PoE3.25 Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain Build

Is Detonate Dead useless now in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur? As much as every content creator out there wants to say that it is dead, it's actually not. In fact, there is one version that stands out and that is our focus in today's PoE build guide.

The build that we are going to talk about today is arguably one of the best AFK builds in the Settlers of Kalguur expansion. When you are able to set things up properly, all you really need to do is stay still and see enemies get blasted into oblivion!

If that sounds like something that you are interested in, then read further. This is our build guide for the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain in PoE 3.25!

Why Choose Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain?

Many have speculated that Detonate Dead builds in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur are no longer viable, especially after GGG revealed the Patch 3.25 changes. However, that is just far from the truth! In fact, you can still make Detonate Dead builds great again by creating your character in a slightly different way.

With the tweaks implemented in Patch 3.25, the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain was born. The Transfigured Gem Detonate Dead of Scavenging deals more damage than its base version at the cost of losing its spell damage component. This is now the preferred DD skill gem because it outperforms its counterparts in terms of total damage output and utility.

Despite being named after the aforementioned skill gem, this build actually uses other skills to complement it as well. Righteous Fire is a popular skill that causes enemies to get incinerated by fire damage over time. Tempest Shield can help slay monsters when they lay their hands on you.

At this point, you must be wondering why the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain is deemed an auto-bomber. A large part of that is due to Cast When Stunned Support — a support gem in Path of Exile that casts skills linked to it automatically when you receive a stunning hit. Combine that with The Agnostic Keystone passive and the Valyrium unique ring, you will have a character that casts multiple spells at once on a regular basis.

All of these things are possible thanks to the Chieftain. This Marauder ascendancy class has notable passives that work perfectly with the mechanics being utilized by the build.

Hinekora, Death's Fury causes enemies that you kill to explode on kill. The damage from this node’s effect is scaled naturally because of how well it fits with the build's overall theme.

Valako, Storm's Embrace, in conjunction with Tasalio, Cleansing Water, provide an avenue for your character to gain huge elemental resistances just by increasing fire resistance.

For the cherry on top, the Chieftain's Ramako, Sun's Light causes enemies to burn to death more effectively. This is because they will suffer a 20% reduction in fire resistance while they're in your presence.

This is the ideal order when it comes to the notable ascendancy passive skills:

1. Hinekora, Death's Fury
2. Tasalio, Cleansing Water
3. Valako, Storm's Embrace
4. Ramako, Sun's Light

If you want to improve the damage of Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain, look for the following modifiers on your gear:

• Increased Fire Damage
• Damage Over Time Multiplier
• Fire Damage Over Time Multiplier
• Maximum Life (for Righteous Fire)

Playstyle

The main selling point of the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain is that you push only a couple of buttons and it should work just fine. That said, activate Righteous Fire whenever you enter a map or a new area.

Once you encounter a tough enemy, use Malevolence to gain a considerable boost in fire damage over time. Take note that you have to switch to Vitality again because you can only have one aura active at a time due to Eternal Blessing Support.

If you need more enemies to ignite and explode with Hinekora, Death's Fury, cast Penance Mark on any target of your choosing. This will cause phantasms to spawn, which can be killed easily. The main goal of Penance Mark is to simply cause ignites to proliferate to nearby monsters, thus improving clear speed.

Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain Gear Recommendations

The gear for this build primarily focuses on life, life regeneration, fire damage, and damage over time multiplier. Your goal is to make sure that you get your HP as high as possible not only for survivability but also for scaling Righteous Fire damage.

Any other skill gems, including Detonate Dead of Scavenging, are improved by fire damage mods on your gear. This guide focuses on the endgame version of the build, though we will recommend some equipment that you can grab along the way.

Weapon

If you look at the profiles of those who are playing Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain in PoE 3.25, you will notice that a vast majority of them are using one-handed swords. This is because you can put the Runesmithing enchantment: “When you Kill an Ignited Enemy, Inflict an Equivalent Ignite on each nearby Enemy.” This ignite proliferation effect is very useful, especially in getting rid of monsters in maps.

You can use any one-handed sword in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. However, we recommend that you opt for a Jewelled Foil or any other thrusting sword due to their naturally high attack speed compared to others.

