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Dear PoE 3.28 players, with Mirage League progressing, now is the perfect time to explore powerful builds. Have you ever thought about combining Poison and Flicker Strike? Imagine how fun that would be! Now let's explore how to build this Poison Flicker Strike Assassin build!

This build is a Flicker Strike variant with poison as its core damage mechanic, belonging to a less mainstream playstyle. It's not suitable for Uber Bosses because its damage and survivability don't meet the requirements for that extreme raid.

However, it can smoothly farm Nightmare Maps and easily handle regular bosses like Eater of Worlds and Searing Exarch.

Core Gear

This build's damage rotation relies on the synergy between several pieces of gear. Fortunately, since you are not forced to use unique gear, you can complete this build even if you don't have a lot of PoE currency.

First, we use Arakaali's Fang, which triggers Raise Spiders. These spiders are linked to Withering Touch, Minion Speed, and Greater Multistrike. Therefore, they attack enemies very quickly, stacking Wither layers and significantly increasing the chaos damage enemies take.

Secondly, choose Bino's Kitchen Knife. Its core function is poison proliferation. Whenever you kill a poisoned enemy, other enemies within 3 meters are automatically poisoned. Additionally, Bino's Kitchen Knife provides a small amount of health regeneration.

For the chest armor, use Farrul's Fur, which periodically grants you full frenzy charges and power charges through Aspect of the Cat.

Since this build's attack speed isn't extremely high, Less Duration Support isn't necessary. Other required affixes can also be obtained through rings.

Additionally, We recommend that you choose Snakebite gloves, as they provide hit chance, attack speed, poison chance, and damage over time multiplier based on your current frenzy charges.

For boots, choose Ralakesh's Impatience. Its core mechanic is that even if you don't actually gain any frenzy charges or power charges, you're still considered having the maximum of either. This effect is crucial because it directly triggers Snakebite's poison chance bonus.

At last, we chose Olesya's Delight belt, which converts all your frenzy charges into Affliction charges, providing a significant damage boost.

Furthermore, don't worry about Snakebite's effect being nullified after the frenzy charges are converted, because Ralakesh's Impatience ensures you're always considered having full frenzy charges, perfectly negating the side effects of the actual conversion.

Skill Links and Aura Setup

Our primary offensive skill is Flicker Strike of Power. It links Added Chaos Damage, Unbound Ailments, Greater Multistrike, Fortify, and Void Manipulation.

Since this skill also requires investing in Chance to Poison Implicit attribute, this may be the most expensive part of completing this build. Of course, if you're short on funds, you can also choose to buy cheap PoE currency from IGGM.com. Don't worry about a limited budget; unlock the most powerful endgame gear for your character now!

For movement abilities, we now use Whirling Blades and equip Precision, Plague Bearer, and Desecrate on our gloves. Desecrate's purpose is to summon 20 spiders by creating corpses in conjunction with The Writhing Jar when there are no enemy corpses during the boss fight.

Next, regarding aura configuration, we activated Herald of Agony, Grace, and Flesh and Stone. Flesh and Stone is best linked to Enlighten and maxed out.

For curses, the amulet uses Impresence, which allows Despair curse to be linked to Blasphemy without mana loss, becoming an aura.

As for the amulet annointing, we chose Dismembering to increase critical strike damage and synergize with Perfect Agony talent.

Flasks

For flasks, to increase melee attack speed, we choose Rosethorn Tincture.

In addition, we can also use Jade Flask for dodge bonus and Stibnite Flask for crit chance bonus.

Talent Tree and Jewels

The key talent for Poison Flicker Strike Assassin is Perfect Agony, which makes the damage over time multiplier equal to your critical strike damage bonus, so you need to stack 100% critical strike chance. This goal can be easily achieved using Assassin ascendancy and power charges.

For Timeless Jewels, you can use Lethal Pride to compensate for the lack of strength. Alternatively, you can replace it with The Light of Meaning and address the strength issue by changing rings and jewels, thus achieving higher damage output.

Damage and Survivability

In terms of damage, this build primarily relies on poison combined with Perfect Agony and Wither stacks. The ideal optimized configuration, using Light of Meaning, will result in even higher damage. At 15 Wither stacks, you can achieve around 30 million poison DPS.

Because spiders stack Wither very quickly, damage will rapidly increase in actual combat.

In terms of survivability, you mainly rely on Fortify and Grace for evasion, Flesh and Stone for blinding, and spell suppression from the talent tree.

Additionally, The Pantheon chose Lunaris and Tukohama. Since Flicker Strike is considered stationary during continuous attacks, it reliably benefits from healing.

Overall, this build is fairly tanky, requiring some attention to dodging projectiles, but Lunaris provides some assistance.

This build is relatively inexpensive; the most expensive part is Flicker Strike of Power, especially the imbuement on Chance to Poison, which costs around 50 POE Divine Orbs. Other equipment such as Farrul's Fur, Arakaali's Fang, and Bino's Kitchen Knife are not particularly expensive.

A similar build was played using Occultist in previous leagues, perhaps with even better results. If you're interested, you can also try building this Poison Flicker Strike build with Occultist for a different experience.

That concludes the build strategy for this Poison Flicker Strike Assassin build. Hope these will be helpful to you in PoE 3.28!

Some of the changes introduced in PoE 3.28 have completely revolutionized the way players approach the game. One particularly notable change is the new ability for players to utilize pseudo 7-link gear, thereby significantly boosting their character’s power during the endgame phase.

For veteran Exiles, you are likely well aware that, under normal circumstances, items in Path of Exile are limited to a maximum of six sockets, a privilege typically reserved only for two-handed weapons and body armor. Most other gear slots are generally restricted to just three or four sockets.

Within these sockets, players can empower a skill gem by slotting it alongside up to 5 support gems in the remaining slots. Once all these support gems are linked together, they form what is known as a 6-link gem setup, the most powerful configuration available in the game.

However, PoE 3.28 Mirage League introduces a new currency item, Djinn Coin, that allows you to easily corrupt a skill gem, imbuing it with a random support enchantment to create a pseudo 7-link setup. While the process of obtaining a pseudo 7-link may seem straightforward, it is entirely dependent on RNG; therefore, securing your ideal configuration may ultimately come down to pure luck.

Next, let’s take a closer look at how to craft a pseudo 7-link and how exactly they function. This knowledge could be the key to helping you construct the most powerful character builds in PoE 3.28!

How to craft a Pseudo 7-Link?

