Posted by Aiers
Update to how the build is holding up.
Cruel act 3 @ lvl 49.
Can face tank most creeps but cannot get swarmed by blue elites (will still die) or if alot of chaos snake shooters.
Chaos dmg is the most painful right now cause of lack of chaos resist.
Can face tank most uniques/bosses except Vaal's 1 hit smash.
@ 1.5k HP right now.
This is my 88 points version.
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUBhMREckA2I020-fAfogAEswJxMolX4nflBVuLjOFz7SBG1-w4KU8aOKeEkFWCm8Aa5K3ewWaeqZVRYCftrKoZLtSPud3yL2ebKS58uD38WGNQUIzP9khfP3KpfNnZYVcN0iGezacwDjw6Ut-_hmBWBGFSMgmfy_rSNunjaiSqGYWPRtDQz2VVxpuhZ73ubxQgUEcPzKZkyZj3vlnzYIgote9OXQAYkTOWcz9BjB0Ug7E=
You can see that my gear really is medicore yet i am holding good.
Main Skills I am using:
- Heavy strike + life leech
- LS + Life Hit on Gain + Wpn Elem Dmg.
- Warlord's Mark (help alot)
- Rejuv Totem (help alot too)
- Leap Slam as escape mechanism.
- Tempest Shield + reduced mana + iron will (optional, tempest shield i find dont really help in dps as our intel is low but it could be just me not realizing *helps abit with archer tho*)
- Low level wrath as this build dont cater for intel.
- Go for all life flasks and 1 granite.
- I am thinking of going Molten shield for the extra armor. havent really test yet.
Once you have blood magic, Wrath is not an issue maintaining it. Also casting spells is really pansy, you have no worries of lack of mana.
I switch between Heavy strike & LS depending on single or multi dps.
if you get swamped, leap out and put a rejuv totem behind you and FACETANK AGAIN.
If the room is full of multi-proj elemental skeletons, you have to kill 1-2 before you can facetank the rest with LS (have to be LS since you can regen with Life Gain On Hit as projectiles counts too)
Dmg is decent altho not as high as I would like.
Heavy strike is at 420++ DPS
LS is at 450++ DPS, but if i socket Add Melee Phys it will go up to 550+ however I do not have any good linked armor yet...
Go for HP/ high value Armors.
Go for Physical DPS value.
All resists.
Block chance is good also, but secondary.
2)-- Hi,
I am here to provide useful tips again...
I just finish merciless act 3 after putting him down for a while for my witch.
current:
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUBhMREckA2I020-fAfogAEswJxMolX4nflBVuLjOFz7SBG1-w4KU8aOKeEkFWCm8Aa5K3ewWaeqZVRYCftrKoZLtSPud3yL2ebKS58uD38WGNQUIzP9khfP3Kpf
NnZYVcN0iGezacwDjw6Ut-_-tI26eNqj0bQ0M9lVcaboWe97m8UIFBHD8ymZMmY975Z8xiRM5Zz
P0GMHRSDscbYhmBWBG
FSn8syCe8O
useful tips:
- added fire damage is better than Physical weapon dmg (tested & proven, my dps is not very high, but its at 2.4k atm)
- use Enfeeble as your main curse, will increase your longevity, although you shouldnt die much.
- Glacial Hammer with the same set up as your LS can do as your 1 v 1 choice or lightning resists enmes.
- Rejuv totem ftw!!
- run anger aura since its str aura. Run together with Wrath is ok too.
--

