[3.7] Molten Strike Is Okay After Testing! :)

WELCOME, EXILES! :)

3.7 Update!

As you all know, molten strike suffered a 20% to 25% nerf to its effective damage. However, it is still a strong melee skill. You will want to link it to multistrike in nearly all scenarios as 21 20 multistrike now gives 51% more damage to supported skills on first repeat and 101% more damage on second repeat. Now you may say that molten strike "feels" different, and yes that is true--despite the melee range increase native to the skill gem, you will have to stand rather close to the enemy in order for your melee hit to proc magma balls. This is especially noticeable when doing Uber Elder--you will have to be very careful and smart about your positioning. I have not tested this CI molten striker extensively, but I have made a life-based version which did 2-man carry Uber Elder just fine. I highly suggest you re-optimize your gear and tree and test the feel of the skill yourself to make a final judgment. If you would like to check out my life-based molten striker, please see character @DoYouEvenFlask in my public profile. Hope this helps! Use thread here for discussion if you like!

Introduction

For a brief moment this patch, we had a taste of ES instaleech with legacy Vinktar and Ghost Reaver; unfortunately, that mechanic has been patched and is no more. To closely mimic the effect of instaleech to maintain sustain, we can utilize a mechanic called ES gain on hit. This build uses the key mod "+29 Energy Shield gained for each Enemy Hit while affected by Discipline" to carry out this effect (see Watcher's Eye below).

To put it more precisely, amount of ES gained on hit = attacks per second x number of magma orbs per hit x number of enemies hit. As you can imagine, Ancestral Call is immensely important here as it allows two nearby enemies to be targeted. This ES gain is instant.
Background

Hi, my name is Ben, and I am a flask addict. Yes, for more than a year now, I have been playing exclusively Pathfinder. You may ask why? I can provide you several reasons. Firstly, in Standard, you have a wide selection of legacy flasks that allows you to customize your build with just a couple item swaps to gear for nearly any map mod or boss encounter. Secondly, the ranger placement on the passive tree facilitates building both life and ES, with efficient pathing to optimal nodes for nearly all sorts of builds. You can traverse to the duelist and marauder areas as life-based crit phys to ele conversion foil attack build or path up to shadow and witch areas for ES-based crit phys to ele conversion foil, claw, or dagger attack build. And yes, you can build a decently well rounded spell caster as a Pathfinder, too. Trust me, I have tried and mostly succeeded fitting any square peg into the round hole that is Pathfinder--she is truly the Jane of all builds in my opinion.

Purpose

Delving is a contested aspect of this game, perhaps for much of the community player base. Some dislike the cramped spacing, the gloomy darkness; others love the challenge of map mods that render even the best of builds and players defeated but not broken. Honestly, delving provides the opportunity to challenge your build and pushes you to min-max like never before. Delving brings current content to a whole new level of difficulty--those of you who have reached 1.2K depth know what I'm talking about. And I'm sure you have jokingly ripped a couple of your friends who thought that depth was easy only to find that they can't even make it past the first couple steps. I personally enjoy deep delving. To fulfill that purpose, I have made the following build, which I would like to share with you!

*Disclaimer: The gear for this build is by no means budget. Delving has been said to be the greatest currency sink--right next to crafting. When you're faced with end-game content that scales difficulty infinitely, wouldn't you want to bring the best gear you've got to up your chance of success? I surely would.

I am not intentionally trying to advertise for any of these crafts. Rather, I am just showcasing the items that I found to be best for this build. I have not been sponsored by any of the owners of the mirror originals.

GEAR

Helmet

Gem Links: CWDT-Vaal Immortal Call-Increased Duration-Tempest Shield

This is the best legacy enchant molten strike hubris I could find that combines maximum ES and damage. As a melee tank, you want to proc tempest shield and extend its duration to up block in conjunction with legacy Rumi's Concoction.

Body Armour

(Bossing)
(Mapping/Delving)
Gem Links:
(Bossing) Molten Strike-Multistrike-Damage on Full Life-Elemental Damage with Attacks-Concentrated Effect-Elemental Focus
(Mapping/Delving) Molten Strike-Multistrike-Ancestral Call-Elemental Damage with Attacks-Damage on Full Life-Energy Leech

Ancestral call allows molten strike to attack two nearby targets, which effectively increases your AOE in a sense. This is a must for clearing in the delve node end point that usually is a rather big arena where you must kill quickly and efficiently to survive as waves of monsters are coming at you from all around.

Weapon


Gem Links:
(Bossing) Phase Run-Whirling Blades or Enhance-Increased Duration
(Mapping/Delving) Phase Run-Vaal Grace-Enduring Cry

I chose Pandemonium Sever because it is a very well-rounded crit phys foil. Some of you might chose a foil with hits can't be evaded craft which is totally fine as you can opt out of getting accuracy from the passive tree and gear.

Phase run provides a temporary more melee physical damage buff and when linked with enhance will give you a massive temporary boost in movement speed, especially when you have to get pass a dense mob in delve or dodge a heavy attack from Aul.

