With more than 40 new skills in the game coming in Path of Exile 3.13, there are a ton of new options on the table now. And now choosing your Path of Exile 3.13 league starter is going to be even harder thanks to all the new changes. With all 19 Ascendancy classes getting some degree of a rework this time, there’s going to be an entirely new roster of class choices that are more viable. Ritual League adds tons of new mechanics as well, and with the increased focus on boss-killing in Echoes of the Atlas, league starter builds have a choice to make. Do they focus on map bosses as a primary target to rush the Atlas content, or not?
The focus of Echoes on the Atlas on fighting increasing numbers of map bosses all at once adds a new wrinkle to the build selection as well. Normally, anyone looking to rush the league content in endgame goes for quick and easily burstable builds that can power through early maps to build up currency. The focus on a much more robust endgame means that approach won’t be able to rush bosses, as the game mechanics of many build types won’t work as well in 3.13 and Ritual League. That’s mostly because if you’re using an AoE heavy build that spreads out tons of damage to take out packs, single-target damage can be much lower. There are also problems with summoner and Totem builds, as the AI won’t necessarily prioritize the right boss when you’re fighting up to ten of the things at once.
If you’re a more experienced player and want to focus on making your own build, here are some solid options to pick from that should be strong when paired with a good Ascendancy this patch. Feel free to take one of these skills and try to plan your own build. As some general advice, if you want to focus on Ritual League content more than the boss rush, go for map clearing speed as a big focus.
Regen will be a big part of staying alive, so you have to be able to facetank some hits. Gladiator or any Melee build that gets buffs from being hit. Slows will also be good for both offense and defense. You will also want to pay very close attention to your pools of Life and Mana, as well as defensive layers like Mind over Matter, as these got some nerfs for some classes. But with 10 bosses swinging at you at the top-end of the Echoes content, you’re bound to take some hits, so be sure to check defensive layers of any builds for good survivability.
Other Path of Exile 3.13 Guides:
- Path of Exile 3.13 Ascendancy Changes
- Atlas Passive Trees Explained
- Guide to Rituals and Tribute in Path of Exile 3.13
- Ritual League All Reworked Skills
- Update your Loot Filter for Ritual League
- Making Currency in Ritual League
- How to complete all Challenges in Ritual League
Witch
[3.13] Enki’s Arc Witch – Arc got by without any direct nerfs in 3.13. There have been some Ascendancy and passive changes that impact it though. All told, it’s sill a very solid choice for anyone looking to get in on the fun with a good build for clearing.
[3.13 ] ShakCentral’s Vortex For Everyone – A solid build with a nice amount of DPS for bossing and clear in early maps. And since it’s a Damage Over Time build, bosses won’t be able to stand up to it very long as long as you can keep defenses going. Although with the heights of ES defenses of this build in 3.13, that would not be an issue. Very easy to gear for as well making it a solid choice for league start.
[3.13] Clydehart’s Coldslinger Vortex – Cold DoT builds will be very strong as a Path of Exile 3.13 league starter. There’s very little to be seen that says they’ll be anything other than very strong this patch. The Vortex skill got by without any direct hits on nerfs as well. The changes make this a very strong choice, especially with even cheap gear.
[3.13] 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.
[3.13] iLL3aT’s Cold Skeleton Warriors/Archers – For a bit of a shakeup this patch, here’s a summoning build that’s still pretty fun to play without relying on just Golems or zombies. The skills got some minor nerfs, but no major changes so this build should be pretty good for those wanting that playstyle.
Shadow
[3.13] f1rstborn’s Purifying Flames Miner – This build does a good job in 3.13, in huge part thanks to the major buffs to Mine-based Ascendancies this time around. The amount of Phasing and defensive layers make this a great bosser and mapper, so it’s awesome for Ritual League. The only real downside is that the better gear to scale into Red Maps can be pretty pricey, and will be more so this patch.
Marauder
[3.13] The Warbringer Ground Slam Serker – 3.13 will make it much harder to have all your defenses up all the time when you’re dealing with a ton of bosses. You’re going to get plenty of Life and regen from your defensive layers, making bossing much easier even when you do get hit. You also have a nice amount of Stun chance to slow incoming DPS.
[3.13] 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. Did get hit with some nerfs though it’s still great.
