Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion Necropolis 3.24 Guide

Build Overview

Disclaimer: It's important to note that there are two prevalent methods for acquiring projectiles in this build. Both approaches—whether you opt for the Rain of Splinters or the Thread of Hope variation—are roughly equivalent in efficiency. The choice between them essentially boils down to which option is more economical for you. Whether you lean towards the Rain of Splinters variant or the Thread of Hope variant, each integrates seamlessly with the build; the decision is merely a matter of cost-effectiveness.

Introduction: The Explosive Arrow Ballista build has received a significant amount of attention and praise across the last few seasons of Path of Exile, especially with the Necropolis expansion. Our aim is to present you with a detailed walkthrough of this spectacularly potent league starter, enabling you to harness its full potential effortlessly.

Pros and Cons

In assessing the viability of the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion build for the Necropolis expansion in Path of Exile, it's crucial to understand its strengths and limitations. Below is a quantitative evaluation of the build across several key areas, with ratings given on a scale from 1 to 10. A higher score indicates a stronger performance in that category.

The Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion build excels in durability and damage, scoring an impressive 9.5 out of 10 in both categories. This highlights its capability to withstand significant threats and dish out substantial damage, making it a formidable choice for tackling the challenges of the Necropolis expansion. However, its playstyle and gearing aspects are rated at 7 out of 10, suggesting that while effective, they may require a bit more adaptation or investment compared to other aspects of the build. The complexity rating of 5 out of 10 indicates a moderate learning curve, making it accessible to players with varying levels of experience in PoE builds.

Build Main Mechanics

The core mechanics of the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion build in PoE's Necropolis expansion are surprisingly straightforward, contrary to what some may suggest. The primary goal is to affix as many explosive arrows onto a target as feasible to leverage the "more damage" multiplier provided by the gem. This is accomplished through the utilization of a Totem build, where each totem applies fuses to your target. Thanks to the exceptional damage scaling, this build can concentrate on amassing a robust defense system. This rationale underpins the focus on detailing the most resilient variant of the build available.

While the Explosive Arrow Ballista build emerges as a formidable force in the late game, boasting substantial damage as early as the mapping phase, it does encounter a hiccup during the leveling process. Leveling, especially as a Champion, can be somewhat cumbersome until you reach level 28. Until then, you'll level as a melee build using skills like Shattering Steel or Splitting Steel. Although this phase may seem tedious, the transition to using Explosive Arrow (EA) significantly boosts your power, particularly with sufficient attack speed and an early acquisition of Quill Rain to ease the leveling experience.

In the endgame, the strategy simplifies to deploying ballista totems while navigating maps, ensuring totems are placed and Frenzy is utilized to generate charges and apply curses on bosses.

Disclaimer: It's crucial to secure a single roll of Lightning or Cold damage to attacks on your gear or jewels to activate Elemental Equilibrium, avoiding any "Fire Damage to Attacks" to ensure the mechanic works effectively.

Fuses Math: The Explosive Arrow's effectiveness hinges on the number of fuses embedded in an enemy at the time of detonation, enhancing "explosion damage" and subsequent ignite effects. To maximize fuses and thus damage, follow these steps:

1. Determine your duration, typically 1.2 seconds, accounting for base duration and increases from mastery and cluster jewels.
2. To achieve 19 stacks (excluding the initial hit), divide 19 by your duration to find the required fuses per second.
3. With 6 totems attacking the enemy, divide the needed fuses per second by 6 to find the attacks per second each totem must achieve.
4. This calculation indicates a need for 2.64 attacks per second to reach damage cap.
5. Incorporate a margin for error, as achieving instant maximum totem deployment is unrealistic.

PoB, Passives and Gem Links

An optimized Path of Building (PoB) for the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion build can be found here. It's worth noting that every build guide released by WowCarry utilizes the community fork of Path of Building. This version receives updates more frequently and includes more features than the original, ensuring you have the most up-to-date information and tools at your disposal.

Gem Links: The core of the Explosive Arrow Ballista build revolves around the Explosive Arrow as the main link, ideally in a 6-link setup. While Awakened gems are recommended to maximize your build's potential, standard gems will suffice until you can afford to upgrade.

