The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
Estimated budget: low (few Exalted Orbs)
Guide notes |
March 12, 2018 -Updated Skill Trees to Patch 3.2 -As of Patch 3.2, this build is no longer supported. Berserker class is no longer viable choice for any spellcaster build. Check our Violate Dead Inquisitor for the most up to date variation of this build |
This is probably one of the most satisfying builds in the game. New unique added in patch 3.1, The Poet’s Pen allows you to play this crazy build, sending Fire Balls all over the screen. Having your gem setups in both wands allows you to wear Kaom’s Heart, which combined with Mind over Matter makes it very tanky build as well. The main idea is to use an attack skill, which triggers gems socketed in The Poet’s Pen wands, casting three skills at once.
Check the full list of our other Path of Exile Crafty Guides: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List
Poet's Pen Volatile Dead Berserker is a ranged build, which will do most of the work for you. You are running around, attack with Frenzy skill and skills triggered from Poet’s Pen will clear the screen by themselves. It’s very relaxing build to play because you don’t need to aim at monsters and really high life pool combined with Mind over Matter will make you really tanky.
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PROS |
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CONS |
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It’s probably one of the easiest and fastest leveling builds in the games. You can use your endgame weapons since level 12, so you don’t have to worry about changing equipment every few levels. You will also notice a huge damage increase every 25 levels thanks to Poet’s Pen increasing level of socketed gems.
Suggested leveling gem setups:
Cleave setup | |
Cleave - first skill you can get after killing Hillock. You will switch it to Frenzy at level 16 for triggering Poet’s Pen skills | |
Added Fire Damage Support - great buff to your DPS | |
Chance to Bleed Support - another damage buff, granting more physical damage |
Volatile Dead setup (1st Poet's Pen) | |
Volatile Dead - it’s our main DPS skill, it will explode corpses and send Fireballs towards enemies | |
Elemental Focus Support– increases elemental damage by a lot (can be used from level 18) | |
Concentrated Effect Support |
Unearth setup (2nd Poet's Pen) | |
Unearth - it will fire projectiles and summon bone archers on impact. It also provides additional corpses for Volatile Dead | |
Lesser Missiles Projectiles Support - it will send 2 additional Unearth’s projectiles. Replace with Greater Missiles Projectiles at level 38 | |
Power Charge on Critical Strike Support - it will grant Power Charges which increases critical strike chance (can be used since level 18) |
Frenzy setup | |
Frenzy - our main single target skill, which triggers spells socketed into Poet’s Pens and grants Frenzy Charges, that increases Attack, Movement, and Cast Speed. On top of that your Physical Damage is increased per Frenzy Charge | |
Lesser Missiles Projectiles Support | |
Faster Attacks - increases Attack Speed of your Frenzy attack, which results in the faster triggering of Poet’s Pen skills | |
Life Gain on Hit Support - grants a lot of Life per Hit |
Utility Gems | |
Stone Golem - provides additional Life Regeneration | |
Assassin's Mark - the recommended curse option for this build, increases critical strike chance versus cursed enemies | |
Anger - adds a lot of additional damage |
Bandits:
We recommend killing all bandits for the additional 2 passive points
Leveling Skill Trees:
32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Heart of the Warrior 2) Golem’s Blood 3) Constitution
75 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Discipline and Training 2) Heart and Soul 3) Heart of Flame
Recommended leveling items:
Praxis –great leveling ring, which reduces Mana cost of all skills | |
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit |
Doedre’s Tenure - extremely powerful gloves, that grant a lot of spell damage for our Volatile Dead/Unearth. Reduced Cast Speed doesn’t affect our build because spells are triggered based on your attack speed | |
(50-60)% increased Spell Damage +20 to Intelligence 15% reduced Cast Speed +32 to maximum Energy Shield |
Karui Ward - amazing DPS and movement speed bonuses granted by this amulet, make it the best in slot leveling item for our projectile focused build | |
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage |
The Poet’s Pen - our build defining weapon, we can use it since level 12, mandatory to wear 2 of them, both with 3-linked sockets | |
