Earthquake Bleed
Juggernaut Starter Build

Updated for Patch 3.17

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It's a very simple Bleed-type Build, it uses slow, but powerful Melee Slam Attacks to apply the DoT Ailment. It makes use of a Rare Two-Handed Axe and attacks with Earthquake Skill which is then upgraded by a Warcry - it makes your Attacks Exerted. We've settled on Rallying Cry which adds Damage to the Exerted Attack resulting in more Damage. With Resolute Technique you have a 100% Chance to hit - Bleed is an Ailment that does not benefit from Critical Strikes in any way. Earthquake is great with Bleed since it Hits enemies two times with a singular use, the second phase is stronger, so the Bleed applied by it will last for the next 3 to 4 seconds, making Attack Speed more or less obsolete.

As a Juggernaut, you're inherently Tanky. On top of your 5k of Maximum Life and 20k Armour, you can also reach 7 Endurance Charges pretty easily. The Endurance Charges will provide you with Resistances, Physical Damage Reduction, Damage, AoE, and Stun Duration. The Damage is provided mostly by your Rare Items, Passive Skills, and Skill Gems, there's nothing complex about it. Another great perk of this build is the Vaal Earthquake - you can use it often because of the Less Duration Support Gem which affects not only the base version of the skill - so that the second phase is triggered sooner, but also the duration of Soul Gain Prevention.

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

1. Gameplay

Use Earthquake on a pack of enemies that you Leap Slammed into. After killing one or two such packs you will be granted enough Souls to start Vaal Earthquake which enhances your steps to trigger individual Earthquakes. For Auras use Pride, Blood and Sand, Flesh and Stone, Herald of Purity, and Blasphemous Vulnerability. Remember to frequently use Rallying Cry and Blood Rage at the beginning of a map to deal more damage. As a Guard Spell use Molten Shell. During boss fights summon Ancestral Warchief for more Melee Damage.

This video was recorded on a level 93 Juggernaut using a 650~ Physical DPS Axe with Crafted Physical Damage over Time Multiplier, Devoto's Devotion, and a set of Random Rares. All around this ended up being as tanky as expected, but the DPS was certainly better than we anticipated - it's still way below your typical PoE Build, but if you want to play a Jugg that doesn't cost a fortune, this build just might suit your needs

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

It's a very general Physical Damage build which is very similar to other builds of the same type. All the nodes on the Skill Tree that you're interested in are tightly packed in the down-left corner of it. Start with Ground Slam and at level 28 switch to Earthquake. For Leveling, you can use almost any Unique Axe as these are all good weapons. The whole process should be easy, just look for Physical Damage and Maximum Life. You can specialize in Bleed and DoT very early on, the corresponding clusters are easy to reach, and the Bleed Support Gem should provide a high Bleed Chance. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Cleave setup
	Ground Slam - a basic Aoe Slam Attack available since level 1
	Melee Physical Damage Support - use for increased Melee Physical Damage
	Chance to Bleed Support - Chance to cause Bleeding is increased, Bleeding does more Damage
	Maim Support - you deal more Physical Damage and Maim enemies

various Gems
	Ancestral Warchief - it boosts your Physical Melee Damage
	Vulnerability - Curse that causes your enemies to take more Physical Damage, hitting these enemies can cause Bleed
	Pride - enemies near you take more Physical Damage, after 4 seconds this effect is doubled
	Leap Slam - a movement Attack that makes you move much faster

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points.

Leveling Skill Trees:

25 Points Skill Tree
Go for the Resolute Technique and Bleed Cluster. If you're using a One-Handed Weapon pick Strong Arm instead of Butchery

68 Points Skill Tree
Allocate the Axe Cluster, Fortify Mastery, Two Hand Cluster, Maximum Life, then another Bleed and Axe Cluster
 

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - cheap leveling Ring for Physical Attack builds

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

Meginord's Girdle - one of the best leveling Belts as it grants increased Physical Damage, Strength, Cold Resistance, and Maximum Life

+(25-35) to Strength +25 to Strength Adds 5 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate

Goldrim - it offers a lot of Elemental 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)

