Rolling Magma
Inquisitor Build

Updated for Patch 3.23

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Rolling Magma is an old Skill that shares a lot of similarities with Fireball - these are both Fire Spell Projectiles with similar base damage. The difference is that Rolling Magma bounces off the ground several times, dealing Area damage each time it collides with the surface, while Fireball explodes just once on contact with its target. That's why it's more efficient to play it not as an Ignite build - in this instance the damage comes from the on-Hit Damage you cause with Projectiles. It's one of the simplest builds that doesn't use any overly complex game mechanics. The damage of your multiple Magma orbs won't overlap with other projectiles of this type from the same cast when damaging one opponent, that's why it's recommended to swap one of the Suppor Gems during boss fights and when clearing maps.

Inquisitor and Elementalist are both great candidates for such a build, and while Witch's Ascendancy has some merits it's more suited for an Ignite build. Templar's Inquisitor Ascendancy seems better - your Critical Hits ignore Elemental Resistances of the target and your Crit. Chance is increased. You can also pick between more Elemental Damage with Augury of Penitence, or Pious Path for passive Life and ES Regeneration with the enhanced effect of Consecrated Ground. It's a hybrid build that uses both - Life and Energy Shield, you're able to reach 10k of hit points in total which already classifies this build as a tanky one. With the Consecrated Ground effect active most of the time Curses have less effect on you. You also have a high Block Chance, Life and ES Leech, and some Armour.

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

1. Gameplay

Rolling Magma is your only damaging ability, clearing maps should be a smooth experience thanks to the Herald of Ash which will burn enemies you kill. During Boss Fights you can use Flame Wall which will increase the Damage of your Projectiles. When Ignoring Elemental Resistances you can't lower them below 0%, which you're normally able to, that's why you don't need to use Flammability Curse as it has no effect. When you're Low on Health use Enduring Cry. Steelskin is your Guard Spell and Flame Dash a Travel Skill. Your Mana Reserving Skill should be Herald of Ash, Zealotry, Anger, Discipline, and Vitality.

Full gameplay video:   This video was recorded on a level 95 Inquisitor using 12 Exalted Orb Wand with Increased Crit, Faster Casting, and 40% More Spell Damage + the Squire resulting in over 500k unbuffed tooltip DPS on rolling Magma and a very smooth and enjoyable playstyle (sadly being a non-meta skill, it can get pretty pricey to reach a satisfactory level like the one displayed)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

You can Start with Rolling Magma as it's available right from the start and leveling with it isn't a bad experience at all. Initially look for items granting you more Life, Spell, and Fire Damage. You will then gradually transition to the late-game version where Energy Shield and Critical Strike Chance are equally important. Keep your Resistances High through all the Acts. You don't need to invest in Ignite and Burning Damage as it won't be your main source of damage.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Rolling Magma setup
	Rolling Magma - you can use it for leveling, it deals Spell Damage with Fire Projectiles
	Combustion Support - enemies have reduced Fire Resistance and you deal more Fire Damage with an increased Chance to Ignite
	Arcane Surge Support - Arcan Surge grants you more Spell Damage and faster Mana Regeneration
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles Support - you can fire more projectiles for better AoE

Utility skills
	Flammability - lowers Fire Resistance, use it until you allocate Inevitable Judgement
	Flame Dash - a Spell that allows you to dash
	Clarity - use to regenerate your Mana faster
	Herald of Ash - it helps you with clear speed and increases Fire Damage

Bandits:

Two Additional Passive Skill Points seem like the best option for this build

Leveling Skill Trees:

35 Points Skill Tree
Get Maximum Life and Fire Damage

74 Points Skill Tree
continue getting more Life and Fire Damage, additionally, look now for Critical Strike Chance and Reservation Efficiency

Recommended leveling items:

Lifesprig - a widely-used generic Wand for Spell-casters

(8-12)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Spell Gems (20-28)% increased Spell Damage (5-8)% increased Cast Speed +(15-20) to maximum Life +(15-20) to maximum Mana Regenerate (6-8) Life over 1 second when you Cast a Spell

