Dominating Blow
Herald of Purity
Guardian/Templar
Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.6

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

One of the biggest changes that were introduced in Patch 3.4 and the Delve League is related to the Guardian Ascendancy Class and Minion Passive Skills. Guardian emerges as one of the primary Minion-based classes, with powerful nodes that grant Attack Speed and Minion Damage bonuses to the user as well. By benefiting from the same Passives twice, Guardian can maintain very high DPS even with a very low budget-gear. On top of that, Minion build is a perfect choice for the Delve League's mechanic. 

We have refreshed this build entirely for Patch 3.6, and with the introduction of Circle of Guilt fractured Ring this build became all content-viable, and we hope to have a refreshed gameplay footage ready for you soon. We have also optimized this build for maximum Minion DPS and decided to skip six-linked expensive weapons which weren't fully utilized by this build, making it even more budget-friendly than before. 

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

1. Gameplay

Our Dominating Blow Guardian is a combination of a tanky Melee fighter with and a Minion build. Since you benefit from the Minion Passives directly, you can maintain high DPS on Dominating Blow without the necessity to pick up the standard Two-Handed Passives from Marauder and Duelist's areas. Killing enemies with the Dominating Blow's debuff will spawn Minions, which benefit from all the Support Gems that Dominating Blow does, and also all your Melee kills while Herald of Purity is active, will summon Sentinels of Purity, that are again amplified by a number of Melee-based Support Gems for greater effect. For the defensive part, Guardian relies on his Ascendancy Passives, very high Life, and Armour Rating.

0:06 Tier 12 Torture Chamber 0:34 Tier 10 Haunted Mansion 1:00 Tier 11 Cemetery 1:17Tier 12 Waterways This video was recorded on a level 83 Guardian equipped 5-linked Belly of the Beast, Chaber Cairn, and low-budget gear. Clarity Aura level 1 was used in one of the empty sockets for extra DPS from Radiant Crusade The video was recorded in Patch 3.4 - we are hoping to add new footage soon

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

We recommend leveling up our Dominating Blow Guardian with any high Physical DPS weapon of your choice. Since Minion Passives will apply to any weapon type you come across, it makes it much more convenient and also, a great addition for SSF players. At low levels, you can use a wide variety of skills including Raise Zombie, Ancestral Warchief, and any Melee attack that works with your currently equipped weapon. You should focus on adding as much raw Physical Damage bonuses as possible on your gear and rely on Life Passive nodes to keep you alive.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Smite setup
	Smite - newly introduced in 3.4 Melee Skill that fits perfectly this build. On top of dealing regular damage to your target, it casts an Aura which adds additional Lightning Damage both to you and your Minions
	Melee Physical Damage Support - increases Physical Damage of supported skills
	Ancestral Support - greatly increases your clear speed by making Smite attack two nearby additional targets
	Faster Attacks Support

Smite setup
	Dominating Blow - you can start using Dominating Blow after level 28, but it's recommended to start using it when you are level 40 and can afford Chober Chaber for its' insane DPS bonuses
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Ancestral Support
	Faster Attacks Support

Raise Zombie setup
	Raise Zombie - one of the first Minion skills available in PoE. With Smite Aura's DPS bonus, on top of tanking some of the damage, Zombies will also greatly increase your damage output
	Minion Life Support - increases Zombies' Maximum Life
	Minion Speed Support - increases Zombies' Attack and Movement Speed
	Minion Damage Support - direct increase to Minions' DPS

Utility Gems
	Ancestral Warchief - increases your Melee Damage while active
	Holy Relic - a new Minion that follows you and casts Physical DPS Nova Spell when you Attack and grants increased Life Regeneration to you and your Minions
	Punishment - the best Curse for this build
	Stone Golem - grants increased Life Regeneration
	Herald of Purity - grants extra Physical Damage to your Attacks. During the leveling phase it's mainly used for that purpose and it's not advised to Support this Gem with other recommended Gems
	Consecrated Path - recommended Movement Skill for this build

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Retribution 2) Spiritual Command 3) Sacrifice 4) Redemption, Righteous Army, Spiritual Aid

59 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Devotion 2) Resolute Technique 3) Constitution 4) Heart of the Warrior

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - great Physical DPS leveling ring. You can use it from level 1
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 for Melee builds. Can be used until late game and in low-level maps
(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased 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

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

116 Points Final Skill Tree
116 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Radiant Crusade
2. Unwavering Crusade
3. Harmony of Purpose
4. Time of Need

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] Dominating Blow (in Elder Gloves)
	Dominating Blow - primary Attack skill in this build. It will deal a moderate amount of damage and also spawn additional Minions when you kill enemies affected by its' debuff
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Melee Splash Support - deals damage and applies the Dominating Blow debuff to all nearby enemies. Unlike Ancestral Call, it does not reduce the DPS to your main target, and there is no limit to how many enemies you can debuff with each attack
	Maim Support - melee attacks with supported skills will Maim the target causing it to have reduced Movement Speed and receive increased Physical Damage
Support Gems granted by the recommended Elder Gloves:
	Faster Attacks Support
	Chance to Bleed Support - adds extra Physical Damage and increases Chance to inflict Bleeding

