Brutal Cyclone
Berserker-Marauder build

Updated for Patch 3.12

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: mediocre

Cyclone is one of the most popular, and the most enjoyable Melee Skills in Path of Exile. With the buffs to both Melee combat and the Berserker Ascendancy class in Patch 3.7, this became one of the most deadly combinations in the game. Rage alone grants 150% increased Attack Damage, 50% Attack Speed, and 30% Movement Speed (or more with Berserking Passive). This build is in Top Tier when it comes to scaling DPS. This build can easily reach tens of Millions of DPS if you include massive Impale bonuses, however, you should treat it as a glass cannon type of build. Still, it is one of the most enjoyable Melee builds out there, as you can spin through the entire Map without stopping and everything will die on your path. 

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

1. Gameplay

This is a very straight-forward Melee build which lets you spin through enemies and obliterate everything on your way. It utilizes high DPS Two-Handed Swords and relies on purely Physical Damage. You will use multiple Auras including Pride, Flesh and Stone, and Precision - depending on your equipment and Mana Pool. This build is also heavily reliant on Rage which is accumulated while you fight - with high Cyclone's Hit coefficiency this takes seconds to reach the maximum level, and when you cast Berserk while at maximum Rage, you will melt Bosses in a matter of seconds. For the defenses, this build utilizes high Life (somewhere between 5.5 to 7k), insane Life Leech, Physical Damage mitigation, and various defensive bonuses while channelling skills from the Passives and Infused Channelling Gem.

0:08 Tier 16 Arachnid Tomb 0:33 Tier 16 Lair of the Hydra 0:50 Tier 16 Maze of the Minotaur 1:04 Tier 16 Forge of the Phoenix 1:26 Tier 17 Shaper The video was recorded on a level 90 Berserker in Standard wielding a Rare high Physical DPS Exquisite Blade. The build simply melts Bosses and everything on its' way, though you can get killed occasionally (if the enemy lives long enough to land a few hits)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

For the leveling, you can use any Melee Skill that can be used with Two-Handed Swords. With the recent buffs, all skills will do exceptionally well on lower levels, and you can switch to Cyclone at level 28. You should prioritize high Physical DPS weapons over Life and Elemental Resistances. Below you will find a list of suggested Gem setups and several useful Uniques for this build. Keep in mind that you should add extra Support Gems as you obtain items with more sockets available.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Cleave setup
	Cleave - very strong AoE Attack which has decent base damage and area coverage
	Melee Physical Damage Support - a great boost to Physical Damage
	Maim Support - increases your Physical Damage and inflicts Maim, which slows down enemies and increase Physical Damage taken by them
	Ruthless Support - every 3rd hit will hit much harder and deal increased damage

Cyclone setup
	Cyclone - primary attack used in this build. It's a spinning AoE attack that deals very high damage to all enemies around you while channeling it
	Maim Support
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Infused Channelling - one of the core Support Gems in this setup, however, it has high Intelligence requirements so you need to make sure you have it added on your Rare equipment

Utility Gems
	Vulnerability - the best Curse for this build which increases your Physical Damage against Cursed enemies
	War Banner - increases both your Accuracy and Physical damage received by nearby enemies. It's a great addition on lower-levels and Reserves only 10% of your Mana
	Herald of Purity - adds extra Physical Damage to your Attacks
	Dash - the recommended Mobility Skill used in this build

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for bonus Resistances and Crit. Multiplier or killing all Bandits for the two extra Passives

Leveling Skill Trees:

30 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Warrior's Blood 2) Butchery 3) Kinetic Impacts 4) Martial Experience 5) Art of the Gladiator

64 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blade of Cunning 2) Dismembering 3) Constitution 4) Forceful Skewering

Recommended leveling items:

Belt of the Deceiver - very solid Belt which grants high DPS bonuses and Intimidating enemies grants very high bonus against Bosses
+(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

Goldrim - one of the best leveling Helmets in the game which grants very high All Elemental 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)

Blackheart - these Rings provide everything - Attributes, Damage, and Resistances
Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks 5% increased Global 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

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

114 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Passives from Cluster Jewels)
114 Points Path of Building (PoB) link 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