[3.13] Tenzarin_MyNameWasTaken’s Ultimate Rage Zerker – With such little work required to scale this build, it’s a great mele choice in Echoes of the Atlas. Still very tanky and has tons of DPS to throw around. Heavy Strike even got buffed this league, an amazing turn of events for an already powerful build.
[3.13] HeroEvermore’s Ice Crash Jugg – Ice Crash got away with no direct nerfs, leaving this in a good place. With the amount of ice shards flying, this is a great bossing build if you can keep the DPS up. There’s a bit of movement and management involved, but it’s very fun to play.
Templar
[3.13] thi3n’s Storm Brand Inquisitor – Already a really powerful build in previous leagues. No direct nerfs in 3.13, a pretty nerf-heavy league to Curses and other mechanics. Use all the Lightning Damage in the world to shock your enemies to bits. A bit weaker this league thanks to other changes, but still a great choice for both offense and defense.
[3.13] 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.
[3.13] Vei’s Elemental Hit Ballista Totem – Another Totem build that came out ahead this patch. Chieftain and Ascendant(Chieftain/Raider) can both be run with this build depending on the amount of effort and currency put into it. A very solid base for an easy-to-play build. Also, can I just say, this is a gold standard for build guide quality, everything is so well-explained.
[3.13] ]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. Very tanky variant that made it through this patch better off than most Totem builds.
Duelist
[3.13] Velyna’s Ground Slam – Nerfed a bit due to some skill changes. Overall it’s still very solid for 3.13. Will require some work to get the right items as a league starter. Solid DPS if you’re looking for a tanky melee build. Very strong for mid-tier Maps and other endgame content.
[3.13] Poisom’s BlockMAN Duelist – Gladiator got some minor nerfs again this league. Still a very strong build with very easy defenses. if you’re a player that wants to facetank bosses in Ritual, this is for you.
[3.13] ergerbrush’s Impale Cyclone Champion – Ritual League and Echoes of the Atlas will melt before this titanic force. You can not only get solid map clear, you can easily deal with older content like Delve and Heist with a ton of DPS. The only real downsides are that some Map bosses will be too challenging, so the later stages of Echoes boss rushes may be too much to handle. Also, beware of certain map mods like Phsyical Reflect and No Regen.
[3.13] GrimExcuse’s Bleed DoT 2Hander– Bleed Builds like this are stupidly powerful in this patch. Swapping to the Gladiator class gives us a great offensive build. This aimed at more experimental or experienced players that know how to handle skill rotations and uptime though, it’s not bad all things considered.
[3.13] Blazer780’s Glad Flicker/Cyclone God – One of the tankiest starter builds in the game right now. Purely zip around the map with Flicker and start making enemies in the face. You can easily waltz your way to Red Maps with the budget gear here. There’s some complexity involved in knowing the limits though. Regen is super important here, so some map mods and mechanics are pretty iffy. Requires map/boss knowledge to really get to peak potential. This build isn’t very beginner friendly and can be a bit confusing to understand for some.
[3.13] igorkugan’s Bleed Earthquake – A very basic build that takes advantage of the strength of Earthquake this patch to make a solid basic build. Solid clear speed makes it a good mapper. Bosses in Ritual content will be tougher though. You can easily build up a nice currency reserve with this AoE build.
Ranger
[3.13] AsmodeusPOE’ Toxic Rain/CA Pathfinder – It’s a very fast build that’s wonderful for mapping. It has enough DPS to handle bossing pretty well too. There’s plenty of potential here with even mediocre gear. Not as tanky as some would like, that’s why it focuses on paying attention and staying out of the way. Very good for Ritual League content thanks to solid clear.
[3.13] Velyna’s Hollow Palm Ice Crash – Scales really well into mid-game in Echoes and Ritual League. It’s a very simple build to play, so the biggest noobs are fine with this build. You get plenty of satisfying melee tankiness too. The one downside is that Ritual makes degens very dangerous for this build.
[3.13] DankawSL’s Caustic Arrow Raider – A very cheap build to gear that makes more use of the DoT playstyle that’s even better in this league. Not the most tanky of builds normally, but a very fast mover, and immunity to degen map mods makes it incredibly flexible. There’s a very easy mapping build here. You just need to be quick with the management of flasks for good clear speed. Bossing makes this much harder, so Ritual content will be a challenge.
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