Are you ready to conquer Path of Exile (PoE) with a powerful and reliable build right from the start of a new league? Look no further! The Lacerate Gladiator is here to deliver! This build is not only incredibly effective for clearing maps and tackling challenging content but also surprisingly budget-friendly, making it the perfect choice for players looking to make a strong impact without breaking the bank. In this guide, we'll dive deep into the intricacies of the Lacerate Gladiator, covering everything from its core mechanics and skill tree progression to essential gear and gameplay strategies. Whether you're a seasoned PoE veteran or a newcomer to the world of Wraeclast, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to thrive with this exceptional build. So, grab your swords, sharpen your blades, and prepare to unleash a flurry of devastating attacks upon your enemies! Let's get started and transform your Gladiator into an unstoppable force. We’ll explore the passive tree, gem setups, gearing options, and playstyle tips to ensure you not only survive but thrive in the harsh world of Path of Exile. The Gladiator ascendancy offers fantastic defensive layers and offensive capabilities, making it a superb choice for a league starter. With its inherent block chance and bleed synergy, you'll be able to withstand significant amounts of damage while simultaneously inflicting debilitating wounds upon your foes. This combination of survivability and damage output allows you to progress through the game's acts and early maps with relative ease, setting you up for a smooth transition into the endgame. Furthermore, the Lacerate skill itself is incredibly versatile and adaptable, allowing you to tailor your playstyle to suit your preferences. Whether you prefer a more aggressive, face-tanking approach or a more cautious, hit-and-run strategy, the Lacerate Gladiator can accommodate your needs. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for players of all skill levels and playstyles.

Why Lacerate Gladiator is a Great League Starter

Guys, let's talk about why Lacerate Gladiator rocks as a league starter. First off, it's cheap. You don't need crazy expensive gear to get going. A couple of decent swords and some life-based gear will do the trick. The Lacerate Gladiator is a fantastic league starter in Path of Exile due to its blend of effectiveness, affordability, and scalability. Right from the get-go, this build offers a potent combination of damage and survivability, making it well-suited for tackling the challenges of a fresh league. Unlike many other builds that rely on specific unique items or require significant investment to become viable, the Lacerate Gladiator can function effectively with relatively inexpensive gear, allowing you to progress through the game's acts and early maps without breaking the bank. The core mechanics of the build revolve around the Lacerate skill, which unleashes a series of rapid slashes that inflict bleeding on enemies. This bleeding damage synergizes exceptionally well with the Gladiator ascendancy, which provides various bonuses related to bleed and physical damage. This synergy allows you to deal substantial damage even with modest gear, making it an ideal choice for players who are just starting out or who prefer to play on a budget. Furthermore, the Gladiator ascendancy offers excellent defensive capabilities, particularly through its inherent block chance. This block chance, combined with other defensive layers such as life and armor, makes the Lacerate Gladiator surprisingly tanky, allowing you to withstand significant amounts of damage from enemies. This survivability is especially important in the early stages of a league, when gear is scarce and encounters can be particularly challenging. Another key advantage of the Lacerate Gladiator is its smooth progression throughout the game. The build can be easily adapted to different playstyles and preferences, allowing you to tailor your character to your specific needs. Whether you prefer a more aggressive, face-tanking approach or a more cautious, hit-and-run strategy, the Lacerate Gladiator can accommodate your playstyle. As you progress through the game and acquire better gear, you can further optimize your build to maximize its damage output and survivability. This scalability ensures that the Lacerate Gladiator remains a viable option throughout the entire league, allowing you to tackle even the most challenging endgame content. In addition to its effectiveness, affordability, and scalability, the Lacerate Gladiator is also a relatively easy build to play. The core gameplay loop is straightforward and intuitive, making it accessible to players of all skill levels. This ease of play is particularly appealing to new players who may be overwhelmed by the complexity of other builds. The Lacerate Gladiator allows you to focus on learning the game's mechanics and exploring its content without having to worry about intricate rotations or complex strategies. Finally, the Lacerate Gladiator is a popular and well-documented build, which means that there are plenty of resources available to help you learn and optimize your character. You can find numerous guides, forum posts, and videos that provide detailed information on the build's mechanics, gear recommendations, and leveling strategies. This abundance of resources makes it easy to troubleshoot any problems you encounter and to fine-tune your build to your specific needs.