Posted by MxDGentle
1.) Hi, i wud like to thank FreshBrewed for sharing this awesome build for templar.
ve tried twice already to make a tank melee templar, but failed.
Its my third time to make a templar and followed FreshBrewed's build and the result is awesome.
Im now a level 32 Templar after just 12hrs of playing.
Soloing all Maps and Bosses except Vaal (I did try though lol)
Im now in Act 3 and ii still solo till Battlefront.
I'll post again after i solo Piety (wish me luck lol)
Good job FreshBrewed and Thanks.
2.)Ok, im just glad to share, that i officially soloed Piety Normal
(on first try, and no sweat),
didnt even have to use other skills)
Just straight forward pounding and in 20 sec shes dead.
Thanks Freshbrewed.
5Stars on this build.
For the haters pls use a little brain
Before u comment negative
Peace!
3.)Im in Cruel now,
Soloed Brutus...(though i died at first try coz of carelessness and over confidence)
I can solo him no problem,
and now farming him for gears...
Only problem im encountering now are the stunner mobs...
no way to tank this creeps especially if there are many (e.g. Fetid pools bone creeps)
if they gang up on u dont get to attack and thats it...
so solution really is be unstunnable (which i dont hve yet)
my block recovery atm is low
so have to kite till i get UNWAVERING stance
other than that, most of the mobs till prison are ONE hit kill.
Im not even using other defensive skill like immortal call
still have many possible defensive skill i can use in later difficulties...
Cheers
4.)At cruel act 2 am still able to solo weaver and white beast...
Though be careful with poison which no tanker can survive if not careful
I do have to admit i cant solo the bandits atm lvl 47
I still have noob gears( still using my lvl 35 gears since cant find better ones)
i sacrificed getting dps coz i went straight to get Unwavering stance
(2 more nodes and ill get it)
which resulted in slow kills
I real want to be stun proof asap
Note to those going to cruel with this build
try buy Granite flask before u get to cruel
good luck
5) Hi guys.
JuST wanna share progress,
soloed Gravisious in Cruel, at first try.
Now, to go to some difficulty im encountering as i progress to lvl 60.
Im really having difficulty finding a 1H mace with enough DPS to matter for Merciless.
Other 1H weapons seems better.
SO im thinking of shifting to other 1H weapon,
thanks to the build i just need to recalibrate the MACE specific nodes.
anyone have a better MACE than this at lvl 60?
so i wud have something to aim for?
Verified
WUd appreciate ur thots on this.
Happy Gaming
6)Hi, im merciless act 1 now, currently farming ledge solo.
i wud want to affirm some previous posts about that wud be the
helpful skills in doing merciless.
After the basic skill appropriate to this build namely LS and Glacial hammer
support Survival skills wud now be necessary in merciless.
like
*Leapslam to escape from 'oh shit' moments.
*Shockwave totem, keep the mobs at bay for a while or at least slows them down
Still cant find a better mace so LS damage is just average at about 1.1k
ALL resists are at 80%
Phys damage reduction is at 33%
cant wait to wear this
presently using 3 HP flasks and 2 granites
Happy gaming!!!

Posted by Kilazur
--for now (playing in normal as the noob I am), i didn't have any trouble going with this build on early lvs. Just grabbed some Ground Slam (pretty good for lv 1-10) and Molten Shield/Shield Charge (Molten is just overpowered lv 11-20 to clean big bunches of mobs).
Love this guide so far!

Posted by antarian
I am currently running on merciless with 2 hand build :-D
Its pretty brutal I would say ....:-)
Killing everything on one leap slam (blues on 2 - 3) and bosses die on 2 - 3 glacial hammers.
I have 14% life leech just from passives and equip without gem:-)
I didnt use lightning strike for a long time, because leap slam is so much better:-) (if you have weapon with the lowest possible speed, highest damage and then bonus to weapon speed + weapon speed gem + area of effect + damage gems...)
I am using lightning strike really very very very occasionally when I need to kite:-) (I am using it with GMP but I will maybe change it back to LMP)
I dont know what I should think :-)
And even bonus to ressist is not important ... currently I have 80% all and dont have a shield at all.
edit: whats the best is the fact that I dont even invest points into damage until now ... only berserk + weapon elemntal damage and elemental damage but it doesnt do anything for my leap slam.
2)So I can confirm that ...
IRON GRIP = NO
STATIC BLOW = NO for 2 handed build (it can be option for one handed build, because there are place where to invest)
Simply from experience now I can say that use lightning strike doesnt worth most of the time because if you will use it you will be killing monster 3 time slower :(
Agains low numbers its not so bad, bad against big groups of monsters its simply much better to jump in the middle of group and clear everything in one or two jumps ...
With lightning strike it will take you much more time ... (its nice together with glacial hammer to use it against mobs with reflect physical damage)
At first I even think about canceling weapon elemental damage and elemental nodes, but they are good enough to effectivity of weapon elemental damage gem even more on glacial hammer or infernal blow so its better option than heavy strike.
I will try it later with high level attack speed gem, but right now glacial hammer is simply better, because weapon elemental damage boost is too high, so I am not sure if I should switch it mace damage or whatever else ... (at least that +50% nodes are really cheap)
The only thing where I am not sure is if you can also effectively use leap slam with one handed weapon. Damage output will be much lower but really with life leech around 14% without gem its mirracle, I can even jump into group of reflect physical damage mobs and wipe them like nothing. The things which was a problem before are easy as cake now and mercilless difficulty is for me like playing some easy mode, where I dont need even potions at all. Until now it was sometime hard, so much different at it really make me sad:-( I liked lightning strike. (I am really clear the rooms an places with 30 - 50 mobs in 2 - 3 jumps, its incredible AOE :-D). The only problem is that killing is so fast and you so quickly jumping fron one groups to another .... that you must sometime return back to loot everything what you like..

