Hey guys! Are you ready to dive deep into the world of Path of Exile and uncover the most potent Elementalist builds? If you're seeking a class that wields the raw power of fire, ice, and lightning, the Elementalist is your go-to choice. This guide is designed to walk you through some of the top builds, ensuring you not only survive but thrive in the harsh landscape of Wraeclast. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, get ready to harness the elements and conquer Path of Exile!

Why Choose the Elementalist?

The Elementalist, an Ascendancy class for the Witch, excels at manipulating elemental damage and creating devastating effects. Its unique abilities allow for increased damage output, enhanced defenses, and impressive area of effect (AoE) capabilities. Elementalist builds often focus on elemental proliferation, meaning your elemental ailments like ignite, freeze, and shock spread rapidly to obliterate entire packs of enemies. Plus, the versatility of the Elementalist means you can adapt to various playstyles, from spell-slinging to totem-based strategies.

Key Strengths of the Elementalist:

• Elemental Damage Amplification: Elementalist passives significantly boost elemental damage, making your spells hit harder and your ailments more potent.
• Ailment Proliferation: The ability to spread elemental ailments quickly clears maps efficiently, turning even tough encounters into manageable situations.
• Defensive Capabilities: With the right build, the Elementalist can achieve substantial defenses, including elemental ailment immunity and high elemental resistance.
• Versatility: Whether you prefer casting spells directly, summoning totems, or using traps, the Elementalist can accommodate a wide range of playstyles.

Top Elementalist Builds in Path of Exile

Alright, let's get into the juicy part – the builds! I've compiled a list of some of the most effective Elementalist builds that are currently dominating Path of Exile. Each build comes with its unique strengths and weaknesses, so you can pick one that suits your playstyle and goals. Let's break it down:

1. Arc Elementalist

Arc is a classic spell in Path of Exile, and the Elementalist Ascendancy enhances it beautifully. The Arc Elementalist build focuses on chaining lightning damage between enemies, making it incredibly effective for clearing large packs. The key to this build lies in its ability to shock enemies, amplifying the damage they take from subsequent hits. With the Elementalist's enhancements, you can ensure that your shocks are both potent and widespread, leading to unparalleled clear speed.

Arc's effectiveness is amplified by items and passive skills that increase lightning damage, shock effect, and cast speed. Vaal Arc can also be incorporated for burst damage during tougher encounters. Consider using Conductivity curse to further increase enemies' susceptibility to lightning damage. Gear-wise, prioritize items with increased spell damage, cast speed, and lightning damage to spells. The Sire of Shards unique staff can be a game-changer, providing excellent AoE coverage.

For defense, focus on stacking life or energy shield, along with elemental resistances. Incorporating defensive skills like Tempest Shield and Arcane Cloak can significantly boost your survivability. The Elementalist's Shaper of Storms node ensures that your shocks are always impactful, while Beacon of Ruin helps spread those shocks to nearby enemies, maximizing your clear speed. Arc Elementalist is a fantastic choice for players who enjoy fast-paced, visually stunning gameplay.

2. Flame Totem Elementalist

If you prefer a more laid-back playstyle, the Flame Totem Elementalist might be right up your alley. This build revolves around summoning totems that cast Flameblast, incinerating enemies with massive fire damage. The Elementalist's Ascendancy provides the totems with increased damage, cast speed, and survivability, making them incredibly effective at both clearing and bossing.

The strength of this build comes from the ability to summon multiple totems that simultaneously unleash devastating firestorms. Passive skills and support gems that increase totem damage, fire damage, and cast speed are crucial for maximizing the build's potential. The Hieroophant is also very popular for totem builds, but the Elementalist gives increased damage output. Consider using the Ancestral Bond keystone to allow you to summon additional totems, further amplifying your damage. Gear should prioritize increased totem damage, cast speed, and fire damage. The Soul Mantle unique body armor is a popular choice, as it provides significant totem damage and additional totem placement range, at the cost of being cursed when your totems are summoned.

Defensively, the Flame Totem Elementalist can be surprisingly tanky. Totems act as decoys, drawing enemy fire away from you. Additionally, you can invest in life, energy shield, and elemental resistances to further enhance your survivability. The Elementalist's Shaper of Flames node ensures that your ignites are potent, while Beacon of Ruin helps spread those ignites to nearby enemies, ensuring that even tougher monsters are quickly burned to a crisp. If you enjoy a playstyle that allows you to stand back and watch as your totems decimate your foes, the Flame Totem Elementalist is an excellent choice.

3. Storm Brand Elementalist

Storm Brand is a dynamic and engaging skill that the Elementalist can wield with devastating effect. This build involves attaching brands to enemies, which then unleash pulses of lightning damage to nearby foes. The Elementalist's enhancements provide increased brand damage, duration, and attachment range, making Storm Brand an incredibly efficient skill for both clearing and bossing.

The key to the Storm Brand Elementalist is maximizing the frequency and potency of the brand pulses. Passive skills and support gems that increase lightning damage, cast speed, and brand attachment range are crucial for optimizing the build. Consider using the Runebinder keystone to allow you to attach multiple brands to a single enemy, further amplifying your damage. Gear should prioritize increased brand damage, cast speed, and lightning damage. The Runeweaver unique chest armor can provide additional brand attachment range and damage.

For defense, the Storm Brand Elementalist can utilize a variety of strategies. Stacking life or energy shield, along with elemental resistances, is always a solid choice. Additionally, consider incorporating defensive skills like Arcane Cloak and Tempest Shield to further enhance your survivability. The Elementalist's Shaper of Storms node ensures that your shocks are impactful, while Beacon of Ruin helps spread those shocks to nearby enemies, maximizing your clear speed. Storm Brand Elementalist is a fantastic choice for players who enjoy a fast-paced, interactive playstyle.

4. Cold Dot Elementalist

The Cold Damage over Time (DoT) Elementalist is a unique and powerful build that focuses on chilling enemies to their core. This build revolves around applying multiple layers of cold DoT effects, such as Vortex and Creeping Frost, to enemies, which then slowly wither away. The Elementalist's Ascendancy provides increased damage, duration, and area of effect for cold ailments, making this build incredibly effective at both clearing and bossing.

The strength of this build lies in its ability to stack multiple cold DoT effects on enemies, resulting in massive damage over time. Passive skills and support gems that increase cold damage, DoT multiplier, and area of effect are crucial for maximizing the build's potential. Consider using the Cold Conduction support gem to proliferate cold ailments to nearby enemies, further enhancing your clear speed. Gear should prioritize increased cold damage, DoT multiplier, and cast speed. The Watcher's Eye jewel with specific cold damage mods can significantly boost your damage output.

Defensively, the Cold DoT Elementalist can be surprisingly resilient. The chilling and freezing effects applied by your skills can significantly slow down or completely immobilize enemies, giving you ample time to reposition and avoid damage. Additionally, investing in life, energy shield, and elemental resistances will further enhance your survivability. The Elementalist's Shaper of Winter node provides increased chill effect, while Beacon of Ruin helps spread those cold ailments to nearby enemies, ensuring that even the toughest monsters are quickly frozen and defeated. If you enjoy a strategic playstyle that focuses on applying DoT effects and controlling the battlefield, the Cold DoT Elementalist is an excellent choice.

Gearing Up Your Elementalist

No matter which Elementalist build you choose, proper gear is essential for success. Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind:

• Weapon: Look for weapons that provide increased spell damage, elemental damage, or cast speed. Unique weapons like Sire of Shards or Divinarius can offer significant advantages.
• Armor: Prioritize armor pieces with life or energy shield, along with elemental resistances. Unique armors like Belly of the Beast or The Queen's Escape can provide additional survivability or utility.
• Jewelry: Focus on jewelry that provides increased elemental damage, critical strike chance, or critical strike multiplier. Unique amulets like The Pandemonius or Eye of Chayula can offer valuable defensive or offensive benefits.
• Flasks: Flasks are crucial for sustaining your character's health, mana, and defenses. Use flasks with mods like increased life recovery, increased movement speed, or elemental ailment immunity.

Leveling Your Elementalist

Leveling an Elementalist can be a breeze if you know what skills to use and how to allocate your passive skill points. Here’s a general leveling strategy:

1. Early Levels (1-12): Start with skills like Arc or Spark for efficient clearing.
2. Mid Levels (12-28): Transition to skills like Flame Totem or Storm Brand for increased damage output.
3. Late Levels (28+): Refine your build and focus on optimizing your gear and passive skill tree.

Remember to prioritize skills that provide good AoE coverage and single-target damage. Don't be afraid to experiment with different skills and support gems to find what works best for you. Also, focus on completing the main storyline and acquiring key passive skill points along the way.

Final Thoughts

The Elementalist is a powerful and versatile class that can excel in a variety of roles in Path of Exile. Whether you prefer slinging spells, summoning totems, or applying DoT effects, there's an Elementalist build that's perfect for you. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you'll be well on your way to dominating Wraeclast with the raw power of the elements. So, go forth and conquer, Elementalist! And remember, have fun experimenting and adapting these builds to your own playstyle. Happy gaming!