Tornado Shot
Raider/Ranger build

Updated for Patch 3.6

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

Tornado Shot is one of the most popular bow skills in Path of Exile. And obviously, Ranger is pretty much the most suitable class to use it. All 3 Ranger Ascendency classes are extremely good, and choosing one of them has always been a close call. Deadeye was our pick in Patch 3.1 and Abyss League, while with the recent changes in Patch 3.2 and onward, we recommend using the Raider class. It has been significantly buffed and while Deadeye still provides higher AoE, it's the Raider that will be dealing with end-game content faster. Nearly 100% uptime on Onslaught with doubled effect and the increased dodge chance from phasing-related passives make it the besAscendancy class for Tornado Shot in the Bestiary League.

This build is a very good League Starter build. It does not require any specific uniques, all you need to get you through mid-tier maps is a decent DPS bow and flat added physical damage rings and amulet. 

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

1. Gameplay

This build is very classic ranged/bow build. Tornado Shot shoots a projectile that pierces all targets and explodes at the target location. It then splits into multiple arrows that are fired in all directions. This provides decent area damage, and while single enemies can be hit by multiple smaller arrows, it is also a decent single-target attack skill. However, end-game bosses may require you to use 2 main DPS setups, with Barrage as the best single-target bow skill. 

On the other hand, this build's defenses rely on your Life pool, high Dodge Chance and Evasion Rating. Players experienced in kiting and avoiding attacks and spells will also find it much easier to play. 

0:07 T14 Colosseum Map 3:53 T15 Lava Lake Map 9:48 T16 Pit of the Chimera This video was recorded on a Deadeye - the gameplay does not differ much except for slightly higher single-target DPS with the Raider class

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

It is very easy to level up with a Ranger character. Your skills and gear provide enough damage to deal with all the early content, while as a ranged class you are less likely to die. It is most important to upgrade your weapon once in a while to not prolong the tougher fights. We recommend using Burning Arrow early on and replace it with Tornado Shot at level 28.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Burning Arrow setup
	Burning Arrow - the first bow skill available to you in Path of Exile
	Added Fire Damage Support - provides additional Fire damage
	Faster Attacks Support - increases your Attack Speed
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of your Burning Arrow projectiles

Tornado Shot setup
	Tornado Shot - Tornado Shot is pretty much the most powerful bow attack skill, which provides great single-target and AoE damage. Replace the Burning Arrow Gem as soon as you get TS
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - improved version of LMP Support Gem. Provides more projectiles which deal slightly less damage each
	Physical Projectile Attack Damage Support - greatly increases your DPS
	Physical to Lightning Support - another great DPS-oriented support Gem

Utility Gems
	Stone Golem - provides increased Life regeneration per second
	Assassin's Mark - the recommended curse option for this build. It increases the chance for monsters to be Critically Hit
	Herald of Ice - adds additional Cold Damage to your Attacks and causes slain monsters to explode
	Blink Arrow - main mobility skill for bow users

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for the additional 2 Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

37 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Finesse 2) Ballistic Mastery 3) Heavy Draw 4) Deadly Draw 5) Lethality 6) Primeval Force

54 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blood Drinker 2) Coordination 3) Assassination 4) Acrobatics 

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - great physical DPS leveling ring. You can wear two of those for their amazing DPS buff
Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks 5% increased Physical Damage Adds 1 to 3 Chaos Damage to Attacks +(20-30) to maximum Life (2-4) Life Regenerated per second 10% chance to Cause Monsters to Flee

Meginord's Girdle - one of the best physical damage leveling belts. It is also useful at latter levels and early mapping phase
+(25-35) to Strength Adds 5 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks +25 to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate

Karui Ward - best leveling amulet for bow/ranged classes
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Stormcloud - great unique bow we suggest using from level 8
No Physical Damage Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage (36-50)% increased Attack Speed

Doomfletch - another decent unique bow. It can be used starting at level 28
(20-24)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Adds (12-16) to (20-24) Physical Damage (10-14)% increased Attack Speed 60% increased Mana Regeneration Rate Gain 100% of Bow Physical Damage as Extra Damage of an Element

Death's Opus - one of the most powerful leveling bows in PoE. Grants amazing DPS and adds the two additional arrows. It is fully useful for early mapping phase, but if you want you can always replace it with a higher DPS bow at level 60 or above
(30-50)% increased Critical Strike Chance (100-125)% increased Physical Damage Adds (10-20) to (30-35) Physical Damage 10% increased Attack Speed +100% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier 2 additional Arrows