Posted by shortwired
Hi! I've played following this build on hardcore (managed to get to 37 so far) and I'm loving it! --

Posted by dumbshow
I'm on this build now and have fun --

Posted by Madatukia
LOL!!!! OLOLOLOL!
Read this in hopes of finding the perfect tank build.
Come to realize..
IT'S MY EXACT BUILD!!
FTW.
Also, even level 22, I am indestructible.

Posted by numsi
Thanks for the Guide.
I decide to use this Build because of the Life rec/Hp / resi combi. Now i am at Akt 3 ( first run) and i have no problems till yet. --

Posted by Konried
Currently level 51 cruel act 2 with a build very similar to the OP.
I found that the best way to deal with packs of monsters is to use Lightning Strike with Fork, Weapon Elemental Damage, and Life gain on hit. I run around with 1.5k hp, and can regen about a third of that with a forked lightning strike into a group of monsters. You gain life for each ls projectile, and then each ls projectile fork.
Once I get a 5L armour I will add another damage % support gem to lightning strike, to increase its potential even further.
I like the build, however, it seems to lack raw damage, and in full parties you will not be anywhere close to the 'primary killer' on hordes of enemies. However, you can be an unkillable tank while progressing, and increase party efficiency a great deal with effective use of enduring cry, leap slam and rejuv totems.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON PROGRESSING WITH THIS BUILD: You must improve your items constantly. Because all of your damage scales off of phys damage, you have to maintain a good item level to match content. I had to stop and farm The Ledge for a couple of hours in order to move through act 1 cruel, and then I farmed Fellshrine in Act 2 to move through act 2. 4 socket helm / armor need to be your first big purchase, and I recommend getting FORK as well. It improves the regen capability of your LS by a huge margin.
Level 34-40 were brutal for me, because I was undergeared and did not have forked Lightning Strike. I went and farmed hardcore for a few hours, bought myself some good armour/weapon and Fork, and then suddenly the build took off.

Posted by Blazer3004
Im liking this build.. this is my 3rd time remaking a 2h templar, but this one is just awesome im lvl 33 now. Im following your 2h templar LS build, for me i like to spam my skills alot. and im thinking of sacrificing my dps or resistant for mana regen, is this a good idea?
Hope you keep updating this Forum...

Posted by talic182
hey
I have been running this build (modified some places ,but nothing major)for the past 4-5 days now.At the moment I am lvl 67 2.5k Hp / 100hpregen/sec 2.6k dps on LS and 3.2k on Glacial hammer and 2.2 APS and on act 3 merce farming docks.
I love the build .. yeah I have to kite some places like those fcking dogs on docks that breath fire and some irritating ranged mobs like those viper in slums they hurt a little but my attack speed and dmg is high enough that I just spam LS and puff Hp full again.. when there are aloot of mobs charging me(its all about positioning yourself)so I just spam LS and my Hp randomly drops below 50%.
Yeah my gear is still crap still using pieces that 20 level below my lvl. But If I am like this right now how good will I be if I have decent gear.
The build is nice you just have to hang in there...and on a side note there is nothing better seeing a marauder die next to me in parties xD maybe his crap or maybe Im just gooooooo00d ^^

Posted by GetHaoz
Thx for the build, i'm almost lv 40 i can solo everything.

Posted by Bungkai
Lvl 73 templar. Opted to go more dps than tanky and is working out nicely. 3.2k dps with LS unbuffed and 3k HP. I am now going back to pick up some more elemental damage and lightning damage near the start of the templar passive starting point. Kudos to OP for this build.