Karui Ward - it grants you some Dexterity which will be needed and Projectile Damage

+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Gifts from Above - it has some nice synergies with Consecrated Ground, and it also increases your Critical Strike Chance

(20-30)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance Trigger Level 10 Consecrate when you deal a Critical Strike (30-35)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance (10-15)% increased Light Radius (40-50)% increased Rarity of Items Dropped by Enemies killed with a Critical Strike 50% increased Damage while on Consecrated Ground +5% Chance to Block Attack Damage while on Consecrated Ground

Goldrim - one of the best unique leveling helmets as it grants  a lot of Resistances

+(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)

Tabula Rasa - allows you to create a six-linked Gem setup

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

97 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
119 Points Path of Building (PoB) link - Wand + The Squire setup
116 Points Path of Building (PoB) link - classic more budget-oriented setup

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Righteous Providence
2. Inevitable Judgement
3. Sanctuary
4. Pious Path

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: for You cannot be Poisoned while there are at least 3 Poisons on you; 50% less Duration of Poisons on You and additional Chaos Damage mitigation

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Rolling Magma setup
	Rolling Magma - Fire Spell that fires bouncing Projectiles, the number of bounces scales up with Chain. Phantasmal Support is recommended for increased Damage.
	Spell Echo Support - you repeat the Spell cast with more Cast Speed
	Increased Critical Damage Support - your Critical Strike Chance should be around 100% so boosting Crit. Multiplier is one of the best ways to scale your damage. If you have lower Crit. Chance, it's better to use Increased Critical Strikes Support instead because of the Inquisitor's penetration from Crits
	Elemental Focus Support - you're unable to cause Ignites, but in exchange, it increases the Damage of linked Skill
	Inspiration Support - it lowers Mana Cost, increases Crit. Chance, and Elemental Damage as you spend Mana on Rolling Magma
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - More projectiles increase your clear speed. You can swap it for  Concentrated Effect during boss fights.
Wand and the Squire variant:
	Increased Critical Damage Support - Increased Critical Strikes can be easily found as Support Gem granted by your Wand, so in such case simply skip the Gem entirely and socket Increased Critical Damage in your items
	Faster Casting Support - another Gem that can be granted by Wands as an affix. It simply boosts your Cast Speed and DPS as a result

[DPS] Auras setup
	Discipline - you gain additional Energy Shield and its Recovery Rate
	Zealotry - you have increased Critical Strike Chance and Spell Damage, it also creates Consecrated Ground when fighting more formidable opponents
	Anger - grants an additional Fire Damage with Spells, you can also swap it for  Determination if you value your Armour more than damage
	Enlighten Support - Linked Spells Reserve less Mana

[UTILITY] Vitality setup
	Vitality - it grants you increased Life Regeneration, with Pious Path it also regenerates the same amount of Energy Shield when on Consecrated Ground
	Arrogance Support - you probably won't be able to fit it in your Mana Pool, but you still have a lot of Life you can use

[UTILITY] Herald of Ash
	Herald of Ash - you have more and increased Spell Fire Damage, and the enemies you kill will cause other nearby opponents to take a lot of Burning Damage which increases your clear speed (if using the Squire, just add link to other Auras and Enlighten)

[UTILITY] Flame Dash setup
	Flame Dash - a basic Travel Skill used to move faster and avoid damage
	Arcane Surge Support - Arcane Surge grants you more Spell Damage and increased Mana Regeneration Rate

[UTILITY] Brand setup
	Sniper's Mark - Cursed enemies take more Damage from Projectiles which will split after impact. Hitting Cursed enemies with Projectiles will replenish your Mana and Life Flasks
	Wave of Conviction - Spell that is used mainly to apply Fire exposure upon your foes. Use a level 1 Gem here
	Arcanist Brand - linked Spells are cast every second via Brand which is attached to an enemy. Again, just a level 1 Brand will suffice here
	Combustion Support - enemies Ignited by Linked Spells have their Fire Resistance reduced by 10% which is a very powerful debuff for Fire-based builds