In Path of Exile 3.28 Mirage League, the pseudo 7-link mechanic is of paramount importance. By effectively providing a free Level 1 support gem, it delivers a massive and incredibly cost-efficient damage boost, thereby substantively upgrading a standard 6-link setup into a 7-link configuration.

However, as previously mentioned, this effect is achieved through a unique mechanic specific to the new league: Coins of Knowledge, Power, or Skill. By using one of these coins to corrupt a Level 20 skill gem, you can generate a pseudo 7-link. This process grants the gem the effect of a random Level 1 support gem, effectively providing a 7th functional link for your primary skill. Consequently, this allows you to significantly boost your character’s damage potential in the endgame without incurring the high cost typically associated with acquiring expensive 6-link gear.

Djinn Coin system, exclusive to Mirage League, corrupts a Skill Gem, randomly adding an active Support Gem effect based on Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence. This grants you a free, additional damage multiplier (equivalent to a seventh link) without requiring specific 6-link gear or special affixes.

However, since the added Support Gem is always Level 1, and the outcome is random, the process is akin to gambling; it requires repeated attempts to find the optimal Support Gem and successfully craft a pseudo-7-link.

For instance, after using a Coin of Skill to corrupt Split Arrow, we immediately gained the effect of a Level 1 Vicious Projectiles Support Gem. Crucially, this transformation does not occupy a socket slot on your weapon or armor, leaving those slots free for other Support Gems. Essentially, this creates a 2-link setup which, when combined with five other external Support Gems, results in a pseudo-7-link gem configuration.

How do you obtain these Djinn coins?

In PoE 3.28, players primarily acquire Djinn Coins by defeating Afarud Necromancers to gain access to Mirage League zones. Before entering a Mirage zone, you can select a specific Djinn Wish from Varashta; this choice determines the type of Djinn Coins that monsters within that specific Mirage zone will drop.

You can obtain these Djinn Coins simply by defeating monsters within Mirage zones. It is worth noting that Mirage mechanic is influenced by Atlas Tree Passives and Scarabs, which can increase the frequency with which you encounter Mirages within your maps. Furthermore, Mirages can replicate other league-specific mechanics present in the map, thereby increasing monster density and potential loot drops.

Important Considerations

While the process of constructing a 7-link gem setup is not inherently complex, there are still a few important points I must bring to your attention.

First, you must be prepared for the fact that, although a 7-link setup can be incredibly powerful, the final result may not always be the one you desire. This is because the corruption effect can add any Support Gem effect compatible with Skill Gem; as we all know, every Skill Gem has a mix of both highly beneficial and less-than-ideal Support Gem interactions.

Additionally, the game doesn't allow players to equip two skill gems corrupted by coins simultaneously to prevent players from using two pseudo-6-links, which would disrupt game balance. Furthermore, only Level 20 gems can form a pseudo 7-link; gems below Level 20 will not be affected by Djinn Coins.

Is that extra link worth sacrificing a Level 21 gem? Whether you are playing Tornado Shot or Lacerate, master the new crafting mechanics of the 3.28 league to immediately push your build to its absolute limits!

Path of Exile 3.28 league is fast approaching its one-month mark, and its performance across all aspects has largely stabilized, barring any future in-game events or patches designed to address specific glaring flaws.

Consequently, it is high time to conduct a provisional assessment of the game's current state, with a particular focus on the ever-shifting meta landscape that has been in flux since 3.24 league.

This review will not only assist players who have yet to dive deep into Mirage league in deciding whether to continue playing, but also provide strategies for those looking to further optimize and empower their characters in the endgame. Let's get started.

The diminishing importance of Energy Shield

Since the introduction of T17 maps in 3.24 league, the prevailing meta, driven by the need to tackle high-difficulty content for lucrative rewards, has compelled the majority of players to adopt an Energy Shield (ES)-centric playstyle.

This trend emerged primarily because T17 maps ramp up difficulty through specific affixes; Energy Shield offered the most flexible and effective means of mitigating the threats posed by these particularly dangerous modifiers.

Subsequently, 3.25 league introduced new tiers of high-end base items, specifically those capable of converting defensive attributes into offensive power.

These items allowed players to stack colossal amounts of Energy Shield, thereby further entrenching and reinforcing the meta dominance of this specific playstyle.

While this approach yielded significant combat advantages in the short term, over the long run, it led to a stagnation of the game's combat dynamics, a phenomenon that explains why the leagues immediately following it felt somewhat lackluster and stagnant.

Fortunately, the fervor surrounding ES Stacking began to subside in 3.27 league. 3.28 Mirage league has further accelerated this trend of de-emphasizing Energy Shield through a comprehensive restructuring of T17 maps.

In addition to reducing the loot bonuses associated with these maps, the developers removed several of the most contentious map affixes, thereby breaking the stranglehold these modifiers had previously exerted on the survivability of various character builds.

Building upon these changes, 3.28 league also implemented a more direct nerf to Energy Shield by reducing the amount of ES gained per point of intelligence, the primary attribute used for scaling Energy Shield.

The changing landscape of dominant classes

Undoubtedly, the seismic shifts in Energy Shield meta are poised to trigger a transformative overhaul of Path of Exile's overall landscape, and the relative rankings of the various character classes are the first to feel the impact.

For the past four leagues, Trickster has consistently held the top spot among Ascendancy classes, largely thanks to its core passive, One Step Ahead.

However, starting in League 3.27, the game subjected this passive to a drastic nerf, completely removing its former offensive bonuses.

Building upon this, the introduction of Bloodline classes now allows players to utilize additional synergies to resist or mitigate action speed reduction effects, a feat that, in the past (without the aid of specific gear), was achievable only by Trickster and Juggernaut.

In light of these changes, the dominant Ascendancy class in the current 3.28 league has shifted to Hierophant. A further contributing factor is that the game's most popular build, Kinetic Fusilade Totems build, also originates from this class.

This archetype is not only viable for both league-start progression and endgame content, but it also offers a seamless transition into Kinetic Blast of Clustering build, a powerhouse strategy from previous leagues.

Furthermore, when the inherent set-and-forget nature of Totem builds is combined with Hierophant's popular Conviction of Power passive, players can effectively blend defensive and block mechanics to achieve significantly greater survivability.

Another standout Ascendancy class in League 3.28 is Necromancer. It, too, boasts a rich and diverse array of viable builds, with Kinetic Blast of Clustering remaining the most popular choice.

You May Like: Infinite Regeneration in Path of Exile 3.28 Mirage! | How to Achieve a Maximum of 7 Million Health and Make Your Minion Never Die?

