Bleed
Split Arrow/Puncture
Gladiator build

Updated for Patch 3.17

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Split Arrow/Puncture is currently the best combination of Bleed Skills in Path of Exile. It offers very high single-target damage, but also insane clear with entire screens of monsters falling down to Split Arrow's Piercing projectiles. This build doesn't use Crimson Dance, as by maximizing the speed at which your Bleeding damage is dealt, it's nearly impossible to get to the 8 Stacks of Bleeding DoT anyway. This build offers insane clear speed with Bleeding enemies exploding on kill for 10% of their Maximum Life, which causes enemies to die instantly all over your screen. Gladiator is simply the best Class for this build, as it offers very high Bleeding damage bonuses, but also very high Movement and Attack Speed bonuses, with an additional Damage Mitigation from Endurance Charges and Outmatch and Outlast Passive. The build uses Assailum Unique Helmet - it forces its socketed Bow Skill Gem to be channeled, and at maximum stages, it increases the Bleeding DoT by 720%, and Hit Damage by 990%. This is where the Puncture Setup will be located - the Skill that causes the most Bleeding Damage.

You can find our other Path of Exile builds right here The Best PoE Builds by Odealo

1. Gameplay

This is a Ranged build based on Bleeding Damage over Time. However, with how fast your Bleeding DoT is applied to enemies, it feels like you would do all the damage with your initial Hits, making it a very enjoyable build to play. Split Arrow, thanks to Pierce and high base Physical DPS can take down entire screens of enemies within seconds, and Puncture is used to apply a much more potent Bleed effect against Bosses. You are also going to use Ensnaring Arrow with Ballista Totem to slow down enemies and increase the Projectile damage they take. For the defenses, you are going to have a decent Life Pool, high Armour Rating from Items and Iron Reflexes Passive, and high damage taken reduction from Endurance Charges, Outmatch and Outlast, and Soul of Steel Passives. For mobility, you can use Dash, which is apparently a faster Movement Skill than Blink Arrow because of the limited Attack Speed with Bows in this build.

This video was recorded on a level 93 Gladiator with 4,900 Maximum Life and approximately 900k Puncture DoT DPS and 300k Split Arrow DoT. This is an outdated video from Patch 3.13 - gameplay hasn't changed much since, but performance surely did. We should have it updated in the following days

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with Bows is quite easy and fast. This is a Bleed build where most damage comes from Bleed DoT Multiplier sources that are not accessible on lower levels, so initially, you will focus on increasing your base Physical DPS (by upgrading your Bow and getting Items with Added Physical Damage to Attacks). Bleeding itself will be just an addition to your DPS on lower levels. You should be using the same Skills during leveling as later on, not only they are quite good for that purpose, but it will also help you master them while you are progressing through the campaign, and the transition into Maps should be very smooth then. Below you will find the basic Gem links for the leveling part, as well as, some very useful Unique Items that you can try to obtain to fasten the process.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Split Arrow setup
	Split Arrow - one of the first Bow Attacks which shoots several Arrows by default, offering good clear speed and high added Base Physical Damage
	Chance to Bleed Support - adds high bonus Physical Damage to Supported Attacks
	Vicious Projectiles Support - increases the Physical Damage of your Projectiles and the Bleeding it inflicts
	Maim Support - increases the damage of your Split Arrow and inflicts Maim on enemies, increasing the Physical Damage they take and slowing them down

Puncture setup
	Puncture - this is the primary single-target Skill used in this build which deals greatly increased damage with Bleeding
	Chance to Bleed Support
	Vicious Projectiles Support
	Brutality Support - greatly increases Physical Damage dealt by Supported Skills

Utility Gems
	Summon Ice Golem - you won't be using a Golem on higher levels, but during leveling the extra Accuracy can be really useful
	Vulnerability - the best Curse for this build which increases your Physical and Bleeding Damage
	Herald of Purity - adds extra Physical Damage to your Attacks
	Dash - the recommended Movement Skill which increases your mobility

Bandits:

We recommend killing all bandits for the additional 2 Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

37 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Bravery 2) Golem's Blood 3) Bloodletting 4) Graceful Assault 5) Heavy and Deadly Draw

72 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Resolute Technique 2) Barbarism 3) Savage Wounds 4) Veteran Soldier 5) Relentless

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - one of the best physical DPS leveling ring which grants very high bonus Damage on lower levels

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 Girdle - an excellent Belt that grants high DPS and Life bonuses

+(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

Karui Ward - pretty much the best Amulet for leveling with Bows

+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Silverbranch - a very powerful Bow that is available as early as level 1

+1 to Level of Socketed Bow Gems (80-100)% increased Physical Damage 10% increased Attack Speed +10 Mana gained on Kill +30 to Accuracy Rating

Drillneck - an amazing Quiver that will also work just fine in low and medium Tier Maps. It grants Pierce so it either saves you one Support Gem or allows you to play efficiently without the Lioneye's Vision Body Armour

