Shield Crush
Gladiator Build

for Patch 3.24

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It is a heavily defence-oriented build for a Gladiator that uses the Shield Crush Skill. It's an Attack with a built-in base flat damage and added more physical damage per Armour or Evasion Rating that's in your Shield. That's why having a lot of Armour on your Shield is one of the most important factors that add to your total damage. The highest amount of Armour you can score on a Shield is around 3000, but realistically it will be around 2000. With 4 to 6 added Physical Damage per 15 Armour, it will be something like 530 to 800 added Physical Damage to Attacks, that's over ten times more than Abyssus Unique Helmet. With the rest of your gear oriented to deal more Physical Damage, added Impale, and other such modifiers this build can be very tanky and have a huge DPS at the same time.

The build has a very high Block Chance as it is a popular defensive mechanism for Gladiator builds. Maximum Life at the build completion should be around 7k. Combined with high Armour and Fortify this build can face tank most of the Attack Hits in the game. Offensively - you should rely on the Armour that's in your Shield and Physical Damage with Attacks. The build is mechanically the most similar to Lacerate, here however you're not dealing damage with your weapon. Use the Resolute Technique to never have your attack be Evaded and not to worry about Accuracy Rating. Additionally, Impale mechanics will be used - combined with high Attack Speed and Attack Damage its damaging potential is enormous. 

As of patch 3.24, Gladiator is no longer as popular, but still great. This build specializes in Blocking, dealing Physical Damage, and having high Armour and Attack Speed. There is no better class for it, although Berserker or Champion are also viable choices if you value damage or want to have even more Armour. We have reworked the build to include more items, re-organized Skill Gem setups, and adjusted item descriptions and requirements to match the low-budged theme of this guide and include the "newest" additions such as Eldritch mods.

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

1. Gameplay

Use Leap Slam to travel and Shield Crush to fight. Your other Skills are Ancestral Totems to boost your Melee Damage and Attack Speed - use them occasionally when you're fighting with a boss or in a small area. Blood Rage should stay enabled at all times - remember to turn it on as you enter a map and during longer fights with one enemy.

This video was recorded on a level 93 Gladiator wielding Prismatic Eclipse and random rare equipment. Surprisingly enough, that was sufficient to face tank most of the content, and we may be looking into further options to increase this build's DPS

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Shield Crush can be used right from the start - use it combined with a Shield that has high Armour, the weapon doesn't really matter as the modifiers are usually local but you can look for a mod "Attacks have a chance to cause Bleeding" or other such mods being global, not local. Equip Prismatic Eclipse at level 53 with 3 green or two green and one blue socket if you don't have any Mana Leech - this weapon will be used in the final version as well and it will be the only required unique item. Before that, use Redbeak Unique Sword with Petrified Blood Skill Gem. You can use Essence of Dread on your Shield for more Armour.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Shield Crush setup
	Shield Crush - if you manage to find a good shield to match your build, you can start with this Skill
	Ruthless Support - Support Gem available right at the beginning that can be used to increase your damage
	Melee Physical Damage Support - for even more damage use Melee Physical Damage Support
	Maim Support - another Support Gem you can find early on that's good at the beginning

Leap Slam setup
	Leap Slam - leap slam seems like the best option, it allows you to jump over the ledges with is useful during Labirynth Trials
	Faster Attacks Support - link it with Leap Slam so you can use it more frequently
	Lifetap Support - Leap Slam will no longer cost you Mana, but Life

Utility Gems
	Pride - an Aura that increases the Physical Damage your opponents are receiving
	Dread Banner - gives you chance to Impale enemies, reduces the Accuracy Rating of nearby enemies, and increases the Impale effectiveness
	Vulnerability - Cursed enemies will receive more Physical Damage, and hitting them can cause Bleeding

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Skill Tree
Take Attack, Life, and Shield nodes, additionally allocate the Fortify Mastery which will grant you Fortify on Hit

63 Points Skill Tree
Go for Resolute Technique Keystone, Armour Mastery for more Armour from Shield, and Shield Mastery for increased Damage from Shield

Recommended leveling items:

Wurm's Molt - use it to boost your Attributes and acquire some Life and Mana Leech

+(25-40) to maximum Life +(20-30) to Strength +(20-30) to Intelligence +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance 2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana (500-1000)% increased total Recovery per second from Life Leech (500-1000)% increased total Recovery per second from Mana Leech

Goldrim - the best leveling Helmet to keep your Resistances high you can use at level 1

+(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 - use Tabula Rasa Body Armour to gain six white sockets which are already linked

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:

112 Points Final Skill Tree (does not include Jewels)
123 Points Path of Building (PoB) link 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Painforged
2. Violent Retaliation
3. Arena Challenger
4. Reigning Veteran

