Flame Dash
Elementalist Build

Updated for Patch 3.19

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Movement Spells are rarely considered a viable damage source, certainly not the main one in a build, so you might be surprised to see that a Flame Dash can become a foundation of a functional Burning Damage setup. Divergent Flame Dash has a unique property - it deals 2% more Burning Damage per 1% Gem Quality. Note that's "more", not "increased" which in this case is much better. We are then able to increase the Quality by up to 74% resulting in 148% more Burning Damage just with Ashes of the Stars and Enhance Support. DOT Skills scale up really well with Gem Level, so the main setup will be located in Bronn's Lithe - a Body Armour which has been improved in patch 3.19 to increase damage with Movement Skills and grant them 5 extra Gem Levels, which is unheard of for the regular meta Spells. To increase Cooldown Recovery for Flame Dash and use it without the need to stop, it's required to Anoint Fleetfoot Notable and get Watcher's Eye with a specific Haste modifier. The burning trail of Flame Dash is not very wide so to have bearable clear speed the only required item is Berek's Respite which spreads Ignite on death.

The Damage of Flame Dash consists of two components: the Ignite Damage caused by Hit, and the Burning (not Ignite) Damage caused by Burning Ground. Both of these are Fire Damage over Time effects and the damage of them is split roughly into two equal parts. Keep that fact in mind, there are a lot of modifiers that affect only Ignite Damage, so it's better to look for the more inclusive Burning Damage modifiers. The build is extremely effective against stationary targets that will stay in the Burning Ground. For Defenses, it uses Armour and Evasion Rating sourced mostly from Auras. It is able to gain Block Chance with a Shield and high Spell Suppression Chance with expensive rare gear. The build has around 4k of Maximum Life, it again depends heavily on the gear, and a rapid Life Regeneration due to Immortal Flesh Belt. Another addition is Primal Aegis as one of Elementalist's Keystones. Energy Shield is used only as a source of Mana with Eldritch Battery, it will be needed to cast Divine Malevolence.

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1. Gameplay

The gameplay is unusual as you're using Flame Dash not only to deal damage but also to move around faster. It makes this build very quick. The Ignite will spread on enemies' death, dealing enough damage to kill any magic or even rare monster instantly. Vortex can be used passively as you move to Ignite and kill bosses via Culling Strike Support. For a Curse use Flammability, cast via Orb of Storms with Combustion. Molten Shell is being cast automatically via Cast when Damage Taken. For Auras the build uses Determination, Grace, Defiance Banner, Haste. and temporary Malevolence with Divine Blessing Support.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

A compelling leveling guide for this build can be found here: Witch Leveling Guide using Ignite.

Bandits:

you should kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

24 Points Skill Tree
Start with Maximum Life and a lot of Fire Damage

64 Points Skill Tree
Pick Elemental overload, more Damage over Time, Fire Damage, Maximum Life, and Sovereignty for Reservation Efficiency

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

98 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Items, Unique, or Cluster Jewels)
118 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Shaper of Flames
2. Mastermind of Discord
3. Heart of Destruction
4. Bastion of Elements

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Arakaali: 10% reduced Damage taken from Damage Over Time

Minor God: Soul of Abberath: 60% less Duration of Ignite on You

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Flame Dash setup
	Divergent Flame Dash - Use the Divergent version of Flame Dash for more Burning Damage. It leaves Burning Ground and causes Ignite which spreads instantly via Berek's Respite.
	Efficacy Support - More Damage over Time and increased Skill Effect Duration so the burning ground will linger longer.
	Burning Damage Support - Use it for simply more Burning Damage.
	Cruelty Support - Grants more Damage with Hits and a Cruelty Buff, which again grants more Damage over Time.
	Enhance Support - Increases Quality, which in turn grants more Damage over Time for the Divergent Flame Dash.
	Swift Affliction Support - Yet another Support Gem that grants more Damage over Time, but lowers Skill Effect Duration.

[UTILITY] Flammability setup
	Flammability - A Curse that lowers Fire Resistance.
	Orb of Storms - Orb of Storms Hits enemies with a Chaining beam Igniting them.
	Combustion Support - Enemies Ignited by Orb of Storms have reduced Fire Resistance.
	Hextouch Support - Orb of Storm will apply linked Curse on Hit - Flammability.

