Detonate Dead
Inquisitor Templar Build

Updated for Patch 3.13

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

Detonate Dead is a very unique Skill that makes nearby corpses explode dealing very high base Fire Damage and extra Damage based on the corpse's Maximum Life. It offers very good AoE and a unique playstyle, so if you are looking to try out something completely different, this might be a good pick for you. At the same time, this build offers quite reliable defenses as it's a Hybrid build with very high Life/Energy Shield regeneration from Inquisitor's reworked Ascendancy Passives. This build will deal mainly Fire Spell Damage, so by utilizing high Critical Strike Chance and  Inevitable Judgement, you should have enough damage to deal with pretty much any Boss in the game. Overall, this build is very enjoyable to play, but surely it's not the most convenient to use against Bosses, as you need to focus on spawning the Corpses yourself to keep your DPS level at a reasonable level. 

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

1. Gameplay

This is a very tanky Hybrid build that should provide over 10,000 Maximum Life and Energy Shield combined. Thanks to Corrupted Soul and potentially extra Leech from Cluster Jewels and/or Glorious Vanity, you can benefit from Life and Energy Leech simultaneously which greatly boosts your survivability. While being relatively tanky, you can jump into any pack of monsters, and cast your main Spells in Desecrate -> Detonate Dead sequence, which will usually clear your entire screen in two quick casts. By using Unleash and Spell Cascade Support Gems, you greatly increase the number of corpses created and detonated with every single cast, making those two the most important Support Gems in this setup. It's also a high Crit Chance build. As an Inquisitor, you will be able to Ignore all Elemental Resistances when your Critically Strike, so getting as close to 100% effective Crit. Chance is highly recommended. You are going to achieve it by using Assassin's Mark, Power Charges, and possibly Bottled Faith (if you can afford it).

0:08 Tier 15 Museum 0:35 Tier 16 Burrows 1:07 Tier 16 Cursed Crypt 1:32 Tier 16 Lair of the Hydra 2:05 Tier 17 Shaper This video was recorded on a level 92 Inquisitor wearing Crown of the Inward Eye and purely Rare equipment. We had approximately 12,000 total Life and Energy Shield and the Detonate Dead's "DPS" was at around 450k - though it's impossible to calculate actual DPS in such a build, it's taken from the Skill's average base Hit and our cast rate

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

You are most likely not going to be able to level up using Desecrate/Detonate Dead, and even if you did, it would be completely inefficient on lower levels. It's advised to level up using Freezing Pulse, which is one of the best low-level Spells in the game with cheap and easy to obtain Threshold Jewel. You are also going to use additional Cold Spells like Frost Bomb or Hydrosphere to grant some extra damage against Rare enemies and Bosses. You should be able to easily respect at around level 70 when you should be able to equip all the core Support Gems for Desecrate and Detonate Dead and get some higher Life equipment. Below you will find the base Skill Gem's setups for this build, and several extremely useful Uniques listed. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Freezing Pulse setup
	Freezing Pulse - one of the best Spells for leveling. It fires long-range projectiles that deal higher damage the closer you are to your enemy. By using First Snow Threshold Jewel, you can easily increase the number of Freezing Pulse's Projectiles whiteout having to use an extra Support Gem
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds additional Cold Damage
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds high flat Lightning Damage to your Blade Blast Spell
	Faster Casting Support
	Elemental Focus Support - greatly increases Elemental Damage dealt, and its one of the core Gems you will use on higher levels

Frost Bomb setup
	Frost Bomb - creates a pulsing Sphere on the ground which deals a moderate amount of Damage with each tick and applies powerful Cold Exposure to enemies. You can also use Hydrosphere instead of Frost Bomb (or both, and use a similar setup)
	Bonechill Support - increases the effect of Chill and Cold Damage you deal to affected enemies
	Hypothermia Support - greatly increases your Damage against Chilled enemies
	Added Cold Damage Support

Utility Gems
	Clarity - grants increased Mana Regeneration which might be extremely useful on lower levels
	Herald of Ice - the best Herald for this build as it grants damage bonus Cold damage and causes AoE explosions when you slay Frozen enemies
	Dash - the best mobility skill for this build
	Frostbite - the recommended Curse for the leveling phase as it grants the highest bonus to your Cold DPS

Bandits:
You should kill all the Bandits for two additional Passive Skill Points. Helping Alira for extra Crit. Multi is also an option for higher-level players with min-maxed gear

