BoR Infernal Blow
Chieftain
Patch 3.3 Build

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: moderately low

Chieftain is a mighty Strength-based class that revolves around Fire Damage. It provides very high bonuses to Fire Damage, Life Leech, and Life Regen. It makes it a potent and well-rounded Ascendancy class. This build utilizes Chieftain's defensive capabilities so that we can safely use Bringer of Rain helmet. BoR grants very cheap 7-links for your core DPS setup, additional Endurance Charge generation, high Life bonus, and additional Block Chance. All the items, Passive skills, and Gems synergize well, making this a very solid and relatively cheap build. 

You can find our other Path of Exile builds right over here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

BoR Infernal Blow Chieftain is a close-range Melee fighter, based on the reworked Infernal Blow attack skill and full Fire Damage conversion. On top of dealing high base damage, Infernal Blow applies a debuff on monsters, which causes them to explode after they are killed, or after they receive 6 stacks of the debuff. Explosions deal very high AoE Damage, which greatly enhances this build's clear speed. On the other hand, this builds provides very good defenses, thanks to very high Life pool, Life Regeneration, 6 Endurance Charges, Block Chance, and Blind on Hit mechanic. Even without the Body Armour equipped, this Chieftain is a very tanky character.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with Ancestral Warchief is smooth and easy. You get all the important DPS and Life passives from your Skill Tree early on. Your core leveling DPS setups (Cleave/Sunder, Ancestral Warchief) require as little as four links and deal very good damage even with self-found rare equipment. We suggest using a melee attack (Cleave, replaced later on by Sunder skill) until level 60 or so. From our experience, this has proven to be a bit faster in clearing areas and questing.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Cleave setup
	Cleave - the first Attack you can use as a Marauder before you get a hold of Sunder Skill Gem
	Faster Attacks Support - grants increased Attack Speed
	Added Fire Damage Support - adds additional Fire Damage based on your weapons Physical Damage

Sunder setup
	Sunder - is one of the most popular leveling Melee attacks in Path of Exile. Provides high Damage and great AoE, making it the perfect choice for leveling a Melee class
	Melee Physical Damage Support - significantly increases Melee Physical Damage of supported skills
	Added Fire Damage Support - adds additional Fire Damage based on your weapons Physical Damage
	Ruthless Support - every third hit with supported skills deals greatly increased damage

Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - your mobility skill. It's one of the fastest movement skills in Path of Exile
	Faster Attacks Support

Utility Gems setup
	Stone Golem - grants increased Life Regenerated per second
	Herald of Ash
	Ancestral Warchief

Bandits:

Kill all bandits for additional two Passive Points. Helping Oak for extra Physical Damage mitigation is also worth considering

Leveling Skill Trees:

30 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Born to Fight 2) Barbarism 3) Slaughter 4) Cleaving

66 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Catalyse 2) Elementalist 3) Amplify 4) Discipline and Training 5) Retaliation

Recommended leveling items:

Screaming Eagle - great leveling axe, which also increases Movement Speed

Socketed Gems are supported by Level 2 Chance to Flee Adds (10-15) to (25-30) Physical Damage +(10-15) to maximum Life +(5-7) Life gained on Kill 10% increased Movement Speed

Relentless Fury - the best axe for its' level. Has amazing DPS, grants Life Leech, Culling Strike, and Onslaught

(60-80)% increased Physical Damage Adds (3-5) to (7-10) Physical Damage 2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life Culling Strike You gain Onslaught for 3 seconds on Culling Strike Cannot be Chilled while you have Onslaught

Blackheart - fantastic Phys. DPS ring

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

Belt of the Deceiver - very solid belt, which works great even after you start clearing your first maps

+(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased Global Physical Damage You take 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes +(30-40) to maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies are Intimidated

Deidbell - a very good Phys. DPS helmet

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

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:
114 Points Final Skill Tree
114 Points Path of Building link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Ngamahu, Flame's Advance
2. Hinekora, Death's Fury
3. Tawhoa, Forest's Strength
4. Ramako, Sun's Light