• Explosive Arrow
• Ballista Totem Support
• Lifetap Support
• Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks Support (or its non-awakened counterpart)
• Ignite Proliferation Support
• Combustion Support

Frenzy: Employed to apply curses and generate frenzy charges while your totems manage tougher foes.

• Frenzy
• Hextouch Support
• Flammability
• Greater Multiple Projectiles Support
• Life Gain on Hit Support
• Lifetap Support

Auras: Initially, you may not have the luxury of running Defiance Banner due to the costly helmet implicit. Prioritize the following auras:

• Determination
• Grace
• Summon Skitterbots
• Defiance Banner (when feasible)

Utility: For debuffing enemies, Arcanist Brand coupled with Flame Surge is used, while Enduring Cry on the left mouse button ensures endurance charge generation. Lifetap Support is linked to these skills to facilitate casting through life expenditure.

• Arcanist Brand
• Enduring Cry
• Flame Surge
• Lifetap Support

For mobility, Dash is the preferred movement skill, though alternatives like Flame Dash or Blink Arrow are viable options. Vaal Molten Shell should be activated in perilous situations or during challenging encounters.

• Summon Stone Golem
• Lifetap Support
• Dash
• Vaal Molten Shell

Ascendancy, Pantheons and Deal with the Bandits

Ascendancy Choices for the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion

• Unstoppable Hero: This ascendancy node offers a significant boost in attack speed and defense (both armor and evasion) while leveling. However, its benefits are maximized after completing your next Labyrinth, making it an essential but later addition to your build.
• Fortitude: Grants permanent Fortify, reducing damage taken from all hits by 20%. This defensive layer is a cornerstone of the Champion's resilience, making it a non-negotiable pick for this build.
• Conqueror: Following Fortitude, Conqueror adds another layer of defense with an additional 10% damage mitigation. In tandem with Fortitude, it bolsters the Champion's durability significantly.
• Worthy Foe: This node not only eliminates the need to manage accuracy but also ensures enemies take 20% more damage. It’s a powerful boost for both efficiency and damage output, making it a valuable addition.

Dealing with the Bandits

For the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion, the optimal choice is to kill all the Bandits. The alternatives, such as supporting Oak, Alira, or Kraityn, do not offer benefits compelling enough to outweigh the value of two additional skill points awarded by Eramir.

Pantheon Choices

• Major God: Soul of the Brine King is selected to gain freeze immunity, which is crucial for uninterrupted gameplay. Ensure it's upgraded for full immunity.
• Minor God: Soul of Abberath, once upgraded, is necessary to navigate through burning ground without detriment. It's become almost essential to have this form of immunity in the current meta.

Upgrading Your Pantheons

To upgrade Pantheon powers, use a Divine Vessel in the Map Device with the specific Map that contains the required boss. After defeating the boss and capturing their soul, the filled Divine Vessel can either be used directly from the map device or taken to Sin in Oriath for additional lore-based interactions.

Gear

A well-curated gear set is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of the Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion build in both early and late game phases. Here's a breakdown of recommended gear for the league start environment and for late game progression.

Early Game – League Start Environment:

Late Game:

Jewels and Flasks:

• Jewels: 1 Rain of Splinters (obtained via corruption), otherwise focus on Life, Attack Speed, and Attack Speed with Bows.
• Flasks: Granite Flask of the Armadillo, Sulphur Flask of the Owl, Jade Flask of the Cheetah, Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Assuaging, and Quicksilver Flask of the Heron.

Summary

And there you have it! That's our Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion guide for the Necropolis 3.24 expansion in Path of Exile. Whether you're just starting out or you're gearing up for the late game, we've covered everything from the basic mechanics to the specific gear you'll need. Remember, it might seem like a lot at first, but take it step by step, and you'll be mastering this build in no time. And hey, if you find yourself needing a bit of extra help or if you're just looking to get things moving faster, we've got your back at WowCarry. We offer services related to this build, whether you need assistance with a specific part of the guide or the whole thing. So, don’t hesitate to reach out. Happy building, and may your arrows always explode with precision!