Updated for Patch 3.23
The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
Guide notes |
February 5, 2024 -Updated for Patch 3.23 -Added support for the newly introduced Lacerate of Haemorrhage Gem |
Build overview | |||
Tags: [MELEE] [PHYSICAL] [BLEED] [LIFE] [STARTER] | |||
Budget: Defenses: |
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Boss DPS: AoE: |
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Gladiator is a typical sword & board type of character that offers very solid defenses regardless of your equipment. Thanks to Passive skills that increase your Block Chance, Gladiator is a perfect character to level up in new Leagues and/or play in the SSF mode. This build has very solid DPS and defenses, and with Melee changes introduced in Patch 3.7, it's a fully end-game viable build. For 3.17, we've decided to switch it to a mostly Bleed-based build, with no Implae mechanics implemented - it's able to reach over one million DPS with very basic gear this way. It's also moderately tanky, with over 5k of Maximum Life and high Block Chance. With the Affliction League came other major changes, mostly to Skill Gem setups.
We have decided to build this Gladiator on The Bringer of Rain, in order to drastically cut costs. A fully geared character that can clear Maps up to Tier 15 with ease will cost just a few Divine Orbs, making it one of the cheapest builds for low and mid-tier farming. The Bringer of Rain is a unique Helmet that offers a 7-link setup for just a few Chaos Orbs but makes you unable to use Body Armour. With it missing, you lose a bunch of valuable defensive stats that are compensated by Gladiator's high chance to Block and Armour Rating. As for patch 3.17, we've decided to include the setups with a regular Helmet and Body Armour since it is in a way just a better version of the build that you can upgrade to later.
You can check our other Path of Exile builds right here
Lacerate Gladiator is a typical Melee character. It utilizes a one-handed Axe and Shield to slice through enemies. Lacerate attacks twice with your main-hand weapon creating two waves. Enemies right in front of you can be hit by both waves simultaneously. The Lacerate Attack also deals more damage against bleeding targets. This build uses the Resolute Technique Passive, which saves you a lot of effort (and money) to reach enough Accuracy Rating on your gear to efficiently kill your enemies. While it is an insane damage buff up to mid-tier Maps, it limits your maximum possible DPS by making you unable to Critically Strike.
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PROS |
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CONS |
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Leveling with Gladiator is a very easy task. You should have enough defenses just from following the recommended Passive Skill Trees and upgrading your gear with self-found stuff once in a while. Your main priority should be increasing your DPS output by upgrading the weapon (aim for one-handed Axes with the highest base Physical DPS) and getting equipment with flat Added Physical Damage to Attacks, and increases to Attack Speed. Below you will find several useful unique items that will greatly boost you during the leveling phase.
Suggested leveling Gem setups:
Lacerate setup | |
Lacerate - primary Attack used in this build. It is recommended to upgrade it at the same time you level up your character. Use the Lacerate of Haemorrhage as soon as you can afford one. | |
Melee Physical Damage Support - primary Support Gem for any Melee/Physical build | |
Multistrike Support - makes you attack two more times with a greatly increased Attack Speed and slightly reduced damage | |
Maim Support - Maims enemies, which increases the Physical Damage they take and slows them down |
Shield Charge setup | |
Shield Charge - your primary mobility skill | |
Faster Attacks Support - increases your movement speed with Shield Charge |
Utility gems | |
Ancestral Warchief - allows you to create a Totem that increases your Melee Damage | |
Vulnerability - the recommended Curse for this build | |
Herald of Purity - grants more Physical Damage |
Bandits:
We recommend killing all the bandits for two additional Passive Points
Leveling Skill Trees:
23 Points Skill Tree
At this stage, the build is suited for any Attack Skill with a Shield and one-handed Weapon
54 Points Skill Tree
Go for the Resolute Technique, the Axe Cluster, more maximum Life, and generic Melee Damage nodes
84 Points Skill Tree
Now the build is adjusted to deal mostly Bleed Damage
Recommended leveling items:
Blackheart - one of the best leveling Rings for melee classes | |
Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks Adds (10-15) to (20-25) Chaos Damage to Attacks Regenerate (10-15) Life per second 10% chance to Cause Monsters to Flee |