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] Infernal Blow (Bringer of Rain)
	Infernal Blow - your primary DPS skill
	Melee Physical Damage Support - level 18 of this Gem is granted by Bringer of Rain
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - since it is a full damage conversion build, this is a must-have Support Gem
	Ancestral Call Support - makes supported attacks also hit two nearby targets, dealing damage and applying the Infernal Blow's debuff
	Ruthless Support - every third hit with the supported attack will deal greatly increases damage
	Faster Attacks Support - increases Attack Speed of supported skills. Level 12 of this Gem is granted by Bringer of Rain
	Blind Support - grants a chance to Blind on Hit. Level 6 of this Gem is granted by Bringer of Rain, and Blind is extremely important. With The Effigon equipped blinded enemies won't be able to evade your attacks

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - your main mobility skill
	Faster Attacks Support
	Fortify Support - grants the Fortify buff which reduces your damage taken

[AURAS] Herald of Ash & Anger
	[1L]Herald of Ash - grants additional Fire Damage based on your weapons Physical Damage. Also causes nearby targets to Burn for 25% of overkill damage
	[1L]Anger - grants additional Fire Damage to your Spells and Attacks
	[1L]Lightning Golem - the recommended Golem for this build. High Attack Speed helps you reach 6 stacks of Infernal Blow debuff for more frequent explosions

[DPS] Ancestral Warchief (socketing it into Elder gloves that grant Faster Attacks Support and Chance to Bleed Support would be the best option, and greatly increase your overall DPS)
	Ancestral Warchief - while active, will increase your Damage. It also deals very high Damage on its' own
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Combustion Support - increases Fire Damage dealt by supported skills, grant high chance to Ignite, and reduces affected enemies' resistance to Fire

[DEFENSE] Molten Shell setup
	Cast When Damage Taken Support - auto-casts Molten Shell. Keep this Gem at level 8-12 depending on your personal preference and match Molten Shell's Gem level requirement
	Iron Will Support - your Strength attribute will increase Spell Damage of supported spells
	Molten Shell - deals Fire Damage, creates a shield that absorbs incoming damage, and temporarily increases your Armour Rating
	Life Leech Support - Molten Shell explosion will heal you for a percentage of damage dealt, giving you a decent burst of Life

5. Gear Setup

This Infernal Blow Chieftain is a solid and budget-friendly Melee build. We are recommending a number of specific unique items, however, none of those are notably expensive, and you do not need to pay for the expensive 5 or 6-linked items. Bringer of Rain saves you a lot of currency, and getting all the items on the list should fit right into pretty much anyone's budget. 

Don't forget to check our PoE Currency Market where you can find cheap Orbs and Unique items for sale. All offers on Odealo are user posted, and you are trading with regular gamers.

The recommended gear in this guide will:

1. Cap your 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 - mandatory item for this build. Grants cheap 7-links and provides additional Endurance Charge generation mechanic

Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18 Melee Physical Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 12 Faster Attacks Socketed Gems are supported by Level 6 Blind Adds 20 to 30 Physical Damage to Attacks (200-300)% increased Armour and Evasion +(120-160) to maximum Life 20% chance to gain an Endurance Charge when you Block Extra gore Can't use Chest armour 6% Chance to Block

Helmet enchantments: 40% increased Infernal Blow Damage

(Weapon) Soul Taker - is the best in the slot. Soul Taker prevents insufficient Mana from stopping your attacks, and hence allows you to ignore Mana Regen./Mana Leech nodes on your Skill Tree. If you choose to go for a rare axe, you might need to take a Mana Flask with you or get some additional Mana Leech

(100-140)% increased Physical Damage Adds 10 to 20 Physical Damage (20-25)% increased Attack Speed +(20-25)% to Cold Resistance Insufficient Mana doesn't prevent your Melee Attacks Your Physical Damage can Chill