Haemophilia - Gloves specialized in Bleeding Damage

+(20-30) to Strength 25% increased Damage over Time Attacks have 25% chance to cause Bleeding (25-40)% increased Attack Damage against Bleeding Enemies Bleeding Enemies you Kill Explode, dealing 5% of their Maximum Life as Physical Damage 25% reduced Bleeding Duration

The Blood Reaper - Two-Hand Axe that's adjusted for dealing Bleed Damage

(180-200)% increased Physical Damage +100 to maximum Life Regenerate 20 Life per second 1% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 50% increased Mana Cost of Skills 50% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

115 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique Jewels)
115 Points Path of Building (PoB) link
 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Unbreakable
2. Unflinching
3. Unyielding
4. Unstoppable

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] Earthquake setup
	Earthquake - An Attack that has two phases - one deals damage around you and leaves a crack, the second one detonates these cracks dealing more damage. Use Vaal Version for better performance.
	Melee Physical Damage Support - you have less Attack Speed, but more Melee Physical Damage
	Chance to Bleed Support - higher chance to cause Bleeding, and more Bleeding Damage
	Brutality Support - you have much more Physical Damage, but can't deal Elemental or Chaos Damage
	Less Duration Support - the second phase of the Earthquake starts sooner, and you deal more Damage
	Cruelty Support - more damage with Hits, and more Damage over Time

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Pride - nearby enemies receive more Physical Damage, the effect is twice as strong after four seconds
	Flesh and Stone - use Blood Stance to Maim nearby enemies and have them receive increased Damage
	Blood and Sand - you can choose between Blood Stance for more Damage and less AoE, or Sand Stance for more AoE and less Damage
	Herald of Purity - it's used only because it grants you more Physical Damage
	Enlighten Support - the reservation cost of linked Spells is much lower

[UTILITY] Vulnerability setup
	Vulnerability - Curse that's great with Bleeding as it makes enemies more vulnerable to Physical Damage, and Bleeding Damage which is more potent
	Blasphemy Support - Vulnerability is a permanent Aura that reserves Mana and affects enemies nearby

[MOBILITY] Leap Slam Shell
	Leap Slam - an Attack that you can use to jump and move faster
	Lifetap Support - Leap Slam cost Life but no Mana
	Faster Attacks Support - you can use Leap Slam faster, increasing your mobility

[UTILITY] Stone Golem setup
	Stone Golem - Stone Golem regenerates your Life every second and Taunt enemies
	Cast when Damage Taken - keep it at level 20, same as Stone Golem - it will be triggered automatically as you take enough damage

[UTILITY] various gems
	Ancestral Warchief - this Totem grants you more Damage as it stays active
	Molten Shell - you should use it to mitigate a portion of the damage you're receiving from hits
	Blood Rage - grants you Life Leech, Attack Speed, and Frenzy Charges at the cost of your Life
	Increased Duration Support - all the linked Skills last longer

[UTILITY] Rallying Cry
	Rallying Cry - a Warcry that Exerts your Attacks to make them deal additional Damage

5. Gear Setup

Just try to accumulate as much Physical Damage, Damage over Time, and Maximum Life as you can. The Armour on your Body Armour is a valuable asset since it's doubled - that's why you can go for The Brass Dome if you feel like it. There are almost no required Unique items, but you should use some of the ones presented here since they're mostly cheap and perfectly suited for the build. You will need to look for intelligence since you won't get any from your Skill Tree. It's a Resolute Technique build - don't look for Accuracy Rating or Critical Strike modifiers. 

(Helmet) Devoto's Devotion - it's a Helmet that's perfectly suited for similar builds as it grants a lot of useful stats and even Chaos Resistance. It also makes this rather slow build feel much smoother to play

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - the regular mods like Life, Resistances, and Armour will be good enough

Min. requirements: +50% to Elemental Resistances +60 to maximum Life Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage Optional affixes: Intelligence Armour

Helmet enchantment: 40% increased Earthquake Damage

(Weapon) Rare Two-Handed Axe - the most common option for such build - you can easily get a lot of base Damage and mods increasing your Damage over Time with Bleeding here

