Burning Arrow
Elementalist Build

Updated for Patch 3.14

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low to medium

Elementalist became one of the most popular classes in Path of Exile with its recent rework. It's your primary choice for Ignite/Fire DoT builds, which makes it extremely easy to apply a spreading burning debuff on enemies with a 100% Chance to Ignite and increased damage. At the same time, scaling damage with Elementalist is very easy, as in most cases all you need to do is summon multiple Golems and benefit from greatly increased DPS and defensive bonuses from Passives and Elementalist's Ascendancy bonuses. Because of how easily you can scale your global damage and defenses, Elementalist is a very good choice for a League Starter build, and at the very same time, one of the most versatile and flexible ones. The aforementioned bonuses will apply to most of the builds you decide to play as an Elementalist character. 

On top of being a great League Starter, this is also an amazing build that can perform very well on Red Maps. By increasing the DoT damage and the speed at which it's applied, you will deal Millions of DPS, allowing you to kill most of the enemies instantly. When you end up getting Xoph's Nurture, Dyadian Dawn, a few Blowback Passives from Cluster Jewels, all enemies you see on your screen will basically die the moment you fire your Arrow, which completely doesn't make it feel like your typical DoT build. This combined with Ignite Proliferation makes it an insanely fast Map farming build.

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

1. Gameplay

This is a Ranged/Bow build which utilizes Fire Damage over Time applied to "screens" of enemies with each hit thanks to the use of Ignite Proliferation Support Gem. Because of additional bonuses to how fast Ignite dealt is dealt to enemies through Dyadian Dawn and Blowback Passives, most of the DoT is applied nearly instantly, which feels like the enemies are dying from the Hits itself. For the most part, you will be just running/dashing around Maps firing arrows and entire screens of enemies will burn to death. You can also further amplify your damage by casting Wave of Conviction linked with Flammability Curse and Combustion for its' Fire Res. debuff. You can also benefit from Blood Rage, and generate extra Frenzy Charges for more damage multipliers, whereas, the self-damage it deals to your character is easily negated by the Life Regeneration offered by your Stone Golem.

This video was recorded on a level 94 Elementalist wearing Xoph's Nurture, Dyadian Dawn, Berek's Respite, and random rare gear. The DoT damage from Ignites was at around 5kk and as you can see in the video, everything was dying basically upon getting Hit by the Burning Arrow

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling this character is quite easy. You initially don't benefit from Golems and their massive bonuses, so you may have some Accuracy-related Issues, but luckily, that's during the easy part of the campaign. As soon as you get to Act 4, complete first Labirynth, and get Golem Commander Passive, the entire content becomes a piece of cake. The bonuses granted by Elementalist and (initially) three Golems are simply massive, and if you supplement it with some Unique Items to increase your Fire DoT, you will already feel how powerful this character can become. It's possible to level up using different Skills with similar effects, but we recommend sticking to Burning Arrow to learn the skill during lower levels and get into Maps with a solid dose of experience with it. Below you will find the basic Gem links for the campaign and some very useful Uniques that can be equipped early on.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Burning Arrow setup
	Burning Arrow - the core skill used in this build which is also great for the leveling part being one of the first Bow Skills available in the game
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles - increasing the number of Projectiles increases your chance to Hit enemies and apply your Ignite, also increases the radius of your Skills and clear speed. Later on, replace it with Greater Multiple Projectiles Support
	Burning Damage Support - greatly increases your Fire DoT
	Elemental Proliferation Support - makes your Ignite spread to nearby enemies. It's available at level 1, and should be replaced with Ignite Proliferation at level 38
	Combustion Support - increases Fire Damage and reduces the Fire Resistance of enemies Ignited by linked Skill

Wave of Conviction setup
	Wave of Conviction - applies a powerful debuff that increases your Fire Damage against enemies Hit
	Hextouch Support - when this Gem becomes available in Act 4, you can start using Wave of Conviction to also apply your Curse
	Flammability - the best Curse for this build which greatly increases your Fire DPS

