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The Cold Snap of Power is probably the strongest spell in the game once you get access to Pact of Beidat. When empowered, it creates 8 additional areas in a spiral around the original target, leading to multiple overlaps of Damage from a single Cast. It is also great for your Clear Speed, as it will cover a massive area. It also removes the need for the Spell Cascade Support, replacing it with a proper damage Support. The downside is that you absolutely have to use Pact every few seconds, which generates plenty of afflictions on you. You can automate it with a Trigger modifier on your Wand, but at first it is going to be a semi-2-button playstyle. The rest of this Build is rather usual, as you realistically will want to play it as an Elementalist stacking Golem Buffs, or Power-Charge stacking Occultists. Both of them got slight nerfs, but they are still very good and solve many early-game problems. Alternatively, you can pick Assassin or Inquisitor. Keep in mind the Assassin lost its ability to apply Assassin Mark with Spells due to a bug fix. 

For the full Guide, you can check: Cold Snap of Power Elementalist/Occultist

The Dominating Blow of Inspiring is a Transfigured Skill that uses Minions to scale your own Damage. You will still have plenty of Minions to serve as meat shields or provide Auras for you, but all damage is dealt by your own Attacks only. By stacking Gem Quality, you will benefit from Minion modifiers at over 400% Effectiveness, so you can easily achieve over 3000% increased Damage. The Guardian Ascendancy provides tons of flat Damage to your Attacks via Elemental Relics, and greatly boosts your Block Chance. You can pair it with the Farrul Bloodline to boost your Attack Speed and Damage further. There is no room for Critical Strikes, which is actually a good thing for League start, as it is a more budget-friendly approach. This build has almost no real downsides, with an exception for its blinding visuals. It requires the Transfigured variant, but you can easily beat the campaign with the regular version with minimal changes to your Passive Tree.

For the Guide please check: Dominating Blow of Inspiring Guardian

The General's Cry has seen many iterations over the years, but the combo of the recently reworked Champion and specific Foulborn Unique is the most notable one. The Foulborn Uul-Netol's Kiss grants over 500% Cooldown Recovery for your Warcries, allowing you to trigger General's Cry a few times per second. It summons Mirage Warriors that use a linked Attack Skill once, in this case, Lacerate of Butchering, which is one of the hardest-hitting abilities in the game. Each Warcry also generates a bit of Valor, which is used to plant Banners. You can nearly tenfold the base bonuses they grant, and preserve them for a few seconds after leaving their area. It is an insanely powerful Build, but has a bad reputation for having to juggle 3 Banner Buffs all the time, while in reality you only use one of them every few seconds. Since your main Attack is automated, it leaves you with just controlling your character movement and refreshing the Speed Buff. The other Banners are useful only against harder Bosses. The Foulborn Axe comes from the Breach mechanic only, so you will have to progress through the campaign and early Maps as any generic Slam, Bleed, or Physical Cyclone Build.

Full Guide: Bannerman Lacerate of Butchering Champion

The return of the Mirage mechanic is great for Endgame farming strategies and juicing, but it also means the return of special Mirage Unique Items. At first glance, the Sands of Time is a fairly mediocre Unique Sceptre, but it provides a build-enabling Suspend in Time Skill, which creates a Clone of you upon each Spell Cast. Once you summon 3 or more Clones, they release the copied Spell that deals 20% Less Damage. The Saboteur's Triggerbots allow you to summon 2 copies each time, but the Triggerbots penalty does not apply to Clones themself. It leads to roughly 160% More Damage with Hits and a very bursty playstyle. It can be used with any Spell, but Arc seems the best due to automatic targeting, which is very important for Clones that are spawned in random locations. You will start as Saboteur, but preferably switch to Assassin once you get the Forbidden Flame Jewels. The necessary Sceptre probably won't be available to you for the first day or two, so you will have to level up as a generic Spell Casting Assassin.