[DPS] Herald of Purity setup
	Herald of Purity - the newly added in Patch 3.4 Herald Skill that grants extra Physical Damage and summons Sentinels of Purity when you kill enemies. Sentinels of Purity are Minions that benefit from all the Support Gems in this setup and Minion Passives on your Skill Tree
	Ruthless Support
	Minion Damage Support
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Bloodlust Support - greatly increases Physical Damage against bleeding enemies which is inflicted by your regular Attacks and Sentinels of Dominance
	Maim Support

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge
	Shield Charge - the recommended movement skill for this build. On top of being fast, it grants the Fortify buff
	Faster Attacks Support
	Fortify Support

[CURSE] Vulnerability
	Blasphemy Support - makes supported Curse work as an Aura around you
	Vulnerability - recommended Curse for this build which makes affected enemies take increased Physical Damage. Use it as an Aura if you have Impresence Amulet, otherwise, stick to low-level CwDT Setup to apply it

[UTILITY] Buffs
	Rallying Cry - Warcry that increases your Damage and Attack Speed
	War Banner - increases Physical Damage taken by nearby enemies and grant you and your Minions increased Accuracy Rating
	Vaal Haste - Vaal Aura which grants increased Attack, Cast, and Movement Speed for a brief duration
	Increased Duration Support

[UTILITY] Clarity
	Clarity - used at level 1 for minimal Mana Reservation. It is used to grant the 20% Damage bonus from Radiant Crusade Passive

[DPS] Spectral Wolf's Support Gems (in Scourge unique claw)
	Melee Physical Damage Support
	Minion Damage Support
	Multistrike Support - makes attacks from supported skills repeat two additional times with greatly increased Attack Speed

5. Gear Setup

Our Dominating Blow Guardian build has no specific items requirements. It can be played with any random Rares as its' core damage comes from Passive Skills, Guardian's Ascendancy, and Skill Gems. Below you will find all the recommended items, but as stated, you can replace any of the items below with Rare gear with similar attributes.

If you would be interested in buying cheap PoE Currency with real cash, you can head over to our market section via links on top of this page.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - one of the best choices for this build.

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: increased Minion Damage (Bone Helmet's implicit)

(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - always a solid pick for defensive purposes. Belly of the Beast is always one of the best Body Armours for any Life build

Armour: (685 to 812) (150-200)% increased Armour (30-40)% increased maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Life Recovery rate Extra gore

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Rare piece with high Life/Armour Rating and Resistances will do the job just fine

Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 20% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: High Armour Rating

(Body Armour) Brass Dome - great pick versus high Physical Damage Bosses like Minotaur Guardian

5% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) 30% reduced Chance to Block Attacks and Spells (600-650)% increased Armour 10% reduced Movement Speed 50% increased Shock Duration on you Take no Extra Damage from Critical Strikes

(Body Armour) Skin of the Loyal - a corrupted one with a total of +2 to Socketed Gem levels will be the best in slot

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Sockets cannot be modified +1 to Level of Socketed Gems 100% increased Global Defences Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

(Weapon) Scourge - the best in the slot. Grants high bonus Minion Damage, Life Leech, and has high Attack Speed allowing you to quickly resummon Sentinels against Bosses

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 10% Chance to Trigger Level 18 Summon Spectral Wolf on Kill Increases and Reductions to Minion Damage also affect you 70% increased Minion Damage if you have Hit Recently

(Shield) Rare Shield - just aim to get the highest Life, Elemental Resistances and Armour Rating

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 1500 Armour Rating Optional affixes: Attributes

(Boots) Rare Boots - with high defensive stats, Life, and Movement Speed bonus

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 20% Cold Resistance 25% increased Movement Speed

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently 0.6% of Damage Leeched as Life and Mana if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 18% increased Physical Damage 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance

(Belt) Belt of the Deceiver - despite being cheap, it’s a great Belt for this build

(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased 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

(Amulet) Sidhebreath - a very decent Amulet, however, will require you to manually apply Vulnerability Curse

(20-30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +25% to Cold Resistance 0.2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana Minions have (10-15)% increased maximum Life Minions have (10-15)% increased Movement Speed (15-10)% reduced Mana Cost of Minion Skills Minions deal (10-15)% increased Damage

(Amulet) Impresence(Physical) - the best in the slot. Grants "free" Vulnerability Curse Aura, making this build much more convenient to play

+(10-16) to all Attributes Adds (12-16) to (20-25) Physical Damage +(400-500) to Armour +(50-70) to maximum Life (30-40)% increased Stun and Block Recovery Vulnerability has 100% reduced Mana Reservation Gain Maddening Presence for 10 seconds when you Kill a Rare or Unique Enemy

(Ring) Rare Rings

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances 35 Dexterity Optional affixes: Added Physical Damage to Attacks Essence Crafted Minion Speed

(Ring) Circle of Guilt - aim to get one with high increased Sentinels of Purity damage, and preferably Physical Damage mitigation when you have Herald of Purity active

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-20) to all Attributes Adds (8-10) to (13-15) Physical Damage +(350-400) to Armour When used in the Synthesiser, the new item will have an additional Herald Modifier <Random Herald of Purity modifier>

(Gloves) Rare Gloves

Min. requirements: Adds min. 6 Physical Damage to Attacks 70 maximum Life 7% Attack Speed Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - these should provide extra Life and Minion Damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Minion Damage Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - grants extra Chaos Damage and Life Leech. At the same time, it's a very cheap Flask

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) Rumi's Concoction - great defensive Flask which increases your Armour and Chance to Block

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

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Bubbling Granite Flask of Iron Skin (increased Armour) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline (increased Movement Speed)

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.