For Necromancer, this specific build allows for full utilization of the attack speed bonuses against corpse clusters, thereby leveraging the class's minion-centric identity to maximum effect.

Changes to melee builds

Since receiving substantial buffs in League 3.25, the strongest melee builds in Path of Exile have been typified by Slam skills, particularly during the initial league-start phase.

However, Mirage league introduced nerfs to this archetype, including targeted adjustments specifically aimed at the core skill, Earthshatter.

Consequently, while Slam builds can still deliver respectable performance during the league-start phase when played as a Slayer or Berserker, the era in which they held an overwhelming advantage over all other melee options has come to a definitive end.

In light of this shift, the melee build currently garnering the most attention is Elemental Hit. Its damage output is derived directly from the skill gem itself, a characteristic that aligns perfectly with the demands of the league-start phase, where immediately acquiring gear with exceptional stats is typically a difficult challenge.

Furthermore, Elemental Hit allows you to fully leverage Slayer's defensive strengths, providing you with enhanced life recovery capabilities.

Chaos Inoculation is no longer in its prime

Previously, aside from Energy Shield, Chaos Inoculation (CI) was a core keystone passive considered a mandatory choice for many players crafting their builds.

However, starting with 3.27 league, the introduction of a series of new gear pieces designed to bolster life stacking began to overshadow CI.

In 3.28 league, CI's standing has declined even further. This shift is primarily due to a moderate reduction in the overall difficulty of endgame content, which has opened the door for a wider variety of diverse builds to thrive.

In other words, sources of lucrative rewards are no longer strictly locked to the select few specific map modifiers; this gives you far more flexibility and options when farming for loot.

Conclusion

The introduction of new mechanics and gear starting in 3.27 league, combined with the further optimizations introduced in 3.28 league, have collectively shaped the current Path of Exile meta-game into one that prioritizes both stability and diversity.

So, whether you are a newcomer to the game or a veteran player weighing whether to dive back in, now is the absolute best time to experience Path of Exile! Have fun!

The new batch of items introduced in Path of Exile's 3.28 league has once again reshaped the game's landscape, building upon existing content and necessitating corresponding adjustments to your offensive and defensive mechanisms.

Among these additions, the new Volatile Vaal Orb has a particularly significant impact on defensive strategies. More importantly, it creates powerful synergies when combined with features introduced in previous leagues, such as Foulborn unique items.

In this guide, we will use Volatile Vaal Orb as our focal point to demonstrate how to craft powerful defensive setups in Mirage League.

Defensive setups in PoE 3.28

In Path of Exile, the defensive setup primarily refers to the strategy of stacking multiple mechanisms to mitigate various types of damage, for instance, by boosting elemental resistances, Spell Suppression, or Armor values, or by incorporating other recovery methods.

Since physical damage can typically only be mitigated by increasing armor or evaded through movement speed, a common core defensive strategy involves finding ways to convert incoming physical damage into other damage types before applying defensive layers against them.

During 3.25 league, many methods capable of converting physical damage into other damage types for mitigation purposes were significantly nerfed or even removed entirely.

This change meant that many builds relying on this specific mechanism could no longer achieve 100% physical damage conversion, thereby losing their original competitive edge.

Fortunately, the game soon addressed this issue in the subsequent 3.26 league by introducing the new Prismatic Jewel: Bound by Destiny. The modifiers on this jewel allow it to provide a stat bonus that converts up to 10% of incoming physical damage into elemental damage.

If you felt that this single jewel wasn't enough to fully compensate for the loss, 3.27 league quickly offered a further solution by introducing Foulborn unique items, a mechanism that was subsequently retained and integrated into the core game following the release of 3.28 league.

What is Volatile Vaal Orb?

Building upon the defensive setup mechanics established in previous leagues, Path of Exile introduced Volatile Vaal Orb in 3.28 league.

When this special currency is applied to a piece of gear, there is a 50% chance that the item will be destroyed. If the item survives, however, the orb will re-roll all of its explicit modifiers, offering you a chance to significantly increase the item's overall value.

How to convert damage types?

Before the introduction of Volatile Vaal Orb, achieving 100% conversion of incoming physical damage into elemental damage required the use of specific unique items combined with the implicit modifiers provided by Eldritch affixes.

For instance, Lightning Coil converts 50% of physical damage taken on hit into lightning damage. Notably, its Foulborn variant converts 50% of chaos damage taken into lightning damage instead.

Alternatively, you could equip Dawnbreaker shield to convert up to 20% of physical damage taken into fire damage, thereby raising your total physical damage conversion rate to 70%.

Next, for the helmet slot, you can utilize the crafting bench to unveil a hidden modifier that converts up to 8% of physical damage taken on hit into elemental damage.

Regardless of the specific gear combination you choose, you can further supplement it with Bound by Destiny jewel; however, this jewel only takes effect if you simultaneously have four specific Conqueror-influenced items equipped.

Once you have maximized the affix values of all the aforementioned components to their absolute limits, you will be able to convert 88% of incoming physical damage into other damage types. The remaining 12% can be covered by utilizing Foulborn variants of Breach amulets.

It is worth noting that you should generally avoid letting your damage conversion rate exceed 100%, as doing so would result in the total damage you ultimately take being higher than the raw damage originally dealt by the enemy's hit. However, a slight overflow is generally harmless.

What is the significance of Volatile Vaal Orb's introduction?

While the setup described above is quite effective, it imposes rather strict constraints on the types of builds you can pursue. This is because, in order to achieve the desired defensive outcome, you are forced to lock down multiple gear slots with specific items.

However, the introduction of Volatile Vaal Orb allows you to transcend the standard numerical limits of affixes, either further boosting (or potentially lowering) the values of specific modifiers by a margin of up to 22% relative to their base values.

In practical terms, provided you have a sufficient budget, this means you can achieve 100% physical damage conversion using fewer gear slots. However, given the 50% failure rate associated with the process, you must be prepared to invest a substantial number of orbs.

This is particularly true for items with affixes that possess extremely wide numerical ranges; in such cases, attempting to obtain your ideal values through repeated re-rolls can prove to be an incredibly arduous task.

However, if successful - taking Lightning Coil as an example, the numerical value of its affix converting physical damage to lightning damage can be boosted to a maximum of 61%. This grants you an additional 11% damage conversion rate, a feat simply unattainable through conventional means.

