You will want to start this by taking a look at our rundown of the big changes in Path of Exile 3.12. Trying to pick a Path of Exile 3.12 League Starter build without being aware of what’s changed is much harder. There has been a MAJOR rework to the Curses across the board. It looks as though the changes will in general be a buff to the playstyle for its feel, even though some Curses and effects have been numerically nerfed.
Although judging from the balance manifesto, many of the changes planned in Path of Exile 3.12 are focusing on smoothing out things from the last patch. The Mod Tags systems do get expanded this round, but it’s not going to have as big of an impact on deterministic crafting as the previous expansion. The impact of individual skills is shown in our rundown of the revamped skills from the POE 3.12 patch notes.
The major reworks to Curse and relevant skills, including pushing Hexes much harder, will make older builds need a major rework to be compatible and viable. The idea seems to be that GGG wants players to have a more predictable power curve on these Hex builds.
When it comes to picking a Path of Exile 3.12 league starter build you will want to consider what skills are the most powerful, as well as what skills you might want to play.
Other POE 3.12 Guides:
Witch
[3.12] Enki’s Arc Witch – No direct nerfs to Ascendancy or arc in POE 3.12, so this kind of Path of Exile 3.12 league starter builds remain solid. Arc remains in a similar place to where it was last patch.
[3.12] Kay’s Spectre Summoner – A strong and unique build. If you’re in the mood for zombies and other summoning fun, this is the build for you. Necro did get nerfed this league, so it won’t be as prevalent to some.
[3.12] ThanatoZGaming’s Cold Animate Weapon – Necromancer got nerfed this patch, making this a less desirable, but still viable starter build. You should focus on getting started with this then switching to a new build for Red Maps.
[3.12] Tyriuth’s 4 Curse Vixen-Bane Occultist – If you want to test out literally all the Curse reworks in one build, here you go. It does require a few items to work properly, so not a true league starter, but it seems like tons of fun once you get that in order.
Shadow
[3.12] roguemjb’s Double Strike / Flicker Assassin – looks about the same from the last few patches. Missed getting nerfed too much in 3.12. The melee focus on Double and Flicker Strikes is a pretty unique way to play as well. If you’re a melee fan in POE and looking for something a bit different, here you go.
[3.12]mortpoilu’s Secrets of Suffering Glacial Cascade miner – With the reworks to GC this patch, there’s going to be a lot of people who want to jump into the build archetype in some way. This build makes use of GC for mines and traps, which remain strong in 3.12. The gearing for this is pretty easy, assuming you put the time in. This build can scale pretty well into the endgame with the right gear as well.
[3.12]Wizzzard’s Toxic Rain Miner – Another mine-based build on the Shadow for this one, this time making use of the ranged Toxic Rain skill to blast down mob packs. Using DoT builds isn’t for everyone, mostly people who don’t mind managing the delay in DPS, but it’s a surprisingly strong start for a build in any league. By spamming out pods of Chaos damage through projectiles you can cover a very wide area. It’s not very tanky though, as you rely more on clever positioning to avoid attacks rather than facetanking them.
Marauder
[3.12] The Warbringer Ground Slam Serker – Berserker got more focus on Warcries in POE 3.11, although it remains viable for many other build archetypes. This build is basically in the same place it was in 3.11.
[3.12] Tenzarin_MyNameWasTaken’s Ultimate Rage Zerker – With the massive rework to core mechanics for Berserker and the Rage setupi n 3.11, this build plays like a dream. Decent DPS gives this build great clear speed, and with no required gear, it’s very SSF friendly. It also escaped any direct nerfs in 3.12.
[3.12] HeroEvermore’s Ice Crash Jugg – This build got hit by the Enduring Cry nerf, meaning some changes back to Leap Slam. Overall though, the build remains a solid choice for melee players. Plenty of AoE damage to be had with a solid amount of tank as well.The cold damage will make for some oh so satisfying shatters as well.
AngryRoleplayer’s Earthshatter Jugg – A very solid AoE melee build that works incredibly well with the listed Ascendancy. This build is great for both general map clear and Uber Lab farming, if you’re into that for making currency. This build is incredibly cheap and fun to play as well thanks to its simplicity. Armor, Health and damage reduction from Endurance Charges give you plenty of defensive layering for the most difficult content in the game. Map and boss with ease.
Templar
[3.12] thi3n’s Storm Brand Inquisitor – Already a really powerful build in previous leagues. No direct nerfs in 3.12, a pretty nerf-heavy league to Curses and other mechanics. Use all the Lightning Damage in the world to shock your enemies to bits. More mobile and less tanky, focus on staying alive by moving out of the way rather than facetanking.
[3.12] Angryroleplayer’s Siege Ballista Hierophant – Having huge evasion potential and plenty of DPS makes this a great league starter. Can’t do all the content in the game, but is great for new and old players alike looking for a solid and tanky build that can scale pretty well into Yellow Maps and even beyond with the right gear.
[3.12] ]Moosseolini’s Holy Relics Guardian – A nice high-Life build with plenty of DPS potential. It’s very easy to play, so it’s very beginner-friendly. There’s so much potential here. If you’re fond of the Totem or Minion playstyle, give this a shot.
Duelist
[3.12] Velyna’s Ground Slam – Nerfed a bit due to some skill changes. Overall it’s still very solid for 3.12. Will require some work to get the right items as a league starter. Solid DPS if you’re looking for a tanky melee build.
[3.12] Poisom’s BlockMAN Duelist – Directly nerfed thanks to Enduring Cry and Mark changes. Still can be done as league starter despite this, just won’t be as insanely strong.
[3.12] GrimExcuse’s Bleed DoT 2Hander– With the nerfs to other DoT builds and curses this league, Bleed remains a viable option for many. A very tanky build here with decent mobility makes this an alright choice for new players who want to dive into the deep end of Charge management and other mechanics. Veterans should have no trouble managing this build.
Ranger
[3.12] Velyna’s Hollow Palm Ice Crash – Much more DPS for Harvest. This 3.11 League Starter is all about the flashy DPS. We did take a minor hit in Physical Damage, but the buffs to Ice Crash offset it. Simple playstyle, with stacked defenses and big burst DPS potential.
[3.12] DankawSL’s Caustic Arrow Raider – A very cheap build to gear that makes more use of the DoT playstyle that will be very popular in 3.12. With a decent life pool and some extra defensive layers, there’s plenty that you can do with this build. A very fast build too thanks to high DPS and good movement speed, a very solid early mapper.
[3.12] TorsteinTheFallen’s Ultimate Claw Poison Pathfinder – This build is a very cheap option that can be run as a league starter if you’re looking to get into ailments and poison mechanics in 3.12.
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