Utility Gems
	Clarity - grants increased Mana Regeneration which might be extremely useful on lower levels and allow you to spam your Skills
	Summon Ice Golem - this Golem increases your Chance to Hit which effectively increases your chance to apply Ignite with Attacks
	Summon Flame Golem - another valuable Golem which shines on lower levels with its' high bonus Damage
	Herald of Ash - the best Herald for this build which increases your Fire Damage and causes an extra AoE Burning effect when you kill enemies
	Flame Dash - the best mobility skill for this build

Bandits:
You should kill all the Bandits for two additional Passive Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Heart and Soul 2) Quick Recovery 3) Elemental Overload 4) Holy Fire

64 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Cruel Preparation 2) Golem's Commander 3) Discipline and Training 4) Precision 5) Magmatic Strikes 6) Tireless 

Recommended leveling items:

Goldrim - one of the best leveling Helmets in Path of Exile with simply insane all Resistances bonus

+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

Xoph's Inception - one of the best leveling weapons for this Ignite builds. Later on, you are going to use the "upgraded" version of this build for late game and Maps

(70-90)% increased Physical Damage +(20-30) Life gained on Killing Ignited Enemies Gain 20% of Physical Damage as Extra Fire Damage 10% chance to Ignite

Drillneck - amazing Quiver which grants extra damage with Hits and Ailments, and offers additional Pierce increasing your clear speed

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

Replica Emberwake - amazing Ring which grants an insane boost to the speed at which your Ignite's DoT is applied. It's also a decent end-game Ring if you find a place for it in your own build

+(20-30)% to Fire Resistance (30-40)% increased Fire Damage (5-10)% increased Cast Speed 90% reduced Ignite Duration on Enemies 10% chance to Ignite Ignites you inflict deal Damage (35-45)% faster

Victario's Flight - a great pair of Boots that offers very high bonus Movement Speed, Mana Recovery, and extra Attributes

+15 to Dexterity +15 to Intelligence (100-150)% increased Evasion Rating 15% increased Movement Speed (5-10)% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit 10% increased Movement Speed for you and nearby Allies

Karui Ward - one of the best leveling Items in the game which also grants extra Movement Speed - which greatly reduces the time of completing the campaign for any character

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

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

117 Points Skill Tree  (doesn't include Passives from Cluster Jewel)
117 Points Path of Building(PoB) link (includes all Passives and Items)

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Liege of the Primordial
2. Elemancer
3. Shaper of Flames
4. Bastion of Elements

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while 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] Burning Arrow
	Burning Arrow - primary Skill used in this build. It is a Bow Attack that deals increased damage with Ignite
	Burning Damage Support - core Support Gems for most Ignite builds. It's best to pick up the Awakened variant of this Gem just like all the following listed Support Gems
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of your Burning Arrow projectiles which basically means you will hit every time with it
	Deadly Ailments Support - greatly increases the damage you deal with Ailments, including Ignite
	Unbound Ailments Support - just like above, increases the damage you deal with Ailments
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - increases the Elementa Damage with Attacks caused by linked skills
Gems granted by Xoph's Nurture:
	Ignite Proliferation Support - increases the damage you deal with Ignite, and also makes it spread to nearby enemies causing them to melt all over your screen after each Hit

[UTILITY] Golems
	Summon Flame Golem - you are going to use five different Golems that all grant valuable bonuses for your char. The only exception is the Carrion Golem
	Summon Lightning Golem - Lightning Golem increases your Attack and Cast Speed
	Summon Ice Golem - increases your Accuracy Rating and Critical Strike Chance
	Summon Chaos Golem - grants Physical Damage mitigation which is a very important defensive aspect in this build
	Summon Stone Golem - increases Life Regeneration per second
	Empower Support - increases the level of all your Golems and the effectiveness of buffs they grant

[UTILITY] Wave of Conviction
	Wave of Conviction - applies Fire Exposure to enemies reducing their Fire Resistance. It will also apply Combustion debuff and your linked Curse
	Combustion Support - enemies Ignited by Wave of Conviction will have their Fire Resistance reduced
	Hextouch Support - allows you to apply a linked Curse when you hit enemies with Wave of Conviction
	Flammability - the best Curse for this build which reduces Fire Resistance of affected enemies

[UTILITY] Auras
	Malevolence - grants high Damage over Time Multiplier increasing your DPS significantly. It also allows you to use Watcher's Eye with Malevolence Aura modifiers
	Herald of Ash - the best Herald Spell for this build which increases your DPS and causes AoE explosions when you kill enemies
	Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation cost of linked Spells