Arrows Pierce an additional Target (8-12)% increased Attack Speed +350 to Evasion Rating +(40-50) to maximum Life Adds (10-14) to (19-24) Physical Damage to Bow Attacks Arrows deal 50% increased Damage with Hits and Ailments to Targets they Pierce

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

116 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique Jewels)
121 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Blood in the Eyes
2. Gratuitous Violence
3. Arena Challenger
4. Outmatch and Outlast

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% Physical Damage Reduction if there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

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] Split Arrow setup
	Split Arrow - one of the primary Skills used in this build which fires several piercing projectiles which will obliterate most regular and Rare enemies on your screen
	Vicious Projectiles Support - one of the most powerful Support Gems for this setup. It increases both the Initial Hit damage but also DoT caused by Split Arrow
	Lifetap Support - It's better to spend Life than Mana on a setup that overkills most of the enemies it's supposed to deal with anyway
	Deadly Ailments Support - increases the damage you deal with Ailments but decreases Hit Damage
	Swift Affliction Support - greatly increases Damage over Time you deal with linked Skills
	Chance To Bleed Support - grants more Damage with Bleeding, if you already have over 90% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit, use  Chain Support instead

[DPS] Puncture (socketed in Assailum)
	Puncture - this skill offers the highest Bleeding Damage out of all skills that can be used with Bows. It's used solely for taking down Bosses so you will be fine with it firing just one projectile
	Vicious Projectiles Support - you may have this Gem added from an Elder Bow affix, so if that's the case you can use Maim Support instead
	Brutality Support - alternatively use  Swift Affliction Support
	Deadly Ailments Support
this setup should be cast as Snipe provided by Assailum Unique Helmet

[UTILITY] Vulnerability Curse (granted by Ring affix)
	Vulnerability - increases Physical Damage and DoT you deal to Cursed enemies making it the best Curse for this build

[UTILITY] Dash
	Dash - the recommended Mobility Skill. It gives you a quick way to avoid Attacks and Spells and progress through areas faster
	Second Wind Support - increases the number of Dash's Charges and increases their cooldown recovery speed

[UTILITY] Auras
	Malevolence - increases your Damage over Time Multiplier, and also allows you to use powerful Watcher's Eye Jewel with either even more Multiplier or the increased speed at which Ailments deal their damage
	Flesh and Stone - should be used in Sand Stance for extra defensive utility
	Herald of Purity - this Herald Spell adds Physical Damage to your Attacks, slightly increasing your DPS
	Determination - grants your an additional and increased Armour
	Enlighten Support - reduces Mana Reservation cost of Supported Spells. Has to be level 2 or higher to have any effect

[UTILITY] Enduring Cry
	Enduring Cry - generates Endurance Charges and grants high Life Regeneration which works in a similar way to an Instant Recovery Life Flask

[UTILITY] Ensnaring Arrow
	Ensnaring Arrow - a very useful Bow Attack that slows down enemies and increases Projectile Damage they take. This Skill has to be cast once in a while and it will be then triggered automatically by your Mirage Archer
	Ballista Totem Support - Totem that shoots with the linked non-Melee Attack - Enstaring Arrow
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support

[UTILITY]  Molten Shell
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts Supported Spells after you take a certain amount of damage
	Molten Shell - grants increased Armour and a protective shield based on 20% of your Total Armour Rating

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for our Split Arrow/Puncture Gladiator Bleed Build. This build has one specific Unique Item required - the Assailum, however, it's important to stack as much Physical Damage over Time Multipliers as possible, which kind of enforces you to follow up a predetermined route when equipping your character. While this build will work just fine with easily accessible Rares, if you want to have enough DoT DPS to take down end-game Bosses, some investments will be necessary.

Using this opportunity, we would like to invite you to visit our Path of Exile marketplace where you can buy PoE Currency with real cash from regular players.

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Help you cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. You will save at least a couple of hours since all the item requirements are listed

(Helmet) Assailum - Assailum makes your Linked Bow Skill a Channeling Attack that can gain up to 6 stages, each stage increases Damage with hits by 165% and Damage with Ailments by 120%, it's a perfect fit for the Puncture setup to use during Boss hights

Grants Level 20 Snipe Skill Socketed Non-Channelling Bow Skills are Triggered by Snipe Socketed Triggered Bow Skills gain a 0.05 second Cooldown Socketed Triggered Bow Skills deal 40% less Damage +(350-500) to Accuracy Rating +(350-500) to Evasion Rating +(7-10)% chance to Suppress Spell Damage while Channelling +(7-10)% chance to Suppress Spell Damage while Channelling

Helmet enchantments: 40% increased Puncture Damage 30% increased Vulnerability Curse Effect Ensnaring Arrow has 30% increased Debuff Effect

(Weapon) The Crimson Storm - a budget option that should be much cheaper than a Crafted or Elder Rare alternative. It offers no DoT bonuses, except for high added Physical Damage against Bleeding enemies

6% increased Movement Speed (140-170)% increased Physical Damage (25-35)% increased Critical Strike Chance 50% chance to inflict Bleeding on Critical Strike with Attacks Enemies you inflict Bleeding on grant (60-100)% increased Flask Charges Adds (100-120) to (150-165) Physical Damage against Bleeding Enemies 50% chance to Maim Enemies on Critical Strike with Attacks <One Veiled Mod>

(Weapon) Rare Bow - the BiS option in the Weapon slot. You are looking for either an Elder-influenced type with Bleeding modifiers. You can craft additional Physical Damage over time Multiplier Mod.