Get an ilvl 82+ Fancy Foil or Jewelled Foil and use the Orb of Alteration crafting method. Do this until you acquire a T1 damage over time multiplier. From there, use a Regal Orb and bench-craft “Can Have up to 3 Crafted Modifiers.” Next, add the following mods using the Crafting Bench:

• +20% to Fire Damage Over Time Multiplier
• 55% Increased Fire Damage + 20% Chance to Ignite

The weapon shown above has a T1 fire damage to spells mod. With the specific combination of modifiers, it would take you an exorbitant amount of PoE Currency to craft the weapon yourself.

If you do not want to go through the hassle, you could get some Divine Orbs from our shop. Get the best deals in our PoE Store today!

Shield

Svalinn is one of the best unique items GGG introduced in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. This thing significantly increases your ability to block incoming attacks and spells. For this build, in particular, its unique effect that triggers an elemental spell on block, enables you to utilize certain spells to your advantage.

Do you want to gain the ability to trigger Molten Shell automatically? How about going on the offensive and having the shield cast offensive elemental spells instead? The Svalinn can do these things and then some!

Body Armor

The most alluring quality of the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain is that it is one of the most tanky builds in the SoK League. Part of what makes the build indestructible is the unique item called Cloak of Flame.

The Cloak of Flame pretty much has everything that you need for a fire-based build in PoE 3.25. This includes a high amount of fire resistance, increased Ignite duration on enemies, and the ability to take physical damage as fire damage.

Since this is a unique item, you could use a Vaal Orb for a chance to get a corrupted implicit modifier. Some of the best ones include:

• % Increase Damage
• +2 to Level of Socketed AoE Gems
• +1 to Level of Socketed Gems
• You Take 50% Reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes
• % Reduced Fire Damage Taken

Helmet

The helmet that you are going to wear is the same one that is being used in Righteous Fire builds in PoE 3.25. Grab an ilvl 82+ Elder-influenced helmet, preferably the Giantslayer Helmet for the best armor value possible.

After securing one, go to the Horticrafting Station and use Harvest Reforge Fire until you get:

• Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18/20 Burning Damage
• Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18/20 Concentrated Effect

The endgame version of the RF helmet still contains the mods that were just mentioned. However, you will use the Essence of Horror to craft the item instead of the Harvest Bench. This is to guarantee the mod: “Socketed Gems Deal 30% More Elemental Damage.”

Getting the right set of modifiers on the endgame helmet can be time-consuming and expensive. Fortunately for you, we have the best items in Path of Exile in our dedicated store. Visit our PoE Store to get great deals!

Gloves

Some of the items that you will use have a relatively high DEX requirement. For this reason, you could craft a pair of gloves using the Essence of Sorrow to sort that out. Additionally, you’d want to use an armor/energy shield-based pair of gloves for a chance to roll the Intelligence attribute.

Boots

If you still need more DEX, you could use the Essence of Sorrow again on an ilvl 85+ Leviathan Greaves (armor) or Wyvernscale Boots (armor/evasion) for a good chance to roll the STR attribute as well.

Other modifiers to look for include:

• Maximum Life
• Fire Resistance
• Chaos Resistance
• Armour or Armour+Evasion
• Movement Speed

When you have enough PoE Currency, you could craft a pair of Onslaught Boots for a 20% boost on attack, cast, and movement speeds.

Amulet

In the earlier levels, we suggest that you use a Turquoise Amulet to satisfy your gear’s attribute requirements. Go to the Horticrafting Station and use Harvest Reforge Fire until you get “+1 to All Fire Skill Gems” along with life, life regen, and attributes. If you still have an open prefix, add the increased area damage mod from the Crafting Bench.

Ultimately, you will replace the crafted amulet with the Defiance of Destiny. This unique item is a staple among many tanky builds in PoE 3.25. Basically, what this amulet does is it restores a portion of your life before receiving an incoming hit. If you are wondering why the Defiance of Destiny costs a lot of PoE Currency, this is the reason.

Do not forget to anoint these amulets with Defiled Forces (Crimson Oil, Black Oil, Opalescent Oil) to refresh the duration of Ignite on the enemies affected by your curses. Alternatively, you could anoint Whispers of Doom (3x Golden Oils) to have Penance Mark and Punishment active at the same time.

Rings

The Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain would not work unless you have the Valyrium equipped. This ring is responsible for making Cast When Stunned Support work regularly.

If you are asking how the ring does this, Valyrium bases your stun threshold on energy shield rather than your life. And, since you have no energy shield due to The Agnostic keystone, you will get stunned immediately after getting hit by the enemy.

On the other ring slot, you should consider wearing the Hateful Accuser. This unique ring gives you the ability to cast Penance Mark on the enemy. As mentioned earlier, monsters affected by the said curse spawn phantasms that can be killed by Righteous Fire and your other damaging spells. They also go boom thanks to the Chieftain's Hinekora ascendancy node.

Belt

The cheapest way to achieve good survivability on this build is to craft a Stygian Vise using Essence of Envy (Chaos Resistance). Spam an ilvl 85+ Stygian Vise until you obtain life, life regeneration, and fire resistance. This particular belt should be good enough until you have enough Divine Orbs to purchase the Mageblood.

It should go without saying that you invest in a Mageblood as soon as you have enough PoE Currency. This makes the build even more comfortable to play as it sorts out your resistance, life regeneration, and defenses simply by wearing the said unique belt.

To truly get the most out of the Mageblood, you must roll your flasks with the right modifiers. Refer to the next sections of the build guide to find out the best mods.

Flasks

• Quicksilver Flask
• Granite Flask
• Ruby Flask
• Amethyst Flask
• Cinderswallow Urn (Early Game) OR Progenesis (Endgame)

Flask Mods

• 60% Increased Armour (of the Armadillo)
• 14% Increased Movement Speed (of the Cheetah)
• Regenerate 3% of Life per Second (Bench-crafted)
• Immunity to Corrupted Blood (of the Skink)
• Gain 3 Charges When You are Hit by the Enemy (Flagellant, prefix)
• Only if you are wearing the Stygian Vise
• 25% Increased Effect (Abecedarian/Alchemist/Dabbler, prefix)
• Only when wearing the Mageblood

Jewels

Among the many jewels you can use for the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain in PoE 3.25, there are two that must be included. The first is Immutable Force — a unique jewel that significantly increases your stun and block recovery. Aim to get at least 961% so that the stun animation frame only lasts for one server tic. In other words, you will barely notice ever getting stunned!

The second jewel that is amazing for this build is Bloodnotch. Every time you get stunned, a huge portion of the damage you receive is recovered as life. When you also have the Defiance of Destiny amulet equipped, you become virtually unkillable!

Of course, you could invest in a good Watcher’s Eye as well. These are the modifiers that work perfectly for the build:

• +% to Damage Over Time Multiplier While Affected by Malevolence
• Unaffected by Poison While Affected by Malevolence
• % of Damage Leeched as Life While Affected by Vitality
• Gain Life per Enemy Hit While Affected by Vitality

If you have plenty of Divine Orbs at your disposal, you can also purchase the following jewels as upgrades later down the line:

• The Light of Meaning: Get one with “6% Increased Fire Damage.”
• Unnatural Instinct: When inserted in the jewel socket near the “Shaper” node, you will gain increased AoE, life regeneration, and cast speed
• 8-Passive Large Cluster Jewel (Fire Damage): Must have Burning Bright and Widespread Destruction as notable passive skills
• 4-Passive Medium Cluster Jewel (Burning Damage): Preferably with Blowback and Wrapped in Flame as notable passive skills
• Rational Doctrine: Gives increased life regeneration due to the creation of a Consecrated Ground
• Base Jewels: Aim to get any of the following modifiers:
• Increased Burning Damage
• Dexterity and Intelligence
• Increased Maximum Life
• Fire Damage Over Time Multiplier
• Damaging Ailments Deal Damage Faster
• +2% to Maximum Fire Resistance
• Damage Taken Recouped as Life

Tattoos

• Tattoo of the Ngamahu Warrior
• 5% Increased Fire Damage
• Tattoo of the Ngahamu Firewalker
• +6% to Fire Resistance
• Tattoo of the Tukohama Shaman
• Regenerate 0.3% of Life per Second
• Tattoo of the Hinekora Storyteller
• +3% to Chaos Resistance

Skill Gems Setup

Body Armor

• Detonate Dead of Scavenging
• Cremation of Volcano
• Awakened Burning Damage
• Awakened Unbound Ailments
• Awakened Swift Affliction
• Cast When Stunned Support