Building upon this foundation, if you proceed to corrupt Dawnbreaker, its efficiency in converting physical damage to fire damage can be raised to 24%. With just these two pieces of gear alone, you can achieve a total physical damage conversion rate of 85%.

In short, the new possibilities introduced by Volatile Vaal Orb significantly enhance the flexibility of your build setup. Not only does it free up your Amulet slot, but it also allows you the freedom to choose a different helmet.

Beyond the strategies we have outlined here, you can also leverage the core mechanics of Volatile Vaal Orb to apply these effects to other gear pieces of your choice, allowing you to craft a truly unique and personalized defensive setup!

In Path of Exile 3.28, learning how to efficiently generate currency is arguably one of the most important aspects of the game. Currently, there are numerous farming strategies available, allowing you to choose one based on your progression stage and build strength.

Reality Fragment Farming strategy highlighted here is exceptionally straightforward and accessible. Apart from requiring a decent build, there are virtually no barriers to entry. The preparation is minimal, and the process of selling your loot is incredibly smooth, taking up almost no extra playtime.

Why Choose Reality Fragments?

Currently, Reality Fragments command a high value, each trading for around 100 Chaos Orbs. They are relatively easy to obtain, and their value shows a tendency to increase. This is because many players this league are focused on farming Maven. They require Reality Fragments to open portals to Uber Maven encounter.

To achieve our goal, we will be targeting the nightmare map, Abomination, and quickly farming its boss. Abomination boss fight has almost no phase transitions. You enter the boss room, swiftly defeat the three mini-bosses, and then take down the final large boss that appears. The entire process is clean and efficient.

Furthermore, Mirage in Abomination seems to spawn more frequently near the boss room. Successfully dealing with this Mirage can effectively double your yield from a run.

The whole cycle is very fast, and during this process, you will also incidentally acquire some Astrolabes and Black Barya map fragments. When you factor in these additional earnings, your hourly profit can exceed 20 Divine Orbs, and considering their rising value, it could potentially reach around 25 Divine Orbs.

Preparation

To execute this strategy, you simply need to select Nightmare Maps with base modifiers that are manageable for your gear. Aside from reflect damage, you just need to ensure the map doesn't have modifiers your build cannot handle. There's no need to take PoE currency on reforging; as long as there are no detrimental modifiers, you can run them immediately, prioritizing speed above all else.

If your build has sufficient speed and you don't encounter Mirage, you should be able to complete a map in about one minute (encountering Mirage might extend the total time to around two minutes). Of course, this does require a powerful build capable of dealing significant boss damage. Other profits come from bonuses provided by Atlas Tree and general drops.

When Mirage spawns close to the boss, you will see a distinct purple or pink ring of light within the boss arena. If you spot this ring, you should backtrack to find and defeat Mirage before returning to finish off the boss.

The core loop is simple: continuously run Abomination, rush through the map to the boss room, defeat the boss as fast as possible, leave the map, and repeat.

Atlas Tree Setup

The central principle for Atlas Tree in this strategy is to maximize the chance of the boss Mirage appearing.

You need to block out all other league mechanics on your Atlas Tree (i.e., allocate no points to them), as this significantly increases the probability of Mirage appearing near the boss.

Allocate all nodes that increase the chance to find maps within areas. This helps sustain your pool of higher-tier maps.

Take all explicit modifier nodes that increase item quantity found on maps to maximize drops.

Do not allocate any nodes related to Altars, as you are focused on quickly killing the boss and will generally not interact with them.

Beyond these points, it becomes a fairly basic tree configuration, with the core aim of maximizing all effects that boost item quantity. Since this strategy doesn't utilize any Fragments, there's no need for nodes that multiply their effects.

Regarding which eldritch influence to choose, you can opt for either Eater of Worlds or Searing Exarch. The difference is minimal, with the main benefit being Invitations they drop.

Managing Expenses

When calculating net profit, you need to account for your expenses. Currently, the going rate for Nightmare Maps is around 20 Chaos Orbs each. So, if you can farm 30 maps per hour, using the current exchange rate between Chaos Orbs and Divine Orbs, this translates to an expense of nearly 3 Divine Orbs.

After deducting this cost, even without accounting for extra drops like Astrolabes, your net profit per hour lands in the range of 20-22 Divine Orbs. If your build is exceptionally fast, your profits will naturally be even higher.

Alternative Nightmare Maps

You could certainly apply this fast-farming strategy to other Nightmare Maps, but you need to be mindful of efficiency. If your build isn't strong enough to handle Abomination boss efficiently, it's advisable to adjust map modifiers or try executing the same strategy on a map like Fortress.

In summary, boss rushing is incredibly profitable in PoE 3.28, particularly because Exceptional Gems dropped by Maven are in high demand, fueling the need for related access items. May this strategy help you amass even more currency!

Kingsmarch content in Path of Exile's Mirage League has received adjustments, but this isn't entirely a negative development. The primary official change is a reduction in its importance, transforming it into optional farming content that players who dislike the mechanic can now bypass.

However, this content still holds significant potential, which requires understanding the specific mechanics and changes in Kingsmarch to optimize your approach.

Kingsmarch Changes

Several core changes in Mirage League have fundamentally altered the gameplay logic of Kingsmarch. The most notable change is that the functions of Ore and Crops have been completely swapped.

• Ore: Now, by sending any amount of ore via your port, your ships will return with PoE currency upon their arrival. This is your new method for acquiring the primary currency of the game.
• Crops: Sending Crops will instead bring back equipment, which consists of armor pieces for different slots. More importantly, this provides a consistent way to target the color of Tattoos you desire.

Gem and Scarab Removal

This is the core reduction in power Kingsmarch has received. Currently, regardless of your actions, you can no longer obtain Gems or Scarab rewards from Kingsmarch. If you previously engaged with this mechanic primarily for these two rewards, it will now hold less appeal for you.

Kingsmarch Strategies

After understanding the changes to Kingsmarch, you may need to adjust your strategies.

Shipment Cargo Ratios

Regardless of the shipment size you plan to send, you should aim to maintain a total cargo value composed of half Dust and half ore. Remember to never send Dust along with crops, as this is not profitable.

Port Selection

When you decide to send Crops, you'll need to choose a destination port, which determines your bonus rewards.

Sending to Kalguuran Ports will grant you Runegrafts, and Sending to other ports will provide you with Tattoos of a specified color. Some rare green Tattoos command extremely high values, while among blue and red Tattoos there are also valuable options.