[UTILITY] Aura setup
	Grace - Grace increases and adds more Evasion Rating.
	Determination - Increases and adds Armour Rating.
	Haste - Haste is used mostly for the Movement Speed bonus and Watcher's Eye modifier for increased Cooldown Recovery for Flame Dash.
	Enlighten Support - Increases the Mana Reservation Efficiency for linked Auras.

[UTILITY] Malevolence setup
	Malevolence - The best damage-wise Aura for DOT builds, it grants more Damage over Time and increases Skill Effect Duration.
	Divine Blessing Support - Makes Malevolence a temporary Aura so that it won't reserve Mana, but now the build requires an Eldritch Battery to afford it.
	Inspiration Support - Lowers Mana Cost of Malevolence, you can go for the Divergent version to lower the cost even further.

[UTILITY] Vortex setup
	Vortex - Vortex is used to Chill and Ignite enemies, it enables the effects of Sadist Notable, it deals low damage but enough to kill weak opponents, and Low-life bosses with Culling Strike.
	Culling Strike Support - Culling Strike makes the supported Skill instantly kill enemies that are below 10% of their Maximum Life.
	Lifetap Support - Use it to spend Life instead of Mana on Vortex.

[UTILITY] Molten Shell setup
	Molten Shell - It mitigates incoming Hit Damage to some extent. It lasts longer the more Armour you have.
	Cast when Damage Taken - It will automatically cast Molten Shell after taking damage and can be leveled all the way up.

[UTILITY] Defiance Banner
	Defiance Banner - Increases Evasion and Armour, nearby enemies have significantly reduced Critical Strike Chance.

[UTILITY] Curse
	Punishment - If you can apply a second Curse, there are a few to choose from. Alchemist's Mark, Temporal Chains, and Enfeeble are also good choices.

6. Gear Setup

If you have played a Righteous Fire build before then you know what to prioritize. Here, however, you might also find Ignite Damage useful, not as useful as Burning Damage, but it is still a source of half of your total damage. Another difference is the multiple Unique Items the build requires to function properly. Bronn's Lithe and Berek's Respite are must-haves. Ashes of the Stars is better than any Rare Amulet, and so probably is the Polaric Devastation Ring. Besides these gear pieces, we can also recommend the Forbidden Jewels for an extra Keystone and Brutal Restraint as you will need a lot of extra Dexterity for all the Gems. Try to gain as much Maximum Life, Resistances, and Dexterity as you can from your rare gear. Spell Suppression and Block Chance can also be utilized to improve your defenses. For Damage, seek Burning Damage, that is Fire Damage over Time. Fire Damage and Damage over Time are good too, but usually the more specific the mod, the more potent it is.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - A regular Helmet with just the most basic defensives will be fine, Spell Suppression and Dexterity can naturally occur on bases with an Evasion Rating.

Min. requirements: +80% to Elemental Resistances +70 to maximum Life Optional affixes: Spell Suppression Chance Chaos Resistance Dexterity Nearby Enemies have -#% to Fire Resistance

Helmet enchantments: Flame Dash has 30% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate 40% increased Flame Dash Damage

(Weapon) Rare Wand/Dagger/Sceptre - Level of Fire or Spell Skill gems are the most favorable, you can have the level of the Flame Dash increased by two extra levels by such a weapon. Burning Damage is the second-best addition.

Min. requirements: +1 to Level of all Fire Spell Skill Gems 100% increased Spell/Fire/Burning Damage Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems Damage over Time Multiplier Adds Fire Damage to Spells

(Off-hand) Rare Shield - Again seek the basic defensives as was the case with a Helmet. A Rare Shield can also get you more Block Chance and Maximum Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: 80 Maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Chance to Suppress Spell Damage Chaos Resistance Block Chance Maximum Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) Bronn's Lithe - +5 to Level of Socketed Movement Gems and increased Damage with Movement Skills is the unique selling point of this Body Armour. You might need to prepare quite a lot of Chromatic Orbs to suit your main setup.

+5 to Level of Socketed Movement Gems 10% increased Attack Speed (60-100)% increased Damage with Movement Skills (200-250)% increased Evasion Rating 10% increased Movement Speed

(Boots) Rare Boots - Seek Maximum Life, Movement Speed, Resistances, Attributes, and Spell Suppression Chance. You might want to craft an anti-Freeze Prefix.