Helmet

• Righteous Fire
• Awakened Elemental Focus
• Awakened Increased Area of Effect
• Efficacy Support

Gloves

• Vitality
• Tempest Shield
• Petrified Blood
• Enlighten Support (lvl 4)

Boots

• Punishment
• Frost Bomb
• Immortal Call
• Cast When Stunned Support

Weapon

• Malevolence
• Eternal Blessing Support
• Frostblink

Shield

• Firestorm of Pelting
• Flame Surge of Combusting
• Culling Strike

Pantheons

• Major God: Soul of Lunaris
• Minor God: Soul of Tukohama

Passive Skill Tree

This Path of Exile build is quite tanky thanks, in large part, to the notable ascendancy passive skills available to the Chieftain. However, there are some important keystones that need to be taken as well.

The Agnostic is a must-have as it makes Cast When Stunned Support work more consistently. Elemental Overload provides 40% more damage, which is enabled when your other damaging spells like Firestorm of Pelting and Cremation of Volcano hit enemies.

Additionally, this variation of the Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain uses Blood Magic. This keystone passive removes all of your mana, grants 10% more life, and makes your skills reserve life instead of mana. This is taken primarily to boost your survivability manifold.

When it comes to Masteries, here are the ones you could take:

• Life Mastery
• +30 to Maximum Life
• Skill Cost Life Instead of 15% of Mana Cost
• 15% Increased Maximum Life if There Are No Life Modifiers on Equipped Body Armour
• You Count as on Low Life While at 55% of Maximum Life or Below
• You Count as on Full Life While at 90% of Maximum Life or Above
• 10% More Maximum Life if You Have at Least 6 Life Masteries Allocated
• Block Mastery
• +2% to Maximum Chance to Block Spell Damage
• +2% to Maximum Chance to Block Attack Damage
• +1% to Block Spell Damage per 5% Chance to Block Attack Damage
• Fire Mastery
• Regenerate 1 Life per Second for Each 1% Uncapped Fire Resistance
• Stun Mastery
• Hits Against You Cannot be Critical Strikes if You’ve Been Stunned Recently
• Reservation Mastery
• 20% Increased Life Reservation Efficiency of Skills

Tips and Strategies

• Experiment with Different Skills: The beauty of this build is that you can use a variety of damaging skills that will automatically be cast by Cast When Stunned Support. Although we recommend Cremation of Volcano and Firestorm of Pelting, you could use other skills, such as Tornado of Elemental Turbulence, Cold Snap, and Purifying Flame of Revelations, among others
• Use Vaal Breach: If you feel that your damage is not up to your standards, you could use Vaal Breach to spawn numerous monsters. These enemies will explode whenever you kill them thanks to the various mechanics at play. You may have to reserve Vaal Breach for tougher enemies, though, as the soul requirement to activate it is higher than its Vaal counterparts
• Activate Malevolence: For this Path of Exile build, you can only use one aura at a time. This is due to Malevolence being linked to Eternal Blessing Support. That said, use Vitality while mapping and only activate Malevolence when you encounter tough monsters
• Get Immutable Force ASAP: The Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain heavily relies on Cast When Stunned Support for its damage. Therefore, it is imperative that you obtain the Immutable Force as soon as you can. Otherwise, the build will feel bad to play. 

POB

Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain

Final Thoughts

Things can get frantic in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur, but you do not have to spam so many buttons just to get the job done. The Detonate Dead of Scavenging Chieftain is a comfortable build to play in PoE 3.25 mainly because it can just be parked in one area and nearby monsters will experience their fiery deaths shortly after.

This PoE build guide is focused on providing you with the necessary information you need to create a character that can survive anything the game has to offer. Although DD builds are no longer good league starters, they are great if you want indestructible characters to play in the endgame.

With all of that said, if you need PoE Currency or wish to get your hands on highly-coveted items after a new league begins, we have you covered. Our PoE Store offers a wide selection of items you can choose from. Get massive discounts unlike any other similar platform out there.

Don't delay, visit our PoE Store today!

PROS

• Indestructible
• Can go AFK without dying
• Only needs two buttons and everything goes kaboom

CONS

• No longer a league starter
• Cannot work without taking advantage of certain mechanics
• May not be the fastest mapper in the game