[UTILITY] Flame Wall setup
	Flame Wall - Creates a wall of fire that not only damages enemies but makes your Projectiles that pass through deal additional Fire Damage
	Spell Cascade Support - you create more Flame Walls so it's easier to fire Rolling Magma Orbs through them
	increased Area of Effect Support - Flame Wall has increased Area of Effect

[UTILITY] Steelskin
	Steelskin - Guard Spell which reduces a certain amount of Hit damage you take by 70% for a short duration. With a high Armour Rating (when using Determination for example), you may be better off using Molten Shell instead here

6. Gear Setup

Get Corrupted Soul Keystone - preferably from Replica Soul Tether. You should have a decent Life and Energy Shield Regeneration and Leech making you able to constantly sustain taking damage to your Life and ES at the same time. Primarily focus on getting a lot of maximum Life, your ES is sourced from Life but increasing it will surely help. You should be able to achieve 100% Crit Chance with the Flask on, that's enough to fully ignore enemies' Fire Resistance. Look for Dexterity, you will need some to level up your Greater Multiple Projectiles Support Gem. There are no mandatory Unique Items - except Replica Soul Tether or Glorious Vanity granting you Corrupted Soul. The build is a good candidate for a Starter. Remember to have one source of Life Leech and one of ES Leech from your Spells, or Fire Damage.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - Rare Helmet is good when you need Elemental Resistances or some of the luxurious Hunter's or Warlord's affixes

Min. requirements: +80 to maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Dexterity Armour Energy Shield Adds Fire Damage to Spells increased Elemental Damage Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Helmet) Crown of the Inward Eye - it should be the best choice as you need Life, ES, and Armour which this Helmet supplies you with

333% increased Armour and Energy Shield (9-21)% increased maximum Life, Mana and Global Energy Shield Transfiguration of Soul Transfiguration of Body Transfiguration of Mind

Helmet enchantments: Rolling Magma enchantments

(Weapon) Rare Sceptre or Wand - get a weapon that increases your Spell and Fire Damage, and grants you increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells. If you're using The Squire try to find any two "Supported by" Affxies which you can find on an Elder or Shaper items.

Min. requirements: 60% increased Fire Spell Damage 70% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells Optional affixes: Global Critical Strike Multiplier +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems +1 to Level of all Fire Spell Skill Gems Socketed Skills deal #% more Spell Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Controlled Destruction, Increased Critical Strikes, Increased Critical Damage, Faster Casting, Fire Penetration, Spell Echo

(Weapon) Rare Shield - Defensive mods are your Priority, but if you struggle with Mana Reservation there is a mod to help you with this issue

Min. requirements: +60% to Elemental Resistances +80 to maximum Life Optional affixes: Chance to Block Socketed Gems have #% increased Reservation Efficiency Armour Energy Shield

(Weapon) The Squire - it's an optional, immensely expensive item that allows you to fit in an additional 6-linked setup. With build-in support Gem into your main-hand weapon, you can achieve the highest DPS that's possible for a such build.

120% increased Block Recovery Has 3 Sockets All Sockets are White +(5-8)% to Quality of Socketed Support Gems Socketed Support Gems can also Support Skills from your Main Hand (100-150)% increased Armour and Evasion +(3-5)% Chance to Block

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Try to increase your Life and Resistances. Additionally, you should get the Shaper's Suffix for Crit. Chance for Spells

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances +1.5% to Spell Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Dexterity Energy Shield +1 to Level of Socketed Active Skill Gems You can apply an additional Curse increased maximum Life

(Body Armour) Infernal Mantle - most of the mods here are beneficial, and the Item itself is usually cheap, an option you can definitely consider

+1 to Level of Socketed Fire Gems (25-35)% increased Fire Damage 100% increased Global Critical Strike Chance (120-160)% increased Energy Shield 15% of Fire Damage Converted to Chaos Damage 15% increased Spell Damage taken when on Low Mana

(Boots) Rare Boots - Maximum Life, Movement Speed, and Elemental Resistances are your top priorities

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed +50% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Energy Shield Armour You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently Cannot be Frozen (crafted)

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Gloves don't have much to offer, try to get the usual defensive stats and maybe Crusader's increased Global Critical Strike Chance

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Global Critical Strike Chance Energy Shield Dexterity

(Belt) Rare Belt - Strive for Life, Energy Shield, and Resistances. If you decide to go for a Rare Blet you will need another source of Corrupted Soul which may cost you some Passive Skill Points.

