The Best Starter Builds for the Delirium League and Patch 3.10
 

Patch 3.10 is going live soon, and alongside it, the Delirium League is starting. The Patch 3.10 once again introduces a number of new Items, Skill Gems, Passive Skill Changes, and game balance changes. Unlike the previous Patches, this time the changes aren't oriented around a single character archetype, but we are getting a massive amount of new Passives from the newly introduced Cluster Jewels to all available builds and characters. In terms of character builds and optimization, it's among the biggest updates ever introduced recently. As we are getting tons of new Passives, we will be updating ALL of our guides in the upcoming weeks - they will surely work as good as they did before in their old forms, but there is certainly a lot of space for improvements and optimization with all the new stuff. 

As usual, we primarily focus builds that are fast and cheap on lower levels, but also offer an easy transition to end-game with just slightly higher investments in gear. All the builds on our list are all content viable and you won't have to entirely respecc your character after earning a set amount of Currency for a completely different build.   

PLEASE NOTE: The list of the best builds is mainly based on the 3.10's Patch notes and our previous experiences. They will surely work as intended, but some small details may be different when the actual Patch hits the live servers. We will update the Guides as soon as possible after Patch 3.10 is out

#1

Impale Cyclone Champion (3.10 Ready) - a lot of popular archetypes for League Starter builds have been nerfed in Patch 3.10, but Impale remains untouched. And with the introduction of new Notable Passives, you can only expect this Impale Cyclone build to be even more powerful. Champion is one of the best Ascendancies for a League Starter, mainly because it offers the highest flat Physical Damage bonus from Impale. Also, Master of Metal is the single-best leveling Ascendancy Passive, giving you a ton of Flat Physical Damage even on low-levels, making it a perfect League Starter choice, as you can progress fast without having to upgrade you weapons constantly. At the same time, Champion offers very solid defenses, and with slightly higher investment in gear, you get the melt any Boss in the game within seconds. Our recommended setup includes end-game gear options, but the build itself is rather straightforward and you should have no problems finding gear replacements early in the League

#2

Frostbolt Totem Hierophant (3.10 Ready) - Totems are always a very good choice for starting a new League, and Frostbolt Totem Hierophant provides one of the highest end-game DPS and very good clear speeds by covering your entire screen with its icy projectiles. We are yet to thoroughly test the new additions from Patch 3.10 which may possibly greatly increase this builds' end-game potential. One of the new additions that we do want to try out is the new Arcane Cloak Guard Spell and Hierophants high Mana pool for extra defensive utility and possible decent Lightning Damage bonus

#3

Essence Drain Trickster (3.10 Ready) - Essence Drain (or other similar Chaos/DoT builds) are always among the top Starter Builds. Essence Drain offers amazing clear speed by making entire screens of monsters explode from the Contagion/Essence Drain combo, and when you manage to get the crafted Bow, your end-game DPS will be sufficient to challenge any Boss in the game. At the same time, Tricksters are fairly popular for their mobility and very fast-paced playstyle, making it a perfect choice for a Delirium League Starter build

#4

Explosive Arrow Miner Saboteur (3.10 Ready) - we have started this project in Patch 3.9 after the changes to Explosive Arrow. In Patch 3.10 this build gets even more damage, by scaling the "hit" DPS you deal for each fuse on the enemy (previously the bonus applied only to Ignite caused by Explosive Arrow). This gives us up to 60% MORE Damage against enemies, and as a Miner, you can easily stack 20 fuses in a second... This build is fun, easy, and extremely deadly. This Explosive Arrow Saboteur has high Tier single-target DPS and very good clear speed thanks to massive AoE explosions. You simply can't go wrong as a Miner/Saboteur when a new League starts - even with the nerfs to base Mine Throwing Speed

#5

Blade Vortex Chieftain Build (3.10 Ready) - Blade Vortex is one of the most powerful Spells in the Path of Exile. It spawns ethereal Blades that orbit around you, dealing increased damage for each active Blade. In this build, even on a relatively accessible budget, you get to dish out millions of Shaper DPS. Blade Vortex requires you, however, to stay in the Melee range to deal the damage, so picking up a sturdy class like Chieftain is recommended.  You benefit from very high Life, Armour Rating, and Life Leech allowing you to fight any Boss in the game, making it a fully end-game viable Starter build. It's worth noting, that defeating the toughest enemies will require slightly more investments in gear, mainly into +3 Bow that lets you socket Empower Support and take Blade Vortex's DPS to a whole new level

If you have any suggestions about other interesting or solid Starter Builds for the Delirium League, or you would like us to make a different build - for example, based on one of the newly introduced Skill Gems, let us know in the comments below! We always appreciate as well constructive criticism as it helps us improve our content!

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