Min. requirements: +50% to Elemental Resistances +60 to Maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Spell Suppression Chance Attributes Cannot be Frozen

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Basic gloves don't offer many unique modifiers, but you can get the Warlord ones for increased Damage over Time.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes increased Damage over Time Spell Suppression Chance

(Belt) Immortal Flesh - Immortal Flesh, which was buffed in patch 3.19, is the source of immense Life Regeneration, Maximum Life, and reduced Physical Damage Taken. You can't Leech life from Damage over Time, so Life Regeneration is one of the very few tools to replenish Life.

+(25-40) to maximum Life +(75-100) to maximum Life Regenerate (200-350) Life per second Regenerate (8-10) Mana per second -(25-15)% to all Elemental Resistances -(50-40) Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits 40% increased Armour while not Ignited, Frozen or Shocked

(Amulet) Ashes of the Stars  - You can't reasonably hope for a better Rare Amulet. The Extra Quality, Gem Level, and Reservation Efficiency are all very important.

+(10-16) to all Attributes (5-10)% increased Experience Gain of Gems (10-20)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills +1 to Level of all Skill Gems +(20-30)% to Quality of all Skill Gems

Recommended Anointments: Fleetfoot

(Ring) Berek's Respite - This Ring makes your Ignite spread to nearby enemies setting up a chain reaction that improves your clear speed, something that the build would otherwise struggle with.

+(12-16)% to Fire and Lightning Resistances Adds (20-25) to (30-50) Fire Damage to Spells and Attacks (25-30)% increased Lightning Damage +(30-40) to maximum Mana When you Kill a Shocked Enemy, inflict an equivalent Shock on each nearby Enemy When you Kill an Ignited Enemy, inflict an equivalent Ignite on each nearby Enemy

(Ring) Polaric Devastation - Put it in your right ring slot to cover enemies in Ash, it reduces movement speed and increases Fire Damage Taken. It also grants a lot of Cold and Fire Resistances.

(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage (15-25)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance +(20-40)% to Fire Resistance +(20-40)% to Cold Resistance (10-20)% increased Duration of Ailments on Enemies Left Ring slot: Cover Enemies in Ash for 5 seconds when you Ignite them Right Ring slot: Cover Enemies in Frost for 5 seconds when you Freeze them

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Rare Jewels should get you the missing Attributes or Resistances. Try to get more Maximum Life and Burning Damage from them too.

Recommended affixes: Elemental or Chaos Resistances Added Fire Damage to Spells Attributes Maximum Life Burning Damage

(Jewel) Brutal Restraint - It's used only for the extra Dexterity, but there might be a chance to gain a minor bonus from an upgraded Notable in its radius, which might be, for example, one for even more Dexterity.

Denoted service of (500-8000) dekhara in the akhara of Nasima Passives in radius are Conquered by the Maraketh Historic

(Jewel) Forbidden Flesh & Forbidden Flame - Shaper of Storms or Malediction are the two best Keystones. We've picked Malediction for extra Curse and Curse effectiveness, but Shaper of Storms would be better for more consistent damage.

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) Watcher's Eye - Haste's increased Cooldown Recovery Rate of Movement Skills can be very good - it goes up to 50% which is a lot. Your other Auras are Determination, Grace, and temporary Malevolence.

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

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - Sadist and Smoking Remains are probably the best two Notables to get, but any Notable from a Fire-oriented Cluster Jewels would be an improvement.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Cremator 1 Added Passive Skill is Burning Bright 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Sadist 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction 1 Added Passive Skill is Smoking Remains

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - One Master of Fire for Fire Exposure would be great. Blowback, Burning Bright, Lord of Drought, and other Damage over Time nodes are good. Many of them can be found on a variety of different types of Medium Cluster Jewels, that's why Megalomaniac Jewels might be of use.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Lord of Drought 1 Added Passive Skill is Master of Fire 1 Added Passive Skill is Blowback 1 Added Passive Skill is Burning Bright 1 Added Passive Skill is Flow of Life 1 Added Passive Skill is Student of Decay

(Flask) Cinderswallow Urn - It grants an Onslaught buff, increases your Damage, and offers one Veiled modifier. We recommend Life or Energy Shield recovery on Kill.

Onslaught +90 to Maximum Charges Recharges 5 Charges when you Consume an Ignited corpse (175-200)% increased Charges per use Enemies Ignited by you during Flask Effect take (7-10)% increased Damage Veiled Suffix <One of the three modifiers>

Other suggested Flasks: Quicksilver Flask with an increased Movement Speed Quartz Flask with increased Evasion Rating Granite Flask with increased Armour Rating Seething Life Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal or Jade Flask

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.