Facebreaker Cyclone of Tumult
Champion Build

Updated for Patch 3.26

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Facebreaker is a very unique pair of gloves - you gain up to 1000% more Physical Damage with Unarmed Melee Attacks. It's really a lot, but with no weapon, you will have significantly reduced flat damage - the actual numbers that you want to have more of. There are a lot of ways to obtain Flat Physical Damage, mostly from your gear. It's a Pure Physical Build, as most Champion builds are - Champion specializes in increasing the effectiveness of Impale, Fortify, Banners, and many other utility buffs. In this build, the most effective Ascendancy Keystones are Master of Metal - for added Flat Damage and Imaple buffs, Worthy Foe, and the Worthy Cause branch. It improves your Aura and Banner Effect and the general damage with durability. Berserk is also a viable choice due to its powerful keystones, but Champion is a well-balanced option.

The Impale mechanic works great with pure Physical and quickly attacking builds such as this one. It's a Critical Strike build that uses some clever ways to gain more base Critical Strike Chance - it may result in a complete 100% Critical Strike Chance with the right Items and Skills. The build is very tanky - your Maximum Life can reach 4k with a casual player's budget, and the damage you take from hits is significantly lowered - you have a lot of Armour, medium Block Chance, and over 20 Fortify. The build isn't expensive, but if have currency, there are a lot of ways to improve it, mostly by getting better gear, Cluster Jewels, and Facebreaker with a higher damage bonus. The 3.26 update added a powerful Seven Teachings Armour which we will, of course, include. We've also overhauled the whole build as it was a bit old at this point.

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

1. Gameplay

This build is a complete no-brainer. You spin around Maps killing everything on your path. From time to time cast Frostblink and place Banners. All the other skills are automated: General's Cry, Blood Rage, Molten Shell, and all the other Mana-Reserving Skill. Your only worry is placing Banners - War banner and Defiance Banner.

This video was recorded on a level 93 Champion on Standard. We had casual/budget build actually used, with literally no legacy/expensive gear. It ended up pretty for what is it - a beginner-friendly Resolute Technique build with good defenses and solid DPS. There is plenty of space for improvement, so if you are interested in investing more time into this character, please don't treat our character from the video as your final goal :)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

A compelling leveling guide for this build can be found here: Duelist Leveling Guide using Melee/Impale. It's a guide designed to speed up the leveling process for the Duelist class, which also includes this Impale-focused build.

Bandits:

You should kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points which is the only viable option for this build

Leveling Skill Trees:

22 Points Skill Tree
Take this path to a Point Blank, Onslaught, Phasing, and Life. If you don't use Splitting Steel, don't take Point Blank.

61 Points Skill Tree
Allocate more Maximum Life, Resistances, Chance to Impale, Accuracy, Reservation Efficiency, and Damage corresponding to your specific weapon.

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

92 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
123 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Master of Metal
2. Worthy Foe
3. Inspirational
4. Worthy Cause

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 Garukhan: 60% reduced Effect of Shock on you

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Cyclone setup
	Cyclone of Tumult - Cyclone is a Channeling Attack that allows you to move while dealing Melee Physical Damage around you, it has a very high Attack Speed making it most suitable for this build. The tumultuous version hits slower, but as you continue to channel, it grows in power.
	Brutality Support - Increases your Physical, but disables Elemental and Chaos Damage.
	Melee Physical Damage Support - At a small cost of your Attack Speed, it greatly increases Melee Physical Damage.
	Pulverise Support - More AoE, and Area Damage, slightly lowered Attack Speed. Later on, around level 90, replace it with Increased Critical Strikes for a higher Crit Chance.
	Infused Channeling Support - Greatly increases the damage you deal with Channeling Skills, and decreases damage from AoE, Hits, Channeling, Physical, and Melee Hits while Channeling.
	Impale Support - Improves your chance to impale and the effect of this debuff on enemies. Consider the Anomalous version for an extra 10% Chance to Impale.

[UTILITY] Warcry and Blood Rage setup
	Blood Rage - Blood Rage grants you more Attack Speed, Life Leech, and generates Frenzy Charges as you kill enemies, it drains your Life as it's active.
	Enhance Support - By upgrading the Quality of Blood Rage you're able to get more Attack Speed, and more Damage from Assassin's Mark. If you have no mana for Assassin's Mark, replace it with Lifetap.
	Assassin's Mark - Increases Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier against the marked enemy.
	Mark on Hit Support - Linked Mark triggers automatically on Hit against Rare and Unique enemies.

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Pride - It's the obligatory Aura for Physical Melee build for it makes enemies near you take more Physical Damage, and if the distance will remain short, the bonus increases even more.
	War Banner - Place it down for more Accuracy Rating and More Damage.
	Defiance Banner - Place it down for an increased Movement Speed and Spell Suppression Chance (used mostly for Movement Speed while mapping).
	Flesh and Stone - Take less damage in Sand Stance; nearby enemies take increased Physical Damage in Blood Stance.
	Blood and Sand - Sand Stance for more spread-out damage, Blood Stance for more concentrated damage.
	Precision - Adds Accuracy Rating and increases Critical Strike Chance.

