Fire Elemental Hit
Deadeye/Ranger Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.6

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Estimated budget: low

Elemental Hit has become a very popular skill since the buffs it received in Patch 3.3. Its' DPS comes from the skill itself and is less dependant on gear which makes it a great pick for a League Starter build. On top of that, you can convert nearly 100% of other Elemental Damage types it deals with Fire, thanks to Avatar of Fire passive (or Xoph's Blood amulet for wealthier players). Converting Damage nearly triples Elemental Hit's DPS when it picks the Fire element, and Combat Focus jewels can prevent the skill from choosing both Cold and Lightning Damage types. Sadly, Patch 3.4 nerfed the Damage of converted Elements by 50%, which lowers the total DPS output of this build by approximately 35%.

We would like to also invite you to check the full list of our Path of Exile's Builds that can be found here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This is a typical ranged/bow build. It is based on the reworked Elemental Hit, which deals only Fire Damage thanks to Avatar of Fire passive, Cold to Fire Support Gem and The Call of the Brotherhood unique ring. The skill provides insane DPS, requires no expensive gear and allows farming high T12+ maps on less than 1 Exalted Orb budget and 5-links. On the other hand, this build provides very good defenses with over 200% increased maximum Life from the Passives on the Skill Tree, over 20,000 Evasion and 40%/30% chance to Dodge Attacks and Spells.

0:06 Tier 16 Lair of the Hydra 0:33 Tier 16 Maze of the Minotaur 1:16 Tier 16 Pit of the Chimera 1:43 Tire 16 Forge of the Phoenix This video was recorded on a level 88 Deadeye using Xoph's Blood Amulet and +3 Bow. The gameplay is exactly the same as in the guide below, but we had slightly higher DPS thanks to the higher budget

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling as a Ranger, similar to other ranged classes, is rather easy. You can use Elemental Hit right after you reach level 12. At first, you should stick to using all elements, and go for the Elemental Conversion (Cold to Fire, Avatar of Fire, Call of the Brotherhood) when you are around level 70 and can get Avatar of Fire without skipping too many important nodes on your way up there. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Burning Arrow setup
	Burning Arrow - one of the first available bow skills in PoE
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds Lightning Damage to the Burning Arrow skill
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles Support - this will make your BA quite viable for clearing bigger packs as well

Elemental Hit setup
	Elemental Hit - primary attack skill used in this build. You can socket it right after you reach level 12
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - greatly increases the DPS of Elemental Hit
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support
	Faster Attacks Support

Utility Gems
	Ice Golem - the recommended Golem for this build which increases your Crit. Chance and Accuracy Rating
	Poacher's Mark - quite a decent Curse for this build while leveling. It not only reduces the cursed monsters' chance to evade attacks but also grants amazing Life and Mana recovery on Hit
	Haste - increases your Attack and Movement Speed. If you can afford one early on, you can also use the Vaal Haste Gem instead with the Aura turned on

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for increased Crit. Multiplier and Elemental Resistances

Leveling Skill Trees:

33 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Finesse 2) Herbalism 3) Primeval Force 4) Fury Bolts 5) Bravery

64 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Lethality 2) Acrobatics 3) Blood Drinker 4) Bloodless

94 Points Skill Tree
Assuming you decide to switch to Fire Damage Conversion at around level 70, you should have 90+ Passive Points at that time. Don't forget to:

1. Take the Avatar of Fire Passive
2. Equip The Pyre Ring
3. Switch Poacher's Mark Curse for Projectile Weakness and take the Mana Leech node right from the Shadow's starting point
4. Take two Jewel Sockets and use both of the Combat Focus Jewels to make Elemental Hit pick only the Fire Element

Recommended leveling items:

Goldrim - one of the best leveling helmets in Path of Exile
+(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)

Lochtonial Caress - one of the best leveling gloves in Path of Exile, and they are available as early as level 1
(10-15)% increased Attack Speed (10-15)% increased Cast Speed +(20-30) to maximum Life (15-10)% reduced maximum Mana 10% chance to gain a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge on Kill Conduit

Karui Ward - grants amazing DPS boost to any bow builds during leveling
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Stormcloud - extremely powerful Bow for Elemental Hit builds, which can also be used in the end-game (it is much cheaper than The Tempest and the difference in DPS is rather small)
No Physical Damage Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage (36-50)% increased Attack Speed

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

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

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Far Shot
2. Ricochet
3. Gathering Winds
4. Fast and Deadly

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] Elemental Hit (Bosses/single-target setup in Bow)
	Elemental Hit - your primary source of DPS
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Elemental Focus Support - greatly increases Elemental Damage but makes supported skills unable to inflict Elemental Ailments
	Fire Penetration Support - makes Elemental Hit penetrate a big portion of monsters' Fire Resistance
	Slower Projectiles Support - should replace Chain Support again tougher Bosses
	Empower Support - increases the level of supported Active Gems. Use Empower level 3 or higher

[DPS] Elemental Hit (map clearing/farming setup in Body Armour)
	Elemental Hit
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Combustion Support - reduces Fire Resistance of enemies Ignited by supported skill. Also, increases Fire Damage
	Greater Multiple Projectiles - increases the number of Elemental Hit's projectiles which increases your clear speed
	Mirage Archer Support - one of the best Support Gems for leveling and farming. It creates a Mirage Archer on your back who uses the supported Attacks even when you are running and progressing through Maps
	Fire Penetration Support