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

113 Points Final Skill Tree
113 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Rapid Assault
2. Avatar of the Chase
3. Quartz Infusion
4. Avatar of the Veil

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] Tornado Shot
	Tornado Shot - your main DPS attack skill. It grants amazing AoE and good single target DPS
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - mandatory support Gem for TS setup. Since enemies can be hit by multiple projectiles it greatly increases also your single target DPS
	Vicious Projectiles Support - increases physical damage of your TS, hence improving the conversion builds as well
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - mandatory support Gem for this build, since it relies on nearly full Elemental Damage conversion
	Physical to Lightning Support - another mandatory Support Gem for this build. It converts 50% of physical damage to lightning and also adds additional Lightning damage
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - increases Critical Strike Chance of your Tornado Shot

[DPS] Barrage
	Barrage - this is the attack skill you should use when facing end-game bosses. It is not suitable for map farming but will outclass TS in terms of single-target DPS
	Elemental Focus Support
	Vicious Projectiles Support
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Physical to Lightning Support
	Slower Projectiles Support - slows Barrage projectiles, but increases their damage by a lot

[UTILITY] Hatred and Herald of Ice
	[1 Link]Hatred - grants the highest DPS boost out of all available Path of Exile's auras
	[3 Links]Herald of Ice - grants moderate DPS boost, and will also apply your curse
	[3 Links]Curse on Hit Support - this Gem linked with HoI will make it apply the supported curse
	[3 Links]Assassin's Mark - our recommended Curse for this build

[UTILITY/DEFENSE] Immortal Call and Vaal Haste setup
	Vaal Haste - increases your Movement and Attack Speed. Has to be cast manually
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will cast the supported spell after a certain amount of damage is taken by you. Keep this Gem at low level 1
	Immortal Call - will grant brief immortality. Match this Gem's level with CwDT Support Gem
	Increased Duration Support - this Gem will extend the duration of both Immortal Call and Vaal Haste

[MOBILITY/UTILITY] Ice Golem / Blink Arrow setup
	Ice Golem - it grants additional Critical Strike Chance and Accuracy Rating. The best Golem for this build
	Blood Rage - this skill grants increased Attack Speed, Life Leech, and Frenzy Charge generation
	[2 Links]Blink Arrow - your main mobility skill. Link it with Faster Attacks to make it teleport you faster
	[2 Links]Faster Attacks Support - link this Gem to Blink Arrow for faster movement

5. Gear Setup

Tornado Shot Raider is an extremely flexible build. It does not require any specific unique items and it is fully viable with just rare gear. Getting a decent DPS bow and flat added physical damage gear is recommended though. Below you will find all the recommended gear, including required stats.

At this point, we would like to invite you to visit our PoE Marketplace where you can restock your PoE Currency and get all the required items.

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. Save at least a couple of hours of gear-planning since it's already there

(Helmet) Rat's Nest - beginner and budget-friendly option for the helmet slot. Grants a extra DPS

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

(Helmet) Devoto's Devotion - another decent helmet option. The additional Movement and Attack Speed will surely increase your clear speed

10% reduced Physical Damage +(50-65) to Dexterity 16% increased Attack Speed (150-200)% increased Armour and Evasion +(15-25)% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed Mercury Footprints

(Helmet) Abyssus - Abyssus provides the highest damage boost to our build out of all helmets available in Path of Exile

Adds 40 to 60 Physical Damage to Attacks +(20-25) to all Attributes +(100-125)% to Melee Critical Strike Multiplier (100-120)% increased Armour (40-50)% increased Physical Damage taken

Helmet enchantment: Tornado Shot fires 2 additional secondary Projectiles

(Weapon) Rare 340+ pDPS Bow  - preferably Harbinger Bow for the extra Crit Chance

Min. requirements: 320 Physical DPS Optional affixes: Increased Critical Strike Multiplier Chance to deal double damage

(Weapon) Lioneye's Glare - it is a high DPS bow that comes at a moderately low cost. It is a good alternative early on when you are still collecting currency for a Harbinger Bow

(20-24)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills (150-175)% increased Physical Damage Adds (6-12) to (20-32) Physical Damage (10-20)% increased Attack Speed +(80-100) to maximum Mana Hits can't be Evaded Far Shot