[UTILITY] Various Gems
	Flame Dash - the recommended Movement Skill for this build. It allows you to progress faster through Maps and avoid high damage
	Second Wind Support - increases the Cooldown Recovery Speed of linked spells and adds an additional charge to Dash
	Blood Rage - killing enemies will let you generate Frenzy Charges quickly. It also increases your Attack Speed, which is however much less relevant
	Steelskin - an amazing instant-cast Guard Spell which grants a protective shield that absorbs incoming damage

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find the recommended gear for our Burning Arrow Elementalist Build. We have primarily focused on the base stats that you want to find on your equipment so that you can easily start a new League using this guide. The number of extra "end-game" modifiers that can be used when playing higher Tier content like Sirius and Delirious Maps is just very high to list them all. Still, if you want to push this build to its limits and you have no idea how to proceed, let us know in the comments and we will be happy to assist you. 

Most of the gear can be replaced with Random Rares, but it's strongly advised to obtain Xoph's Nurture as the BiS weapon which adds a 7th link to your main setup, extra Life Recovery, and decent base damage for DoT build. 

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - mainly for defensive stats like Life and Resistances. If you manage to get a Helmet that reduces the Fire Resistance of nearby enemies, it will also affect your DPS slightly

Recommended affixes: 80 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating Attributes Nearby enemies have -#% Fire Resistance

Helmet enchantment: Burning Arrow has 24% increased Debuff Effect 40% increased Burning Arrow Damage

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - just aim for the highest defensive stats like Life and Resistances

Recommended affixes: 100 Maximum Life 10% Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Physical Damage Reduction

(Weapon) Xoph's Nurture - the best possible weapon for this build which offers an extra Support Gem for your core DPS setup and decent base damage

Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 20 Ignite Proliferation (265-330)% increased Physical Damage 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire Damage 10% chance to Ignite Recover (40-60) Life when you Ignite an Enemy

(Quiver) Rare Quiver - a rare with defensive stats and Fire Damage over Time Multiplier is the best option. You can look for a base with extra Pierce as Implicit

Recommended affixes: 80 Maximum Life 15% Fire Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental Resistances Elemental Damage with Attacks

(Boots) Rare Boots - once again, just a random Rare with defensive stats and Movement Speed. If you want to upgrade this piece, just try to get a pair with a chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike

Recommended affixes: 80 Maximum Life 25% Movement Speed 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Chance go gain Elusive on Critical Strike

Boot Enchantment: 80% chance to Avoid being Stunned if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Dyadian Dawn - the BiS option for the Belt Slot which grants insane DPS boost by making Ignite deal its damage much much faster

+(25-35) to Strength +(70-85) to maximum Life +(20-40)% to Fire Resistance +(20-40)% to Cold Resistance 1% of Attack Damage Leeched as Life against Chilled Enemies Ignites you inflict with Attacks deal Damage 35% faster Deal no Physical Damage

(Belt) Stygian Vise - always a solid option. Get as much Life here as possible, and some extra Resistances

Recommended affixes: 110 Maximum Life 10% Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Increased Damage/Elemental Damage

(Amulet) The Primordial Chain - the BiS Amulet which allows you to summon extra Golems and greatly boost all the bonuses they grant. It also counts as a Primordial Item towards Anima Stone's extra Golem, so using it saves you an extra Jewel Socket

Regenerate (2-4) Life per second +3 to maximum number of Golems You cannot have non-Golem Minions 25% reduced Golem Size Golems Deal (45-35)% less Damage Golems have (45-35)% less Life Golems have (80-100)% increased Movement Speed Primordial

Recommended Anointments: Burning Brutality

(Ring) Rare Ring - mainly for defensive stats and attributes. Most likely you will need a lot of Dexterity here

Recommended affixes: 60 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances 40 Dexterity Optional affixes: Elemental Damage with Attacks Non-channelled Skills have -# to Total Mana Cost Attributes

(Ring) Berek's Respite - greatly increases your clear speed as not only your Ignite will spread when you inflict it, but also after enemies dying, basically doubling the effect (if any enemies survive somehow)