(11-15)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Active Skill Gems per 25 Player Levels Adds 3 to 5 Physical Damage to Attacks with this Weapon per 3 Player Levels (8-12)% increased Attack Speed Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Attack |
Goldrim - a great helmet that we can use since level 1. It provides a lot of elemental resistances |
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+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers |
Briskwrap - nice chest, which provides additional Attack and Movement Speed. It makes the leveling much faster |
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10% increased Attack Speed +(120-180) to Evasion Rating +(30-40)% to Cold Resistance 5% increased Movement Speed (20-25)% increased Mana Recovery from Flasks 15% increased Dexterity |
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Final Skill Tree:
116 Points Final Skill Tree
116 Points Path of Building link
Ascendancy points:
Preferably in that order:
1. Aspect of Carnage
2. Pain Reaver
3. Crave the Slaughter
4. War Bringer
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%
[DPS] Frenzy 4-6L setup | |
Frenzy - your main single target skill, which triggers spells socketed into Poet’s Pens and grants Frenzy Charges | |
Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - it will send 4 additional Frenzy projectiles | |
Curse on Hit Support - will make supported skills apply the supported curse | |
Assassin's Mark - recommended curse for this build | |
Faster Attacks - increases the Attack Speed of your Frenzy skill (should be used only in rare 6L body armour variant) | |
Life Gain on Hit Support - provides extra Life on Hit (only in rare 6L chest variant) |
[AURA/UTILITY] Anger & Haste | |
[3L]Anger - grants additional Fire Damage, scales really well with Fire Damage increase passives | |
[3L]Haste - increases Attack, Cast, and Movement Speed | |
[3L]Enlighten - reduces the amount of Mana Reserved by your Auras | |
[1L]Flame Golem - increases your damage |
[UTILITY] Rallying Cry / Immortal Call setup Optional setup for rare 6L chest option. With Kaom's Heart use your 4L item for either Flame Dash setup or this CwDT setup - depending if you need more mobility or defenses |
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Cast when Damage Taken Support - will cast supported skills (except for Rallying Cry) automatically after a certain amount of damage is taken. It is recommended to keep this gem at level 1 | |
Immortal Call - grants brief immortality. Keep it on lower or equal level to CwDT Support gem in order to have it cast automatically | |
Increased Duration Support - increases the duration of all the supported buffs | |
Vaal Haste - increases your Movement and Attack Speed |
[MOBILITY] Flame Dash Optional setup for rare 6L chest option. With Kaom's Heart use your 4L item for either this Flame Dash setup or the CwDT setup - depending if you need more mobility or defenses |
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Flame Dash - your main mobility spell. Will grant Arcane Surge buff as well | |
Faster Casting Support - grant faster Movement Speed with FD, as well as increases its' Mana cost for the Arcane Surge Support threshold | |
Increased Duration Support - increases the duration of Arcane Surge buff | |
Arcane Surge - grants increased Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration. In this setup, you should have it at around level 9 to make it proc with every cast of Flame Dash |
[DPS] Volatile Dead setup (1st Poet's Pen) |
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Volatile Dead - your main DPS skill. Will make corpses explode and send Fireballs on enemies | |
Elemental Focus Support– increases Elemental Damage | |
Concentrated Area Effect Support - increases Area Damage of explosions by a lot, at the cost of reduced area of effect |
[DPS] Unearth setup (2nd Poet's Pen) |
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Unearth - provides additional corpses for Volatile Dead explosions, as well as summon undead archers to aid you | |
Greater Missiles Projectiles Support - increases the number of Unearth projectiles | |
Power Charge on Critical Strike Support - it will grant Power Charges which increases Critical Strike Chance |
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Poet's Pen Volatile Dead Berserker is a budget and beginner-friendly build. It does not require more than 4 sockets in any of the gear and does not lose any of the core DPS. Your main weapons have only 3 linked sockets, and all the other gear is used for utility and defensive gem setups. This makes this build extremely easy to gear up, and at the same time, it scales well with end-game high spell damage gear.