Vaal grace when paired with high block will up your avoidance/mitigation factors--both of which are crucial defense layers to stay alive in deep delving.

Enduring cry allows you to generate endurance charges based on nearby mob density to extend your immortal call duration when CWDT procs it. Trust me, in deep delving, you'll want physical damage mitigation on as a layer of defense.

Shield

Gem Links: War Banner-Clarity-Enlighten

This is the best shield I could find with high ES, decent spell block, and the right resistance to cap. Spell block is highly important as most of the greatest damaging monsters use spells.

War banner increases your accuracy, which is extremely important to delivering a successful crit strike. Clarity when paired with the right Watcher's Eye mod add a massive amount of flat ES based on your total mana pool. Enlighten helps reduce mana reservation.

Glove

(Bossing)
(Mapping/Delving)
Gem Links: Hatred-Discipline-Herald of Purity-Enlighten

Use Ele Weakness for maximal DPS against bosses and Temp Chains for clearing as in deep delve you'll want to slow monsters as much as possible before you get ganked. +1 to socketed gems ups enlighten 4 to 5, reducing the mana reservation of linked auras.

Some may ask why use Hatred and Winter Spirit on the passive tree? The recent rework of Hatred actually turns out to be a rather generous buff to DPS when you pair high phys to cold conversion and high cold damage. Anger nowhere near matches that kind of DPS output Hatred offers.

Shaper's Touch is absolutely BIS because it provides a massive amount of accuracy, ES, and some melee physical damage.

Boot

(Bossing)
(Mapping/Delving)
Gem Links:
(Bossing) Ancestral Protector-Ancestral Warchief-Multiple Totems-Minion and Totem Elemental Resistance
(Mapping/Delving) Vaal Double Strike-Elemental Damage with Attacks-Damage on Full Life-Elemental Focus

These totems add massive buffs to your melee damage and attack speed--it's best utilized during a boss fight. Vaal double strike can summon a total of four clones when used twice to aid you during sticky situations with high mob density.

Amulet

(Bossing)
(Mapping/Delving)
Gale Clasp allows you to generate any charge on kill. Tempest Locket simply provides the most DPS during boss encounters.

Rings


These are the two highest damage ES rings I could find and use while still capping my resistances with flasks up.

Belt

(Bossing)
(Mapping/Delving)
Hypnotic Buckle provides the greatest ES during boss encounters. Headhunter is useful to collect buffs during mapping/delving with high rare monster density.

Flasks

(Delve Bossing)
(Delve Mapping)
(Regular Mapping & Uber Elder)
Overflowing Chalice helps tremendously in maintaining flask uptime during highly dangerous boss encounters like Aul. Rumi's Concoction will cap your attack block and up spell block rather well; when paired with Vaal grace, you will have very high mitigation/avoidance values, which directly correlates with survivability in dense mob delve zones.

THE NUMBERS

(Delve Bossing)
DPS: 8.497M Shaper
Attack Block Chance: 75%
Spell Block Chance: 51%
Effective ES Pool: 14.5K
Movement Speed: 128% / Utilize Whirling Blades

(Delve Mapping)
DPS: 10.666M Shaper
Attack Block Chance: 75%
Spell Block Chance: 51%
Effective ES Pool: 14.5K
Movement Speed: 174%

(Regular Mapping & Uber Elder)
DPS: 12.135M Shaper
Attack Block Chance: 37%
Spell Block Chance: 21%
Effective ES Pool: 14.5K
Movement Speed: 252%

*DPS calculations per https://moldydwarf.gitlab.io/MoltenStrikeDPS/index.html

PoB

https://pastebin.com/bXKhU3LG

You will find the jewels I use in this PoB and they are rather self-explanatory. Passive tree pathing has been min-maxed. The ascendancy passives I chose for Pathfinder are also there.

Videos

My delve team and I are chasing a fully modded Aul at delve depth 1395. We will upload a video of the whole boss encounter soon!

Contact

Feel free to PM me via Forums or in-game at DoYouEvenFlask. Thanks for spending some time to check this build out. May the mirrors rain on you, Exile! :)

*The +3 molten strike hubris and vaal regalias above can be found in my mirror thread here: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2477810 Thanks for looking!

bumpage

Shame, im 3 mirrors short to make this build workd, good guide tought.

bumpage

bumpage

bumpage

bumpage

oh no no no!

Sorry for any misinformation earlier about ES instaleech with legacy Vinktar and Ghost Reaver. I was informed of the incoming patch this week just now that will fix a bug where the "Life and Mana Leech are instant during effect" modifier found on Legacy Vessel of Vinktar Unique flasks caused Energy Shield Leech to be instant. This is in the pending patch notes 3.6.3B. It was fun and OP while it lasted right? I have moved quickly to update this thread to discuss ES gain on hit as a compensatory ES sustain mechanic. Hope this helps! :)

bumpage