10 Best Builds in [PoE 3.25] League

Path of Exile 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur is all about melee builds. Those who want to get up close and personal with the enemy will really love playing this league! While there are those that have fun mechanics, this list is all about the best builds in the current league.

If you have saved up some currency and you would like to try different builds that are worth your time and money, then you have come to the right place! We at RPGStash will give you the 10 Best Builds in the Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur League!

Criteria

Before we highlight the top 10 builds of 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur, we will discuss how we have rated these builds so that you can understand why they are included in the list.

We have used several metrics to gauge the performance and worthiness of each of the builds that will be mentioned in this list, such as:

• Clear Speed: This refers to how efficiently the build can clear the entire map. This is an important metric considering that most of the time you spend in PoE is dedicated to mapping
• Bossing: Path of Exile is filled with bosses that reward you with amazing loot if you defeat them successfully. Class builds that rate high in this metric are those that can deal incredible amounts of damage, allowing them to destroy even the uber bosses in the game
• Survivability: Some people prefer builds that have amazing survivability. These builds often have multiple defensive layers that mitigate as much incoming damage as possible. If you like a more laid-back playstyle, you can go for strong builds that can withstand a beating without any issue
• Budget: Builds that score low in this department are those that can work with minimal investment. Of course, any class build in Path of Exile can be elevated to the next level. However, these so-called "budget builds" do not require expensive crafted items or uniques to get off the ground
• League Start Viable: If you want a build that you can start a new league with, go for those that score high in this department

Best Builds in Settlers of Kalguur

Now that you know the performance metrics we have used to rank these builds, it is time to talk about the actual builds themselves. Keep in mind that we are using a 5-point scoring system, where "1" is the lowest and "5" is the highest. For example, builds that score high in "clear speed" are great for ridding the entire map of enemies within a few minutes.

Moreover, we are going to go in descending order, starting with the top 10 all the way to the best build in PoE 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur League. Despite the ranking order, each build that we are going to mention here is amazing in its own right. In other words, you can never go wrong no matter which one you choose. So, without further ado, let's get started!

10. Righteous Fire Chieftain

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 3/5

Survivability: 5/5

Budget: 2/5

League Start Viable: 3/5

The Chieftain has finally dethroned the Inquisitor as the ascendancy class of choice when using the Righteous Fire spell skill gem. That is primarily because of the changes Grinding Gear Games made a couple of leagues ago, where the damage of Righteous Fire is now heavily based on the amount of HP and energy shield that you have.

This class has some amazing notable ascendancy passive skills that synergize really well with Righteous Fire. Chief among them is Hinekora's Death Fury, which grants you the ability to explode enemies on kill, dealing 500% of their maximum life as fire damage. This enables you to clear maps with ease. Besides that, the damage of the explosions can be elevated further due to the fire damage mods on your gear.

The Chieftain is also incredibly tanky thanks to Valako, Storm's Embrace, and Tasalio, Cleansing Water. With these two nodes, you can focus on improving your fire resistance so that your cold and lightning resistances will be sorted out as well. On top of that, with the right combination of passive skills, gear, and gems, you can reach 90% elemental resistances without any problems!

On the topic of survivability, you can either choose The Ivory Tower or Utula's Hunger as your unique body armor. The former gives you a ton of energy shield, while the latter grants you heaps of HP. As you can see, both of these stats improve the damage of Righteous Fire, so you are really getting the best of both worlds by scaling offense and defense at the same time!

Since Righteous Fire now takes HP into consideration when it comes to improving your damage, you can opt to go the STR-stacking route, mainly because raising your Strength attribute also raises your maximum life.

The only weakness of this build is that it is not a very good one for bossing. Sure, the Chieftain can absorb devastating blows like they are child's play, but it will take a considerable amount of time to eliminate the uber bosses. Part of the reason why that is the case is that Righteous Fire itself is a damage-over-time spell skill gem. This means that it is technically slower compared to skills that deal direct damage to enemies.

Still, the Righteous Fire Chieftain is definitely one of the builds that we can wholeheartedly recommend in the Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur.