[CURSE] Orb of Storms setup
	Orb of Storms - will apply your Curse and generate Power Charges. Use this Gem on a low level to minimize the Mana cost
	Curse on Hit Support - makes supported spells apply the supported Curse
	Projectile Weakness - the recommended Curse for this build
	Power Charge on Critical Support - makes Orb of Storms generate Power Charges

[UTILITY] Immortal Call and Vaal Haste setup
	Vaal Haste - increases your Attack and Movement Speed for a brief duration. You can also use the regular Haste Aura if you feel comfortable reserving that much Mana. I have personally turned it off only against Bosses
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast supported spells after a certain amount of damage is taken by the player. Do not upgrade it above level 1
	Immortal Call - grants brief Physical Damage immunity. Keep this Gem at level 3
	Increased Duration Support - will extend the duration of Immortal Call and Vaal Haste effects

[UTILITY] Various Gems (single sockets)
	Ice Golem - Ice Golem grants increased chance to Critically Hit and increased Accuracy Rating
	Blood Rage - increases Attack Speed, Life Leech, and generates Frenzy Charges
	Herald of Ash - increases your Fire Damage and causes AoE explosions when you kill enemies
	Blink Arrow - Movement Skill which can be used with Bows

5. Gear Setup

This Elemental Hit Fire Conversion Deadeye is a budget-friendly build and below you will find all the recommended gear for it. We have decided to not use Xoph's Amulet to minimize the total cost of items. Also, the Bow listed (Silverbough) is the most cost-effective choice for this build. 

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Help you cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Starkonja's Head - one of the best helmets for this build. At the same time, it is very cheap and easily obtainable even early in the League

50% reduced Damage when on Low Life +(50-70) to Dexterity 10% increased Attack Speed 25% increased Global Critical Strike Chance (100-130)% increased Evasion Rating +(80-100) to maximum Life 150% increased Global Evasion Rating when on Low Life

Helmet enchantments: 15% increased Elemental Hit Attack Speed

(Weapon) Silverbough - grants two additional levels to Socketed Gems and Elemental Hit making it a very solid Bow for this build. It's much cheaper than Rare +3 Bow and still does the job

+1 to Level of Socketed Gems +1 to Level of Socketed Bow Gems (80-100)% increased Physical Damage Adds (15-25) to (50-60) Physical Damage 10% increased Attack Speed +30 to Accuracy Rating +10 Mana gained on Kill

(Quiver) Rare Life/Crit Quiver - with high Attack Speed bonus

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 25% Increased Critical Strike Multiplier 25% Increased Critical Strike Chance 12% increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: Increased Elemental Damage with Attacks Added Fire Damage to Attacks

(Body Armour) Daresso's Defiance - a very good option for this build. It also received significant buff in Patch 3.5 increasing the effect of Onslaught by 60-100%

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (160-200)% increased Armour and Evasion +(60-90) to maximum Life (0.4-0.6)% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 6% chance to Dodge Attack Hits You lose all Endurance Charges when Hit You gain an Endurance Charge on Kill You gain Onslaught for 5 seconds per Endurance Charge when Hit (60-100)% increased Onslaught Effect

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 2000 Evasion Rating Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances

(Amulet) Rare Amulet

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attacks 30% increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier 30 Intelligence Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances

(Ring) Pyre - grants high Cold to Fire Damage Conversion, greatly increasing your DPS

+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance +(25-35)% to Fire Resistance (60-80)% increased Burning Damage 40% of Cold Damage Converted to Fire Damage 10% increased Light Radius Ignited Enemies you hit are destroyed on Kill

(Ring) Rare Ring

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 200 Accuracy Rating 30% Fire Resistance 30% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Elemental Damage with Attacks Attributes

(Ring) The Taming - extremely powerful Ring which grants the highest possible DPS combined with Pyre. However, it is very expensive and should only be considered by wealthier players

+(8-10)% to all Elemental Resistances 20% increased Damage with Hits and Ailments per Freeze, Shock and Ignite on Enemy 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills +(20-30)% to all Elemental Resistances 30% increased Elemental Damage 10% chance to Freeze, Shock and Ignite

(Boots) Rare Boots - get a pair with the highest maximum Life and Movement Speed bonuses you can afford

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% increased Movement Speed 24% Fire Resistance 40% Lightning Resistance 24% Cold Resistance

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

(Belt) Rare Belt

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - extra attack speed may be a good addition in end-game versions of this build

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 35% Fire resistance 35% Lightning resistance 20% Cold resistance Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed Added Fire Damage to Attacks

(Jewel) Rare Jewels

Recommended affixes: maximum Life increased Fire/Projectile Damage increased Attack Speed with Bows Optional affixes: increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewel) Combat Focus - Crimson jewel that blocks the Cold element

Elemental Hit deals (10-15)% increased Damage With 40 total Strength and Intelligence in Radius, Elemental Hit cannot choose Cold

(Jewel) Combat Focus - Viridian jewel that blocks the Lightning element

Elemental Hit deals (10-15)% increased Damage With 40 total Dexterity and Strength in Radius, Elemental Hit cannot choose Lightning

(Flask) The Wise Oak - if you manage to have your uncapped Fire Resistance the highest, make sure to use The Wise Oak for extra Fire Res. Penetration

+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

(Flask) Dying Sun - increases the number of your projectiles which greatly increases your clear speed. Should only be picked up by wealthy players

+50% to Fire Resistance 20% less Fire Damage taken (-10-10)% increased Charges used (15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Catalysed Eternal Mana Flask of Reflexes (increased Evasion Rating) Ample Diamond Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity)

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.