PoE 'noob' in need of guidance with Build and gem selection

So I'm a 99.9% solo player and will continue to be as much as I can help it - probably could have been solo-self-found all this while and nothing would be different.

All I really want, is to try out each character and make it to level 100 with each one in Standard (though I'm not opposed to starting new characters in whatever ongoing league is up).

Currently I'm still on my first one: the Slayer. I've died for the first time (two times in one day) at the end of Chapter 5 and at the start of Chapter 6 (a chest that made corpses explode, and I was standing right in the middle of a giant pile of them...heh....)

I've spent far more time reading and trying to learn about the game than I have actually playing it...but I digress.

This is the current iteration of my 'goal' build: www.poeurl.com/ckcT (I hope the miniaturized links don't expire?)
My current progress through that build can be found in my character thing here in the website, I guess? This is regarding TheGreenSlayist.


I'm set on Slayer using '2h axes' as a weapon focus.

I'm not even going to try to worry about Uniques at this current point, making do with rares (or magic in the case of flasks) is fine, items in general aren't my worry.
-- One question here though: For the chest, is it more important to get as many links as possible than to worry about the specific stats? --

What I'm currently lost on, as in the title, is the following:

1. Uncertainty of build.
a. Is Vitality void even worth it, given requiring 5 points to reach, with all the other leech stuff I already get? (NOTE: I've tried Vaal Pact, do not like in the slightest.)
b. More life (by going to the Tireless node), or stick with the number of Jewel Sockets I've got now?
c. I see a lot of guides recommend killing all the bandits for 2 more points; where'd that even be valuable for me?
d. I put 2 points in to get Diamond Skin, because I'm noticing it's difficult to find looted gear and worry about keeping capped resistances while also seeking life/damage/other benefits - so my thinking is grabbing that node will make loot & crafting life easier. Is that just overkill though?
e. I've only just learned about the 'cast on taking hits' Immortal Call thing, do I need Endurance Charge nodes for that to be worthwhile?
f. Am I even prioritizing the right nodes in progressing through the tree at the moment? (refer to my character list thing)

2. Selection of gems.
a. Sunder or Cyclone? Or both? (I was using Dominating Blow until just recently as my 'single target' skill, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.) (edit: I'm also open to some other suggestions but I 'kinda' want to stick to a theme per character, for instance a 'flame god' totem chieftain molten strike + tectonic slam build in the future)
b. Is just "cast spell on hit" or w/e it's called + "Immortal Call" worth using and fine-as-is (though preferably with that duration support gem)?
c. What should I decide on for 'Reserved Mana' skill gems? Currently I've got Arctic Armor, Herald of Purity (seems like a must), Herald of Ash (another must), and Dread Banner. It leaves just enough mana to cast any of my stuff. Am I better off with something else?
d. I'm currently using Stone Golem, I find it easy to use. Worth hanging onto?
e. Similarly, is it worth continuing to use Vaal Ancestral Warchief Totem?
f. Why do so many guides recommend Maim? Why not Fortify or other supports instead?

__

I get it's a lot of questions, if I could discern the answer from reading wikis/guides/forums/reddit/websurfing I would have done so by now. I appreciate anybody patient enough to provide me with the answers I seek!

Well hey, welcome to PoE. And whew, this is going to be a long one.

I'm going to be upfront with you here, Slayer isnt in the best place right now. We kind of expect that to change in 3.7, when melee gets overhauled.

With that said, it is viable for all content, just that it'll likely be better next league.

Slayer is the 2h weapon class, so no worries there. If you want to go axes, by all means.

For links - if you go 2h, you have options. You can have up to 6 links in your weapon, and another 6 in your chest slot. They are very important, each link can be up to a multiplicative 40+% damage to your skill. Or can be utility, or whatever you want really. I personally think the links will help you out more than the particular stats on a chest piece. But since you're melee, your weapon dps stats are more important than links.

1: I'm not really sure what build you're going to be honest. Looks like you're using cyclone at the moment. If you meant pathing, then I'll touch on that later.

A: Vitality void is a very strong node. In this 3.6 patch they reworked how leech works. As far as I understand, that 20% maximum total recovery is a very powerful line. Means that you can leech 20% more per second. It might very well save your life. It also included some mana leech on the way over, which will save you an affix on gear later. Also, if you path that way - you could reach for Hatchet Master which is a pretty strong little set of axe nodes.

B: Tireless is kind of weak, unless you are really lacking HP. (You aren't.) Your projected path includes 227% increased life. That's a very large amount, and I would shoot for more like 190-200 instead. More life is never bad though, and it's really up to you if you want to sacrifice dps / utility for it.

C: So, you arent crit, so Alleria is weak for you. Krait is almost never taken by anyone as far as I know, and Oak just makes you more tanky. So those two points can work towards the leech or hatchet master. I'll include a reworked path for you later in this post.

D: No, it's not overkill. If you're playing SSF, or solo as much as possible then it makes sense. You wont have access to OP gear right from the beginning, making capping resists difficult. You can always respec out of those points later, if you find your gear sufficient.

E: No. Endurance charges are consumed if you have a way to generate them for additional duration. But there is a very short duration naturally on the gem. Often times just that short duration is enough to save your life from a big burst of damage. So the nodes wouldn't help you, especially because you have no way to generate them.

F: So, I wouldn't have pathed the way you did, but that's okay. I don't really play solo, so maybe you felt that you didn't need damage as much as you needed life / resists.

(My fingers are going to fall off.)

2

A: Well, there are a ton of skills in the game. Honestly, it's just whatever feels good to you. I personally really liked Earthquake / Ice Crash / Cyclone / Consecrated Path (Not all at the same time. Pick one) when I used 2h weapons. But they're all viable. Try them out.

B: Yes, as noted before - it can often save your life from burst damage.

C: This part depends on what skill you end up using. Some skills convert damage into different types, and that influences your aura setup. I would try using Hatred + Herald of Ash, or using Hatred + Blasphemy + Warlord's Mark until you get a bit further in the game. (When you get to maps, I would reevaluate your situation, but again that's a ways off.)

D: Stone golem is fine. Regen is nice.

E: Sure, often times people will use Ancestral Warchief totems in their extra 5/6 link gear. They can add quite a bit of dps in a pinch.

F: Maim has the ability to maim - which applies up to a 30%~ slow, which can keep enemies in your abilities. It also has a multiplicative damage multiplier on it. Fortify is a very strong defensive gem, but it doesn't have a damage multiplier on it.

Unrelated, but I did send you a friend request in game. If you see me on sometime, I'd be happy to answer more questions if you have them.

Now, for that updated pathing...

The updated pathing is here: www.poeurl.com/ckVo

This build only has 188% increased life before jewels. I took some liberty with extra resists. I wouldnt normally pick up Sentinel or Diamond skin. So you could take those out when you get better gear, and just replace those with life, or something.

Additionally, this build will likely have a great deal more attack speed than your previous one. I found that attack speed made it feel a lot better when I used 2h weapons. But it's easy to change back if you don't like it.

Also, most people swear by using Vaal Pact as a slayer, because it doubles your leech rate. As a slayer, your leech isnt taken away as soon as you hit 100% hp, and instead sits in a pool for 5~ seconds. Because you explicitly stated that you didn't like it, I didn't include it, but I do suggest trying it again once you are a higher level.

And if you have any further questions, let me know. Best of luck Exile.