9. Ground Slam of Earthshaking Berserker

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 4/5

Survivability: 5/5

Budget: 3/5

League Start Viable: 4/5

The Ground Slam of Earthshaking Berserker is a new entry on our list of the best builds in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. If you do not know, Patch 3.25 implemented a plethora of damage buffs to most of the melee skill gems in the game. The Ground Slam of Earthshaking, in particular, has its effectiveness of base and added damage increased from 340% to a whopping 688%!

Aside from that, the Berserker ascendancy class has been reworked as well. A few nodes like Crave the Slaughter, Rite of Ruin, and War Bringer now have something to do with Rage and warcry skills.

For the uninitiated, Grinding Gear Games has changed Rage to provide more damage at the expense of removing the attack speed and movement speed bonus it once had. Crave the Slaughter brings the attack speed back and makes it so that Rage decays two seconds after not attacking. Besides that, Rite of Ruin increases the effect of Rage, essentially giving you even more damage!

War Bringer has been simplified in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. Instead of granting more attack damage if a warcry sacrificed Rage recently, it now only exerts twice as many attacks after using a warcry skill.

Although this build utilizes several warcries, you do not have to worry about that because they are supported by Autoexertion. This is just a newly renamed Call to Arms Support, which automatically triggers warcries when they are available for use.

Keep in mind that Autoexertion prevents warcries from granting any buffs to you or your allies. Instead, it only exerts your next attacks. This is a fair compromise given that you can boost your damage even further by using the new Overexertion support gem.

When linked to Ground Slam of Earthshaking, Overexertion grants 18% more damage for each warcry exerting the attack. Since you will use five warcry skills on this build, you will deal 90% more damage as a result!

Even though this is a league starter that can work on crafted or self-found gear, there are some upgrades you can get later down the line. Echoes of Creation, for example, is sort of a mini-Overexertion in that it also grants more damage for each warcry exerting your next slam attack. Don't worry about the downside because you can address that by taking the Warcry Mastery: "Recover 15% of Life When You Use a Warcry."

Slam skills in PoE are generally a bit slower and clunky to use compared to other skill gems. But, if that does not bother you, then the Ground Slam of Earthshaking Berserker is definitely one that you must consider!

8. Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 4/5

Survivability: 5/5

Budget: 5/5

League Start Viable: 1/5

With the change to Battlemage's Cry in Patch 3.25, a lot of people thought that STR-stacking builds in PoE are no longer viable. Fortunately, they still are and the next build on our list exemplifies that.

The Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut is an incredible mapper and bosser that is able to defeat even the toughest enemies in the game. The star of the show is the Transfigured Gem, Molten Strike of the Zenith.

What makes the said skill gem special is that it deals a huge amount of damage on the fifth strike. For this reason, you want to make sure that you get plenty of attack speed mods on your gear and jewels.

You need a few items to make the Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut work. First and foremost is the Crown of Eyes. With this unique helmet equipped, any increases and reductions to spell damage also apply to attacks at 150% of their value. This is why you'll stack STR as high as you possibly can.

Next is the Replica Alberon's Warpath. These boots grant up to 80 flat chaos damage to attacks for every 80 points of STR on your character. Wait, isn't the Transfigured Gem a fire skill? Yes, but Replica Alberon's Warpath makes it so that you cannot deal any damage type other than chaos damage. You only really need the huge damage from the fifth strike from Molten Strike of the Zenith.

To emphasize that point, you will then wear the Original Sin. This ring essentially converts all elemental damage to chaos damage. Furthermore, the Original Sin reduces the chaos resistance of nearby enemies to zero. Since this item requires a ton of PoE Currency, you can treat this as an upgrade for later.

So, why should you choose the Juggernaut for this build? Well, that is primarily because of Undeniable — an ascendancy node that grants more accuracy and attack speed based on the amount of STR attribute that you have.

In terms of defenses, the Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut is a powerhouse. Unbreakable essentially doubles the armor value of your equipped body armor. Unflinching and Unrelenting empowers Endurance Charges to provide additional elemental and physical damage reduction per charge.

If you worry about map mods or monster abilities that may reduce your attack speed in some way, then you could take Unstoppable instead. This ensures that your attack speed cannot be brought down to below base value.

Although this build requires a huge investment to pull off, the Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut does not disappoint!