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

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] Cyclone
	Cyclone - your primary DPS skill. Deals massive both single and AoE damage
	Melee Physical Damage Support - core Support Gem for all Physical/Melee Attacks
	Fortify Support - grants high bonus Melee Damage but also a very important defensive buff
	Infused Channelling Support - grants high bonus damage to Cyclone as it's a Channelling Skill, and also decent protective buffs
	Impale Support - grants a high chance to Impale with Attacks, resulting in you applying it with each Hit
	Brutality Support - grants a very high increase to Physical Damage, but makes supported skill deal no Chaos and Elemental Damage

[UTILITY] Ancestral Warchief
	Ancestral Warchief - summons a Totem which increases your Melee Physical Damage. In this setup, it also deals decent damage too
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Ruthless Support - makes every third Attack hit much harder
	Culling Strike Support - will make your Totem instantly kill enemies below 10% Life

[UTILITY] Enduring Cry/Dash
	Enduring Cry - the best defensive Warcry in the game. And you need to use one to trigger Warbringer Passive's bonuses. At the same time, it grants high Life Recovery and generates Endurance Charges
	Dash - the recommended mobility skill for this build, which is currently one of the fastest and most convenient to use
	Second Wind Support - adds extra Charge to your Dash, and reduces cooldowns of Dash and Enduring Cry
	Blood Magic Support - causes linked Spells to cost Life instead of Mana

[UTILITY] Auras
	Pride - grants very high bonus Physical Damage, and truly shines in longer fights as the bonus gets higher the longer the fight takes
	Precision - grants extra Accuracy Rating and Critical Strike Chance. Adjust this Gem's level to your comfortable level of Maximum Mana
	Flesh and Stone - when you are using it in the Blood Stance, nearby enemies will take increased Physical Damage
	Enlighten Support - reduces the amount of Mana reserved by linked Auras

[UTILITY] Golem
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts your Golem when you take a certain amount of damage. Use this Gem at level 20
	Summon Ice Golem - this Minion is optional, but if you have trouble getting a 100% Chance to Hit Evasive enemies, it's highly recommended

[UTILITY] Molten Shell and Berserk
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - again use at maximum level
	Molten Shell - grants protective Shield and extra Armour Rating. Presumably the best Guard Spell you can use for this Berserker character. It will be triggered automatically so you don't have to worry about anything here
	Increased Duration Support

[UTILITY] Berserk
	Berserk - grants insane damage bonuses based on your Rage. It provides an amazing burst against Bosses and Rares. It's supposed to be used at the maximum level and to be cast manually

[UTILITY] Vulnerability
	Vulnerability - this is the recommended Curse for this build which greatly increases your Physical DPS. You should aim to get it from a Ring affix and apply automatically with Cyclone

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended items for this build. This build is very flexible, and you can replace all the items with rare equipment and similar stats. You should primarily focus increases to Physical/Melee and Crit. Multiplier, and of course Life and Elemental Resistances. 

Using this opportunity, we would love to invite you to visit our Path of Exile Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency in case you can't afford all the items for your character.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS/Life to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Abyssus - pretty much the BiS in terms of raw DPS (and aren't you here exactly for that?)

+(20-25) to all Attributes Adds 40 to 60 Physical Damage to Attacks +(100-125)% to Melee Critical Strike Multiplier (100-120)% increased Armour (40-50)% increased Physical Damage taken

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - Rare Helmet can offer much higher defensive utility, and with the new affixes like Physical Damage increase dealt to nearby enemies or Crit. Multiplier, it's not that far behind Abyssus

Min. requirements: 80 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Nearby enemies take #% increased Physical Damage Critical Strike Multiplier

Helmet enchantments: Increased Cyclone Attack Speed Increased Cyclone Damage

(Weapon) Starforge - one of the best weapons for this build. It has very high base DPS, grants extra Life, and makes you Shock enemies with Physical Attacks

30% increased Global Accuracy Rating (400-500)% increased Physical Damage (5-8)% increased Attack Speed +(90-100) to maximum Life 20% increased Area of Effect for Attacks Deal no Elemental Damage Your Physical Damage can Shock

(Weapon) Rare Exquisite Blade - this Weapon can reach much higher DPS than Starforge and will be considered the BiS option. Obviously the higher base DPS you can afford the better

