride
	Pride - recommended Curse for this build which greatly increases Physical Damage taken by nearby enemies. It won't Reserve any Mana with the Mortal Conviction Passive

5. Gear Setup

Ancestral Totem Build can be built either in a very budget-friendly variation, for smooth mapping, or extremely strong Uber/Shaper farmer. We are presenting suggested item options for the budget-friendly version using Bringer of Rain Helmet for very cheap 7-links. If you would like to see what items should be used for the end-game content let us know in the comments below!

Also, if you are looking for a place to buy cheap PoE Currency, you can head over to our market section via links on top of this page.

The recommended gear in this guide will:

1. Cap your Elemental Resistances
2. Grant sufficient Life pool for mapping
3. Give you more than enough damage to enjoy the game
4. Save you at least a couple of hours on planning your gear!

(Helmet) The Bringer of Rain - a very powerful Helmet that grants cheap seven-links for this build. It has received significant bonuses in Patch 3.5 making it one of the best picks for low-budget builds

Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18 Melee Physical Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18 Faster Attacks Socketed Gems are supported by Level 18 Blind Adds 20 to 30 Physical Damage to Attacks (200-300)% increased Armour and Evasion +(200-220) to maximum Life 20% chance to gain an Endurance Charge when you Block Extra gore Can't use Chest armour 6% Chance to Block Attack Damage

Helmet enchantment: 40% increased Ancestral Warchief Damage

(Shield) Great Old One's Ward - a budget-friendly option for the Shield slot. Will provide additional DPS. You might also want to get this one during leveling, its available for characters that reach level 44

3% increased Movement Speed 3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) Adds (8-12) to (15-20) Physical Damage to Attacks (6-10)% increased Attack Speed +(50-70) to maximum Life (8-12)% Chance to Block Spells

(Shield) Tukohama's Fortress - this is the Best in the Slot for the Ancestral Warchief Berserker build. Increases the number of maximum Totems by 1, and raises their damage by an additional 40%

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(20-30) to maximum Life 40% increased Totem Damage +(80-100) to maximum Life Can have up to 1 additional Totem summoned at a time +300 Armour per active Totem Blood Magic

(Belt) Meginord's Girdle - a mighty Belt for this build. It can be used from low-levels so it should be obtained as soon as possible

+(25-35) to Strength Adds 5 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks +25 to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate

(Belt) Stygian Vise - another great option for the belt slot. It grants additional Abyssal Jewel socket and higher defensive utility than Meginord's Girdle

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Cold Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Attributes

(Boots) Rare Boots - with high Elemental Resistances

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Cold Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently

(Gloves) Facebreaker - build-defining item. Grants insane bonus to Unarmed Physical Damage

+30% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier 10% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold (600-800)% more Unarmed Physical Damage Extra gore

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - with high defensive stats and added Physical Damage to Attacks

Min. requirements: Added min. 7 Physical Damage to Attacks 70 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Attributes

(Rings) Rare Rings - same as Amulet. Get high defensive stats and added Physical Damage to Attacks. Steel Rings are the bests base for these slots

Min. requirements: Added 10 Physical Damage to Attacks 70 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Attributes

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - the best for this build. Flat added bonus Physical Damage scales way better than the multipliers on regular Jewels

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Physical Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed chance to grant Onslaugth on kill

(Jewels) Rare Jewels

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Generic/Totem/Physical/Area Damage Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed increased Attack Speed while holding a Shield

(Flask) Lion's Roar - a great Flask that provides both amazing defensive and offensive bonuses

Knocks Back Enemies in an Area on Flask use 75% chance to cause Enemies to Flee on use 20% more Melee Physical Damage during effect Adds Knockback during Flask effect

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - grants additional Chaos Damage

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Taste of Hate - very powerful Utility Flask, but at the same time the most expensive option in this build

+50% to Cold Resistance 20% less Cold Damage taken 20% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Cold Damage during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Flask effect 30% chance to Avoid being Frozen during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Divine Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Ample Basalt Flask of Heat (immunity to Freeze)

We are looking forward to your feedback and suggestions for our next build.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.