Death Wish
Elementalist Build

Updated for Patch 3.24

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Maw of Mischief is a Unique Helmet granting you a Skill called Death Wish which makes your Minions Explode dealing Fire Damage based on the Minion's Maximum Life. With this build, you want to scale up your Minion's Health and your Fire Damage over Time, especially with Ignite. You will use Minions with high base Life such as Stone Golem or Sentinels of Purity. This build focuses more on Stone Golems - they have more Life, and as an Elementalist, you can have an additional one that automatically resummons on death. You're not restricted to Stone Golems, the build is flexible enough to include Sentinels of Purity from Herald of Purity, which offers similar results. With Shaper of Flames, Mastermind of Discord, and Heard of Destruction your Ignite DPS and Aoe to unmatchable sizes (slightly nerfed as of 3.17 and again in 3.19).

It's a Life build that doesn't require 6-links, so you might equip Pragmatism. Try to increase the Gem Level of your Stone Golem by equipping Vix Lunaris, Invictus Solaris, or Magna Eclipsis, then with Minion Life and Empower Support Gems, your Golems should have over 150k Life. Your own Life will be settled at 5k with a lot of Armour and aggressive Minions to shield you from enemies. The Ignite you're dealing with these sporadic explosions should be supported by Berek's Respite Unique Ring which will make your Ignite spread to other targets for better clear speed.

For patch 3.24, we've expanded the list of possible item choices and updated the Skill setup list.

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

1. Gameplay

Death Wish is a Channeling skill but you won't need to channel it for long, just the initial cast will be enough to kill one Minion, but the longer you cast it, the more of your Minions you can sacrifice, and the damage of each will grow too - it's useful during boss fights with invulnerability phases. You will always have at least a few Minions you can detonate if you're using Herald of Purity. Use a mobility Spell such as Flame Dash, and Guard Spell - Molten Shell. Find a way to inflict Exposure with Master of Fire Notable Passive or with Wave on Conviction. Use Auras such as Determination, Vitality, and Defiance Banner to increase your own survivability. Convocation and Flame Surge can be used from time to time. To recall your minions and create Burning Ground. For a curse use Flammability.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Start as a regular Minion build and use Summon Raging Spirits as it is the most recommended choice. Note that Minion Instability keystone makes your Minions Explode at low health, your increases and decreases in Fire Damage won't affect the damage output. For more damage invest only in Minion Damage and especially their Maximum Life, and try to lower the Fire Resistance of your opponents. With Death Wish, you deal the damage that is affected by your Fire Damage and Fire DoT, but with Minions Instability - it's minions that deal all the damage. At level 73 equip Maw of Mischief. At no point in the game invest in Spell Damage, it will grant you nothing.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Raging Spirit setup
	Summon Raging Spirit - Ragins Spirits are a good candidate for a Leveling Minion Spell
	Melee Splash Support - Minion's Attacks cover more area for faster clearing
	Minion Damage Support - Minions deal more Damage
	Minion Life Support - Minions have more Maximum Life

Auras setup
	Anger - increases Fire Damage for your nearby Minions
	Clarity - Clarity can be used for Mana Regeneration

Curse and Flame Dash setup
	Flame Dash - a regular mobility Skill to improve your leveling process
	Flammability - Cursed enemies take more Fire Damage

Bandits:

Kill all three bandits and be rewarded with two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

31 Points Passive Tree
Allocate passives granting Maximum Life for you and your Minions, Maximum Mana, and Minion Instability Keystone
 

66 Points Passive Tree
Get more Life for you and your Minions

Recommended leveling items:

Le Heup of All - more Damage, Attributes, and Elemental Resistances

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Damage (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

Goldrim - a Helmet to give you a lot of Resistances

+(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)

Tabula Rasa - allows you to six-link a setup from the start

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

Ashcaller - a staple leveling weapon for Raging Spirits or general Fire Damage builds

(18-22)% increased Spell Damage 25% chance to Trigger Level 10 Summon Raging Spirit on Kill Adds (20-24) to (38-46) to Fire Damage Adds (20-24) to (36-46) Fire Damage to Spells 10% chance to Cover Enemies in Ash on Hit

Tavukai - between levels 54 and 73 it's the best Amulet for leveling, your Raging Spirits will explode dealing much more damage

Regenerate (2-4) Life per second +(30-40) to Intelligence Minions have +(-17-17)% to Chaos Resistance Summon Raging Spirit has (20-30)% increased Duration Summoned Raging Spirits to deal (25-40)% increased Damage Summoned Raging Spirits to have (25-40)% increased maximum Life Summoned Raging Spirits take 20% of their Maximum Life per second as Chaos Damage

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

110 Points Final Passive Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
121 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Shaper fo Flames
2. Liege of the Primordial
3. Mastermind of Discord
4. Heart of Destruction

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of The Brine King: 1% You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds

Minor God: Soul of Abberath: 60% less Duration of Ignite on You

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Death Wish setup socketed in Maw of Mischief Unique Helmet
	Deadly Ailments Support - it makes you deal more Damage with Ailments such as Ignite but less damage with Hits
	Burning Damage Support - increases Burning Damage
	Swift Affliction Support - enemies burn for a shorter time but take more DoT, you can swap it for  Cruelty Support to deal comparable damage without the drawback
	Unbound Ailments Support - Ignite Damage is increased and it lasts longer

[UTILITY] Stone Golem setup socketed in Shield or another gear piece that increases Gem Level
	Summon Stone Golem - increase the Level of your Stone Golem, it's the most efficient way to boost their Maximum Life. You can also use the Transfigured version - Stone Golem of the Hordes. It grants more Golems but Regenerates no Life.
	Minion Life Support - grants even more Life for your Stone Golem
	Empower Support - your Stone Golem have more Life as their Skill Gem level grows
	Enhance Support - Quality makes your Stone Golems have an increased Maximum Life

[UTILITY] Brand setup
	Arcanist Brand - Arcanist Brand while attached will cast the liked Spells for you
	Wave of Conviction - applies Exposure which reduces the Fire Resistance of your opponents
	Flame Surge - It scales well with the Ignite damage you cause with other Skills. Use it to deal extra Fire DoT with Burning Ground.
	Combustion Support - enemies Ignited by linked Spells have their Fire Resistance decreased

[UTILITY] Convocation, Guard Spell, and Mobility setup
	Molten Shell - it's the best option for a Guard Spell if you have a significant Armour, which you should
	Flame Dash - Mobility Spell to help you move faster and dodge attacks
	Convocation - recalls all your Minions back to you

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Malevolence - you and your Minions deal more Damage over Time, and the DoT effect last longer
	Tempest Shield - you're provided with more Block Chance, Immunity to Shock, and with Shaper of Flames, you will Ignite a lot of enemies on Block. Don't use it if you don't have enough Mana.
	Determination - a slot for a defensive Aura, Determination is the best one you can use as it grants you more Armour
	Enlighten Support - linked Skill Reserve less Mana

[UTILITY] Herald of Purity
	Herald of Purity - Golems alone are often not enough to provide a smooth mapping experience, use Herald of Purity for the perpetually summoning four extra Minions with a lot of Life, enough to kill smaller enemies.

[UTILITY] Flammability
	Flammability - Cast it against tough enemies to reduce their Fire Resistance. It can be found on a Ring, but it won't be as strong there. If you have Whispers of Doom allocated, you should also use  Elemental Weakness.

6. Gear Setup

There are two necessary Unique Items - Maw of Mischief and Berek's Respite, with all the other items you should focus mainly on Fire Damage over Time and Maximum Life for you and your Minions. Try to increase the Gem Level of your Stone Golem - it is a Red (Strength) Minion Gem. You won't need any Spell Damage modifiers or any Six-linked items making it a rather cheap build with the option for Kaom's Heart. Flasks aren't important, you won't need any Unique ones, but Rumi's Concoction grants you more Block Chance. You will need over 190 Strength if you want to wear Kaom's Heart, Determination and Molten Shell require you to have 155 Strength. Dexterity is needed to level Swift Affliction Support Gem to its maximum level.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances at 75%
2. Provide you with enough DPS and Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Maw of Mischief - It grants you Death Wish Skill making this build possible, also your Minions are Aggressive - their behavior is altered

Minions deal (15-20)% increased Damage Grants Level 20 Death Wish Skill +(45-65) to maximum Life (30-20)% reduced Mana Cost of Minion Skills Minions are Aggressive

(Weapon) Rare Sceptre - you can increase your Fire Damage, Elemental Damage, Damage over Time, and Fire Damage over Time Multiplier, look for the Burning Damage tag and Stone Golem Skill Gem Level for the best result

Min. requirements: +40% to Fire Damage over Time Multiplier 100% increased Fire or Elemental Damage Optional affixes: Damage Penetrates Fire Resistance +1 to Level of all Physical Spell Skill Gems

(Weapon) The Scourge - It greatly increases your damage with its 2 last lines. It's often the best-in-slot weapon because of that.

2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life Adds (35-50) to (100-125) Physical Damage (10-15)% increased Attack Speed Minions have (10-15)% increased Attack Speed Increases and Reductions to Minion Damage also affect you at 150% of their value Minions deal 70% increased Damage if you've Hit Recently

(Weapon) The Dark Seer (Life ES) - Dark Seer is excellent. It increases the Gem Level of all Skills, Blinds enemies, and applies Malediction that is useful in every type of build.

22% increased Elemental Damage +2 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems 10% Global chance to Blind Enemies on hit Unaffected by Blind Enemies Blinded by you have Malediction +(1-2) Maximum Energy Shield per Level +(1-2) Maximum Life per Level

(Weapon) Vix Lunaris - A shield you use should increase the level of all socketed gems including Empower Support, Vix Lunaric prevents you from being Frozen, but you can use a sister shield - Invictus Solaris, or combine two of them to form Magna Eclipsis.