Min. requirements: 550+ Physical DPS (up to over 1000 is possible) Critical Strike Multiplier Critical Strike Chance

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - basically the best option since without a Rare Armour, you may run into Mana Issues, while on the other hand, it will also provide the best DPS bonuses and/or defensive utility

Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life Socketed Attacks have -15 to Total Mana Cost Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attacks have +#% Critical Strike Chance High Armour Rating Maximum Life%

(Boots) Rare Boots - we need as much Elemental Resistances as possible and a high Movement Speed bonus

Min. requirements: 80 Maximum Life 85% Total Elemental Resistances 30% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike

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

(Belt) Rare Stygian Vise - we are trying to cap Resistances with your Belt's bonuses so try to get at least 90% Total of the Resistances you are lacking

Min. requirements: 90 Maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Armour Rating Global Physical Damage

(Amulet) Carnage Heart - that's a very budget-friendly option for this build. It will be behind a solid Rare Crafted Amulet, but it provides high Attribute bonuses and a decent DPS bonus

+(10-16) to all Attributes +(20-40) to all Attributes +(10-20)% to all Elemental Resistances (1.2-2)% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 50% increased Life Leeched per second (30-40)% increased Damage while Leeching Extra gore

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - just aim to get high Attributes, extra Life, and some DPS bonuses via Crit. Multi/Added Physical Damage

Min. requirements: 50 Maximum Life 50 Dexterity 30% Global Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Intelligence Added Physical Damage to Attacks Melee Strike Range

Recommended Anointments: Discipline and Training Assassination

(Ring) Rare Rings - preferably Steel Rings for additional flat Physical Damage. And you should make sure to have one Amulet with Vulnerability Curse

Min. requirements: min. 10 added Physical Damage to Attacks 60 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Curse Enemies with Vulnerability on Hit, with 20% increased Effect Attributes

(Ring) Mark of the Elder - extremely powerful Ring which should be used only if your Ring is a Shaper item. It's something you can consider if you have capped Resistances as it provides none

Adds (3-4) to (10-14) Physical Damage to Attacks Adds (26-32) to (42-48) Cold Damage to Attacks (6-10)% increased maximum Energy Shield (6-10)% increased maximum Life (60-80)% increased Attack Damage if your other Ring is a Shaper Item Cannot be Stunned by Attacks if your other Ring is an Elder Item 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Tentacle Whip on Kill

(Gloves) Spiked Gloves - they grant a solid DPS bonus and unlike the other two recommended pairs, it can also provide high Elemental Resistances bonuses

Min. requirements: min. 10 added Physical Damage to Attacks 70 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - we recommend getting a Large Cluster Jewel with Mana Leech to make the gameplay much smoother if you don't have the recommended affix on your Body Armour. Even then, Mana Leech is very useful to cast other Spells freely

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Brutal Infamy 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Smite the Weak

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - with extra Impale stacks while affected by Pride will be your best possible Jewel

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifier: Impales you inflict last 2 additional Hits while using Pride

(Jewel) Thread of Hope - getting this Jewel with Medium Ring modifiers allow you to pick up very important Passives without connecting them to your Tree. This includes Endurance/Frenzy Charge generation, extra Life, and Crit. Multiplier with Swords

Only affects Passives in <size> Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances Passives allocated: Bravery + optionally adjacent Life Titanic Impacts + optionally adjacent Sword nodes Versatile Stance Disciple of the Unyielding Disciple of the Slaughter

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - all jewels should provide extra Life and at least one Damage amplification mod

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Damage with Swords/Two-Handed Weapons increased Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - your priority should be added flat Physical Damage to Attacks

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Added Physical to Attacks/Sword Attacks Optional affixes: Chance to grant Onslaught for 4 seconds on kill Critical Strike Multiplier

(Flask) Lion's Roar - grants amazing Physical Damage boost as well as knockback, which helps with survivability

Adds Knockback to Melee Attacks during Flask effect 75% chance to cause Enemies to Flee on use (20-25)% more Melee Physical Damage during effect Knocks Back Enemies in an Area when you use a Flask

(Flask) Bottled Faith - the best Utility Flask in Path of Exile which grants massive DPS bonuses

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-50)% increased Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius +(1-2)% to Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies

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

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.