Doryani's Touch
Herald Elementalist
Patch 3.2 Build

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: moderately low

Doryani's Fist is a very interesting pair of unique gloves. It allows alternative unarmed playstyle in comparison to the popular Facebreakers' builds. It adds very high Lightning Damage to both Spells and Attacks, and grants unique melee Attack skill - the Doryani's Touch. Doryani's Touch deals high AoE damage and provides very enjoyable gameplay mechanics. With the Elementalist class, you utilize the Herald skills and high Elemental Damage Penetration bonuses.

To check the full list of our other Path of Exile Crafty Guides check the Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

Doryani's Touch Elementalist is a Melee build, which relies on very high Elemental Damage dealt by the Doryani's Touch skill and Herald skills - Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice. Most of the enemies get instantly frozen and shocked, and as the result, entire screens explode within seconds. And Doryani's Touch is mainly required as the primary source of damage versus Bosses and Rares, hence it's best used with the Concentrated Effect Support Gem. 

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

We recommend using Firestorm as your primary spell during the leveling phase. It provides high damage, and good area coverage, allowing you to quickly progress through the early levels. Also, the combination of our recommended leveling uniques provides very good results and makes it very easy to reach level 63. This is when you can wear Doryani's Fist and switch to your final Melee/Herald setup.

Suggested leveling gem setups:

Firestorm setup
	Firestorm - great AoE spell, that's available from level 12
	Faster Casting Support - increases the Cast Speed of the Firestorm spell
	Concentrated Effect Support - reduces the radius, but increases Damage of supported area spells
	Controlled Destruction Support - greatly increases Spell Damage at the cost of a reduced chance to Critically Hit

Flame Totem setup
	Flame Totem - Flame Totem will add some extra DPS
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of Flame Totem's projectiles
	Faster Casting Support - increases the Cast Speed of the Flame Totem's spells
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds Lightning Damage to your Totem's projectiles

Fireball setup
	Fireball - the first spell available to Witches. Can be used as single-target DPS spell, and to proc Arcane Surge buff
	Arcane Surge Support - grants the Arcane Surge buff, which increases your Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration Rate
	Concentrated Effect Support
	Chance to Ignite Support - increases Fire Damage dealt by supported spells, and increases their chance to Ignite enemies

Utility gems
	Stone Golem - grants increased Life Regeneration which helps a lot with survivability while leveling as a Witch
	Flammability - the recommended Curse for the leveling phase
	Herald of Ash - use it during leveling for increased Fire/Burning Damage. It also will grant 25% Fire Resistance Penetration after you complete the 2nd Labyrinth

Bandits:

We recommend killing all bandits for the additional 2 passive points

Leveling skill trees:

30 Points Skill tree
Priorities: 1) Heart and Soul 2) Blast Radius 3) Cruel Preparation

59 Points Skill tree
Priorities: 1) Amplify 2) Discipline and Training 3) Devotion

Recommended leveling items:

Tabula Rasa - one of the best leveling items in Path of Exile. Grants 6 links at the cost of no defensive stats. Can host very powerful Spell setups during leveling phase. May require increased Mana Regeneration Rate items in order to cover up increased Mana cost of spells
Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

Abberath's Horn - can be dual wielded for amazing DPS bonuses
(10-14)% increased Spell Damage (20-30)% increased Fire Damage Adds (4-6) to (8-12) Fire Damage to Spells (40-60)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance +10 Life gained on Killing Ignited Enemies 25% reduced Ignite Duration on Enemies

Cloak of Flames - this body armour works great in combination with Mokou's Embrace and Abberath's Horn
3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(30-50)% to Fire Resistance (30-50)% increased Ignite Duration on Enemies 10% chance to Ignite Reflects 15 Fire Damage to Melee Attackers 20% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Fire Damage

Mokou's Embrace - very nice leveling ring. If you are using Cloak of Flames you will be Ignited in nearly every fight, which grants you very high Cast Speed bonus
+(20-30)% to Fire Resistance (15-25)% increased Fire Damage +(25-40)% to Cold Resistance (5-10)% chance to Ignite 20% increased Attack Speed while Ignited 20% increased Cast Speed while Ignited +25% chance to be Ignited

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points and Pantheon

Final skill tree:

115 Points Final Skill Tree
115 Points Path of Building link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Pendulum of Destruction
2. Mastermind of Discord
3. Paragon of Calamity
4. Liege of the Primordial

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris - 6% Physical Damage Reduction if 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] Doryani's Touch (Doryani's Fist gloves only - does NOT require any links)
	Doryani's Touch - Doryani's Fist unique attack skill. It is a Melee/AoE attack
	Faster Attack Support - increases your Attack Speed
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - since you deal only Elemental Damage, this is a core Support Gem for this setup
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds flat Lightning Damage to Doryani's Touch skill
	Concentrated Effect Support - increases all damage by a lot in exchange for reduced Dark Pact's AoE. Can be swapped for Increased Area of Effect Support or Faster Casting Support for mapping if it doesn’t cut your clear speed

[DPS] Heralds setup
	Herald of Ice - this is the Cold-type Herald skill, which on top of added Cold Damage to Attacks and Spells, causes AoE explosions when killing frozen enemies
	Herald of Thunder - grants additional Lightning Damage to Attacks and Spells
	Ice Bite Support - adds Cold Damage, generated Frenzy Charges, and grants chance to freeze monsters
	Innervate Support - grants added Lightning Damage and increases the chance to shock
	Added Lightning Damage Support - grants added Lightning Damage to your Herald skills
	Hypothermia Support - grants increased damage versus chilled enemies, as well as grants a chance to freeze and chill

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - your mobility skill. It also deals moderate damage on its' own, making it more than enough to clear trash just by charging into them
	Faster Attacks Support - increases Attack/Movement speed of Shield Charge
	Fortify Support - grants good defensive buff when hitting enemies with Shield Charge
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - directly increases the damage of Shield Charge

[AURAS/CURSE] Vaal Haste/Conductivity
	[1L]Vaal Haste - increases your Attack and Movement Speed for a brief duration
	[2L]Conductivity - recommended Curse option for this build. It has to be used as an Aura around you, with 0% Mana Reserved, thanks to Impresence unique amulet
	[2L]Blasphemy Support - makes Conductivity work as an Aura around you

[GOLEM/UTILITY]
	Lightning Golem - increases your Attack Speed
	Stone Golem - increases your Life Regeneration per second
	[2L]Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts supported spells. Keep this gem at level 1
	[2L]Immortal Call - grants brief Immunity to Physical Damage. Is auto-cast by CwDT Support Gem. Keep it at level 3

5. Gear Setup

Doryani's Fist Elementalist is a budget-friendly build. It does not require any expensive uniques, and the Herald setup is still powerful, even with 4 and 5 Links. This build, however, has moderate DPS scaling potential, and end-game content may require excessive investment in gear. It's best used to farm mid and high tier maps, in a very enjoyable manner.

At this point, we would love to invite you to visit our Path of Exile market where you can buy cheap POE currency to complete your build.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS/Life to start mapping successfully
3. Save you at least a couple of hours, as it's already all planned out for you!

(Helmet) Devoto's Devotion - the best in slot helmet for this build. Since you deal no Physical Damage, it basically has no negative effects, while providing high Attack and Movement Speed bonuses

10% reduced Global Physical Damage +(50-65) to Dexterity 16% increased Attack Speed (150-200)% increased Armour and Evasion +(15-25)% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed Mercury Footprints

(Helmet) Lightpoacher - another great choice. Lightpoacher with 2 Abyss sockets will be expensive, but 2 good rolled Abyss jewels with added Lightning Damage to Attacks will truly shine

Has 2 Abyssal Sockets Trigger Level 20 Spirit Burst when you Use a Skill while you have a Spirit Charge +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances Recover (4-5)% of Life when a Spirit Charge expires or is consumed (15-20)% chance to gain a Spirit Charge on Kill +1 to Maximum Spirit Charges per Abyss Jewel affecting you

(Helmet) Rare Life/Res. helmet - always a solid choice

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance

(Shield) Lycosidae - the best choice for the shield slot. It grants you 100% Accuracy with your Hits, which is very important, as you will be most likely getting close to none on your gear and Passive Tree

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(10-20) to maximum Life +(120-160) to Armour +(30-40) to maximum Life Your hits can't be Evaded +(3-5)% Chance to Block Adds 250 to 300 Cold Damage to Counterattacks

(Shield) Lioneye's Remorse - cheap and inexpensive options. Provides a lot of bonus Life which can come in handy when playing a Melee Witch character

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(20-30) to maximum Life (200-250)% increased Armour 20% increased Stun and Block Recovery +(160-180) to maximum Life 5% reduced Movement Speed -25 Physical Damage taken from Projectile Attacks +5% Chance to Block

(Gloves) Doryani's Fist - the build-defining item. This pair provides the unique Attack Skill - Doryani's Touch and adds an insane amount of Lighting Damage to Attacks and Spells

Grants Level 20 Doryani's Touch Skill +30 to maximum Energy Shield 10% chance to Shock Adds (225-335) to (785-900) Lightning Damage to Unarmed Attacks Adds (60-90) to (210-240) Lightning Damage to Spells while Unarmed +30 Energy Shield gained on Killing a Shocked Enemy

(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - always a very good choice for any Life build

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (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) Lightning Coil - this armour provides very high damage bonus. If you choose this body armour, it will require you to alter resistances on other parts of your gear. You need to get approximately 70% more Lightning Resistance

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) Adds 1 to (20-30) Lightning Damage to Attacks (90-120)% increased Armour and Evasion +(60-80) to maximum Life -60% to Lightning Resistance 30% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Lightning Damage

(Boots) Rare Life/Res. boots - just aim for the highest defensive stats. A pair with "Added Lightning Damage if you haven't killed recently" enchantment will be the best pick

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% increased Movement Speed 20% Fire Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 20% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Added Lightning Damage if you haven't been hit recently enchantment

(Belt) Rare Life/Res. belt

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Belt) Rare Stygian Vise - go for the same stats as on the regular belt. You just have to pay extra for the Abyss socket

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Amulet) Impresence(Lightning) - the best in slot amulet. It not only greatly increases your Lightning Damage, but also allows you to use Conductivity in form of an Aura

+(10-16) to all Attributes Adds (10-13) to (43-47) Lightning Damage +(50-70) to maximum Life +(20-25)% to Lightning Resistance 1% of Energy Shield Regenerated per second 100% reduced Conductivity Mana Reservation Gain Maddening Presence for 10 seconds when you Kill a Rare or Unique Enemy

(Amulet) Rare Life/Res. amulet - a more budget-friendly amulet option

Min. requirements: 65 maximum Life 15% All Elemental Resistances min. 35 Added Lightning Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: maximum Mana Attributes

(Ring) Rare Life/Res. ring

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 15% Lightning Resistance 15% Cold Resistance min. 35 Added Lightning Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: maximum Mana Attributes

(Ring) Call of the Brotherhood - greatly increases your DPS, as well as increases the chance to shock enemies

+(12-16)% to Cold and Lightning Resistances +(15-25) to Intelligence (15-25)% increased Lightning Damage (30-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 40% of Lightning Damage Converted to Cold Damage Your spells have 100% chance to Shock against Frozen Enemies

(Jewel) Abyss jewels - these will be your best pick. Added Lightning Damage (or even Cold) will grant amazing DPS with the high Doryani's Touch damage effectiveness

Recommended affixes: added Lightning Damage to attack skills added Cold Damage to attack skills Optional affixes: maximum Life

(Jewel) Rare jewels - these should provide increased maximum Life and damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Generic/Lightning/Elemental/Area Damage Optional affixes: % increased Attack Speed % increased Attack Speed while holding a Shield

(Flask) Vessel of Vinktar - the best DPS Flask for this build

50% to Lightning Resistance +6% to maximum Lightning Resistance (80-100)% increased Charges used Shocks nearby Enemies during Flask effect, causing 10% increased Damage taken You are Shocked during Flask effect, causing 50% increased Damage taken Adds (25-35) to (110-130) Lightning Damage to Attacks during Flask effect 20% of Lightning Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect

(Flask) The Wise Oak - this is a very decent Flask that grants additional Lightning Damage Penetration as long as your uncapped Lightning Resistance is the highest

+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 (immunity to bleeding) Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (immunity to freeze) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Grounding (self-shock removal if using Vessel of Vinktar Flask)

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.