+2 to Level of Socketed Gems Triggers Level 20 Cold Aegis when Equipped (200-250)% increased Armour and Evasion +(60-80) to maximum Life Cannot be Frozen

(Weapon) Aegis Aurora - If you use Skin of the Lords, you can put your Golem setup there and use a better Shield, such as this one - it's a staple for every Hybrid build with a lot of Armour

(300-400)% increased Armour and Energy Shield +10% to all Elemental Resistances +5% to maximum Cold Resistance +6% Chance to Block Replenishes Energy Shield by 2% of Armour when you Block (10-20)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Body Armour) Pragmatism - You can socket your Stone Golem and/or Herald of Purity here and leave most sockets empty to increase their Gem Level. Empower and Minion Life Support should be present here.

+12 to Level of Socketed Skill Gems (80-120)% increased Armour +(60-100) to maximum Mana -2 to level of Socketed Skill Gems per Socketed Gem

(Body Armour) Skin of the Lords - It can increase the level of your Stone Golem Setup, which is highly desirable. With increased Armour, it is also a good match for Aegis Aurora​​​​​.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Sockets cannot be modified +2 to Level of Socketed Gems 100% increased Global Defences You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden) <Random Keystone>

(Boots) Rare Boots - seek the usual boots affixes, but to significantly increase your damage get the mod that makes your Ignites deal damage faster

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances 30% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Ignites you inflict deal Damage faster Minions have increased maximum Life

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - there isn't much to look for, just the usual defenses, Shaper's or Warlord bases offer some Damage over Time mods so it can be considered a high-end upgrade

Min. requirements: +40 to Dexterity +50% to Elemental Resistances +60 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Fire Damage over Time Multiplier increased Damage over Time

(Belt) Rare Belt - Maximum Life and Resistances should be the priority, after that acquire affixes granting your Minions more Life, increase your own Strength, and Fire Damage

Min. requirements: +80 to maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances Minions have 25% increased maximum Life Optional affixes: increased Fire Damage increased Damage Strength

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - you can spend a lot on a good Amulet since there are a lot of useful Affixes, remember to prioritize your Stone Golem Gem Level, then get more Damage, Resistances, and Attributes

Min. requirements: +20% to Damage over Time Multiplier +1 to Level of all Strength or Physical Skill Gems +60 to maximum Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances +1 to Level of all Strength or Physical Skill Gems increased Fire Damage Dexterity and Strength

(Amulet) Replica Dragonfang's Flight - It has great stats like Reservation Efficiency, Attributes, Resistances, but most importantly, it should increase the Gem Level of your Stone Golems by 3.

+(10-16) to all Attributes +3 to Level of all <Random Skill> Gems +(5-10)% to all Elemental Resistances (5-10)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills Items and Gems have (10-5)% reduced Attribute Requirements

Recommended Anointments: Dirty Techniques Whispers of Doom

(Ring) Berek's Respite - it's a massive improvement for clear speed and an obligatory Unique Ring

+(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

(Ring) Rare Ring - a Ring with Flammability on Hit and one that fixes your Attributes requirements and Resistances is good enough

Min. requirements: Curse Enemies with Flammability on Hit +60% to Elemental Resistances +60 to maximum Life Optional affixes: increased Fire Damage Dexterity Strength

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - increase your Maximum Life and get some missing stats, you can also increase your Fire DoT and Fire Damage.

Recommended affixes: 7% increased maximum Life Attributes Elemental Resistances Fire Damage over Time increased Fire Damage Damage over Time Multiplier

(Jewel) Primordial Might - there is no limit on how many of these you can socket, three or so should be sufficient

(25-30)% increased Damage if you Summoned a Golem in the past 8 seconds Golems Summoned in the past 8 seconds deal (35-45)% increased Damage Golems have (18-22)% increased Maximum Life Summoned Golems are Aggressive Primordial

(Jewel) Glorious Vanity - a Doryani variant can transform one of your Keystones into Corrupted Soul for extra ES, socket in near Mind Over Matter

Bathed in the blood of (100-8000) sacrificed in the name of Doryani Passives in radius are Conquered by the Vaal Historic

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Malevolence mod that increases your Damage over Time is the best option

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - Aim for Fire Damage over Time, and if need an additional and constant source of Fire Exposure - Master of Fire Notable

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Burning Bright 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Master of Fire

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - there are two types of Medium Cluster Jewels, one that increases your Minion's Maximum Life, or one that grants you increased Fire Damage, Blowback is especially great here

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Hulking Corpses 1 Added Passive Skill is Life from Death 1 Added Passive Skill is Burning Bright 1 Added Passive Skill is Blowback

(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - a very powerful defensive Flask that boots your chance to Block and Armour Rating

+1500 to Armour +(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect +(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect

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

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

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