Bounty Mission Refresh Mechanic

The refresh mechanic for bounty missions is a very practical improvement. You can now refresh port bounty missions using 15,000 gold. If a bounty mission requires resources you don't have in abundance, simply click to refresh.

Continue refreshing until all three required resources match the types of ore you plan to send. This way, you can reliably obtain bounty rewards with every large shipment, essentially gaining extra income at no additional cost. Previously, you might have only been able to complete a bounty once per league due to resource mismatches. Now, you can ensure every significant shipment triggers a bounty, greatly enhancing your returns.

Risk

When sending shipments, be sure to keep your eyes on the risk. Especially when your shipment value reaches 50 million, the risk for certain ports will inevitably increase to 10%. Risk events can result in significant cargo loss, such as losing half your crops.

Therefore, you should only send ships to ports displaying a 0% risk bar. Regardless of your shipment's scale, if the risk is 0, it's safe to send.

Smelting

One unit of ore can be smelted into one Smelted Bar, and one Smelted Bar is worth five times as much as the ore. Consequently, it's essential to wait for ore to be smelted into Bars before shipping them to maximize profits. You can utilize Atlas Passive Tree or other strategies to have ore convert directly into Smelted Bars, bypassing the waiting time.

You can set all your smelters to smelt the rarest ore types. They will automatically process all ore types in descending order of rarity, eliminating the need for manual assignment.

The same logic applies to your miners; assign them all to a single ore type, and they will automatically prioritize mining from the rarest to the most common.

Workers

Workers can now only be leveled up to a maximum of level 5. When refreshing workers, be sure to only use the refresh option costing 4,000 gold. This option has a higher chance of revealing high-level workers.

When hiring workers, be mindful of those with additional tags like "Mapper." While they may have decent levels, their wages will be significantly higher. If you accidentally hire them, this elevated wage will continuously drain your gold.

A typical effective configuration is five level-5 mappers and one level-4 mapper. If a mapper is kidnapped, it's worthwhile to give the ransom, even if it costs 50,000 gold.

You can bulk trade for maps with 8 mods. Equipping your mappers with these 8-mod maps can yield a good return in currency.

Scarab Loadouts

If you intend to delve deeply into this mechanic, here are recommended Scarab combinations.

• Kalguuran Scarab x2: Provides two additional Ore Deposits.
• Kalguuran Scarab of Refinement: Causes ore picked up in maps to convert directly into Smelted Bars, bypassing the smelting step.
• Kalguuran Scarab of Enriching: Increases the amount of ore yielded per deposit.
• Sulphite Scarab: Causes Niko to appear in your maps, which can lead to more ore Deposits.

Other Influencing Factors

Atlas Passive Tree contains a notable that doubles the spawn frequency of Crimson Iron deposits. Allocating this notable will speed up your map clearing, and these deposits will drop a significant amount of Divine Orbs. However, the trade-off is that you will frequently encounter the least valuable ore, potentially reducing the total value of your large shipments.

Mirage can duplicate ore, but it may also convert your ore into low-value Dust. Additionally, be aware that if cargo is "lost in transit" within Mirage, you will directly forfeit the corresponding ore and Smelted Bars.

The above are all the significant changes and strategic details for Kingsmarch content in Path of Exile 3.28. If you choose to participate, understanding these new rules will greatly benefit you.

Astrolabes are a new currency introduced in Path of Exile 3.28 that can be used on maps to create a Shaped Region. After completing this region, you can unlock a Memory Vault containing rich rewards.

Utilizing Astrolabe strategies is currently the most cost-effective and simplest way to cultivate the map. You simply use Astrolabes and quickly cultivate the map to gain significant rewards.

Synthesised Stability

Before introducing strategies, you need to understand a talent, Synthesised Stability, located at the top of Atlas talent tree. Simply put, it allows you to complete map B by clearing map A.

Therefore, it allows you to focus on a single map. Although it divides the map into smaller pieces, this does not affect the rewards you gain from Astrolabes. You don't need to worry about map integrity and can even use this feature to quickly consume maps. Most importantly, it allows you to use multiple Astrolabes on the same map, greatly improving farming efficiency.

Astrolabes And Memory Vault

Astrolabe Types

Astrolabes come in different types, each adding different mechanics to Shaped Region and having different completion effects.

• Chaotic Astrolabe: Adds Ultimatum encounters
• Enshrouded Astrolabe: Adds Mirrors of Delirium
• Fruiting Astrolabe: Adds Sacred Grove
• Fungal Astrolabe: Adds Blight encounters
• Grasping Astrolabe: Adds Breaches
• Lightless Astrolabe: Adds Abysses
• Nameless Astrolabe: Adds Ritual Altars
• Runic Astrolabe: Adds Expedition encounters
• Templar Astrolabe: Adds a Shaped Region
• Timeless Astrolabe: Adds Legion encounters

Memory Vault

The rewards of Memory Vault are divided into four parts, depending on the four quadrants. Each vault has a different reward emphasis.

Machinist's Vault (Isla)

• Unknown exceptional support gem
• T3+ Unique weapon/jewellery
• Stacked Decks
• rarer divination cards

Zealot's Vault (Venarius)

• Greater Multistrike Support
• Invention Support
• T3+ Unique armor/jewellery
• Valuable gems
• Facetor's Lens

Scholar's Vault (Zana)

• Greater Unleash Support
• 1x or 4x Valuable currency
• 20x regular currency
• Orb of Intention/ Orb of Remembrance/Orb of Unravelling
• Reflecting Mist
• Valdo's Puzzle Box

Arkhon's Vault (Valdo)

• Greater Spell Cascade Support
• Cooldown Recovery Support
• Shaper Guardian/Elder Guardian/Conqueror maps
• Synthesised maps (including Cortex)
• Nightmare maps
• Valdo's Puzzle Box
• Scarabs (based on datamined weight tag)
• Uber Elder Fragments

It's worth mentioning that there are also failures in Memory Vault, referred to here as Bricked Memory Vault. Its characteristic is that the room contains very few rewards, usually only two, and their value is generally low. This is a case of bad luck; if you encounter it, just grab the loot and leave.

Templar Astrolabe

Templar Astrolabe is the most basic Astrolabe, and its completion conditions are very simple: you just need to defeat the boss on the map. Failure is almost impossible.

You just need to use the fastest map-clearing build and rush to the boss's location. For this strategy, the best map is City Square, because its boss is in the center of the map, and the route is clear.

You completely skip all the mobs and other map mechanics, focusing on killing the boss. If you can kill the boss within ten seconds, you can complete the entire area in about 2 to 3 minutes.