Min. requirements: 70 Maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances 25% increased Energy Shield from Body Armour Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage Maximum Energy Shield increased Damage increased Maximum Life

(Belt) Replica Soul Tether - Maximum Life as Energy Shield and Corrupted Soul is what makes it the best choice

(15-25)% increased Stun and Block Recovery +(20-40) to Strength Gain (4-6)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield Corrupted Soul

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - It's a good place to look for various mods such as Attributes, Crit. Chance, Level of your Fire and Intelligence Skill Gems, and other stats

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +40% to Elemental Resistances 30% increased Global Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Dexterity +1 to Level of all Intelligence Skill Gems Global Critical Strike Multiplier +1 to Level of all Fire Skill Gems Energy Shield Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted)

Recommended Anointments: Charisma Divine Judgement Heartseeker Written in Blood

(Ring) Rare Rings - a Ring with a lot of Life, and Sniper's or Assassin's Mark is a powerful tool, you can then start looking for other various affixes like increased Fire Damage or Crit. Chance

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances Trigger Level 12 Assassin's Mark or Sniper's Mark when you Hit a Rare or Unique Enemy and have no Mark Optional affixes: Maximum Energy Shield increased Global Critical Strike Chance Non-channeling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted) Chaos Resistance increased Fire Damage

(Ring) Circle of Anguish - Circe of Anguis is great as long as you're using Herald of Ash. You're able to get more Damage, increased Mana Reservation Efficiency, or increased Buff Effect.

<One to three random Synthesis implicit modifiers> +(20-30) to Strength Adds (20-25) to (26-35) Fire Damage +(20-30)% to Fire Resistance <Two Random Herald of Ash modifier>

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - look for Affixes with Maximum Energy Shield and Maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, and Critical Strike Multiplier with Elemental Skills

Recommended affixes: Maximum Energy Shield Maximum Life Elemental Resistances increased Fire or Spell Damage Dexterity Critical Strike Multiplier or Chance with Elemental Skills or with Spells

(Jewel) Intuitive Leap - you can socket it next to Instability and allocate Notables on the Mana and Reservation Cluster

Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye -  Zealotry, Discipline, or Anger mods are usually useful, get this Jewel as soon as you can, even a cheap one is very good for your defenses

(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 - Doryani's Lesson is a source of your Life Leech, Prismatic Hear and Smoking Remains are some of the best mods to increase your Damage

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Doryani's Lesson 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Smoking Remains

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - these are used to get you more Damage with the Crit-related Notables

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

(Flask) Bottled Faith - one of the most expensive Flasks, but it's also one of the best suited for you

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (20-40)% increased 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 Flask effect

(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - use it to get more Armour and Chance to Block Attacks and Spells

+1500 to Armour +(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect +(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect

(Flask) Dying Sun - the best part of this Flask is the two additional Projectiles you fire during its duration

+50% to Fire Resistance 20% less Fire Damage taken (125-150)% increased Charges per use (60-40)% less Duration (10-20)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

(Flask) The Sorrow of the Divine - it's a situational Flask, only to be used if you took Augury of Penitence instead of Pious Path, which you shouldn't

40% increased Damage Requires Level 35 Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (25-50)% increased Duration Zealot's Oath during Flask effect Life Recovery from Flasks also applies to Energy Shield during Flask Effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask of Staunching for Bleed removal Diamond Flask with Immunity to Poison during Flask Effect Mana Flask with random ailment removal

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.