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Our recommended items will:
Stat priorities on items:
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(Helmet) Rat's Nest - beginner and budget-friendly option for the helmet slot. Grants a lot of extra attack speed and critical strike chance | |
15% increased Attack Speed (60-75)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance 150% increased Evasion Rating (20-25)% increased Rarity of Items found 10% increased Movement Speed 10% reduced Character Size |
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(Helmet) Starkonja’s Head – best in slot helm for this build, grants Attack Speed, Life, and Critical Strike Chance | |
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 |
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(Weapon) 2x The Poet’s Pen - the only weapon you can use for this build. It triggers all the core spells | |
(11-15)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Active Skill Gems per 25 Player Levels Adds 3 to 5 Physical Damage to Attacks with this Weapon per 3 Player Levels (8-12)% increased Attack Speed Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Attack |
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(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - it’s a good option for the body armour slot. It provides elemental resistances and life, doesn’t need any sockets because 4-linked helmet for the Barrage setup is more than enough | |
3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (150-200)% increased Armour (30-40)% increased maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Life Recovery rate Extra gore |
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(Body Armour) Kaom's Heart - the best in slot item for the build. Grants amazing defensive bonuses as well as increased Fire Damage | |
Has no Sockets +500 to maximum Life (20-40)% increased Fire Damage |
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(Body Armour) Zodiac Leather - until you can afford the Kaom's Heart, you can use any rare body armour, with decent life and elemental resistance. It doesn’t need any sockets because 4-link in helm for our frenzy setup is enough | |
5% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) 30% reduced Chance to Block Attacks and Spells (600-650)% increased Armour 10% reduced Movement Speed 50% increased Shock Duration on You Take no Extra Damage from Critical Strikes |
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(Boots) Rare Life/Res. boots - get a pair with the highest maximum Life bonus you can afford | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% increased Movement Speed 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance |
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(Boots) Darkray Vectors – nice boots. They provide additional movement speed, dodge chance per frenzy charge and 1 additional maximum frenzy charge | |
(40-70)% increased Armour and Evasion +(20-40)% to Lightning Resistance 5% increased Movement Speed per Frenzy Charge +1 to Maximum Frenzy Charges 40% reduced Frenzy Charge Duration 25% reduced Light Radius 2% chance to Dodge Attacks per Frenzy Charge |
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(Belt) Rare Life/Res. belt - again, we try to grab one with the highest maximum life and elemental resistances bonuses | |
Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills |
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(Belt) Rare Stygian Vise - if you are playing this build on Abyss league it's the recommended choice for the belt slot. Grants amazing boost with the extra Abyss jewel socketed | |
Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills |
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(Amulet) Rare Life/Res. Amulet | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 10% All Elemental Resistances 25% Cold Resistance 25% Fire Resistance Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier increased Global Critical Strike Chance Attributes Maximum Mana |
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(Ring) Rare Life/Res. Opal Rings | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 15% All Elemental Resistances increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Optional affixes: Attributes Maximum Mana |
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(Gloves) Rare Life/Res. Gloves - extra attack speed may be a good addition in end-game versions of this build | |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 25% Fire resistance 25% Lightning resistance 25% Cold resistance Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed |
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(Gloves) Atziri's Acuity - one of the best gloves in Path of Exile for crit-based builds. They have been significantly nerfed in patch 3.1 but still remain a very good pick. They temporarily grant Vaal Pact after kills, which means you can skip this passive in your Tree. You need to find additional 25% of each elemental resistance on other gear parts, if you decide to choose this over the rare pair listed above | |
+(60-80) to Intelligence +(60-75) to maximum Life (200-220)% increased Armour (25-35)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance Gain Life and Mana from Leech instantly on Critical Strike |
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(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - this should provide additional life and flat damage added to spells | |
Recommended affixes: maximum Life Flat Added Damage to Spells (recommended 2+ such affixes) Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances maximum Mana |
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(Jewel) Rare jewels - they should provide extra Life and damage bonuses | |
Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Generic/Area/Spell/Fire Damage % increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: % increased Projectile Speed % increased Global Critical Strike Chance % increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier |
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(Flask) The Wise Oak – this flask grants additional elemental penetration, so your highest resistance should be Fire | |
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 |
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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.
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