Despite the introduction of new mechanics and shifts in the meta, certain Path of Exile 2 builds that were already powerful several patches ago, such as Whirlwind Lance Build, retain their momentum and strength in Patch 0.5.0. If you haven't played this build before but want to give it a try, or if you wish to master the crafting details based on RoTA content, be sure to read this guide to the end! Overview of Whirlwind Lance Build in 0.5.0 The core concept of this build is to utilize Whirlwind Lance and Twister to saturate the screen with overlapping skill effects, resulting in massive overlapping damage, incredibly fast map clearing, and remarkable survivability. This effect is achieved by combining Barrage (boosted by Frenzy Charges) with Salvo and Whirlwind Lance to fire a staggering number of projectiles. By utilizing all six Salvo Seals, you can instantly unleash a massive wave of lances. Incorporating support mechanics like Fork, Chain, and Dominus's Grasp ensures that projectiles don't just fire once; instead, they continuously chain and fork, bouncing between enemies and hitting multiple targets repeatedly with a massive AoE. Adding Uhtred's Constellation grants Barrage two additional uses, while Olroth's Conviction further empowers two other skill uses. With maxed-out Frenzy Charges and Salvo Seals, and enough surrounding enemies to fully capitalize on the extra forking and chaining, a single cast of Whirlwind Lance can theoretically generate over 200 projectiles. The value of Twister lies in its synergy with Whirlwind Lance. To maximize this, you should choose Deadeye as your Ascendancy class; this allows tornadoes to spawn additional tornadoes whenever they enter a whirlwind, based on that whirlwind's current stages. The value of Whirlwind Lance As the build's core skill, Whirlwind Lance is more than just a projectile skill that leaves whirlwinds on the ground; it also provides crowd control by slowing and blinding enemies. The blind effect boosts your Path of Exile 2 EHP by 20%, which is crucial for this build given its aggressive playstyle that requires frequently charging straight into enemy packs. Additionally, Twister also blinds enemies; combining the two ensures that nearby foes remain blinded almost constantly. This creates a robust defensive layer, effectively helping you maintain high health. Whirlwind Lance also features a key Collapse mechanic: moving into the skill's AoE triggers a collapse, dealing melee damage with a knockback effect, damage that also generates Rage upon hitting enemies. Empowered by Frenzy Charges, Whirlwind Lance can boost the collapse effect by an additional stage, reaching Stage 4. Each stage increase significantly raises damage and expands AoE. Furthermore, utilizing Deadeye passive that enhances Frenzy Charge consumption, increasing the skill's charge consumption efficiency by 50%, allows for even higher stages and greater damage output. Pairing this with Taming Prismatic Ring can further amplify the damage output of both Whirlwind Lance and the build as a whole. This ring allows any Wind-based skill to gain multiple elemental bonuses upon contact with specific elemental ground effects, enabling you to deal damage through various elemental sources simultaneously. Later, as you accumulate more PoE 2 currency, you can reroll the ring's modifiers to boost bonus values or unlock new buffs. Why choose Deadeye? As previously mentioned, Called Shots keystone is vital for generating Frenzy Charges. Mirage Deadeye assists with clearing maps by acting as an additional Twister launcher; whenever you attack and the skill is off cooldown, it appears and begins firing Twisters. Avidity passive grants a 50% chance to gain an extra Frenzy Charge whenever you acquire one. Combined with weapon runes, this ensures a steady supply of additional Frenzy Charges. The reliable source of defense Path of Exile 2 Whirlwind Lance Build offers not only impressive damage output but also exceptional survivability. Its base evasion rate is already quite high, around 70%, and increases further when using Constricting Command. Additionally, you gain extra evasion bonuses if you are moving or have recently consumed a Frenzy Charge. The build also boasts a substantial Energy Shield pool as an extra buffer; combined with the new Runic Ward mechanic introduced in version 0.5.0, your defensive capabilities are further bolstered. However, since Whirlwind Lance Build is a melee-oriented playstyle, there is a risk that enemy attacks could pierce your evasion, potentially leading to a sudden, fatal blow. Fortunately, while this scenario is theoretically possible given the aggressive playstyle, it rarely occurs in practice. Optimal gear setup Aside from the aforementioned ring, this PoE 2 build isn't overly demanding regarding gear. Even for the crucial weapon slot, common choices like Ordained Grand Spear and Sacred Flame Shrine Scepter perform excellently. Equipping Mageblood belt would be ideal if you can manage it, though it is not strictly necessary for the build to function. You simply need to ensure the belt compensates for any missing resistances or required stats, such as maximum life or cooldown recovery speed. For other gear slots, such as body armor, boots, and gloves, the priority is to stack as much evasion, Energy Shield, and resistance as possible. It is also highly beneficial to secure glove affixes that enhance skill effectiveness, such as +1 to Level of Projectile Skills or increased projectile damage; critical strike damage bonuses are another great option. Regarding the amulet, it is worth investing the necessary currency to craft a high-quality piece, as Whirlwind Lance Build requires a significant amount of Spirit to operate effectively. Furthermore, an affix granting +3 to level of Projectile Skills is essential. Essential consumables In Path of Exile 2, the need for consumables often depends on the specific challenges you are facing; however, certain items are indispensable for specific builds. For Whirlwind Lance Build, Stone Charms and Thawing Charms are excellent for boosting your overall survivability. You should also keep a reliable life flask and a flask that boosts recovery speed on hand. If you want to boost your mana regeneration rate, Lavianga's Spirit is the best choice; however, it isn't mandatory, any mana flask will do. That covers the strategy for crafting Whirlwind Lance Build in the current PoE 2 environment, along with a detailed explanation of how it works. If you're interested, why not unlock the relevant skills and gear and give it a try right away?