(Weapon) Rare pDPS axe - can provide the highest DPS, but may cause Mana problems without taking extra Mana Passives or Mana Flask

Min. requirements: 320+ Physical DPS increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills the chance to deal Double Damage

(Shield) Chernobog's Pillar - is our recommendation for the shield slot. It provides the Curse for this build which saves you at least 1 socket in your gear and provides good DPS and Life bonuses

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(20-30) to maximum Life (120-150)% increased Armour +(60-80) to maximum Life +(35-50)% to Fire Resistance 25% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire Damage 25% chance to Curse non-Cursed Enemies with Enfeeble on Hit Adds (12-15) to (30-35) Fire Damage to Spells and Attacks

(Belt) Rare Life/Res. belt - preferably Rustic Sash base for the highest possible DPS bonus

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 30% Cold Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance 20% increased Physical Damage 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attacks Corrupted implicit modifier: +1 to maximum Endurance Charges (however, it will remove the inc. Physical Damage implicit modifier on Rustic Sash)

(Belt) Belt of the Deceiver - is a solid pick. It should be easy to find one that grants the extra Endurance Charge cheap, however, it will provide lower DPS and defensive stats than a rare alternative

+(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased Global Physical Damage You take 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes +(30-40) to maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies are Intimidated Corrupted implicit modifier: +1 maximum Endurance Charges

(Boots) Gang's Momentum - great and inexpensive pair of boots for this build. They grant a very high damage bonus

(160-180)% increased Armour and Energy Shield +(50-60)% to Fire Resistance 25% increased Movement Speed (10-15)% chance to Ignite (25-40)% increased Damage against Ignited Enemies

(Boots) Abberath's Hooves - are another interesting pair of boots. They grant decent DPS bonus, and chance to Ignite, however, it seems you have to pay a fair bit for the visual effects

+(20-30) to Strength 15% increased Movement Speed (6-10)% chance to Ignite When you Kill an Ignited Enemy, inflict an equivalent Ignite on each nearby Enemy Triggers Level 7 Abberath's Fury when Equipped 1% increased Fire Damage per 20 Strength Burning Hoofprints

Boot enchantments: Adds 45 to 68 Fire Damage if you've Killed Recently 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently

(Gloves) Rare Life/Res. gloves

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35% Cold Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance added min. 7 Physical Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed increased Melee Attack Damage

Glove enchantment: Commandment of Reflection Commandment of Fury

(Amulet) The Effigon - is a very good amulet for this build. Synergizes with the Bringer of Rain helmet, and grants extra Fire penetration

(12-20)% increased Rarity of Items found +10 to Dexterity Adds 12 to 24 Fire Damage to Attacks +(100-150) to Accuracy Rating +(100-150) to Evasion Rating +(20-30)% to Fire Resistance Your Hits can't be Evaded by Blinded Enemies Damage Penetrates 10% Fire Resistance against Blinded Enemies

(Rings) Rare rings - preferably Opal Rings

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

(Jewels) Rare Life/damage jewels

Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Generic/Physical/Fire/Melee Damage Optional affixes: % increased Attack Speed

(Jewels) Rare Abyss jewels

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Physical Damage to Attacks/Axe Attacks added Fire Damage to Attacks/Axe Attacks Optional affixes: chance to Blind enemies on Hit

(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - a great and inexpensive utility Flask for this build. Increases your chance to block

+3000 to Armour (14-20)% Chance to Block during Flask effect (6-10)% Chance to Block Spells during Flask effect

(Flask) The Wise Oak - this Flask will provide additional Fire Damage penetration as your Fire Resistance is surely the highest if you followed this guide

+35% to all Elemental Resistances During Flask Effect, 10% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest

(Flask) Blood of the Karui - amazing Life Flask that replenishes your full Life

100% increased Life Recovered (5-20)% increased Recovery rate Recover Full Life at the end of the Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (immunity to freeze and chill effects) Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to bleeding)

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

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