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Retribution 2) Light of Divinity 3) Devotion 4) Frost Walker 5) Blast Radius

62 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Snowforged 2) Melding 3) Constitution 4) Throatseeker

Recommended leveling items:

Goldrim - one of the best leveling Helmets in Path of Exile as it covers up basically all the needs for Elemental Resistances on lower levels
+(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)

Axiom Perpetuum - one of the best leveling Weapons for Spell Casters which adds a ton of flat Elemental Damage to your Spells
12% increased Elemental Damage Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Fire Damage to Spells Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Cold Damage to Spells Adds 1 to (10-12) Lightning Damage to Spells (4-6)% increased Cast Speed (100-140)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells

Praxis - a great leveling Ring that reduces the Mana Cost of all abilities. It makes leveling much smoother as you won't get much Mana/Mana Regen from your Passive Tree

+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

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

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

115 Points Skill Tree 
115 Points Path of Building(PoB) link (includes Cluster Jewel)

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Righteous Providence
2. Inevitable Judgement
3. Sanctuary
4. Pious Path

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] Detonate Dead
	Vaal Detonate Dead - the primary and build-defining skill which causes nearby corpses to explode dealing very high AoE damage. You can also use the Vaal skill, as it should cost much more than the regular version and it grants a more powerful occasional cast
	Elemental Focus Support - grants very high bonus Elemental Damage but renders Detonate Dead unable to apply Ailments
	Unleash Support - builds up Detonate Dead stacks and when released, it will make it to be cast several times in a quick succession
	Inspiration Support - reduces the Mana Cost and increases Elemental Damage of your Detonate Dead. You can also use Anomalous Inspiration for some extra Crit.
	Spell Cascade Support - makes Detonate Dead repeated in two additional areas near targeted location, causing additional corpses to explode with each cast
	Energy Leech Support - makes Detonate Dead Leech Energy Shield greatly boosting your defenses. It also significantly increases the Damage of linked Spells if you have a Full Energy Shield or while you are Leeching it

[UTILITY] Desecrate setup
	Desecrate - creates piles of Corpses which will be used to fuel up your Detonate Dead Spell. In this build, it's mandatory to create most of the Corpses yourself for high sustained damage
	Spell Cascade Support - causes Desecrate to create additional Corpses
	Faster Casting Support - increases the Cast Speed of Desecrate
	Arcane Surge Support - grants a powerful buff whenever you spend enough Mana on linked Spell. It's best to keep this Gem on a lower level so that the buff is triggered with every second Cast of Desecrate

[UTILITY] Gems in "trigger" Sceptre or Wand
	Cold Snap - creates a chilling ground and allows you to generate Frenzy Charges by killing enemies inside it. Like all the Gems in this setup, it should be triggered automatically
	Storm Brand - used solely to generate Power Charges thanks to its high on-hit frequency
	Power Charge on Critical Support - makes Storm Brand generate Power Charges to increase your Crit. Chance

[UTILITY] Auras
	Herald of Ash - increases your Fire Spell Damage and enemies slain cause additional fiery explosions
	Flesh and Stone - a great defensive Aura when you use it in the Sand Stance, greatly reducing your chance of getting hit
	Summon Skitterbots - summons two invincible Minions that Chill and Shock nearby enemies
	Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation Cost of linked Spells

[UTILITY] Dash/Warcry
	Dash - the recommended Movement Skill for this build. It allows you to progress faster through Maps and avoid heavy damage
	Enduring Cry - generates Endurance Charges and grants instant Life Recovery
	Second Wind Support - increases the Cooldown Recovery Speed and adds an additional charge on Dash and Enduring Cry
	Urgent Orders Support - greatly increases linked Warcries' speed

[UTILITY] Steelskin
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - automatically triggers linked Spells when you take a certain amount of damage
	Steelskin - grants a protective shield that absorbs incoming damage

[UTILITY] Vitality
	Vitality - if you want to maximize your Life and Energy Shield Regeneration, you can use a Watcher's Eye Jewel with Vitality Aura modifier and a level 1 Vitality

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find the recommended gear for our Detonate Dead Inquisitor build. This build can be played with basically random Rares, with only Glorious Vanity being a must-have item to benefit from Corrupted Soul and maximize the defenses of this Hybrid build. Overall, this shouldn't be very expensive, and if you are looking solely to grind currency on mid-Tier Maps, you could even treat it entirely as a budget-friendly build. 