Core Skills and Gem Setup

Let's break down the essential skills and gem setups you'll need. This is where the magic happens, folks! Understanding the core skills and gem setups for your Lacerate Gladiator is crucial for maximizing your build's damage output and survivability. The cornerstone of this build is, of course, the Lacerate skill itself. Lacerate unleashes a series of rapid slashes that deal physical damage and inflict bleeding on enemies. The bleeding damage is a key component of the build's damage output, as it synergizes exceptionally well with the Gladiator ascendancy. To enhance the effectiveness of Lacerate, you'll want to link it with a variety of support gems that provide additional damage, utility, and survivability. Here's a typical gem setup for Lacerate: Lacerate + Melee Physical Damage Support + Brutality Support + Multistrike Support + Impale Support + Close Combat Support. Melee Physical Damage Support significantly increases the physical damage dealt by Lacerate, boosting both the initial hit and the bleeding damage. Brutality Support prevents Lacerate from dealing elemental damage, but in exchange, it grants a substantial increase to physical damage. This support gem is particularly effective for the Lacerate Gladiator, as the build focuses primarily on physical damage. Multistrike Support causes Lacerate to repeat its attack multiple times, increasing the number of hits and bleeding stacks applied to enemies. This support gem is essential for maximizing the build's damage output. Impale Support grants a chance to impale enemies on hit, dealing additional physical damage over time. Impale is a powerful damage multiplier that further enhances the build's single-target damage. Close Combat Support grants a damage bonus based on the proximity of enemies. This support gem encourages a more aggressive playstyle and rewards you for staying close to your targets. In addition to Lacerate, you'll also want to use other skills to enhance your build's overall effectiveness. Here are some other important skills and their gem setups: Leap Slam + Fortify Support + Faster Attacks Support. Leap Slam is a movement skill that allows you to quickly traverse the battlefield and reposition yourself as needed. Fortify Support grants a buff that reduces the damage you take from hits, improving your survivability. Faster Attacks Support increases the speed of Leap Slam, allowing you to move more quickly. Warcry (e.g., Enduring Cry) + Second Wind Support. Warcries provide temporary buffs that can enhance your damage, survivability, or utility. Enduring Cry grants endurance charges, which reduce the damage you take from physical attacks. Second Wind Support grants an additional use of the warcry, allowing you to use it more frequently. Ancestral Protector + Melee Physical Damage Support + Brutality Support + Concentrated Effect Support. Ancestral Protector summons a totem that attacks enemies with you, providing additional damage and drawing enemy attention. Melee Physical Damage Support and Brutality Support increase the totem's damage output. Concentrated Effect Support increases the totem's damage in a smaller area, making it more effective against single targets. By carefully selecting and linking your skills with the appropriate support gems, you can create a powerful and versatile Lacerate Gladiator build that is capable of tackling a wide range of content. Experiment with different gem setups and skill combinations to find what works best for your playstyle and preferences.