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] Shield Crush
	Shield Crush - The core ability used to deal with all the opponents. By standing Close to the target, it can hit multiple times with just one attack making it really great when combined with Impale.
	Brutality Support - it's a pure Physical Damage build and Brutality is specifically made for such builds
	Pulverise Support - More Melee Damage and more Area Damage - both will benefit Shield Crush. It lowers your Attack Speed by 15%.
	Multistrike Support - makes your Attack repeat 2 times after the first cast with increased Attack Speed, each Attack in the sequence dealing more damage
	Melee Physical Damage Support - lowers your Attack Speed, but grants a lot of Melee Physical Damage
	Impale Support - Increases your chance to Impale and its effectiveness. This Gem also grants you more Physical Damage and Overwhelms Physical Damage Reduction - great for pure Physical builds.

[MOBILITY] Leap Slam
	Leap Slam - The mobility attack that's used to activate your Fortify and move at a faster rate, it allows you to jump over obstacles making it one of the best movement skills. It can be replaced with  Shield Charge.
	Fortify Support - after hitting an enemy with Leap Slam you'll receive a Fortify buff for the next few seconds
	Faster Attacks Support - the Gem that makes you Attack Faster, it's especially good when linked with Mobility Attacks as is the case here

[UTILITY] Curse and Guard Spell
	Vulnerability - the Curse that's the most effective for Physical builds - your enemies take more Physical Damage and each hit against them has a chance to cause Bleeding
	Hextouch Support - Link the Curse with a Skill that can Hit enemies - Reckoning in this case. The Curse will now be applied with Hit of that Skill.
	Reckoning  - an Attack that's automatically used when you Block a Hit, with a high Block Chance it will proc often, especially against bosses
	Steelskin  - a Guard Skill that doesn't have to be linked with the rest of this Setup, it grants you Damage Reduction against Hits, you can also use Molten Shell

[UTILITY] Ancestral Totems
	Ancestral Warchief - the Totem that gives you Melee Damage as you stand near it for the duration it stays active
	Ancestral Protector - the Totem that gives you Attack Speed as you stand near it for the duration it stays active
	Multiple Totems Support - with two casts you're now able to summon both Totems, for Attack Speed and for Melee Damage

[UTILITY] Aura setup
	Pride - the most beneficial Aura for Physical builds that makes enemies near you take more Physical Damage the longer you stay in their proximity.
	Determination - The build has the potential to reach a very high Armou Rating. With over 100k Armour it will start reducing damage from some of the strongest blows in the game by a meaningful amount.
	Flesh and Stone - Arena Challenger Keystone requires you to have a Blood or Sand Stance to work, the best way to achieve it is Flesh and Stone. Use it to render nearby enemies Maimed and more susceptible to Physical Damage.
	Enlighten Support - linked Mana Reserving Spells Reserve now less Mana

[UTILITY] Banner
	Dread Banner - Banner that's highly recommended for builds that use Impale - it increases the chance for it and its effectiveness, it also reduces the Accuracy Rating of nearby enemies

[UTILITY] Blood Rage (socketed in Prismatic Eclipse) (due to the mechanics of the Prismatic Eclipse this setup needs specific sockets limiting your choices)
	Blood Rage - Blood Rage drains your Life at a rate depending on Gem Level, but it grants you in return more Attack Speed, Life Leech, and a Chance to gain Frenzy Charge on Kill.
	Enhance Support - Increases the Quality of Blood Rage which gives you even more Attack Speed
	any Gem that fits your Blue or Green Socket - Green socket will grant you Attack Speed, while Blue - Mana Leech

5. Gear Setup

By far the most important here is the Armour on your Shield - your damage relies on it so aim for as much as possible. Secondary to that is of course Life - your main layer of defense, and Elemental Resistances until capped. Seek Armour to mitigate Physical Damage and Chaos Resistance. The weakness of this build is DoT - try to avoid this type of damage. To gain Bleed, Poison, and Ignite immunity modify your Flasks. With a high Block Chance from your Skill Tree, you should be able to sustain a lot of damage. The gear is really basic with no need for expensive mods - it should be overall really cheap.

Using this opportunity, we would love to invite you to visit our Path of Exile Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency in case you can't afford all the items for your character. You can find 

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS/Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - You're interested in Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances the most, other mods are not as important. A Strength base should be the best option since the majority of your skill setups require red sockets. For the Eldritch mods, get Physical Damage shifted to Fire, and reduced Mana Cost of Attacks.

