Toxic Rain Pathfinder
Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.14

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low

Toxic Rain is one of the skills introduced in Patch 3.4. It is a Chaos/AoE Bow attack that shots several arrows in the air that fall dawn rapidly creating Spore Pods. Arrows deal damage when they hit enemies, Spores deal damage over time to nearby enemies, and after a short delay, they explode dealing Chas Damage in a small area. With Pathfinder's Ascendancy, your Poison deals greatly increased Damage and spread to nearby enemies, making it a deadly weapon even without any expensive items. Quill Rain which was one of the core items for this build has been nerfed in Patch 3.5, but Toxic Rain Pathfinder still remains a very good pick for a League Starter build. You can play this build with pretty much any set of random rares, and if players could kill Uber Elder with a level 5 weapon, you know that something is truly overpowered.

Toxic Rain received reasonable buffs recently it's among the best Starter builds to play in Echoes of the Atlas Expansion and Ritual League. 

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

1. Gameplay

This is a typical Ranged build that relies on taking down your opponents from a distance as it shows limited defensive capabilities. It is based on high DoT damage dealt by Toxic Rain's clouds, which stacks and deals massive damage to enemies affected by several clouds. Primarily this build was oriented on stacking Poison with Toxic Rain, however, it appears that the Damage over Time effect is much more viable in terms of dealing with mid and high-Tier Map Bosses. This build provides decent defenses based on Life (over 5,000 with our low-budget items listed) and a high chance of Dodge Spells and Attacks.

0:08 Ancient City Tier 14 0:20 City Square Tier 14 0:59 Coves Tier 14 1:16 Siege Tier 14 1:42 Burial Chambers Tier 15 2:04 Crimson Temple Tier 15 This video was recorded on a level 91 Pathfinder with a Crafted +3 Bow, Carcass Jack, and random Rare equipment. It ended up having 5,300 Life and approximately 90k DoT damage from Toxic Rain's clouds each

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Your primary objective should be getting Quill Rain after you reach level 5. Even a 4-linked one will do for most of the campaign. You should start your adventure with Caustic Arrow as it has no level requirement, and then add Toxic Rain at level 12. Caustic Arrow is best to be used initially to summon the Mirage Archer for some extra DoT, and then attacking enemies with Toxic Rain while it's up. Other than that, just focus on defensive gear and you should be more than fine throughout the entire process.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Caustic Arrow setup
	Caustic Arrow - very efficient leveling skill when combined with Mirage Archer Support Gem.
	Mirage Archer Support - Mirage Archer uses the supported skill with slightly reduced Attack Speed and Damage
	Void Manipulation Support - increases Chaos Damage

Toxic Rain setup
	Toxic Rain - Toxic Rain is the primary skill in this build. You can start using it after you reach level 12
	Void Manipulation Support - listed here mainly because of low-level requirements. After you reach level 31 you should replace it with Added Chaos Damage Support
	Vicious Projectiles Support - grants very high bonus Chaos DoT to supported Projectile-based skills
	Deadly Ailments Support - greatly increases your Poison Damage

Utility Gems
	Herald of Agony - increases your Chance to Poison and Poison damage
	Summon Lightnin Golem - grants increased Attack Speed, which helps you stack more Toxic Rain clouds
	Dash - recommended Movement Skill used in this build

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree 
Priorities: 1) Finesse 2) Aspect of the Eagle 3) Method to the Madness 4) Master Fletcher

65 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Hunter's Gambit 2) Blood Siphon 3) Growth and Decay 4) Atrophy

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - one of the best leveling Rings for this build
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

Quill Rain - the core weapon for both the leveling phase. It has very high Attack Speed which lets you stack more Toxic Rain's DoTs
100% increased Physical Damage +(10-20) to Dexterity 100% increased Attack Speed +(25-50) to Accuracy Rating +2 Mana gained for each Enemy hit by Attacks (50-100)% increased Projectile Speed 40% less Damage

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

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

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Nature's Reprisal
2. Nature's Adrenaline
3. Nature's Boon
4. Master Alchemist

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of the Brine King You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds

Minor God: Soul of Garukhan +5% chance to Evade Attacks if you've taken a Savage Hit recently

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Toxic Rain
	Toxic Rain - primary Attack Skill in this build. You focus to increase the Damage over Time effect and ignore the on-hit damage it deals
	Void Manipulation Support - increases Chaos Damage dealt by Supported Skills
	Vicious Projectiles Support
	Swift Affliction Support - greatly increases DoT damage dealt by Supported Skills
	Empower Support - increases the level of your Toxic Rain and its' base DoT DPS. You can further increase Empower's level by socketing it in the Crafted Bow that we recommend to get if you want to push this build to its limits
	Mirage Archer Support - creates a Spectral Archer on your back which will use Toxic Rain with reduced Attack Speed even while you are moving

[UTILITY] Wither Spell Totem
	Wither - a duration Spell that applies a debuff on enemies increasing Chaos Damage they take
	Spell Totem Support - allows you to summon a Totem that will cast Wither
	Faster Casting Support
	Multiple Totems Support - allows you to summon more Wither Totems to apply the debuff faster

[UTILITY] Golem/Immortal Call
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will automatically resummon your Golem. Use a level 11 Gem to make the casts more frequent
	Summon Lightning Golem - increases your Attack and Cast Speed. Use a level 13 Summon Lightnin Golem Gem
	Immortal Call - grants a very strong damage reduction bonuses for a short duration. Use it also on level 13 so that it's triggered by CWDT Gem
	Increased Duration Support

[UTILITY] Blood Rage
	Blood Rage - increases your Attack Speed and generates Frenzy Charges for more Damage

[UTILITY] Auras
	Flesh and Stone - makes nearby enemies blinded and reduces the damage you take from enemies further ahead when you use it in the Sand Stance
	Malevolence - increases your DoT multiplier making it the best Aura for this build
	Enlighten Support - reduces Mana Reservation Cost of Supported Auras

[MOBILITY] Dash
	Dash - movement skill which can be used with Bows and will be faster than Blink Arrow because of your low Attack Speed in this build
	Second Wind Support - increases the number of Charges your Dash has and reduces its cooldown

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for this build. All the items are easy to obtain and should be relatively cheap. Also, this build is perfect for beginners and solo self-found mode. None of the items are mandatory and can be easily replaced by Rares. 

Using this opportunity, we would like to invite you to visit our PoE Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency with real cash from other Path of Exile players.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Starkonja's Head - a decent and budget-friendly option for this build. It offers high defensive Utility and extra Attack Speed

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - preferably Evasion-based with high defensive stats

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance 30% Cold Resistance

Helmet enchantment: Toxic Rain fires 1 additional Arrow Toxic Arrow deals 40% increased Damage

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - this is one of the best Armours for this build as with increased AoE, you will be able to stack more DoTs on a single enemy

(120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(50-70) to maximum Life +(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances (40-50)% increased Area of Effect (40-50)% increased Area Damage Extra gore

(Weapon) Crafted +3 Bow - the best in the slot. It will be quite expensive if you want it to increase your Empower level by 3, but this makes this build capable of completing high-Tier Maps

Min. requirements: +1 Level to Socketed Gems +2 Level to Socketed Support Gems Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Attack Speed Chaos Damage

(Weapon) Rare Quiver - simply aim for high defensive stats here and possibly increased Area of Effect if you can afford it

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Area of Effect

(Boots) Rare Boots - with high Life, and Movement Speed bonus. You can also try getting Boots with Elusive or Tailwind if you plan to do high Tier Maps with this build

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 35 Intelligence 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike

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

(Belt) Rare Belt - aim for defensive stats. You can also use Stygian Vise for the extra Abyss Socket

Min. requirements: 120 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - basically Life and Chaos DoT Multi

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 10% Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Attributes Chaos Damage Elemental Resistances

Recommended Anointments: Hardened Scars - best defensive Utility but requires you to get Enduring Hybrid Flask Potency of Will - longer Toxic Rain duration which means higher DPS

(Ring) Rare Rings - with defensive stats, Attributes, and possibly craft Mana Cost Reduction for non-channelled Skills here

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life Non-Channelling Skills have -8 to Total Mana Cost Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental Resistances

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - one of the few Items on which you can get Chaos DoT multiplier, so it's preferred if you look for such pair (or craft it)

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances

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

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Chaos Damage over Time Multiplier Optional affixes: Chaos Damage/Damage over Time/Area Damage

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - if you are using Stygian Vise, you could try getting an Abyss Jewel with a Chance to gain Onslaught on kill

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Chance to gain Onslaught on kill for 4 seconds Optional affixes: Increased Damage if you have killed recently

(Jewels) Watcher's Eye - not exactly a "Starter" build item, but if you plan to use this build for longer, that's where you can improve it greatly. Just pick a Jewel which grants bonus Chaos DoT Multiplier while you are affected by Malevolence

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifier: +(18-22)% to Damage over Time Multiplier while affected by Malevolence

(Flask) Witchfire Brew - another important Flask for this build. It increases your Damage over Time

100% increased Evasion Rating Creates a Smoke Cloud on Use 50% increased Charges used (25-40)% increased Damage Over Time during Flask Effect Grants Level 21 Despair Curse Aura during Flask Effect

Other suggested Flasks: Enduring Hallowed Hybrid Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Experimenter's Jade Flask of Adrenaline (Inc. Movement Speed) Ample Quartz Flask of Warding (Curse immunity) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity)

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.