After completing Templar Astrolabe, you will enter Memory Vault. This is a selection room similar to a Contract event. You can choose the reward you deem most valuable.

The most common and important loot is Facetor's Lens, which often covers the cost of Astrolabe and can even generate additional profit, so remember to sell them for PoE currency. Additionally, the Vault may contain various auxiliary gems. Some of these auxiliary gems are extremely valuable.

Machinist's Vault (Isla) has a chance to spawn unique items of very high value, including Headhunter, Mageblood, and Defiance of Destiny. Obtaining just one of them is like winning the lottery.

Runic Astrolabe

Runic Astrolabe adds an expedition mechanic to the map; you need to detonate 5 Remnants to complete the map.

You need skillful operation to quickly find and detonate a sufficient number of Remnants. Sometimes the map will generate 11 Remnants, requiring 6 to be detonated successfully. This isn't difficult for experienced players. After successfully detonating them, you can rush straight to the center of the map to kill the boss, which is equally efficient.

In this league, expeditions are also a highly profitable strategy, requiring you to combine them with Expedition Scarab of Infusion for effective farming.

To complete Runic Astrolabe more efficiently, you need to unlock Extreme Archaeology node in Atlas talent tree. Furthermore, talents that increase "Relic Placement Range" and "Explosion Radius" can significantly improve efficiency and margin for error. While each instance may only save 1 to 2 seconds, the cumulative effect is substantial if you farm for several hours.

Timeless Astrolabe

Timeless Astrolabe corresponds to the Legion mechanic. It requires defeating at least one Legion General. To clear it quickly, the key is to rapidly defeat enough monsters to activate the general. However, compared to other types, dealing with Legions requires waiting for the monsters to unseal, so the overall speed is slightly slower.

You need to unlock Timeless Conflict talent in the talent tree. This talent allows sealed Legion monsters to quickly reveal themselves, especially suitable for characters with strong map-clearing abilities. If you're clearing the map extremely quickly, you might need to pay close attention to the general's location to avoid missing them and failing.

Note that sometimes a bug might occur where the general doesn't appear or disappears, preventing completion. This seems to be a bug specific to Timeless Conflict and Maraketh Legion. In such cases, it's recommended to choose a different legion's region to avoid this problem. Also, be sure to select Sealed Domain talent; it prevents extra legions from spawning on the map, ensuring only one legion is generated at a time, making the process much simpler.

While there are other Astrolabes, Templar Astrolabe, Runic Astrolabe, and Timeless Astrolabe are the fastest in terms of efficiency, and all you need is a fast-farming build; basically, any player can run this simple strategy.

Path of Exile 3.28 has launched, and players are currently busy leveling up and farming currency. Due to adjustments to Atlas system, players now have greater freedom in their farming approaches, leading to the emergence of many new strategies.

Here is an introduction to an early-game farming strategy utilizing Divination Scarab of The Cloister. Its output is remarkably consistent, essentially providing roughly one Divine Orb per map.

Profitability and the Strategy

First, let's examine Divination Scarab of The Cloister. It generates many monster packs within a map that have a chance to drop Stacked Decks. The primary source of profit for this strategy comes from these Stacked Decks. Currently, approximately 100 decks can be exchanged for 1 Divine Orb, and this method allows you to obtain between 80 to 100 decks per map.

Beyond the decks themselves, maps will also yield a substantial quantity of other currency and items. Additionally, each map triggers standard Rituals and Mirages, providing opportunities for extra rewards. Overall, the value generated from a single map consistently exceeds that of one Divine Orb.

You might consider the associated costs, but they are actually quite minimal. Due to the high supply of scarabs in the current league, Divination Scarabs of The Cloister are abundantly available, with a single Divine Orb able to acquire several dozen of them.

Another required investment is the maps themselves. You should select maps with open and spacious layouts to maximize efficiency. Such maps typically cost around 1 Chaos Orb each. Therefore, to initiate this strategy, an initial investment of one Divine Orb can provide you with over a dozen sets of materials.

Scarab Setup

To execute this strategy, you need to properly configure your map device with the correct scarabs and have enough slots unlocked. You will need to place five Divination Scarabs of The Cloister into the device.

If you haven't unlocked the fifth scarab slot yet, you must do so by completing The Maven's ten-boss encounters and defeating the map boss within a Nightmare Map (accessed after Act 4).

If you need to defeat a Nightmare Map boss to unlock a slot, it's advisable to use a Scarab of the Sinistral and a Scarab of the Dextral. These will render the map's modifiers ineffective, significantly reducing the encounter's difficulty.

Atlas Tree

Since Stacked Decks drop from Doedre's Devoted mobs, larger monster packs lead to more decks. Therefore, your Atlas Tree selection should focus on a single core objective: maximizing pack size.

You need to allocate all passive points that enhance map explicit modifier effects and pack size. Furthermore, you should aim to run eight-modifier maps, as they possess the highest base pack size.

Ritual Mechanics

Monsters slain within a Ritual will respawn and be killed again when you activate the altar. This effectively provides Doedre's Devoted mobs—the source of Stacked Decks—with a second opportunity to drop them.

Additionally, after clearing the entire map, pay attention to the number of decks that dropped within each Ritual's area. The altar surrounded by the most decks indicates its area contained the highest concentration of Doedre's Devoted mobs. You should prioritize activating this altar first. This is because subsequent altars you activate will inherit all monsters previously slain in earlier altars. Consequently, later altars will also contain these special mobs, allowing for continued deck generation.

Mirage Mechanics

Upon entering Mirage, prioritize selecting the reward option that provides "20% more pack size." This will substantially increase deck drops both inside and outside Mirage. Additionally, altars also appear within Mirage, so don't forget to check their rewards.

Altar Rewards

In both standard and Mirage altars, if you encounter a highly desirable, high-value item you cannot immediately afford, you have the option to defer it. You can then accumulate enough tribute over subsequent maps to eventually claim it.

Regardless of which altar you are engaging with, prioritize selecting options that offer a "Chance to duplicate currency." This effect applies to all forms of PoE currency, meaning any dropped Stacked Decks have a chance to be duplicated, effectively doubling that portion of your profit.

Note that affixes like "100% more currency drops" are ineffective for stacked deck drops, but affixes that duplicate upon drop are effective.

Build Requirements

Because Doedre's Devoted Mobs possess a proximity shield, you will need a build capable of effectively dealing with this mechanic. Specific setups or high burst damage can break the shield quickly. If you feel your damage output might be insufficient, consider using a DoT build. Damage over time effects, such as poison or ignite, can bypass the proximity shield entirely, killing the monsters within.