7. Power Siphon Trickster

Clear Speed: 5/5

Bossing: 4/5

Survivability: 4/5

Budget: 3/5

League Start Viable: 3/5

A safe build with a comfortable playstyle, the Power Siphon Trickster is amazing in terms of deleting entire screens of enemies. This is also a competent bossing build, especially if you're able to get your hands on some nifty upgrades.

But before that, let's talk about Power Siphon. This skill gem has been buffed exponentially in Patch 3.25 in that it now benefits from spell damage. Hence, some of your items must consist of "% Increased Spell Damage" mods, mainly on the weapon and spirit shield.

The unique gloves, Doedre's Tenure, are also nice because they grant 100% increased spell damage at the cost of reduced attack speed. Don't worry about that because you're not going to be attacking. Instead, you rely on Mines to decimate your enemies.

How is that possible? Isn't Power Siphon a wand attack skill gem? That is correct! However, when you link it with Locus Mine, you essentially turn it into a Mine Skill! Besides that, the mines that you throw on the ground can only be detonated from a distance. This ensures that you are out of harm's way while your mines are out there busy killing monsters.

The Power Siphon Trickster is a viable league starter because it does not require any specific items to work. Of course, you can purchase some upgrades when you have the means of doing so, including Crown of the Inward Eye for more spell damage, Auxium for increased elemental damage per Power Charge, and Marylene's Fallacy for a huge boost to your critical strike multiplier, among others.

Now, you might think that this build is all about damage, but that is just far from the truth. In fact, the Power Siphon Trickster is incredibly tanky thanks to certain ascendancy nodes like Escape Artist, Spellbreaker, and Polymath.

So, if you want a league starter that you can take well into the endgame, then be sure to put the Power Siphon Trickster into consideration!

6. Elemental Hit of the Spectrum Deadeye

Clear Speed: 5/5

Bossing: 3/5

Survivability: 2/5

Budget: 5/5

League Start Viable: 4/5

Although GGG improved most of the melee skill gems in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur, some ranged attack skills have received some buffs as well.

The Elemental Hit of the Spectrum Deadeye is an awesome mapping build that gets even better once you've decked it out with equally impressive pieces of gear.

Elemental Hit of the Spectrum got a slight increase in added elemental damage across the board. More importantly, this Transfigured Gem now gets 15% more damage for each type of elemental ailment you've inflicted upon the enemy.

In case you don't know, there are seven elemental ailments in PoE, namely Freeze, Chill, Shock, Ignite, Scorch, Brittle, and Sap. You can inflict the last three by using the Secrets of Suffering unique cluster jewel. Even if you're only able to apply five of these ailments, that still translates to a whopping 75% more damage!

Having said that, this build utilizes a tri-ele bow to grant it the ability to inflict Chill, Freeze, Shock, and Ignite, especially when it deals critical damage. This is further enhanced by Trinity Support for added elemental penetration.

The Deadeye is chosen here as it is the quintessential ascendancy class for builds that deal damage with projectiles. Endless Munitions straight-up provides you with two additional projectiles without any downsides.

Far Shot allows you to deal more damage as the projectiles you've fired travel farther. This is always achieved due to Returning Projectiles Support, where projectiles from Elemental Hit of the Spectrum are always guaranteed to reach their maximum travel distance before coming back to you.

While this build is capable of deleting entire screens of enemies, its survivability leaves much to be desired. But, if that does not bother you, then we can wholeheartedly recommend the Elemental Hit of the Spectrum Deadeye for sure!

5. Frost Blades of Katabasis Slayer

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 5/5

Survivability: 4/5

Budget: 3/5

League Start Viable: 4/5

If you want a PoE build that utilizes some pretty interesting mechanics, then you should definitely try the Frost Blades of Katabasis Slayer.

The main selling point here is the Frost Blades of Katabasis itself. This Transfigured Gem, unlike its base counterpart, leaves a chilled ground every time your attacks hit an enemy. Monsters that stand on the chilled ground take cold damage over time.

In Path of Exile 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur, Frost Blades of Katabasis got a substantial damage increase. More specifically, this Transfigured Gem now has 409% effectiveness of base and added damage at gem level 20 (up from 225%).