Passive Tree and Ascendancy

Navigating the passive tree can be daunting, but don't worry, we'll simplify it. Also, let's discuss the all-important Gladiator ascendancy. The passive tree and ascendancy choices are crucial for shaping your Lacerate Gladiator and maximizing its potential. The passive tree provides a vast array of nodes that can enhance your damage, survivability, and utility. When allocating passive points, it's important to prioritize nodes that synergize well with the Lacerate skill and the Gladiator ascendancy. Here are some key passive tree clusters to focus on: Physical Damage: These nodes increase your overall physical damage output, boosting both the initial hit and the bleeding damage of Lacerate. Look for nodes that grant increased physical damage, increased melee physical damage, and increased physical damage over time. Bleeding: These nodes specifically enhance the bleeding damage inflicted by Lacerate. Look for nodes that grant increased bleeding damage, increased bleeding duration, and increased chance to cause bleeding. Life: These nodes increase your maximum life, improving your survivability. Look for nodes that grant increased maximum life, increased life regeneration, and increased life recovery rate. Armor: These nodes increase your armor, reducing the physical damage you take from hits. Look for nodes that grant increased armor, increased evasion rating, and increased chance to block. Two-Handed Weapon: Since Lacerate is typically used with two-handed swords, it's important to allocate nodes that enhance your proficiency with these weapons. Look for nodes that grant increased attack speed with two-handed weapons, increased critical strike chance with two-handed weapons, and increased damage with two-handed weapons. In addition to these core clusters, you may also want to consider allocating points to other nodes that provide utility or convenience, such as increased movement speed, increased flask effect duration, or increased mana regeneration. The Gladiator ascendancy is what truly sets this build apart. The Gladiator ascendancy offers a unique combination of offensive and defensive bonuses that synergize exceptionally well with the Lacerate skill and the build's overall playstyle. Here are the key ascendancy nodes to prioritize: Blood in the Eyes: This node grants a chance to blind enemies on hit, reducing their accuracy and making them easier to evade. It also grants immunity to bleeding and corrupted blood, providing valuable protection against these debilitating ailments. Gratuitous Violence: This node causes enemies to explode when killed while bleeding, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies. This explosion effect significantly enhances the build's clear speed, allowing you to quickly dispatch large groups of enemies. Outmatch and Outlast: This node grants increased attack speed and movement speed when you have recently killed an enemy. This bonus further enhances the build's clear speed and makes it more mobile. Challenger Charges: This node grants challenger charges when you hit a rare or unique enemy. Challenger charges provide a stacking buff that grants increased attack speed and movement speed, further enhancing the build's damage output and mobility against challenging opponents. By carefully allocating your passive points and selecting the appropriate ascendancy nodes, you can create a powerful and well-rounded Lacerate Gladiator build that is capable of tackling a wide range of content. Experiment with different passive tree layouts and ascendancy combinations to find what works best for your playstyle and preferences.

Gearing Up: What to Look For

Alright, let's dive into gear. What stats should you prioritize? What unique items can boost your build? Gearing up your Lacerate Gladiator is an essential aspect of optimizing your build's performance. The right gear can significantly enhance your damage output, survivability, and overall effectiveness. When selecting gear, it's important to prioritize stats that synergize well with the Lacerate skill and the Gladiator ascendancy. Here are some key stats to look for: Physical Damage: This is the most important stat for the Lacerate Gladiator. Look for gear that grants increased physical damage, increased melee physical damage, and increased physical damage over time. Attack Speed: Attack speed increases the number of attacks you can perform per second, which directly translates to higher damage output. Look for gear that grants increased attack speed with weapons. Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier: Critical strikes deal significantly more damage than regular hits. Look for gear that grants increased critical strike chance and increased critical strike multiplier. Life: Life is essential for survivability. Look for gear that grants increased maximum life and increased life regeneration. Resistances: Resistances reduce the damage you take from elemental attacks. It's important to cap your elemental resistances (fire, cold, lightning) at 75% to minimize the damage you take from these attacks. Armor: Armor reduces the physical damage you take from hits. Look for gear that grants increased armor. In addition to these core stats, you may also want to consider other stats that provide utility or convenience, such as increased movement speed, increased flask effect duration, or increased mana regeneration. When it comes to specific gear slots, here are some general recommendations: Weapon: Two-Handed Sword: Look for a two-handed sword with high physical damage, attack speed, and critical strike chance. The crafting bench can be used to add desirable stats to rare weapons. Body Armor: Look for a body armor with high life, resistances, and armor. A six-linked body armor is ideal, as it allows you to maximize the number of support gems linked to Lacerate. Helmet: Look for a helmet with high life, resistances, and armor. You can also enchant your helmet to grant additional bonuses to Lacerate. Gloves: Look for gloves with high life, resistances, and attack speed. You can also corrupt your gloves to grant additional bonuses. Boots: Look for boots with high life, resistances, and movement speed. You can also enchant your boots to grant additional bonuses. Amulet and Rings: Look for an amulet and rings with high life, resistances, physical damage, and critical strike chance. You can also anoint your amulet to grant additional passive skill points. Belt: Look for a belt with high life, resistances, and physical damage. In addition to rare gear, there are also some unique items that can be particularly effective for the Lacerate Gladiator. Here are a few notable examples: The अस्थि: This unique two-handed sword grants a significant increase to physical damage and attack speed. It also grants a chance to inflict bleeding on hit, synergizing well with the Gladiator ascendancy. अस्थि is a good starting weapon. Belly of the Beast: This unique body armor grants a massive increase to maximum life, significantly improving your survivability. Lioneye's Vision: This unique body armor allows projectiles to pierce through enemies, improving your clear speed. However, it lacks life and resistances, so you'll need to compensate for these deficiencies elsewhere. By carefully selecting your gear and prioritizing the right stats, you can create a powerful and well-equipped Lacerate Gladiator that is capable of tackling even the most challenging content.

Leveling Tips and Tricks

Okay, let's talk leveling. How do you get from zero to hero with this build? Here's the lowdown. Leveling your Lacerate Gladiator can be a smooth and efficient process if you follow a few key tips and tricks. The goal is to progress through the game's acts as quickly and safely as possible, while also building a solid foundation for your endgame build. Here are some general leveling tips: Start with Sunder: Sunder is a powerful melee skill that is available early in the game. It deals high physical damage and has a wide area of effect, making it ideal for clearing packs of enemies. Use Sunder until you reach level 28, at which point you can switch to Lacerate. Focus on Life and Resistances: Survivability is key during the leveling process. Prioritize gear that grants increased maximum life and resistances. Capping your elemental resistances at 75% is crucial for minimizing the damage you take from elemental attacks. Use Movement Skills: Movement skills allow you to quickly traverse the battlefield and reposition yourself as needed. Leap Slam is a good choice for the Lacerate Gladiator, as it provides both mobility and fortify. Upgrade Your Gear Regularly: As you level up, you'll find new gear that is more powerful than what you're currently using. Be sure to upgrade your gear regularly to keep your damage and survivability up to par. Use Flasks Effectively: Flasks provide temporary buffs that can significantly enhance your damage, survivability, or utility. Use flasks strategically to overcome challenging encounters or to speed up your clear speed. Follow a Leveling Guide: There are many excellent leveling guides available online that provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to progress through the game's acts. Following a leveling guide can help you stay on track and avoid common pitfalls. Here are some specific leveling tips for the Lacerate Gladiator: Leveling Gems: As you level, be sure to level up your Lacerate gem and your support gems. The higher the level of your gems, the more damage they will deal. Support Gems: Use support gems that enhance your damage output. Melee Physical Damage Support, Brutality Support, and Multistrike Support are all good choices for leveling. Passive Tree: Focus on allocating passive points that increase your physical damage, life, and resistances. Follow a passive tree guide to ensure that you're allocating your points efficiently. Ascendancy: Choose the Gladiator ascendancy as soon as you reach the Labyrinth. The Gladiator ascendancy provides valuable bonuses to damage, survivability, and clear speed. Bandit Choice: Kill All: The best choice is to kill all bandits for the 2 passive points. By following these leveling tips and tricks, you can efficiently level your Lacerate Gladiator and prepare yourself for the challenges of the endgame. Remember to stay focused on survivability, upgrade your gear regularly, and use flasks effectively. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you'll be able to reach the endgame in no time.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! The Lacerate Gladiator: a fantastic league starter that's both powerful and budget-friendly. With the right gear, skills, and passive tree, you'll be clearing maps and crushing bosses in no time! The Lacerate Gladiator is a powerful and versatile build that is well-suited for tackling a wide range of content in Path of Exile. Its blend of effectiveness, affordability, and scalability makes it an excellent choice for both new and experienced players. Whether you're looking for a build to start a new league with or simply want to try something different, the Lacerate Gladiator is definitely worth considering. With its high damage output, solid survivability, and smooth progression, this build is sure to provide you with hours of fun and excitement. So, grab your swords, sharpen your blades, and prepare to unleash a flurry of devastating attacks upon your enemies! The Lacerate Gladiator is waiting to be mastered. Remember to experiment with different gem setups, passive tree layouts, and ascendancy combinations to find what works best for your playstyle and preferences. Don't be afraid to try new things and to adapt your build to the challenges you encounter. With a little bit of creativity and experimentation, you can create a truly unique and powerful Lacerate Gladiator that is capable of conquering even the most challenging content. Good luck, and have fun! Now get out there and dominate Wraeclast!