Min. requirements: around 700 DPS 130% increased Physical Damage Adds around 50 Physical Damage 20% increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: Attacks have chance to cause Bleeding increased Damage with Bleeding Physical Damage over Time Multiplier

(Weapon) Atziri's Disfavour - one of the most iconic Unique Axes in the game that was once the most desired Two-Handed weapon in the game. It still offers reasonable damage and extra levels to Support Gems making it a fully viable choice

25% chance to Maim on Hit +2 to Level of Socketed Support Gems Adds (205-220) to (250-270) Physical Damage (12-16)% increased Attack Speed 25% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit +2 to Weapon Range

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - a Body Armour with a lot of Maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, and additional utility mods will be sufficient

Min. requirements: +100 to maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Socketed Attacks have -15 to Total Mana Cost Enemies you Kill have a chance to Explode, dealing a tenth of their Maximum Life as Physical Damage increased Area of Effect Armour

(Body Armour) The Brass Dome - Has a lot of Armour which is always good with Unbreakable. The additional Resistances are also a great addition, but the downside is that it lowers your Maximum Life.

(350-400)% increased Armour +(1-5)% to all maximum Elemental Resistances Strength provides no bonus to Maximum Life Take no Extra Damage from Critical Strikes

(Boots) Rare Boots - Life, Movement Speed, and Elemental Resistances are essential, you can also look for Onslaught on Kill which is a rare and expensive mod

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed +60% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Armour chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill

(Boots) Death's Door - These are great - it's a lot of default stats with an additional Maximum Endurance Charge and Bleeding immunity

+(20-40) to Strength 200% increased Armour and Energy Shield +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed +1 to Maximum Endurance Charges 50% increased Elemental Ailment Duration on you Bleeding cannot be inflicted on you

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Spiked Gloves for Melee Damage or Apothecary's Gloves for Damage over Time will be a good base for your Gloves which should provide Life and Resistances

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed increased Melee Damage increased Damage while Leeching (crafted)

(Belt) Rare Belt - seek a regular Stygian Vise with Life and Resistances - as much of it as you can afford

Min. requirements: +90 maximum Life +70% to Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Maximum Life Armour increased damage

(Amulet) Impresence (Physical) - The only viable option if you're using Blasphemous Vulnerability. It's overall a good Amulet with goos stats that you should definitely equip.

+(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 no Reservation if Cast as an Aura Gain Maddening Presence for 10 seconds when you Kill a Rare or Unique Enemy

Recommended Anointments: Tenacity Bastion Breaker Panopticon

(Ring) Rare Rings - Use Rings with added Physical Damage to Attacks - Steel Rings are great since that's their Implicit modifier. Look For Intelligence and craft a mod to reduce the Mana Cost of Skills.

Min. requirements: +80% to Elemental Resistances +60 to Maximum Life Adds Physical Damage to Attacks Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted) Optional affixes: increased Melee Damage increased Attack Speed Adds Physical Damage to Attacks Intelligence

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Pride is your only Aura, look for the mod "chance to deal Double Damage while using Pride"

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

(Jewel) Lethal Pride - It's used to grant you more Strength - it translates to Damage and maximum Life. Put it near Stamina.

Commanded leadership over (10000-18000) warriors under (Akoya-Kaom-Rakiata) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Karui Historic

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Maximum Life, Intelligence, and some kind of damage suited for this build are valuable stats here

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Physical/Area Damage with a two-handed axe Intelligence Elemental Resistances

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - it's an optional Jewels you can use if need more Damage

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Iron Breaker 1 Added Passive Skill is Smite the Weak 1 Added Passive Skill is Force Multiplier 1 Added Passive Skill is Battle-Hardened 1 Added Passive Skill is Master the Fundamentals

(Flask) Lion's Roar - almost every build that deals Physical Damage with Melee Attacks should use this Flask

+1500 to Armour Adds Knockback to Melee Attacks during Flask effect Knocks Back Enemies in an Area when you use a Flask 75% chance to cause Enemies to Flee on use (7-10)% more Melee Physical Damage during effect

Other suggested Flasks: Quicksilver Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Life Flask with random ailment removal Silver Flask with random ailment removal Sulphur Flask with random ailment removal

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.