Meginord's Girdle - an extremely powerful Belt, which equipped on level 8 will serve you for many many levels. You can easily keep it until you reach low-level Maps | |
+(25-35) to Strength +25 to Strength Adds 10 to 20 Physical Damage to Attacks 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate |
Crest of Perandus - the best low-level Shield which grants very high bonus Life | |
3% increased Movement Speed +(60-80) to maximum Life Regenerate (5-7.5) Life per second +30% to Lightning Resistance 0.6% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life +5% Chance to Block |
Screaming Eagle - one of the first unique Axes that can be used. It also increases your Movement Speed which is a perfect attribute for leveling faster |
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Socketed Gems are supported by Level 2 Chance to Flee Adds (10-15) to (25-30) Physical Damage +(10-15) to maximum Life Gain (5-7) Life per Enemy Killed 10% increased Movement Speed |
Goldrim - the best leveling Helmet in the game. It grants very high All Elemental Resistances bonuses, which makes it very useful until the early mapping phase | |
+(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) |
Final Skill Tree:
108 Points Final Skill Tree
123 Points Path of Building (PoB) link
Ascendancy points:
Preferably in that order:
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 Shakari 5% reduced chaos damage taken 25% reduced chaos damage over time taken while in a caustic cloud
[DPS] Lacerate setup socketed in The Bringer of Rain |
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Lacerate of Haemorrhage - your primary DPS skill. It's a swift Melee/AoE attack. The Haemorrhage variant has lower damage and less AoE, but has higher Attack Speed and deals more Damage with Bleeding. | |
Melee Physical Damage Support - increases Melee Physical Damage of supported skills | |
Multistrike Support - makes you repeat the Attack more times with increased Attack Speed | |
Brutality Support - use it to deal more Physical Damage and limit yourself only to this one type of Damage | |
Support Gems granted by The Bringer of Rain: | |
Faster Attacks Support - grants increased Attack Speed with supported skills | |
Blind Support - grants a chance to Blind enemies on Hit | |
Melee Physical Damage Support - increases Melee Physical Damage of supported skills |
[DPS] Alternative Lacerate setup for when you're not using The Bringer of Rain, but a 6-link Body Armour |
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Lacerate of Haemorrhage | |
Volatility Support - Your Bleed instances are restricted to 8 with Crimson Dance. Use this Support Gems to sometimes roll higher numbers, the low-damage Bleeds won't be taken into account (works similarly to the Ryslatha's Coil). | |
Multistrike Support | |
Brutality Support | |
Melee Physical Damage Support | |
Chance to Bleed Support - you have a higher chance of causing Bleeding, added Physical Damage, and more Bleed Damage |
[UTILITY] Reckoning/Ancestral Protector setup can be socketed in The Surrenderer |
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Ancestral Protector - summons a Totem for more Attack Speed | |
Maim Support - The Maimed enemy takes increased Damage and moves slower. | |
Lifetap Support | |
Support Gem granted by The Surrender: | |
Reckoning - Counter-attack skill which is granted by The Surrenderer shield. If you don't have it yet, just keep the other two Gems as listed above and add Reckoning to the setup. |
[UTILITY] Curse | |
Vulnerability - the recommended Curse for this build. If you manage to get the right Impresence Amulet, you can use it as an Aura around you, but it also can be gained from the Replica Witchfire Brew. Otherwise, link it to a low-level Cast when Damage Taken Gem or try to get it via Gloves Corruption. |
[MOBILITY] Leap Slam setup | |
Leap Slam - recommended Movement skill used in this build. You can also use Shield Charge which is faster but won't allow you to jump over cliffs and other obstacles | |
Faster Attacks Support - you can Leap much faster | |
Lifetap Support - allows you to pay no attention to Mana when moving, as you spend Life on the linked Skills instead |
[UTILITY] Auras setup | |
Pride - It's the default Aura for Melee Physical Builds, the enemies nearby take more Physical Damage | |
Determination - Adds and increases Armour to take less Physical Hit Damage. | |
Herald of Purity - it grants you more Physical Damage and creates Minions that can be used to divert the enemies' attention from you | |
Enlighten Support - The most efficient way to fit in all the Auras, they Reserve less Mana. |
[UTILITY] Various Gems | |
War Banner - enemies near you take increased Physical Damage, while you gain Accuracy | |
Blood Rage - grants increased Attack Speed, Frenzy Charge generation, and Life Leech. Use level 13 of the Blood Rage Gem | |