Alternatively, if your build cannot rapidly penetrate or bypass the proximity shield, you must bolster your defenses. Whether stacking Energy Shield, Evasion, or other layers of defense, ensuring your character's survivability is crucial to safely harvest the abundant decks from the dense monster packs.

In summary, this is a low-investment, high-reward, and straightforward mapping strategy. By simply leveraging the current league's item values and mechanics, each map can yield significant profits. Once you have accumulated some initial currency, you can consider upgrading your build's power. This will enhance your efficiency, whether you choose to continue with this strategy or transition to another one.

Path of Exile 3.28 introduces a huge number of changes. They've not only significantly reworked the map system but also added and redesigned many Scarabs. So, when you're choosing your League Start build, it's a good idea to keep your endgame farming strategies in mind.

What reliable farming methods are available in Mirage League? Given the vast number of strategies in PoE 1, let's break them down.

Economic System Changes

The map system isn't the only major change. The developers removed two primary sinks for Chaos Orbs: Map Device and T17 maps. Without these consumption methods, the value of Chaos Orbs will take a significant hit, potentially becoming very low.

The developers have increased the drop rates of currencies like Exalted Orbs and Regal Orbs. These might replace Chaos Orbs as the standard PoE currency for basic trading. This directly weakens any strategy that relies on generating Chaos Orbs.

The developers also explicitly stated that they've roughly doubled the drop rates for most high-value currencies. This indirectly nerfs mechanics that involve choosing rewards, like Ritual.

Another key factor to consider is Mirage mechanic itself. It allows you to experience many league mechanics twice within a single map. This is particularly advantageous for one-off mechanics like Expedition, potentially making it quite profitable.

With these changes in mind, let's dive into an evaluation of the pros and cons for each mechanic.

Tier S

Legion

Since Mirage League seems to favor monsters dropping currency directly, Legion should be one of the strongest mechanics right now. Its Scarabs have also been buffed, with the old ones being replaced by the new Legion Scarab of Treasures.

This new Scarab gives Legion monsters a chance to drop chest rewards upon breaking free. The monsters are tougher, but the rewards are significantly better. This makes any build specializing in fast Legion clearing highly sought after in the new league.

Heist

While Heist didn't receive new Scarabs, the developers buffedAtlas passive tree nodes related to Smuggler's Caches. By allocating all relevant passives, you get a 100% chance for a Smuggler's Cache to appear in your maps.

The rewards from Smuggler's Caches have also been buffed, offering more Blueprints, Rogue's Markers, and other items. Even just selling these findings can net you a decent amount of currency. If Mirage mechanic opens a second cache, the rewards would be absolutely immense.

The Maven

Maven farming strategy got a substantial boost due to the rework of Chisels. In short, the various individual Chisels have been consolidated into just Maven's Chisel of Avarice, and that's the only one you'll need.

Although the effect of a single chisel has been nerfed, demand will likely skyrocket since everyone will be using one per map. An added bonus is that you can now have Conqueror or Elder/Shaper influence on a map simultaneously with Maven witnessing the fight, allowing you to stack rewards.

Blue Eldritch Altars

With the reduced value of Chaos Orbs, and Orb of Scouring rewards being moved to Red Eldritch Altar track, a negative outcome has effectively been removed from Blue Altar pool. This significantly boosts their overall profitability.

Tier A

Expedition

The new Expedition Scarab of Infusion is incredibly powerful. It causes dropped Logbooks to have four implicit modifiers, and each Remnant you detonate increases both the difficulty and the rewards of all Expedition monsters. If you can detonate 5-10 Remnants, the reward multiplier becomes substantial. Additionally, Expedition monsters themselves have very rewarding drops. This strategy has the potential to be Tier S.

Beyond

As a mechanic that spawns a high volume of extra monsters that drop currency directly, Beyond is inherently strong. The only downside is the rework of Beyond Scarab of Resurgence, which now summons an additional boss – an effect that isn't particularly desirable for efficiency.

Ambush

Ambush mechanic didn't receive any new Scarabs, and the existing Ambush Scarab of Discernment was actually nerfed. With the removal of Cartographer's Chisels, the pool of currencies that can drop from Artisan's Strongboxes is smaller. This means you'll likely see more Gemcutter's Prisms, which is a small indirect buff. Overall, however, it probably won't feel much different from last league.

Delirium

Delirium generates a massive number of monsters, which is always a plus. A notable buff from Mirage League is the ability to re-roll a single implicit modifier on a Cluster Jewel without affecting the others. The new Delirium Scarab also adds one layer to the fog for each boss present. This is a very strong effect; the better your build is at clearing, the better the rewards from this mechanic will be.

Delve

With Fossils being consolidated back into Delve, it could be a worthwhile strategy to explore. However, Fossils aren't a mandatory consumable, so their value will be self-regulated by the market. If too many players are Delving, the profit margin might not be that high.

Tier B

Abyss

The situation for Abyss has improved slightly, but the new Scarab simply guarantees an Abyssal Depths spawn. It's not a game-changer.

Kalguur

Kalguur mechanic feels much worse after its rework. It's hardly worth investing Gold into within settlements. However, completing Settlers of Kalguur event in maps is significantly more rewarding, allowing you to ship ores for currency. While it has the theoretical potential to be a Tier S strategy, many players dislike the mechanics involved.

Red Eldritch Altars

Following the devaluation of Chaos Orbs, the profitability of Red Eldritch Altars has diminished. While they can still drop decent Scarabs, the value of their other currency drops has taken a hit.

Breach

Breach 2.0 wasn't universally popular, but it has been integrated into the core game. The developers have made several optimizations. Some of the more powerful unique items remain, while others were nerfed. It certainly has potential, but its viability will depend on whether players are willing to engage with it.

Tier C

Blight

Blight has been hit hard by nerfs. It received no new Scarabs, existing ones were weakened, and popular maps for Blight farming have been removed from Atlas. Its only remaining advantage is how quickly it can be completed.

Ritual / Ultimatum / Harvest

These three mechanics received virtually no substantial buffs. While Harvest and Ritual got new Scarabs, they aren't particularly strong. Any mechanic based on choosing rewards seems to be in a weaker position this league.

Tier D

There's little point in discussing the Tier D league mechanics. Strategies like Anarchy, Domination, and others all have various flaws. They either offer poor rewards or present a very high risk of dying to specific, tough monsters, leading to a frustrating experience.