+(12-16)% to Fire and Lightning Resistances Adds (20-25) to (30-50) Fire Damage to Spells and Attacks (25-30)% increased Lightning Damage +(30-40) to maximum Mana When you Kill a Shocked Enemy, inflict an equivalent Shock on each nearby Enemy When you Kill an Ignited Enemy, inflict an equivalent Ignite on each nearby Enemy

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - again, a Rare Pair with Fire DoT Multiplier. Also, if needed, you may look for an extra Accuracy Rating here

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 14% Fire Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - you are going to use two Large Cluster Jewels which will "host" additional 4 Medium ones. The most important Passive here is the Primordial Bond which boosts the effects granted by your Golems. Other Passives are much less relevant and you can pick pretty much anything, or just get extra affixes that increase the stats granted by the Small Passives here

Recommended affixes:  1 Added Passive Skill is Primordial Bond

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - you can use four identical Medium Cluster Jewels with Blowback and Burning Bright. All other Fire DoT Multiplier or DoT Multiplier should work too

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Blowback 1 Added Passive Skill is Burning Bright

(Jewel) Careful Planning - in most cases, it will be necessary to use it to have enough Dexterity to use Xoph's Nurture Bow. It should be socketed to  the left of Witch's Starting Point

+(16-24) to Dexterity Intelligence from Passives in Radius is Transformed to Dexterity

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye -  allows you to get very powerful DoT Aura modifiers while you are affected by Malevolence

(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

(Jewel) Transcendent Mind - grants a lot of DoT Multiplier, boosting your damage significantly. It should be socketed right above Witch's Starting Point

-1 Intelligence per 1 Intelligence on Allocated Passives in Radius +3% to Damage over Time Multiplier per 10 Intelligence on Unallocated Passives in Radius 3% increased Mana Recovery Rate per 10 Intelligence on Allocated Passives in Radius 2% reduced Mana Recovery Rate per 10 Intelligence on Unallocated Passives in Radius

(Jewel) Mantra of Flames - an amazing Unique Jewel which adds a lot of flat Fire Damage to your Attacks for each buff you have. This includes buffs granted by your Golems/Heralds/Auras etc.

Adds (3-5) to (8-12) Fire Attack Damage per Buff on you Adds (2-3) to (5-8) Fire Spell Damage per Buff on you

(Jewel) The Anima Stone - allows you to summon up to two extra Golem. You need two additional Primordial Jewels socketed and the Primordial Chain Amulet for the second one

+1 to maximum number of Golems +1 to maximum number of Summoned Golems if you have 3 Primordial Items Socketed or Equipped

(Jewel) Primordial Eminence - the best Primordial Jewels for this build which increase the effectiveness of your Golems' Auras. You need two of these socketed in your Passive Tree

Golems have (16-20)% increased Attack and Cast Speed 30% increased Effect of Buffs granted by your Golems Golems have +(800-1000) to Armour Primordial

(Jewel) Rare Abyss Jewel - you can get extra Life and Added Damage to Attacks in here if you are using a Stygian Vise

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Added Elemental Damage to Attacks/Bow Attacks Optional affixes:  Increased Damage if you've Killed Recently Elemental Resistances

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - just get Maximum Life, Fire DoT Multiplier, and some additional optional bonuses like for example Damage with Bows

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Fire Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Increased Damage with Bows/Projectile Damage/Damage over Time Attributes

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - grants a lot of extra Chaos Damage, which can also Ignite enemies thanks to the Shaper of Flames Passive

+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) Cinderswallow Urn - grants high bonus Damage, Onslaught, and Life/Mana Recovery which boosts your defenses as well

Onslaught Recharges 1 Charge when you Consume an Ignited corpse Enemies Ignited by you during Flask Effect take 10% increased Damage Recover (1-3)% of Life when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Recover (1-3)% of Mana when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Recover (1-3)% of Energy Shield when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Veiled Suffix

(Flask) The Wise Oak - if your uncapped Fire Resistance is the highest, this Flask will greatly increase your DPS by giving you extra Fire Penetration

+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

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (Bleeding Immunity) Experimenter's Quicksilver Flask of Warding (Curse immunity)

If you have any feedback about this build or suggestions for the next one, please let us know in the comments below! 

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