We guarantee that our list will:

1. Cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. Save you at least a couple of hours!

(Helmet) Crown of the Inward Eye - one of the best Helmets for this build as it grants high bonus DPS since you are increasing your Life/Mana/Energy Shield from various Passives

333% increased Armour and Energy Shield (9-21)% increased maximum Life, Mana and Global Energy Shield Transfiguration of Soul Transfiguration of Body Transfiguration of Mind

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - always a decent option. You can pick ES base with high bonus Life for high defensive Utility

Recommended affixes: 80 Maximum Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Critical Strike Multiplier Nearby enemies have reduced #% Fire Resistance Attributes

Helmet enchantment: Detonate Dead has a 45% chance to detonate an additional corpse 40% increased Detonate Dead Damage

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - the best all-round Armour you can use for this build. You need to have a Crafted affix that will increase your Maximum Energy Shield based on your Max Life

Recommended affixes: 110 Maximum Life 60% Total Elemental Resistances Gain 10% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield Optional affixes: Attributes

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - great pick if you want to maximize your clear speed when farming lower-tier content

(120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(50-70) to maximum Life +(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances (40-50)% increased Area of Effect (40-50)% increased Area Damage Extra gore

(Weapon) Rare Sceptre or Wand - you are looking to increase Fire Spell Damage here and have an open affix for "Trigger Socketed Spell when you use a skill" craft

Recommended affixes: 60% Spell Damage Added Fire Damage to Spells Trigger Socketed Spells when you use a Skill Optional affixes: Cast Speed Critical Strike Chance for Spells +1 to All Fire Spell Skill Gems

(Shield) Rare Shield - the best in the slot. We need a lot of defensive stats, and it can also give you a high Spell Damage bonus

Recommended affixes: 100 Maximum Life 40% Spell Damage 80% Critical Strike Chance for Spells Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Boots) Rare Boots - pick a pair with the highest Life/Resistances combo with at least 25% bonus Movement Speed

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 25% Increased Movement Speed 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Gain Elusive on Critical Strike

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

(Belt) Stygian Vise - the best option for this build

Recommended affixes: 100 Maximum Life Optional affixes: Fire/Generic Damage Maximum Life % Elemental Resistances

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - the BiS option for this build

Recommended affixes: 60 Maximum Life 40 Dexterity 40 Strength 10% Maximum Energy Shield Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier +1 to level of All Dexterity Skill Gems

Recommended Anointments: Arcane Potency Arcane Swiftness

(Rings) Rare Rings - just aim to get high Life, Resistances, and Attributes. You should also get Assassin's Mark on one of the Rings

Recommended affixes: 50 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Trigger Level # Assassin's Mark when you Hit a Rare or Unique Enemy Attributes Fire/Spell Damage

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - once again aim for high defensive stats

Recommended affixes: 80 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chance to Unnerve Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit Spell Damage Attributes

(Jewel) Rare Abyss Jewel - you can get extra Life here and Crit. Multiplier. You can also try getting a Jewel with a chance to Hinder enemies on Spell Hit

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Global Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes:  Chance to Hinder enemies on Spell hit Added Fire Damage to Spells

(Jewel) Glorious Vanity -  allows you to convert one of the Notable Passives to Corrupted Soul. Our Jewel had the following affix "Bathed in the blood of 4355 sacrificed in the name of Doryani" and it converted Agnostic to Corrupted Soul and gave us a bunch of extra Fire Damage and Fire Damage Leeched as Life from Dynamo and Combat Stamina. It was all right, but you may want to have Combat Stamina unchanged for extra Life and Regen, and in the best-case scenario you get to convert Mind over Matter with a useful Passive on Converted Arcanist's Dominion

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

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - using a level 1 Vitality allows you to maximize your Life Regeneration per second

(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: (10-15)% increased Life Recovery Rate while affected by Vitality Regenerate (1-1.5)% of Life per second while affected by Vitality

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - just get Max Life, Crit Multi, and Spell Damage here

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Global Critical Strike Multiplier/Critical Strike Multiplier with Elemental / Fire Skills Optional affixes: Increased Spell/Area Damage Elemental Resistances

(Flask) Bottled Faith - the best Utility Flask for this build. It grants very high DPS bonuses related to Crit. Chance and Consecrated Grounds, which both are core aspects of the Inquisitor Class

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) Enduring Eternal Mana Flask of Warding (Curse immunity) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity) Experimenter's Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline (Movement Speed)

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