That concludes a brief evaluation of the various mechanics for PoE 3.28 League. Many of them have great potential, and the strategies in Tier S are especially recommended for you to try out.

Players have shown immense enthusiasm for Path of Exile Legacy of Phrecia event, and in response, the developers have modified one of the event's most interesting Ascendancies, Scavenger, and moved it into the core game.

PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Ascendancy is quite interesting because, unlike traditional Ascendancies, its nodes rotate each new league. This means players can experience different build possibilities every league. Let's take a look at its abilities and nodes.

Armour Display

The nodes in Armour Display area are the first notable skills players encounter.

Veruso's Ambition

This skill is relatively useless because in practice, it's difficult to guarantee that you'll have the same type of corpses during a boss fight. However, it might have an effect if combined with Desecrate skill, or by utilizing many of the same type of monster corpses generated in Ritual areas, but it's not worth actively choosing.

Maw of Conquest

This is a fairly good defensive node. Immunity to poison is very useful, and the 40% slow damage regeneration provides good survivability. This node is very attractive for this melee playstyle.

Victario's Influence

This node increases aura effects by 40%, skill mana retention efficiency by 12-15%, and the level of any Aura Skill Gems carried is increased by 2. This node is extremely powerful for any aura-based playstyle or build that relies on auras.

The Brass Dome

It provides very solid physical damage reduction and elemental resistance cap, especially immunity to critical hit damage. It significantly reduces damage taken against high-critical-hit monsters, making it a very solid defensive option in itself. You can also use it in conjunction with The Brass Dome.

Kiloava's Bluster

Its effect is a 25% chance to avoid elemental status ailments. It also has a 40% chance to make your elemental resistances count as 90% when attacked by monsters. This chance-based effect is somewhat unreliable, although its overall effect is decent. Overall, it's a relatively weaker choice in this area.

Martial Weapon Display

Nodes in this area are mostly related to weapon, helmet, and boot effects.

Terminus Est

This node increases your movement speed and grants Frenzy Charges on Critical Strike.

This is a crucial node for players who enjoy Flicker Strike. The consistent acquisition of Frenzy Charges has always been key to this playstyle, and this node directly solves that problem.

Widowhail

This node provides a bonus to projectile damage. Although the bonus has been nerfed from 100%, it's still worth choosing if you're playing a projectile build.

Kitava's Feast

Its effect is that melee strike skills deal splash damage to surrounding targets. Defeating an enemy restores 5% health, and the corpses of enemies killed by your hits are destroyed.

Destroying corpses is an excellent affix, effectively preventing monsters from resurrecting or triggering certain death effects. Gaining splash damage for strike skills usually requires selecting it from the bottom left of the talent tree or using Anointing. This node saves you an oiling slot. However, overall, it's not particularly strong.

Grace of the Goddess

Provides +2 Sacred Wisps. Excellent for Wand builds, directly increasing the core mechanic's stack cap.

Beltimber Blade

If you've recently used a Movement Skill, your Projectile Skills will fire 2 additional projectiles. Also, gain 80% dodge chance while moving.

This is a very powerful node, almost giving you a Deadeye-like projectile bonus while providing decent defense. Ideal for ranged builds that require frequent movement for damage output.

Jack, the Axe

This node is essentially the same as Blood Reaper weapon. For Bleed-focused builds, this is a very good node that balances damage and sustain.

Caster Weapon Display

This side of the nodes is mostly related to spells and summons.

Mystic Refractor

Provides additional projectiles, but they disappear after hitting an enemy. A relatively weak node, as there are already many ways to obtain additional projectiles for free in the game.

Replica Heartbreaker

This node allows you to build a spell impale playstyle. This playstyle is usually only possible in the late game, but this node allows you to achieve it early on, although this playstyle may not become mainstream.

Maata's Teaching

Its effect is to give your minions a critical strike chance and critical strike damage based on your main-hand weapon, which is suitable for players who play a summon critical strike build.

The Burden of Shadows

Increases spell damage by an amount equal to 5% of your maximum health as additional chaos damage.

The Burden of Shadows is somewhat like a lower-tier version of Blood Magic. This ability allows you to convert skill mana consumption into life consumption, costing 50% of the original mana. While the numerical difference might be slight, it's a viable option for players who want to experience some mechanics without investing all their points.

Cybil's Paw

Its effect is to restore 20 life on each spell hit. For every 5% attack damage block chance, spell damage is increased by 8%.

This is a very useful node. Spell hit life restoration is a rare affix, especially on rings. If you can achieve a 75% attack block chance, this node can provide up to 95% spell damage, which, while not a must-have, is very valuable.

Cadigan's Authority

Cadigan's Authority allows you to place more totems simultaneously, but it restricts the types. This restriction is significant and may only be effective with certain unique equipment.

Jewellery Display

This area primarily focuses on the effects of rings, necklaces, and other trinkets.

Astral Projector

It allows you to enhance your Nova Skills. It will be cast at the target location, not centered on you. This is a core mechanic node that completely changes the feel of the skill, a game-changer for many builds that rely on Nova skills.

The Burden of Truth

This node is excellent. It allows you to easily build a Blood Shield Hybrid build. Similar to the effect provided by a certain Timeless Jewel, it allows you to take damage from both health and shield simultaneously, thus utilizing the healing from both to significantly improve overall survivability and recovery.

Astramentis

A very simple attribute boost, extremely useful for playstyles that require stacking attributes.

Warped Timepiece

Warped Timepiece increases the decay rate of negative effects on you by 100%. It can be used in conjunction with playstyles that apply many negative effects to themselves, quickly removing debuffs.

Prospero's Protection

It doubles the armor provided by your equipped shield and grants a 10% chance to block attack damage, but you won't gain any armor from your equipped chest armor.

If you are using a high-armor giant shield, and your chest armor itself has low armor, such as an evasion or energy shield base, this node provides a massive amount of armor, offering considerable defensive capabilities.

Tear of Purity

Tear of Purity provides a level 30 Purity of Elements aura and increases the aura's mana retention efficiency by 100%.

This is a very useful aura for early game progression. It provides a significant amount of elemental resistance and status ailment immunity, allowing you to focus on increasing damage without worrying about survivability in the early game.

Overall, while none of these nodes seem overwhelmingly powerful at first glance, most are useful and powerful. For Scions, these nodes enhance its early game progression capabilities; whether it becomes powerful later in the game is well worth exploring.