(Quiver) The Signal Fire - the best in slot quiver for the full elemental conversion variant of this build. It is also great as a leveling item, because of very low level requirements

Adds 4 to 8 Fire Damage to Bow Attacks 10% increased Attack Speed +(80-100) to Evasion Rating +(10-30) to maximum Mana Gain (25-35)% of Physical Damage as Extra Fire Damage 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire Damage Adds 5 to 10 Fire Damage to Bow Attacks

(Body Armour) Farrul's Fur - new Evasion-based armour that was introduced in Patch 3.2. It allows you to have free Aspect of the Cat. It also grants amazing Frenzy and Power Charge generation and high Life bonus. Even though the Aspect of the Cat effect is yet to be revealed, we expect it to be an extremely viable pick for this build. Aspect of the Cat is granted by the Farrul's Helmet, or by beastcrafted onto gear as suffix mod

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) 116% increased Armour and Evasion +92 to maximum Life Aspect of the Cat Reserves no Mana +2.00 seconds to Cat's Stealth Duration Gain up to your maximum number of Frenzy and Power Charges when you gain Cat's Stealth You have Phasing while you have Cat's Stealth

(Body Armour) Rare Evasion Armour - good and cheap alternative for early map farming. Unless you are dealing with end-games bosses the extra sockets for Barrage setup are also unnecessary

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 20% Cold Resistance

(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - one of the best defensive oriented body armours in Path of Exile. May provide sockets for the Barrage setup

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

(Boots) Rare Boots - get pair with the highest maximum Life bonus you can afford

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Strength (to match Abyssus req.)

(Boots) Atziri's Step - great boots for this build. They lack elemental resistances though and you will have to adjust other gear to cap them

180% increased Evasion Rating +(55-75) to maximum Life 30% increased Movement Speed (14-16)% chance to Dodge Spell Damage

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

(Belt) The Nomad - new Fated unique added in patch 3.2. It provides the highest Physical/Projectile damage bonus out of all belt items. If you can manage to get the 200 Strength it also provides very nice resistance bonuses. It's easiest to reach with the Abyssus equipped

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies 37% increased Global Physical Damage +49 to Strength +40 to Dexterity 50% increased Flask Charges gained +25% to all Elemental Resistances while you have at least 200 Strength 47% increased Projectile Attack Damage while you have at least 200 Dexterity

(Belt) Rare Belt - try to get one with the highest maximum life and elemental resistances bonuses

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills increased Physical Damage Strength (to match Abyssus req.)

(Belt) Doryani's Invitation - good and inexpensive belt. Grants additional elemental damage and elemental resistances. It lacks Life bonus though, but it's totally acceptable for a low-budget build

+(25-35) to Strength (20-30)% increased Fire Damage +(300-350) to Armour +(30-35)% to Cold Resistance +(30-35)% to Lightning Resistance 0.2% of Fire Damage Leeched as Life 10% chance to Ignite during any Flask Effect

(Amulet) Rare Amulet

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 15% All Elemental Resistances Adds min. 8 Physical Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier Intelligence, Strength

(Ring) Rare Rings

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Cold Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance Adds min. 7 Physical Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Intelligence, Strength

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - high defensive stats are priority and increased Attack Speed can be a good addition

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 25% Fire resistance 25% Lightning resistance 25% Cold resistance Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed

(Gloves) Atziri's Acuity - best in slot gloves for pretty much any Crit build. They are very expensive and suitable only for the very best players

+(60-80) to Intelligence +(60-75) to maximum Life (200-220)% increased Armour (25-35)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance You have Vaal Pact if you've dealt a Critical Strike Recently

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - this should provide extra Life and damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Generic/Physical/Projectile Damage % increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: % increased Projectile Speed % increased Global Critical Strike Chance % increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - mandatory Flask for this build. Grants extra DPS and Life Leech. It is also very cheap

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Taste of Hate - grants bonuses to both your DPS and defenses. Replace with a random immunity Life Flask until you can afford it

+50% to Cold Resistance +6% to maximum Cold Resistance 20% of Physical Damage taken as Cold Damage during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Flask effect 30% chance to Avoid being Frozen during Flask effect

(Flask) Dying Sun - grants incomparable DPS buff with its' 2 additional projectiles. Replace with an immunity Life Flask or a Diamond Flask of choice until you can afford it

+50% to Fire Resistance +6% to maximum Fire Resistance (-10-10)% increased Charges used (15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Reflexes (increased Crit. Chance)

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.