The Best PoE 3.16 “Scourge” League Starter Builds

With the new Path of Exile patch, 3.16 Scourge, it is important for players to select a great league starter build in order to build up a foundation for progression. Not every build can achieve a satisfactory result as there are prerequisites to having a smooth league start experience. Ones that require low investment which can still blast their way through the campaign with no trouble will allow exiles to begin their end game sooner. This allows for more currency generation than being stuck in the first acts of the game. The sooner you can create wealth for yourself, the quicker you can start creating fun and silly builds that aren’t able to function without certain uniques or hard to obtain items. 

League Starter Build Requirements

• Easy to level and through the acts
• No required items such as uniques or jewels
• Can do white and yellow tiers maps with hand crafted items found from the ground
• Effortless defensive layers to provide safety as you enter the end game

For the current challenge league, we have several recommendations that you can pick and which will give you no issues whatsoever.

The Classic: Toxic Rain Raider

League after league, the Toxic Rain Raider has continued to be a league starter beast. As this build does not rely on any fancy items, you can run it straight into end game farming with little to no effort. Most of its power comes from simple stats like chaos damage over time scaling that can be easily found in your passive tree and on gear. There are plenty of resources out there as this is a tried-and-true build which will be able to assist any hurdles you may face in your end game. Once this league starter build is off the ground and with some investment, it can take down most end game bosses. 

The ascendancies you will take in order are:

1. Rapid Assault – Permanent Onslaught Buff
2. Avatar of Chase – Increased Onslaught Effect
3. Quartz Infusion – Dodge and Phasing
4. Avatar of the Veil – Elemental Ailment Avoidance

Leveling you will use a combination of Caustic Arrow for clearing and Toxic rain for bossing. Both of these skills can be found during the first act.

Leveling Links

• Caustic Arrow -> Pierce -> Vicious Projectiles
• Toxic Rain -> Mirage Archer -> Void Manipulation

Leveling Uniques

• Quill Rain Short Bow – Easy to obtain bow with fantastic stats
• Thief’s Torment Prismatic Ring – Huge sustain and elemental resistances
• Chase unique items to continue your build into the end game:
• Kintsugi Exquisite Leather – Immense defensive layer to take on harder content
• Asenath’s Chant’s Iron Circlet – Effortless damage boost from trigger passive
• Cinderswallow Urn Silver Flask – Great sustain for clearing maps
• Dying Sun Ruby Flask – Damage increase through additional projectiles

The Crowd Favourite: Toxic Rain Champion

The tankier alternative to the Toxic Rain Raider, Champion offers greater defensive options at marginally less damage and utility. Toxic rain is an easy skill to scale right into the late game with little to no investment, landing it on our list twice! 

This variant of the build was greatly popularized leading up to the current league in 3.16 by several of the larger content creators in the community. This build can transition into a late game monster with investment into gem levels and chaos damage of time scaling.

Ascendancies in order that should be taken

1. Unstoppable Hero – Increased attack speed and defences
2. Fortitude – Huge defensive buff to fortify
3. Inspirational – Quality of life banner node
4. Conqueror – Massive defensive layer to head into end game

Leveling Links:

• Toxic Rain – Ballista Totem – Vicious Projectiles – Swift Affliction
• Toxic Rain – Mirage Archer – Vicious Projectiles – Lifetap

Leveling Uniques:

• Quill Rain – Able to be used well into end game farming
• Skirmish Arrow Quiver – Good stats all round with addition summoned totems
• Endgame Uniques:
• Atziri’s Step – Fantastic quality of life boots
• Queen of the Forest – Massively buffs defense
• Replica Conqueror’s Efficiency – Quality of life for our mana and skill effect duration

The Trapper: Exsanguinate Seismic Trap Saboteur

This build is crafted around bossing which is able to produce large amounts of damage with little investment into the build. Trapper playstyle is relatively safe by being able to attack from afar and set up traps in front of oncoming enemies. This means fewer passive points put into creating a beefy defensive and more put towards damage allowing us to breeze right into the end game content. There are no bosses this build can’t take on.

Ascendancies in order that should be taken

1. Pyromaniac – Sustain
2. Perfect Crime – Increased damage
3. Chain Reaction – Quality of life
4. Born in the Shadows – Defensive Layer

Leveling Links:

• Seismic Trap – Lifetap – Advanced Traps – Trap and Mine Damage
• Exsanguinate – Trap – Multiple Traps – Chain

Leveling uniques:

• Deerstalker Deerskin Boots – Early trapper boots
• Endgame Uniques:
• Atziri’s Step – Great all round boots 
• Cold Iron Point x2 – Huge gem level scaling for our traps
• Tinkerskin Sadist Garb – This body was invented for traps
• Crown of the Inward Eye – Massive defense boost

Summary

All three of these have very different play styles to suit anyone’s needs. They can all progress through the end game on day one of a new league. Most of the needed uniques drop dramatically in price as the challenge league continues, allowing for late comers to quickly pick up the game and catch up to their friends. These league starter builds will surely help as you make your way through Path of Exile 3.16 Scourge.