Posted by TeoR4eg
Just a quick video of this build in action (ACT2 Merciless)
http://youtu.be/i3_tyT8_33w
Pretty good build so far :)
My gear and gems suck in DPS/defence, but i got 100% increased rarity lol

Posted by Lucyan
Love this build im lvl 58 act 1 merciless at lvl 53 i started farming the Ledge.
Right now i have 2238 hp,armour 2086 with LS i do 1374 and 1521 with Glacial.
Is good to have 80 all res :) --

Posted by Edgerunner
Don't worry about the endgame guys - this build is doing really good.
I'm 77 atm and clearing maps with ease.
6,5 k on glacial hammer (added physical, added elemental, added fire)
3,7 k on lightning strike (lesser multiple projectiles, added physical, added elemental)
and that's WITHOUT any buffs and auras.
(usually running wrath and anger)
Take under consideration that I've got not-so-good items so I believe in a good setup fully buffed it's possible to go over 10k dps on point, no problem.
Survavibility is not bad, 3,5 k hp with nice 150 regen is handling most situations.
Still oneshooted by chaos dmg spike from time to time :P
My build ATM:
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUBAnEEswUtBVsOPA_MFE0UcRhdGS4Z6Ro4HRQjTSftKLUpLilPMgkyiTOWNuk6Uj38QDZAoEE_QYxBqkRyRtdN2E99UFBRYFHmVcZWBFfiWGNZ818_YEtgiGFSZp5nm2e9cH1yqXM_dO135XrvfLh82YBWgW-Cm4TEhmCLjIx2jM-PRpBVm6GePKIApmSnhKmVrKq0L7T5ud3AGsbYyZjPZdDQ1I_ewd-_4XPjauSt7DjtIO5v7w7vTvAf8i_z3fZI9zL46_rS

Posted by Dartungar
Hello there Freshbrewed!
I'm using your build and so far (lvl 31) it feels like a breeze.
Absolutely zero trouble (got lucky with some +8% phys dmg high dps 2handers though).
500 dps glacial hammer melts every boss.
Linked life on hit to ground slam, doing wonders so far.
While your build is definetely not wicked and that original, it's one of the most solid and effective builds in the game for fast leveling and (kinda feel like it will be) late game.
Thanks a lot, mate.

Posted by slimes
Really enjoying this build so far at level 39. Very smooth.--

Posted by BrockSamsonV
Level 62 finishing up merciless. Love the build.
I see some people saying don't get Blood Magic. I understand it is tough in the early/mid levels, but there is really no reason not to get it once you have life regen/life steal/life on hit/etc. I don't even notice the life cost anymore, and I can have all life/granit flasks.
I find endurance charges to be very helpful. I use both Warlords Mark and Immortal Call + Faster Casting linked to both and can keep 5 charges (soon to be 6) up 80% of the time. This equals out to 74% to 89% damage reduction, depending. This plus Molten Shield makes me super tank.
If you use Warlords Mark, use heavy Strike over glacial hammer, that way your life steal is enough to keep you at full life against any non-chaos damage boss (if you have the damage).
Chain + Life on Hit or Life Steal with your Lighting Strike is a must for later levels. This, in combination with endurance charges, allows me to tank 2-3 rare/champion packs without moving.
I love molten shield. Add Area of Effect, Faster Cast, and/or Fire Penetration. Iron Will with Molten Shield is a must for me. (% quality on the Iron Will is more important than the main skill itself)
The only downside to this build, at least for my version of it, is that it does not group well. Heavy Strike knocks primary targets away, making bear trap hard to land (and everyone uses bear traps, it's OP). Lighting Strike generally doesn't do as much aoe damage as other options for different classes, so your DPS will not help that much. Keeping up enduarnce charges is harder in groups. Molten Shield relies on you being the primary target of a big pack of mobs. Keeping flask charges up through Warlords Mark is harder in groups as well. Overall, a great PvE solo build. (It also works pretty well with just one other player, and if they use bear traps switch to glacial hammer, should be fine.)
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUABLMOPBQgFE0UcRhdGJEZLho4HRQjTSftKS4t0jIJMok26TpSOtg9_EA2RHJN2E99UEdRYFXGVgRXDVfiWGNZ82FSZp5nm3B9cql35Xy4fNmAVoTEhmCMdo9GkFWRzp7Nnz6fy6C0ogCnMKeEqZWsqrT5ud3AGsbYyZjPZdDQ0iHUj9lh3sHfv-Nq5K3sOO8O8B_yL_Pd97760vuq
My skill tree for reference. INPUT WOULD BE GREAT!
2)-- I play Hardcore, am now 72 running maps (lvl 66-69) without a problem. Have solo'd virtually everything.

