So with Path of Exile Legion dropping later today, people are really keen to figure out what build they want to play. With that in mind, we’ve picked a few of our favorites from our starter builds this patch and crammed them together here. One thing they all have in common, aside from being starter builds, is that they’re all melee-focused. So those of you looking to test out the new melee meta in Legion are in for a treat.
And if you’re a true beginner, make sure to stop over and check out our other Legion guides so you’re fully prepared to take on the five Legions. Other Path of Exile 3.7 Guides:
- Path of Exile Best Builds
- Path of Exile Legion Guide
- Path of Exile 3.7 Skills Overview
- Legion Beginner’s Guide
- Legion Loot Filter Guide
And if you’re looking for more build ideas for more than just melee setups, we’ve collected more than 30 different league starter builds for Legion together. But without further ado, let’s get into the blood details and talk about some great melee classes for POE.
[3.7] 99prosorc’s Lacerate Slayer – An extremely simple template for Slayer Ascendancy, and with the Lacerate changes in the 3.7 patch, it’s very easy to scale physical damage and bleeds for extra DPS. Very simple to gear as a starter, and scales really well into endgame. Gear is somewhat flexible as well, allowing for even a bit of farming to gear it into completing Yellow maps pretty reliably. If you’re in a trade league, expect to invest a bit of Chaos to get this thing to reliably perform in the later stages of the endgame, not too much though. This Build is SC and SSF viable.
[3.7] Reload’s Pure Phys Cyclone Raider – A pretty interesting mixture of both melee and ranged archetypes that offers decent potential for both map runs and boss killing. And even with modest investment, players can see really sizable returns, and as with all good league starters, it scales pretty well the more time you put into gearing it. The amount of damage this little speedster puts out is very impressive, and it has enough defensive tools to deal with endgame challenges like Elder, Atziri, red maps and Delve bosses.This Build is SC viable.
[3.7] brightwaha’s Tidebreaker Heavy Strike Stunner – A very flexible template that can work with either Berseker or Slayer. Heavy Strike got a pretty major buff. And since both Ascendancies got a rough 40% increase in DPS, and the gear progression is extremely easy to do for both budget options and high-end gear, this is one of the better choices that’s specific to the Legion meta for a melee build. With so much life and DPS, this is probably one of the better builds on this list for POE players looking for a tanky character that can control the flow of combat. Because this build stuns everything, even Shaper, you can expect a pretty leisurely stroll through the game and the leveling process. This Build is SC, HC and SSF viable.
[3.7] loczek123’s Lacerate/Double Strike Gladiator – This is another cause of a very on-meta build. With both budget and expensive options which both offer amazing DPS, this is a great choice. It can scale into a Labyrinth farmer, boss runner or just plain mapper, it’s a solid build overall. The buffs to the skills and mechanics for this build also help increase offensive speed a fair bit. With the use of a few key Uniques, this monster does one thing, stack bleeds. The amount of DPS from bleeding alone is nuts, and then there’s the torrent of physical damage that the full version of this build unleashes.This Build is SC and HC viable.
[3.7] CaptainWARLORD’s Cleave Champion – Another really surprisingly strong defensive setup. This build is meant to do one thing, TANK EVERYTHING, and it does it amazingly well. And with such a pure and focused build, even the newest POE player can comfortably play this build through to endgame. The guide author even put out a great video guide. If you want a build with unbelievable defense in mind, this is the one for you. You don’t even have to worry about dodging most of the time with this POE build. This Build is SC and HC viable.
[3.7] Szynima’s 1H-Impale Cyclone Champion – A really spinny boi. The amount of movespeed this build has is actually nuts. If you want to run the purest of mapping speed melee builds, look no further. The mechanics are pretty simple, just apply your buffs and start smacking enemies in the face. And once it gets going, it’s hard to stop. With a literal ton of DPS and so much ability to evade attacks, this is a a solid mapper and boss-running build in almost any situation. The gear is reasonably easy to obtain too. This Build is SC and HC viable.