Now, the reason why this is interesting is that you will also use the Southbound gloves on this build. These gloves increase the freeze duration on enemies by 100%. The downside, however, is that you can only kill frozen enemies. Fortunately, this is not going to be a problem because the chilled ground created by Frost Blades of Katabasis will kill enemies that are on the brink of death!

Having said that, freezing enemies actually serves two purposes. First, you deal insane amounts of damage thanks to Heatshiver. Second, monsters that are frozen cannot attack you which, in turn, improves your survivability.

Once you have enough PoE Currency, you can take advantage of Arn's Anguish and Ralakesh's Impatience. The former converts your Endurance Charges to Brutal Charges, thereby granting you the ability to deal triple damage. The latter, on the other hand, just ensures that you still gain the effects of Endurance Charges for enhanced elemental damage mitigation.

The Frost Blades of Katabasis Slayer is surprisingly easy to play despite its rather complex mechanics. We highly recommend this build, especially if you want to try out something new.

4. Lacerate of Haemorrhage Gladiator

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 3/5

Survivability: 5/5

Budget: 2/5

League Start Viable: 5/5

The PoE community was overjoyed when GGG revealed that it had reworked the Gladiator in Patch 3.25. It is vastly powerful compared to its previous version, which is why this next build uses this ascendancy class over the others.

The Lacerate of Haemorrhage Gladiator can kill enemies in a bloody explosion, which is possible thanks to Gratuitous Violence. Enemies that still have plenty of life left will not be a problem to deal with because you will take Jagged Technique as well. With this ascendancy node, those that are affected by your bleeds take damage as if they are moving. In other words, the damage they receive will be tripled (from 70% to 210%).

This build's defenses are no slouch either. In fact, you can reach attack/spell block cap easily due to Determined Survivor and More Than Skill. Just make sure that you equip a shield to take advantage of these notable passive skills.

The Transfigured Gem itself now has its effectiveness of base and added damage set to 346% rather than 120%. This huge damage increase is more pronounced as you equip your character with better pieces of gear.

Another advantage of the Lacerate of Haemorrhage Gladiator is that it can literally work with only crafted or self-found gear. This is the reason why it is one of the best league starts in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur!

3. Hexblast Mines Trickster

Clear Speed: 4/5

Bossing: 5/5

Survivability: 4/5

Budget: 4/5

League Start Viable: 3/5

Wait, isn't Hexblast Mines only for the Saboteur? Well, it used to be. However, with the changes implemented in Patch 3.25, it seems that the Trickster is the definitive choice when it comes to the ascendancy class for this build.

The Hexblast Mines Trickster offers a good mix of offense and defense. If you are unaware of how this works, you link Hexblast with High-Impact Mine Support to circumvent the very slow cast speed of the said skill gem by turning it into a mine you can detonate on a whim.

Despite being a spell that deals chaos damage, Hexblast actually becomes more devastating depending on the target's lowest resistance. So, if the enemy's fire resistance is its lowest, then that is factored into the equation.

If you are wondering why Trickster is now the best ascendancy class for Hexblast Mines, it is because of its balanced passive skills. Escape Artist heavily boosts your evasion and energy shield based on your equipped helmet and body armor.

One Step Ahead ensures that your action speed cannot go below 108% of base value. Conversely, your enemies can only go as far as 92% action speed, making them considerably slower to react.

Swift Killer raises your Frenzy Charge cap by two and further increases their duration by 200%. And, Polymath grants more damage, as well as life, energy shield, and mana recovery.

In terms of gear, the Hexblast Mines Trickster can function on a minimal investment. However, you can unlock its full potential when you equip Sandstorm Visage coupled with a self-crafted Prophecy Wand for a huge boost in critical strike chance.

With its impressive damage output and survivability, it is no wonder that the Hexblast Mines Trickster is one of the best builds in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur!

2. Ice Nova of Frostbolts Hierophant

Clear Speed: 5/5

Bossing: 5/5

Survivability: 4/5

Budget: 5/5

League Start Viable: 1/5

This is another stacker build on our list. The Ice Nova of Frostbolts Hierophant utilizes a Transfigured Gem that synergizes really well with Frostbolt and Archmage Support. So, how do these gems work well with one another?