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Armour Intelligence Chaos Resistance Chance to Block Spell Damage

Helmet enchantments: 40% Increased Shield Crush Damage Ancestral Protector Totem grants 18% increased Attack Speed while Active

(Weapon) Prismatic Eclipse - One of the few weapons with modifiers affecting Global stats, not just the stats of the weapon. Prismatic Eclipse is especially good since you can modify the effect it has by changing the color of Sockets. Green Sockets are the most recommended, you can keep one of them Blue if you have no Mana Leech.

+8% Chance to Block Attack Damage while Dual Wielding Adds (60-70) to (71-80) Physical Damage 25% increased Global Physical Damage with Weapons per Red Socket 12% increased Global Attack Speed per Green Socket 0.4% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana per Blue Socket +2 to Melee Strike Range per White Socket

(Shield) Rare Shield - No Shield offers as much Armour as a Rare one. There are many mods that add to your Armour, they can be found or crafted with Essences or on a Crafting Bench. Armour can also be found as a Synthesised Implicit Mod. Increasing the Quality of a Shield gives you more Armour as well.

Min. requirements: 2000 Armour in total Quality (crafted) Optional affixes: more Armour

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances are the most important aspects of your Body Armour. Try to get Armour base as you will need five red sockets here. For the Eldritch mods, you should get increased Aura Effect or extra Maximum Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: 100 Maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Armour Strenght Intelligence increased Maximum Life Nearby Enemies are Blinded increased effect of Non-Curse Auras from your Skills

(Boots) Rare Boots - Life, Resistances, and Movement Speed are the three most important stats for this gear slot. Later in the game, you will be able to afford some more expensive mods. For the Eldritch mod get increased Action Speed.

Min. requirements: 70 Maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill Freeze and Chill immunity

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt - Stigain Vise has the unique advantage of possessing one Abyss Jewel Socket where you can allocate some really good mods or the stats you need at the moment and swap it later with another Abyss Jewel. Look for Life and Resistances.

Min. requirements: 100 to MaximumLife 100% Increased Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Maximum Life % Attributes

(Belt) Ryslatha's Coil - It's great since your damage range varies a lot. Most Physical Attack builds find this Belt extremely good.

(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

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - Maximum Life is by far the most important stat to look for, but there are many others that would be useful, such as reduced Pride Reservation - it can be found on Warlord's influenced Amulets.

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life Optional affixes: Pride has reduced Reservation Elemental Resistances Attributes Adds Physical Damage to Attacks increased Armour Chaos Resistance

(Amulet) Defiance of Destiny - It's nearly impossible to find a better Amulet. You have a high Maximum Life and Block Chance, so most Hits will actually heal you by a lot instead of dealing damage

(20-30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +(60-80) to maximum Life +(10-40)% to Fire Resistance +(10-40)% to Cold Resistance +(10-40)% to Lightning Resistance Gain (25-35)% of Missing Unreserved Life before being Hit by an Enemy

Recommended Anointments: Ambidexterity Charisma

(Ring) Rare Rings - Try to get as much Maximum Life and Elemental Resistances as you can afford. Other common modifiers you can look for are added Physical Damage to Attacks, Attack Speed, and Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana.

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Adds Physical Damage to Attacks increased Attack Speed increased Attack Speed if you've been Hit Recently Attributes % of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Defensive stats such as Life and Elemental Resistances are the priority, after that look for some other mods that'd be useful such as Attack Speed

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Armour Adds Physical Damage to Attacks Attack Speed Attributes

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - Try to get extra Life -  7% increased, and some Damage mods such as Attack Speed or Melee Damage, Corrupted Blood Immunity is a great addition to your survivability.

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances increased Melee/Physical Damage increased Attack Speed Attributes

(Jewels) Large Cluster Jewel  - You can find useful Notable Passives, but the build works fine without Cluster Jewels. Fuel the Fight is recommended as a source of Mana Leech. All of the mentioned Passives can be found on a base that grants Attack Damage while holding a Shield.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Veteran Defender 1 Added Passive Skill is Advance Guard 1 Added Passive Skill is Gladiator's Fortitude 1 Added Passive Skill is Prodigious Defense 1 Added Passive Skill is Strike Leader

(Jewels) Watcher's Eye - as you're using only Pride you don't have too much of a choice here, the best mod you can find is "Impales you inflict last 2 additional Hits while using Pride"

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

(Flask) Lion's Roar - it offers a great boost to your damage and survivability by adding damage and knockback to your Attacks

+1500 to Armour Adds Knockback to Melee Attacks during Flask effect Knocks Back Enemies in an Area when you use a Flask 75% chance to cause Enemies to Flee on use (7-10)% more Melee Physical Damage during effect

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask with Bleed removal Quicksilver Flask with reduced effect of Curses or Shock on you Silver Flask with increased Attack Speed Basalt Flask with increased Armour

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.