Ancestral Warchief

There’s no better time to shine as a melee class in Path of Exile than right now. And since the melee craze is still sizzling hot, why not go for a build with the same intensity as a raging inferno? Here’s our recommendation: the Ancestral Warchief!

Try out the Legion version of this staple build. Mark our words: You definitely won’t regret it!

Skill Tree:

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Skill Gems

Core Skill: Vaal Ancestral Warchief with Melee Physical Damage, Maim, Damage on Full Life, Ruthless, and Added Fire Damage support gems.

Mobility: Shield Charge with Faster Attacks, Blood Magic, and Fortify support; Flame Dash.

CWDT Setup: Cast When Damage Taken for Immortal Call with Increased Duration support.

Utility: Enfeeble, Hatred, Herald of Purity, Summon Stone and Summon Flame Golem, and Rallying Cry.

Gear

Weapon: None – this is because we’ll use Facebreaker, which gives a hefty bonus to unarmed damage.

Shield:

• Tukohama’s Fortress (Unique) for increased totem damage, life, ability to summon 1 additional totem, and +300 armor for each totem.
• Lioneye’s Remorse (Unique) for increased armor, life, movement speed, stun and block recovery, chance to block, and reduced damage from projectiles.
• The Surrender (Unique) for 30% chance to block, 1305 to 1513 armor, Level 30 Reckoning Skill, (130-170)% increased Armour, +(65-80) to maximum Life, Recover 250 Life when you Block, +6% Chance to Block and +1500 Armor after recently blocking.
• Kaitensoul (Unique) for increased movement speed, evasion, cold damage resistance and reflection, physical damage as cold damage, 5% chance to block, and 20% of fire damage taken becomes cold damage.

Gloves: Facebreaker (Unique) for 600-800% bonus physical damage, 10% reduced enemy stun threshold, and +30% global critical strike multiplier.

Helm:

• Deidbellow (Unique) for bonuses to armor, melee damage, physical damage to attacks, strength, and dexterity.
• Abyssus (Unique) for bonuses to all attributes, physical damage, melee critical strike multiplier, and increased armor.

Body:

• Loreweave (Unique) would be best if you go for the Elemental Overload skill tree.
• Belly of the Beast (Unique) for increased Armour, Life, Elemental Resistances, and Flask Life Recovery rate; Extra gore.

Boots: Bubonic Trail (Unique) for level 20 Death Walk; increased life, movement speed, and damage for each type of Abyss Jewel.

Belt:

• Stygian Vise
• Darkness Enthroned (Unique)
• Meginord’s Girdle

Accessories:

• Any Rare steel rings with bonuses to elemental resistances, life, physical damage to attacks, and elemental damage with attack skills.
• Any Rare amulet with bonuses to elemental resistances, life, physical damage to attacks, non-chaos damage as extra chaos damage, and elemental damage with attack skills.

Jewels:

• Spire of Stone (Unique) for 3% increased totem life for every 10 strength in radius.
• Any Rare jewels with bonuses to life and physical damage.

Flasks:

• Atziri’s Promise (Unique) for huge DPS boost and life leech.
• Lion’s Roar (Unique) for increased melee damage; grants knockback to attacks.
• Taste of Hate (Unique) for reduced cold damage taken and increased cold damage dealt.
• Hallowed Hybrid Flask for life and mana regeneration.
• Basalt Flask for bonus armor.

The Ancestral Warchief is without a doubt one of the better mainstay Marauder Ascendancy builds, and with Legion, it got even better. That should be more than enough reason for you to give it a shot. Now go and make some noise on Wraeclast. The Ancestral Warchief beckons you!