You use Frostbolt first to fire a series of projectiles. Then, you cast Ice Nova of Frostbolts on those projectiles so that the damaging novas emerge from them. Archmage Support is basically here to provide you with insane amounts of lightning damage based on a portion of your total mana. Hence, you're going to stack mana as high as you can by wearing the appropriate gear and taking the right nodes on the passive tree.

This build starts out with a two-button playstyle. However, once you've acquired Kitava's Thirst, you can insert Frostbolt in there so that it automatically gets cast whenever you spend enough mana.

Aside from stacking mana, the Ice Nova of Frostbolts Hierophant is a Frenzy/Power Charge stacker as well. This is possible thanks to the Badge of the Brotherhood and Ralakesh's Impatience.

If you're wondering why Power Charges are essential for this build, it is because you're going to use Void Battery and Malachai's Loop to improve your damage output. These items grant increased spell damage for every Power Charge that you have.

As always, the Hierophant is synonymous with mana-stacking builds in PoE, primarily due to Divine Guidance and Sanctuary of Thought.

While this build is only really comfortable to play once you have all of the necessary pieces put together, the Ice Nova of Frostbolts Hierophant is still great, especially if you are looking for an endgame build that you can be proud of!

1. Lightning Strike Slayer

Clear Speed: 5/5

Bossing: 3.5/5

Survivability: 5/5

Budget: 3/5

League Start Viable: 4/5

And finally, the absolute best build in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur is none other than the Lightning Strike Slayer! Bow builds have finally been dethroned thanks to the massive melee rework GGG has done in Patch 3.25.

So, what changes did Lightning Strike get in this league? Well, the intrinsic added lightning damage of the skill gem has been removed. Instead, it now has its effectiveness of base and added damage increased to 456% (up from 225%). Don't be deterred by the removal of the added lightning damage because that can easily be addressed by using the appropriate support gems and items.

Speaking of which, this build utilizes a self-crafted claw with the trifecta of elemental damage mods. If your budget permits it, get yourself a synthesized claw with Tier 1 fire, cold, and lightning damage for best results.

In addition, the Lightning Strike Slayer has all of its bases covered. Aside from dealing huge amounts of damage, this build has insane defenses as well. This is the reason why the Slayer variant is more popular than the Warden despite the latter being a new ascendancy class in PoE.

You see, the Slayer has access to Bane of Legends and Headsman, which are ascendancy nodes that increase your damage and attack speed, respectively. On top of that, you have a consistent life leech thanks to Brutal Fervour.

In terms of survivability, you can stack Endurance Charges and Frenzy Charges by taking the Masterful Form notable passive skill. This node makes it so that your maximum Endurance Charges is equal to your maximum Frenzy Charges.

Now, the Lightning Strike Warden is, by no means, a pushover because its offensive capabilities are greatly enhanced by Avatar of the Wilds and Tinctures. But, the Slayer is just too good when it comes to overall performance.

And, because of that, the Lightning Strike Slayer is the best build in Path of Exile 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur!

Final Thoughts

Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur gave rise to more melee builds than in the past several leagues combined. This is largely thanks to the damage buffs GGG implemented in Patch 3.25.

The Righteous Fire Chieftain is still a viable build in this league despite the lack of any meaningful changes to the skill gem itself. This is ideal for those who want a comfortable build that can survive a beating.

Ground Slam of Earthshaking Berserker, Molten Strike of the Zenith Juggernaut, Frost Blades of Katabasis Slayer, and the Lightning Strike Slayer truly exemplify how powerful melee skill gems are in the Settlers of Kalguur expansion.

Of course, ranged attack skills and spell skill gems are not left behind, with the Ice Nova of Frostbolts Hierophant and Elemental Hit of the Spectrum Deadeye leading the way.

Now, it is important to note that every build that was mentioned in this list is definitely worth the time and currency investment. They are fun to play in their own unique ways and it is up to you which playstyle you prefer.

There you have it! Hopefully, you've had a blast reading this guide in its entirety. We at RPGStash would love to hear which build you are going to use in the remainder of the Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur League.

With all of that said, good luck on your adventures in Wraeclast, Exile!