[MOBILITY] Frostblink
	Frostblink - You can use it to move around without interrupting Cyclone.

[UTILITY] Guard Skill setup
	Steelskin - use Steelskin as your Guard Spell to reduce incoming damage. You can also replace it with Molten Shell if you have over 10k Armour for a better effect, which you should.
	Cast when Damage Taken - Automatically triggers Guard Spell after taking damage. Can be replaced with Automation if that suits you better (if you die to single hits).

[UTILITY] Warcry setup
	General's Cry - Does nothing. You want to Warcry often to gain Rage from a Rage Mastery and Valour from Banner Mastery. GC has the lowest Cooldown out of all Warcries.
	Autoexertion - Triggers GC for you. You're busy Cycloning.

6. Gear Setup

The build isn't expensive to set up, it can be even played as a starter. The only Uniques that are really necessary are Facebreaker, and these are so Cheap that you can actually seek a specific Corruption on them - the most popular being an Extra Frenzy Charge or Attack Speed. Flat Physical Damage (numbers, not percentages) is by far the most influential stat - it can be found on almost any Rare gear slot so keep an eye on it, but Abyssus is especially abundant with it. 155 Dexterity is required for this build to work properly (Blood Rage and Dash), and 111 Intelligence (Infused Channeling). You will need to seek these Attributes on Jewels and Jewelry. Going Critical is only available if you have a good Seven Teachings. Otherwise, go for the Resolute Technique.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - Look for an Elder Helmet that has a mod "Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage", a lot of Life, and Elemental Resistances. If you have a free Suffix, you can Craft some Attributes here.

Min. requirements: +90 to Maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage Optional affixes: Increased Effect of Fortify on you Chaos Resistance Attributes

(Helmet) Abyssus - it's a mad idea to equip an item that makes you take 40 to 50 percent increased Physical Damage, but if dying is not an issue then it is one of the best items on the list. It's a lot of Flat Physical Damage that will increase your overall DPS by something like 20 or 40%.

+(20-25) to all Attributes Adds 40 to 60 Physical Damage to Attacks +(100-125)% to Melee Critical Strike Multiplier (100-120)% increased Armour (40-50)% increased Physical Damage taken

(Shield) Rare Shield - A defensive and the most common option for a Shield is to have a rare one with a lot of Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: High Armour Rating Socketed Gems have 15% reduced Reservation Attributes Chaos Resistance

(Shield) Dawnbreaker - With Abyssus, you really don't want to take any Physical Damage, making this Shield probably the best choice in terms of survivability.

+(10-20) to maximum Life (150-250)% increased Armour +(20-25)% Chance to Block -1% Chance to Block Attack Damage for every 200 Fire Damage taken from Hits Recently (10-20)% of Cold Damage taken as Fire Damage (10-20)% of Lightning Damage taken as Fire Damage (10-20)% of Physical Damage taken as Fire Damage Scorch Enemies in Close Range when you Block

(Shield) Great Old One's Ward - This Shield is more offensive-oriented, it gives you no Elemental Resistance but a lot of Flat Physical Damage, a Chance to block Spells, increased Attack Speed, and a decent amount of Maximum Life.

3% increased Movement Speed (8-12)% Chance to Block Spell Damage Adds (8-12) to (15-20) Physical Damage to Attacks (6-10)% increased Attack Speed +(50-70) to maximum Life

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - A lot of Defensive and Utility Affixes can be found on a Body Armour, but the most important are the basics - Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: +120 to Maximum Life +40% to Elemental Resistances Attacks have +1% to Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Enemies you Kill have a #% chance to Explode, dealing a tenth of their maximum Life as Physical Damage increased Maximum Life Attributes

(Body Armour) Seven Teachings - The best Body Armour for this build. It enables Critical Strikes, which can easily quintuple your damage. Just look for good rolls on it.

Trigger a Socketed Spell on Unarmed Melee Critical Strike, with a 0.25 second Cooldown (1-7)% more Attack Speed with Unarmed Melee Attacks (100-777)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield (1-7)% increased Movement Speed +(0.1-0.7) metres to Melee Strike Range with Unarmed Attacks +(1-7)% to Unarmed Melee Attack Critical Strike Chance +(10-77)% to Critical Strike Multiplier with Unarmed Melee Attack

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - The Body Armour that provides you with a lot of Area Damage and Area of Effect - the two most important stats for Cyclone enthusiasts. The other Stats such as Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances are a nice addition that makes this item such a great choice.

(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

(Boots) Rare Boots - Boots should give you more Maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, and at least 25% increased Movement Speed - a very important stat that determines your Clear Speed.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life in total +80% to Elemental Resistances +25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Increased Armour You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently #% chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill Attributes

(Gloves) Facebreaker - These are very common Gloves that require you to wield no weapon for the huge damage bonus. The difference between the lowest and the Highest Roll on this Affix is around 20% of your Total DPS so it's really important to roll high. Look for a pair with at least 900% or more damage.

+30% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier 10% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold (600-1000)% more Physical Damage with Unarmed Attacks Extra gore Optional Corrupted Implicits: #% increased Attack Speed #% increased maximum Life +1 to Maximum Frenzy Charges

(Belt) Ryslatha's Coil - It adds Flat Damage, provides Maximum Life, and enhances the range of the Damage you can deal with Hits - more Maximum Damage and Less Minimum Damage.

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies +(20-40) to Strength (30-40)% more Maximum Physical Attack Damage (40-30)% less Minimum Physical Attack Damage Adds 1 to (15-20) Physical Damage to Attacks +(80-100) to maximum Life Gain 50 Life when you Stun an Enemy

(Belt) The Magnate - If you have 400 or more Strength, it's very similar to Ryslatha's Coil. We recommend it since it's usually cheaper and it has Elemental Resistances which are hard to come by in this build.

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies +(40-50) to Strength +(20-25)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Charges gained 10% chance to deal Double Damage while you have at least 200 Strength 5% chance to deal Triple Damage while you have at least 400 Strength

(Amulet) Rare Amulet  - A Base that adds some important Attributes is the most preferable, look for Added Flat Physical Damage to Attacks Mod, Maximum Life, and Elemental Resistances. If it's Warlord-influenced you can seek reduced Reservation of Pride or Determination.

Min. requirements: +90 to Maximum Life in total +40% to Elemental Resistances Adds 12 to 22 Physical Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: Pride/Determination has increased Mana Reservation Efficiency Attributes Critical Strike modifiers

(Amulet) Rigwald's Curse  - We heavily recommend this Amulet for the extra 7% base Critical Strike Chance - that's the amount a very good weapon would have. It also makes scouting for Claw modifiers on Jewels or Anointment profitable.

+(24-36)% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier +7% to Unarmed Melee Attack Critical Strike Chance Modifiers to Claw Damage also apply to Unarmed Attack Damage with Melee Skills Modifiers to Claw Attack Speed also apply to Unarmed Attack Speed with Melee Skills Modifiers to Claw Critical Strike Chance also apply to Unarmed Critical Strike Chance with Melee Skills Corrupted

Recommended Anointments: Charisma Claws of the Hawk (with Rigwald's Curse) Merciless Skewering

(Ring) Rare Steel Rings - Steel Rings should be the ones to look for, they add more Damage to Attacks, additionally, look for a Prefix that adds even more of it. The secondary statistic is of course Maximum Life.

Min. requirements: Adds 9 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks Attributes or Resistances +90 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance increased Attack Speed Channelling Skills have -3 to Total Mana Cost

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - You should strive for a Jewel that adds at least 7% to your Maximum Life and has one of the other mentioned stats that you're currently in need of. Abyss Jewels may be preferable due to the flat added Physical Damage you can get there.

Min. requirements: increased Maximum Life Elemental Resistances Dexterity Intelligence Critical Strike Multiplier Critical Strike Cahnce

(Jewel) Forbidden Flame & Forbidden Flesh - Almost anything's good. Impact, Bane of Legends, headsman, Brutal Fervour, and Endless Hunger (with Immortal Ambition to always Leech) are the best ones.

Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifiers on Forbidden Flesh Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifiers on Forbidden Flame

(Jewel) Lethal Pride - Lethal Pride can get you a lot of Strength and other bonuses, especially when socketed near Savagery.

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

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - The crown jewel of your build that should have a mod increasing the number of Impales you can inflict upon enemies, it can get expensive but it's worth the price.

(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: Impales you inflict last 2 additional Hits while using Pride (40-60)% increased Attack Physical Damage while using Pride

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - We've used two Large Cluster Jewels, Attack Damage, or Attack-Damage-while-holding-a-Shield bases have some good nodes in them.

Recommended Notables: 1 Added Passive Skill is Feed the Fury 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Martial Prowess 1 Added Passive Skill is Strike Leader 1 Added Passive Skill is Furious Assault 1 Added Passive Skill is Iron Breaker 1 Added Passive Skill is Master the Fundamentals

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - Critical Strike Cluster are excellent, we heavily recommend Quick Gateway for an increased Movement Speed.

Recommended Notables: 1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain 1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points 1 Added Passive Skill is Quick Gateway

(Flask) Lion's Roar - The most commonly used Flask for builds such as this one; it gives you a lot of Armour and Damage.

+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

(Flask) Bottled Faith - Grants a much higher chance to land a Critical Strike, increased Damage, and Consecrated Ground.

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask with Bleed Immunity Quicksilver Flask with increased Movement Speed Jade Flask with increased Evasion Granite Flask with increased Armour Diamond Flask with increased Critical Strike Chance Silver Flask with reduced effect of Shock or Curses on you

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.