Enduring Cry - Quickly Regenerates some of your Life. It has no Cast Time with Call to Arms so set it up as your movement key. | |
Enhance Support - The Quality of Gems in this Setup is valuable, so we recommend increasing it with this Support Gem. |
[UTILITY] Molten Shell setup | |
Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts all the supported spells whenever you take a certain amount of damage. Keep this Gem at level 10 | |
Molten Shell - A protective barrier that absorbs incoming damage for some time, or until it can take no more. | |
Increased Duration Support - Molten Shell lasts longer. |
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Below you will find all the recommended items for this build. Keep in mind that this build is very straightforward and ALL the items listed below can be replaced with cheap Rares. If you decide not to use The Bringer of Rain just use a Body Armour that increases your Life and Elemental Resistance like Belly of the Beast (highest bonus Life), Carcass Jack (extra DPS), Daresso's Defiance (Onslaught buff), or similar. You won't need any Accuracy or Crit mods. Later on, seek Spell Suppression Chance - it doesn't have to be capped.
Our recommended items will:
Stat priorities on items:
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(Helmet) The Bringer of Rain - a cheap seven-link option for the primary DPS setup. It's good for a budget version, quickly becoming replaceable as you start dealing with the end-game content. | |
Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 30 Melee Physical Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 30 Faster Attacks Socketed Gems are supported by Level 30 Blind 6% Chance to Block Attack Damage Adds 20 to 30 Physical Damage to Attacks (200-300)% increased Armour and Evasion +(200-300) to maximum Life 20% chance to gain an Endurance Charge when you Block Can't use Chest armour Extra gore |
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(Helmet) Rare Helmet - If you decide to get a Rare Helmet, make sure it's a good one, it should provide a lot of Maximum Life and cause enemies to take at least 9% increased Physical Damage | |
Min. requirements: +50% to Elemental Resistances +60 to maximum Life Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage Optional affixes: Intelligence Spell Suppression Chance Armour |
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Helmet enchantment: Lacerate deals (14-18) to (20-25) added Physical Damage against Bleeding Enemies 40% increased Lacerate Damage |
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(Weapon) Jack, the Axe - A decent pick for the weapon slot. Grants increased Life Leech, Bleed Chance, and much more Bleed Damage. | |
Grants Level 20 Thirst for Blood Skill (130-150)% increased Physical Damage Adds (11-14) to (18-23) Physical Damage 25% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit +(25-35)% to Damage over Time Multiplier for Bleeding from Hits with this Weapon |
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(Weapon) Rare Axe - This can be potentially the best in the slot with high base Physical DPS, however, it will be also the most expensive option. you can seek many Bleeding-related mods and ones to increase your Physical Damage over Time. | |
Min. requirements: 400 Physical DPS Optional affixes: Increased Damage with Bleeding Damage over Time Multiplier for Bleeding from Hits with this Weapon Hits with this Weapon have Culling Strike against Bleeding Enemies Physical Damage over Time Multiplier |
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(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - If you're not using The Bringer of Rain make sure you can make up for it with a good Body Armour. It should grant you a lot of Maximum Life. You can also use Unique Body Armours such as Belly of the Beast, Carcass Jack, or Daresso's Defiance. | |
Min. requirements: +110 to maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: You can apply an additional Curse Spell Suppression Chance Armour |
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(Shield) The Surrender - One of the best Shields for this build. It grants very high defensive utility and the Reckoning skill for some extra DPS. It's very expensive. Make sure you have a very high Block Chance before equipping it. | |
Grants Level 30 Reckoning Skill (165-205)% increased Armour +(65-80) to maximum Life Recover (250-500) Life when you Block +6% Chance to Block |
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(Shield) Lioneye’s Remorse - solid and budget-friendly option. It grants very high bonus Life but no Elemental Resistances and no offensive utility | |
(180-220)% 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 |
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(Boots) Rare Boots - just aim for high defensive stats on a preferably Strength base for extra Armour Rating | |
Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 25% Movement Speed +60% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes High Armour Rating Spell Suppression Chance |
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Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently |
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(Belt) Ryslatha's Coil - it's the best Belt for any Bleed build with a Crimson Dance by a long shot. It's also an expensive one. It keeps the Bleeds you caused by your best Attacks (which deal 40% more damage) resulting in a much higher DPS. | |
(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 |
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(Amulet) Rare Amulet - using a rare amulet with Attributes is a wise decision. Add to that some generic stats listed here. | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 40 Intelligence 40 Dexterity Optional affixes: Adds Physical Damage to Attacks Damage over Time Multiplier Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana |
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Recommended Anointments: Master of Force Revenge of the Haunted Retaliation Disciple of the Unyielding Panopticon |
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(Ring) Rare Rings - The regular Life, Resistances, and some utility mods like Attributes or reduced Mana Cost of Skills should be sufficient | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life +60% Total Elemental Resistances Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted) Optional affixes: Attributes Adds Physical Damage to Attacks increased Attack Speed Curse Enemies with Vulnerability on Hit Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted) |
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(Ring) Circle of Guilt - If you're using Herald of Purity, which you should, you can consider using this Unique Ring, it can increase the Herald's buff effect and your damage | |
<One to three random Synthesis implicit modifiers> +(10-20) to all Attributes Adds (8-10) to (13-15) Physical Damage +(350-400) to Armour <Two Random Herald of Purity modifiers> |
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(Gloves) Rare Gloves - preferably Spiked Gloves for extra Melee Damage. Other than that, you aim for high defensive stats and Attributes | |
Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life +60% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Dexterity Armour Added Physical Damage to Attacks Attack Speed Spell Suppression Chance |
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(Gloves) Haemophilia - very good and inexpensive option for the Gloves slot. Haemophilia grants extra AoE by making slain enemies explode (similar to Gratuitous Violence Passive) | |
+(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 |
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(Jewels) Rare Jewels - These should provide extra Maximum Life and bonus Damage over Time for Bleeding. "Damaging Ailments deal damage faster" may be the best one if your Attack Speed is high enough. | |
Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased DoT/Bleeding Damage Optional affixes: Attributes Resistances Damaging Ailments deal damage faster |
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(Jewels) Large Cluster Jewels - Fuel the Fight and Feed the Fury will take care of your Mana sustain issue, while Feed the Fury will aid your Life Recovery. Use. Any Suffix notable is good, but Smite the Weak is the best one. | |
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Feed the Fury 1 Added Passive Skill is Smite the Weak |
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(Jewels) Medium Cluster Jewels - You can select Flask-oriented or Physical DoT Medium Cluster Jewels. Replica Witchfire Brew should stay on most of the time, so seeking generic Flask Effect Duration mods is wise. | |
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Rend 1 Added Passive Skill is Circling Oblivion 1 Added Passive Skill is Peak Vigour 1 Added Passive Skill is Special Reserve 1 Added Passive Skill is Distilled Perfection |
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(Flask) Replica Witchfire Brew - Curses nearby enemies with Vulnerability, which saves you a Gem Socket and a button to press. The extra Evasion and Smoke Cloud will be a good addition if you have some extra Evasion on your gear pieces (and Jade Flask). | |
20% more Evasion Rating Creates a Smoke Cloud on Use (-10-10)% increased Charges per use Grants Level 21 Vulnerability Curse Aura during Effect |
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Other suggested Flasks:
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If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We will appreciate any feedback or comments that can help us improve our guides for you!
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