Path of Exile 3.29 Curse of the Allflame brought a series of adjustments to the spell system, with lightning spells gaining a faster casting speed but also a higher mana cost. However, this is undoubtedly a huge boost for Archmage-related builds, as almost all Archmage-using classes are self-casting and possess near-infinite mana. This article introduces the dominant Archmage Hierophant build in 3.29. This build can exceed the 10,000 mana cap in actual combat and deal over 50 million damage per second. More importantly, this system converts mana into both attack and defense, making it a top-tier, well-rounded choice in the current patch. Hierophant's Four Core Ascendancy Passive Skills This build chooses Templars' ascendancy class - Hierophant - as the caster. For any mana-centric build, Hierophant is undoubtedly the first choice. When choosing passives for him, the following four are essential: Arcane Blessing Triggers Arcane Surge buff on hit. This node is extremely useful during leveling, as consistent damage output maintains buff uptime. More importantly, this node grants Arcane Surge an additional 20% spell damage. This bonus is considered the base benefit of Arcane Surge, meaning it can be further amplified by Arcane Surge-enhancing affixes, resulting in extremely high scaling. Conviction of Power Increases the maximum Power Charge and Endurance Charge cap by 1 each, while providing a minimum of 4 of each type of Charge. This is one of the most powerful ascendancy nodes in PoE - a stable Charge supply translates to consistent critical strike chance, critical strike damage, and physical damage reduction. Divine Guidance We chose this passive ability primarily for its 20% increase in maximum mana and the ability to absorb a portion of damage using mana. The latter, combined with Mind Over Matter, creates an extremely robust damage absorption system. Sanctuary of Thought Provides 1% maximum mana regeneration per second and an additional maximum energy shield. While it may seem small, this 1% is often crucial for maintaining the cycle in an Archmage build that requires continuous mana consumption. Core Gear Weapon: Void Battery In PoE 3.29, Void Battery was adjusted: the spell damage provided per Power Charge was reduced from 25% to 15%. In compensation, the staff's base mana cost was more than doubled. Actual testing shows that the total damage loss is less than 5%, while the increase in base mana allows this Archmage build to break the 10,000 mana threshold. For a build that relies on mana as its core damage source, this so-called nerf has actually become a buff in disguise. Ideally, acquire the version with the Elemental Penetration stat. Amulet: Atziri's Foible This is an indispensable piece of equipment for any mana-stacking build. It provides a huge boost to mana and mana regeneration, is affordable, and its stats are irreplaceable. The best option is to use a Vaal orb to corrupt it for +1 Maximum Resistances. Add Discrete of the Unyielding notable passive to the amulet via anonit, providing a minimum Endurance Charge and a decent damage bonus. Body Armour: Cloak of Defiance This armor provides Mind Over Matter passive skill for free and also grants 1% maximum mana regeneration per second, making it crucial for maintaining mana cycling. While you can also invest in MoM on the passive tree and use skills like Orb of Storms to improve map clearing efficiency, mana regeneration will be significantly reduced. Helmet: Crown of the Inward Eye The best helmet choice is Crown of the Inward Eye, which provides +1 maximum Power Charge. This piece not only provides a significant amount of life and mana, but its base armor value of over 1000 is crucial for achieving the final armor stack of over 30,000 in this build. Ring: Cogwork Ring The ring is one of the items that provides the biggest boost to this build, making it well worth the effort to craft: Obtain a Cogwork Ring. First, use the Deafening Essence of Scorn to unlock the critical strike damage affix. Then, use Fracturing Orb to split this affix into fixed affixes. Use the Chaos Orb to repeatedly reroll until you get Mana Regeneration Rate. Afterward, use the Orb of Annulment to remove unnecessary affixes, keeping only critical strike damage and mana regeneration. Then, at Crafting Bench, craft the ring with Can have up to 3 Crafted Modifiers and Suffixes Cannot Be Changed. Then, use harvest craft to reforge Chaos modifier to gain Chaos Resistance. Craft Suffixes Cannot Be Changed again, using harvest craft to reforge Caster modifier to gain Cast Speed. Craft Suffixes Cannot Be Changed a third time, using Veiled Exalted Orb, aiming to obtain Veiled Mod with Mana + Reduced Mana Cost of Skills. However, the entire crafting process is highly random; with bad luck, it may consume a large amount of orbs. If you don't want to spend a lot of time farming currency, you can buy PoE currency on IGGM.com, making it just a matter of time before you get Cogwork Ring with the desired attributes. Alternatively, if you want to get more Divine Orb and Chaos Orb for free, participate in PoE currency giveaways on IGGM Facebook. We will select ten players from those who actively participate to receive free orbs to help you upgrade your gear. Skill Gems Links Main Skills: Arc - Arcane Surge - Archmage - Power Charge on Critical - Critical Damage - Greater Spell Echo (Use regular Spell Echo if budget is limited). Defense: Arcane Cloak - Automation - Enhance - More Duration. Auras: Determination - Eternal Blessing - Righteous Fire - Empower. Curses: Conductivity - Cursed Ground - Summon Lightning Golem - Faster Casting. The above outlines the core gameplay and gear strategy for Path of Exile 3.29 Archmage Hierophant build. If you want to experience one of the most representative self-casting builds in this league, this is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment.