2 years ago

Ascendancy ThumbnailLevel 100 Artillery Ballista Hierophant3.21

Life: 3,787138%
ES: 262
Mana: -105
eHP:
35,795
Resistances: 23%/41%/59%/-52%
Evade: 58%
Supp: 55%
Armour: 8,883
Evasion: 12,018
DPS: 22,953
Speed: 1.35
Hit Chance: 99%
Config: Frenzy, Power
Bandit: Kill All

Gear

Decurve BowBlunt Arrow QuiverBlizzard CrownWaxed GarbDeerskin GlovesVelvet Slippers
Ruby Ruby RingTopaz Topaz RingRustic Sash
Grand Life FlaskColossal Life FlaskQuicksilver FlaskHallowed Mana FlaskColossal Mana Flask

Gems

Holy Flame Totem
Flame Wall
Frostblink
Flammability
Herald of Ash
Clarity
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Artillery Ballista
Added Lightning Damage
Added Cold Damage
Elemental Damage with Attacks
Inspiration
Concentrated Effect
Anger
Precision
Grace
Determination
Enlighten
Sniper's Mark
Frenzy
Manaforged Arrows
Ensnaring Arrow
Steelskin
Cast when Damage Taken
Blink Arrow
Flame Dash

Tree Preview

Ancestral BondAncestral Bond
Elemental OverloadElemental Overload
MagebaneMagebane
Elemental MasteryElemental Mastery
  • Hits have 25% chance to treat Enemy Monster Elemental Resistance values as inverted
Evasion MasteryEvasion Mastery
  • +15% chance to Suppress Spell Damage if Equipped Helmet, Body Armour, Gloves, and Boots all have Evasion Rating
Mana MasteryMana Mastery
  • 12% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills

Notes

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			Foreword
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		This build makes use of the Elemental Mastery "Hit's Have 25% Chance to Treat Monster Elemental Resistance Values as Inverted"

		Since we are waiting on patch notes, this mastery could yet be nerfed!

		The gear has been imported from my playthrough, some items were added to help display changes that can be made on the passive tree.

		You will notice I have included a lot of options, more than we can fit in some places! Play around, you don't have to follow this recipe to the exact measurement.

		I'm sorry if this is overwhelming, I tried my best to color-code things in a  way that made it easier to digest all of this information.

		This build is not fully optimized, I don't want to spoil everything for myself before 3.22






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			Why Artillery Ballista?
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		Low attribute requirements

		Low gear requirements

		Scales well

		Great AOE / decent single target 

		It has potential for high-effectiveness of added damage due to how many projectiles it fires

		I  want to play an On-Hit Ballista that wasn't Toxic Rain OR Explosive Arrow

		Late game we will have up to 9 totems, giving Hierophant some juicy benefits





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			Pre-Swap Leveling Tips
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	1)		Level with a combination of Rolling Magma ,  Flame Wall , and  Holy Flame Totem


				Look for items with  [ B - B - B ]  early on


				Link Rolling Magma + Combustion + Arcane Surge / Unbound Ailments


				Use a low-level Clarity until you complete your Second Ascendancy


				Do not level up your Arcane Surge, right click the + symbol upon first sight





	2)		I swapped To Artillery Ballista + Ancestral Bond immediately after Completing my first Ascendancy and the Library Quest in Act 3

				
				Look out for Jade Amulets / Low-Requirement Bows if you intend to swap early


				Swap your Frostblink to Flamedash 


				Grab Anger,  Precision, Frenzy and Snipers Mark


				Ensnaring Arrow + Manaforged arrow + Frenzy could be used to automate our steroids, but this isn't necessary


				After you swap, Look for 4-link items that have   [ G - B - R - R ]  or  [ G - G - R - R]



	

	3)		Keep looking for Bows and Quivers with these mods:


								1) Flat Elemental damage ( Fire / Cold / Lightning )

								2) Attack Speed				 

								3) Accuracy
											-100% vs normal   /   95% vs evasive
											-this is a healthy benchmark to aim for

								4) Projectile Speed

								5) Bow Attacks Fire Additional arrows







	4)	 Always pick up and identify these rares:

								1) Bows

								2) Boots

								3) Belts

								4) Rings

								5) Amulets

								6) Quivers

								7) Gloves

								8) Helmets


			Conserve inventory space and continue moving forward with as little reorganizing as possible.






	5)	Use a combination of Anger / Grace / Precision / Determination
	
										- I chose to level with Anger and Precision to make gearing pressure a little bit lighter in regard to damage and accuracy

										- Fit these anywhere you can

										- Readjust auras when we have better gear

	



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					Bandits
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					Kill all bandits for +2 skill points





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			Ascendancy
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			For Hierophant:

					Pursuit of Faith -> Ritual of Awakening -> Conviction of Power -> Divine Guidance





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				Pantheon
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			Major God = Brine King


			Minor God = Ralakesh





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				Annoints
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	Late game = Watchtowers / Charisma


	For cheaper alternatives, here are some options to consider:


										1) Shamanistic Fury

										2) Primal manifestation

										3) Multishot

										

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		Artillery Ballista & Other Mechanics
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			1) Try to make Artillery Ballista Lv22 or higher
							- At this level, we gain the maximum amount of additional totems from the skill itself (4)



			2) Try to get +4 additional projectiles
							- Artillery Ballista can Shotgun
							- I reviewed a video made by Grimro's LA Artillery Ballista Deadeye, and this seems to be the magic number for overlapping hits



			3) Delay
							-Projectile Speed will directly translate to your ability to hit targets on time
							-We are using Ballistas, so Delay will be accentuated by the time it takes to:

																			A) Summon Totem
																			B) Totems Start Attacking
																			C) Projectile Landing

		

			4) Origin 
							-Origin of the projectile is transfered to the Ballista
							-This matters if you plan on taking advantage of Point Blank, or Farshot


			5) Target Size
							-The bigger they are the harder they fall
							-Ralakesh is a smaller sized boss and will take a little longer to kill than say, Arakaali, a giant spider.




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			Defensive layers
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			1) Evasion
			2) Armor
			3) CWDT setup..............( steelskin OR molten shell IF Iron Reflexes )
			4) Spell Suppression......( 100% or BUST )
			5) Endurance charges
			6) Life Regeneration
			7) Totem Taunt on summon   OR   "5% Damage Taken from Hits is Taken from Your Nearest Totem's Life Before You"
			8) Chill Effect
			




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				Base Types
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			Bows:

					For End-Game, you'll want an Imperial bow, but keep an eye out for these too while you work your way up:

								
										1) Spine Bows

										2) Thicket Bows

										3) Royal Bows

										4) Reflex Bows

										5) Steelwood Bows

										6) Highborn Bow
										




			Quivers: 
							
					For End-Game, you'll want a Feathered Quiver for the additional Projectile Speed





			Belts:

					For End-Game, you'll probably want a Stygian Vise for the additonal Abyss Socket

					Leather Belts and Rustic Sash are what I picked up during the Campaign





			Helmets:

					For End-Game, you may want a Blizzard Crown for the Added Cold Damage implicit
					
					Other helmets of interest are Lion Pelts or Nightmare Bascinets





			Everything Else:

									 Look for Armor / Evasion Bases




			
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				Cluster Jewel
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		This is a starter build, so you shouldn't be planning around these early on

		However, if you find yourself in possesion of a Medium Cluster Jewel that has "12% Increased Totem Damage":

										- The only notable I think we really care about is Sleepless Sentries

										- Try to pair it with Ancestral Preservation OR Snaring Spirits




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			Timeless Jewel
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		I usually go for Brutal Restraint with Ballista Hierophant builds

		The extra dexterity provides us some free spell supression

		There are also some useful modifiers such as:

										1) Increased aura effect 

										2) Attack speed

										3) Max life

										4) Blind on hit

										5) Projectile damage

										6) Crit chance

										7) Global Accuracy

										8) Elemental Damage

										9) Effect of non-damaging ailments

										10) Gain Onslaught on kill

		All of these are useful in some way, find one and make it work, don't break the bank!


		If you REALLY want to find the perfect jewel, use this website:
					https://vilsol.github.io/timeless-jewels/tree




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			Alt Quality Gems
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		These are not required to get going, but consider the value to the build they will provide



					1) Divergent Artillery Ballista
								- +1 addtional arrow



					2) Divergent Inspiration
								- Good for those suffering from mana troubles
								- Can aid in adding additonal auras


					3) Awakened Added Cold Damage
								- Adds more cold damage


					4) Awakened Added Lightning Damage
								-  Adds more lightning damage
		

					5) Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks
										- use this so you can run Elemental Reflect maps





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				 6-link Cheese
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				1) Divination cards such as:


														The porcupine = 6-link short bow
																					Drops in these map locations
																					Courtyard | Gardens | Orchard | Plaza | Terrace

																					Also found in Act 8 @ The High Gardens



														Emperor of Purity = 6-link Holy Chainmail
																						Drops in these map locations
																						Ruin | Overgrown Shrine

																						Also found in Act 7 @ The Chamber of Sins



									
														Humility = Tabula Rasa
																		Drops anywhere that looks like an Aquaduct
																		Most people farm these in Act 9 
																		If you are above level ~70  /  Less than 70% complete at this point you should stop the farm and move on




														The Chains that Bind = 6-link random Body Armor
																							 Drops in these map locations
																							 Cage | Cells | Dungeon | Pen

																							 Also found in Act 5 @ Slave Pens / Control Blocks




														The Dapper Prodigy = Item level 100, 6-link random Body Armor







				2) Geomancer's Incubators are an easy way to get 6-link Body Armor as well





				3) Probably some other options out there! They may even just flat out drop for you sometimes, lucky dog!

									
														
														


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				Mana Tools
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			1) Ritual of Awakening

			2) Sovereignty / Charisma / Mana Mastery 12% efficiency

			3) Righteous Decree

			4) "Non-Channeling Skills Have -# to Total Mana Cost"  Ring suffix

			4) Inspiration / Divergent Inspiration

			5) Clarity

			6) Life Tap support gem

			7) Life Mastery "Skills Cost Life Instead of 30% of Mana Cost"

			8) Enlighten Support
					-Late game we will 6 link this with our auras in our Body Armor or Bow




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		Problem Monster mods
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		!!!Proximity Shield + Trickster / High Movement Speed!!!



										1) Include additional cold damage for a higher chill%
														-Thought it was worth mentioning, but unsure of the efficacy in regard toward investment


										2) Stack additional Projectile Speed / Attack Speed 



										3) "Totems Taunt Nearby Enemies for 1 second when Summoned" is most likely the easiest, and most reliable solution
														-Cast a totem with this occasionally so the totem holds aggro for you against the Proximity-Problem Monster




		This specific combo is rare, but I wanted y'all to know it can be annoying if the mods line up.





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				Deaths
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			It's the end of the guide! 



			I have died _______15_________ times as of writing these notes!




			Have fun! Something, Something, "Journey not the Destination".



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