Full Guide can be found here: The Sands of Time Saboteur/Assassin Build 

The Poison Artillery Ballista Build made its first appearance during Crucible League thanks to the specific Node for Artillery Ballista that allowed it to Poison with any Damage type, and dominated the Ballista Meta for a while. The Artillery Ballista is one of the strongest Skills for Bows, which is why you can often see it as supplementary Setup for regular Bow users. This Build focuses entirely on Totems, which leads to insane Damage and decent Clear Speed. The strength of Artillery Ballista comes from overlapping explosions and a high Totem limit. Elemental Poison for Attacks tends to be very strong, as you can get much higher base damage and benefit from efficient scaling. Currently, you can get this effect via specific Uniques that require going insane, applying Grasping Vines, or simply being an Assassin. You will also have a Manaforged Arrow setup to automate Wither application, generate Frenzy Charges, and Recover Life via Gain on Hit. The Frenzy Charges can be converted to Affliction Charges for even more Damage, but you can also apply their limit to Endurance Charges via Replica Badge of the Brotherhood, which is very useful since Assassin Builds tend to be rather squishy. Fortunately, your Totems can target Enemies from very far distances, and will also Taunt Enemies so they are less interested in attacking you. The Assassin offers much more Damage, but if you prefer strong Flask sustain, you can opt for Pathfinder instead.

A similar Guide can be found here: Poison Artillery Ballista Assassin/Pathfinder

Next on the list, we have Absolution Guardian, a minion-based league starter that combines relatively straightforward gameplay with good damage and survivability. Unlike more traditional minion builds, Absolution requires you to actively cast your main skill to summon your Sentinels of Absolution. It also has a Vaal variant for a short-lasting damage boost. This makes the build somewhat more interactive, but also gives you a fairly engaging playstyle. Absolution is available early in the campaign, doesn't require expensive uniques to get going, and has a relatively smooth progression into maps. You can even stick with it indefinitely till the league-end. The Guardian ascendancy provides a solid defensive foundation with its access to block, armour, recovery, and additional defensive bonuses, but the major reason to go with Guardian is for the Elemental Relics granting powerful Anger, Hatred, and Wrath Auras - all working great with Absolution. Another advantage is its versatility. This build offers a lot of legroom for further investment into the endgame. There are also more specialised configurations, including a Doryani's Prototype variant for maximum damage output. The drawbacks: Since your minions are temporary, you need to keep casting Absolution to maintain them, so it's not completely automated and has to wind up against bosses with invulnerability phases. Its mapping speed is also respectable rather than exceptional. Overall, Absolution Guardian is a strong candidate for players looking for a reliable, inexpensive minion build. A very safe bet, proven reliable in the past.

Full Guide can be found here: Absolution Guardian 

Next up, we have Righteous Fire Chieftain, one of the most recognisable archetypes for a while now. The concept is simple: you activate Righteous Fire, which continuously burns everything around you, and then run through maps while your enemies die just by being near you. Add to that Fire Trap against tougher enemies for extra damage. The biggest selling point here is the mapping experience. Chieftain has access to Hinekora, Death's Fury, which gives enemies a chance to explode on death, dealing a massive amount of fire damage. Combined with Ignite Proliferation, this creates excellent chain reactions or enhances single-target damage. It's especially effective in content such as Delirium, Breach and Expedition, where monster density works in your favour. Another major advantage is how easily the build handles damage over time. Chieftain can stack fire resistance to cover its other elemental resistances, making gearing considerably more straightforward. It also has access to easy 90% all Maximum Resistances and a damage boost with Ramako. This makes it an exceptionally comfortable character for players who prefer staying alive rather than dying. The main drawback is single-target damage. Righteous Fire itself isn't particularly impressive against isolated bosses, so the build relies on Fire Trap to supplement its damage. It can handle the regular endgame bosses, but Uber encounters are considerably less comfortable, and its damage scaling is more limited than that of specialised bossing builds. There are also Inquisitor or Elementalist variants worth mentioning. Inquisitor offers better regeneration and stronger early single-target damage, but generally requires more investment into its defensive setup. Elementalists have Golems and enhanced exposure. Chieftain remains the recommended league-start version, particularly for SSF and early Atlas progression. 

Full Guide can be found here: Righteous Fire Chieftain 

The Eviscerate Gladiator is a bleed-based Melee Build that revolves around blocking incoming attacks and retaliating with powerful area-of-effect slashes. The defining mechanic here is Eviscerate itself. It's a retaliation skill, meaning it becomes available after you block an enemy hit. It releases two waves of Physical damage, applying guaranteed bleed. Meaning, instead of constantly attacking, you build your defences around blocking and use those opportunities to unleash powerful counterattacks. One of the build's biggest strengths is its defensive profile. Gladiator has access to excellent block scaling, allowing you to reach very high block chance without requiring particularly expensive equipment. Accounting for Lucky Block Chance, you can expect to avoid all damage from 99% of spells and attacks. Combined with other defensive layers, this makes the character the most durable in general. Gladiator also explodes bleeding enemies on kill via Gratuitous Violence. Eviscerate is good, but you may want to supplement it with Leap Slam of Groundbreaking or Lacerate of Hemorrhage, because the restriction of having to get hit first will slow you down undoubtedly. Eviscerate depends on enemies actually hitting you, so its damage availability can feel inconsistent against certain bosses, especially ones with massive DoT effects. The build is slow, making it less convenient than a typical one-button mapper, and its damage is difficult to scale up once you decide to switch from Jack, the Axe. Overall, Eviscerate Gladiator is particularly attractive to players who enjoy being basically immune to hit damage. It's also a good option for SSF and Hardcore players who value survivability over maximum clear speed.

Full Guide can be found here: Eviscerate Gladiator 

Another option we have is Pyroclast Mine Saboteur, a build centred around detonating fire-based mines that release multiple projectiles. The main selling point of this build is its indirect spellcasting and serious single-target damage in the early game. Pyroclast Mine has great damage potential thanks to its Gem Tags. It also helps that multiple projectiles overlap against larger targets, which makes it effective against stationary bosses. It's a strong choice for players who want to focus on bossing without having to invest heavily into their character first. Mines are great as soon as level one, and the build can carry you through the campaign and into the Atlas without requiring any uniques. You can gradually improve your damage through gem levels, Critical Strike scaling, and mine-specific modifiers. Still, the damage does fall off before it can build up momentum to tackle pinnacle bosses. For that, we recommend switching into Rolling Magma Mines or even CoC Assassin. Saboteur also provides useful utility and defensive benefits, including blind, reduced damage taken from nearby enemies, improved AoE damage, and returning projectiles. This makes the build more comfortable to play than its relatively aggressive playstyle might suggest. However, mine gameplay isn't for everyone. Its clear speed is less impressive than that of dedicated mapping builds, even when the detonation is nearly instantaneous. It also doesn't excel in any field in particular, especially later in the game. The Pyroclast Mine Saboteur is an excellent option for players who prioritise getting the four stones quickly, enjoy the mine playstyle, and want a character capable of progressing through the Atlas without relying on expensive equipment. 

Full Guide can be found here: Pyroclast Mine Saboteur 

If you like the idea of turning Intelligence into flat and increased damage, Whispering Ice Assassin is an unusual but worth-mentioning league starter to consider. The build revolves around The Whispering Ice, a unique staff that grants the Icestorm skill. Unlike a conventional spell, Icestorm creates a persistent area of falling ice that repeatedly hits enemies within its radius. The more Intelligence you stack, the harder each storm hits. And many of you may have missed the 3.29 update to Icestorm that extended the limit from 5 to 8 and its base crit chance from 6% to 7.5% - a big buff. The Assassin ascendancy gives the build access to Critical Strike scaling and strong offensive bonuses. You can begin with a straightforward self-cast setup, then move into Cyclone and Cast while Channelling once the necessary gems become available. This lets you keep moving while continuously covering the battlefield in overlapping storms. 
Its main strength is sustained damage against enemies that stay in place. Bosses and larger targets can take repeated hits from Icestorm, while mapping benefits from the skill's persistent area coverage. There are some big trade-offs. Most notably, it requires the Whispering Ice Staff, which can be hard to get on day one. Its skill, Icestorm, has a noticeable delay before its damage fully ramps up. The build also relies heavily on attribute stacking, so its equipment needs to be upgraded with a clear plan. Assassin lacks any notable defences, except for an Energy Shield from Intelligence. This is a good choice for players who enjoy stat-stacking builds, gradual character progression, and a steady and persistent damage profile. It is also an interesting starting point if you eventually want to experiment with other Intelligence-scaling setups.

Full Guide can be found here: Whispering Ice Assassin 

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