Posted by Pigpug
Level 59 HC, using a modification of this build.
Group play I feel not as useful as others, but in solo I can do pretty much anything. I've tagged lightning strike with % melee dmg and increased elemental damage. I'm trying to determine what I should use on top of that. I don't like the damage decrease with chain, and because we don't spec dex we can't upgrade it to increase the damage.
In swarms of enemies I'm only hitting a small group at a time, but against bosses and smaller groups it does quite well. I've certainly tweaked some points around the skill tree.
Overall its a good build if you want to be 75% defense 25% offense. I've only felt vulnerable a few times.
Regarding Blood Magic. If you get this before you get the appropriate life/regen nodes you WILL feel the pain. I was hurting for a while. Now, however, I can literally spam ANY skill and my health doesn't even drop a point. There is no question BM is better late game. The only downside is you will be sacrificing the ability to use auras. The PLUS side is that you dont need mana or mana regen on ANY gear, and you don't need to put any points into mana regen.

Posted by e_r_z_o_n
Followed this guide..
now level 41 still no deaths :)

Posted by Jani64
I am currently 28 on this build right now in Hardcore, and life is good.
I am tanky as hell with life on hit on Lightning strike, but I cannot sustain damage for long, as I run out of mana, and therefore cannot attack to gain more life. I have to get outta there basically.
This makes for really hard solo farming and such, since I have to either kill mobs really slowly via kiting, or teleport in and out every two minutes.
It looks like I won't be able to get Blood Magic until level 45 if I go straight for it. 55 if I wanna get resist nodes and such before (which I do).
Any tips? Does it get better? Really digging the build so far. Very fun. :)
2) Currently level 61 with this build now on HC. Been farming ledge all day to ensure my survival.
2425 Life
1700 Armor (might be a bit low, but 2 granite flasks and molten shell makes it very doable)
+80% elemental resists
-48% chaos resist (have to fix that soon)
65 life regen per sec
Glacial hammer DPS is 1500 with weap ele dmg
Works very well for me at the moment. I also use a rejuvenation totem and molten shell for those hard packs. The hardest part so far was cruel act 3, but when I got to merciless things got a bit better.

Posted by zesus21
Played this build to 69 in hc then died to desync at vaal. This build was starting to get really enjoyable at 60+. You really should rush resolute technique at early game and use clarity aura until you get blood magic and i also recommend taking resistance, armor and hp nodes from marauder tree before taking blood magic.

Posted by entropy
--Build update: currently lvl 63. Finished act 3 merci easily with crappy gear except my mace. I am using armor from when I was level 40-45.
2k hp
60-75 res on fire,ice,lighting
-25 chaos res
2k armor
I bought a decent mace with 100-180 phys DMG and 15% attk speed and it boosted my dps a ton. The main things which helped were:
-buying a quality LS gem, pretty much doubled my DMG
-getting the ability to shock enemies
After that, even with my crap gear, act 3 Merci was not bad at all, I'm still squishy but the pierce adds so much DMG and LGoH

Posted by john258doe
I looooove this build. --
Sheet DPS on LS is pretty low, but that chain works miracles with life on hit for survivability.

Posted by jun1000pjn
Hey man,
I'm currently following your build on HC. looks like a great build that will last me a while.--

Posted By ScottyM
Loving this build dude - Level 47 and killing shit left right and centre.
I just got Blood Magic and gave it a whirl for 30 minutes last night after worrying that maybe it was too soon but everything seemed ok so far. I have about 1423 life atm with 1600 odd armour. Heavy Strike is doing 712, GH is doing 750 and LS is doing 800.--

Posted by SystemiK
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time and effort to lay out this build in detail. I love this game but making sense of all the stats and their inter-relationships is absolutely not my strong suit. Frankly, just choosing proper gear seems a bit over my head.
Anyhow, in spite of that, having a great time (lvl 30 now). I'm guessing it might be pretty ugly by now if I'd tried to muddle through setting up a build on my own.
Much appreciated...
SK

Posted by YKhurn86
Hey Freshbrewed! Awesome build! I'm following this build right now and its kicking ass.--

Posted by Gezus
Love this build. --