Min. requirements: 130% increased Physical Damage 30% increased Damage with Bleeding Adds 20 to 50 Physical Damage +20% to Physical Damage over Time Multiplier (crafted) Optional affixes: Physical Damage over Time Multiplier +#% to Damage over Time Multiplier for Bleeding from Hits with this Weapon Bleeding you inflict deals Damage (22–25)% faster

(Quiver) Rare Quiver - another BiS option as it can grant additional Physical Damage over Time Multiplier on top of some extra damage and defensive bonuses

Min. requirements: 70 Maximum Life 20% Physical Damage over Time Multiplier 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Added Physical Damage to Attacks

(Quiver) Maloney's Mechanism - An alternative place to socket your Ensnaring Arrow or Frenzy that will be fired consistently, requires some decent Mana Regeneration

Has 3 Sockets Trigger a Socketed Bow Skill when you Attack with a Bow, with a 1 second Cooldown (7-12)% increased Attack Speed +(50-70) to maximum Life 5% chance to Blind Enemies on Hit with Attacks

(Body Armour) Lioneye's Vision - our top recommendation for the Body Armour slot. It grants high Life, high Armour, and the extra Pierce Support for your Split Arrow setup

Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 15 Pierce (200-250)% increased Armour +(60-100) to maximum Life 0.4% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana +160 Dexterity Requirement Enemy Projectiles Pierce you

(Body Armour) Farrul's Fur - it's great if you have a source of Aspect of the Cat, it's a Suffix that can be beast-crafted. It's the best source of Frenzy and Power Charges during long Boss Fights.

(100-150)% increased Armour and Evasion +(80-100) to maximum Life Aspect of the Cat has no Reservation +2 seconds to Cat's Stealth Duration Gain up to your maximum number of Frenzy and Power Charges when you gain Cat's Stealth You have Phasing while you have Cat's Stealth

(Boots) Rare Boots - get a pair with the highest maximum defensive stats and high Movement Speed

Min. requirements: 50 maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed Bleeding you inflict deals Damage #% faster Optional affixes: Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike Elemental Resistances

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

(Belt) Rare Belt - Stygian Vise with appropriate stats will be your best choice

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Maximum Life% (Hunter Belt) Increased Damage (Crafting Bench)

(Belt) Ryslatha's Coil - another great Belt that boosts your base Physical Damage dealt with Attacks, one that you should definitely get at some point

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies +(20-40) to Strength (30-40)% more Maximum Physical Attack Damage (40-30)% less Minimum Physical Attack Damage Adds 1 to (15-20) Physical Damage to Attacks +(80-100) to maximum Life Gain 50 Life when you Stun an Enemy

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - we need to get some extra DPS here with extra Life and any missing Attributes

Min. requirements: 50 maximum Life 40 Dexterity 15% Physical Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Intelligence Added Physical Damage to Attacks

Recommended Anointments: Growth and Decay Dirty Techniques

(Ring) Rare Rings - Should Cap your Resistances, and possibly grant some additional DPS. You should also get one Ring with Vulnerability Curse on it.

Min. requirements: 50 maximum Life Curse Enemies with level # Vulnerability on Hit 75% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Added Physical Damage to Attacks

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - primarily focus on defensive Stats here. Apothecary's Gloves offers an advantage - increased DoT

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Physical Damage over Time Multiplier Added Physical Damage to Attacks Attributes

(Jewels) Thread of Hope - a Very Large Ring variant placed between Vigour and Savagery allows you to allocate Disciple of the Slaughter and Unyielding, and Heavy Draw

Only affects Passives in Very Large Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances

(Jewels) Watcher's Eye - the Jewel which increases your DPS significantly. You can either get one that makes Ailments deal damage faster or with DoT Multiplier. It can cost a couple of Exalted Orbs though

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifiers: +(18-22)% to Damage over Time Multiplier while affected by Malevolence Damaging Ailments you inflict deal Damage (10-15)% faster while affected by Malevolence

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - these should provide extra Life and Damage Bonuses

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Physical Damage over Time Multiplier Damage with Bows/Damage over Time Attributes Elemental Resistances

(Jewels) Large Cluster Jewel  - with some tinkering you can fit one of these in your build to increase your damage

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Battle-Hardened 1 Added Passive Skill is Force Multiplier 1 Added Passive Skill is Master the Fundamentals

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Sulphur Flask with random ailment removal Silver Flask with random ailment removal Basalt Flask with random ailment removal Quicksilver Flask with random ailment removal

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below.

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