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Path of Exile 3.15 Expedition League Starter Builds

Path of Exile 3.15

We’re finally here for the next Challenge League in Path of Exile: Expedition. PoE 3.15. This patch was pretty heavy-handed, and a lot of players are going to be upset. Some of the most powerful builds in previous leagues are not as viable anymore, but they can be made to work. With that in mind, let’s go over some of the Path of Exile 3.15 league starter builds I would recommend. Like many other builds in this league, league starters in POE 3.15 are going to have a bit of trouble adjusting to the slower meta.

The biggest changes came in the form of a direct nerf to both flasks and support Gems. Sure, some gems got a base DPS increase to compensate, but everything’s a bit slower. All builds took some kind of indirect nerf, assuming they used some kind of affected support gems. When you’re picking a Path of Exile 3.15 league starter, consider your path through the endgame.

The bossing mechanics are still there from previous leagues, so rushing to the Atlas Passives remains a viable way to approach the endgame. And since builds have shuffled around a bit, there are some considerations to be made about where to focus on. You may want to focus on mapping, or rush Atlas Passives and do certain league mechanics.

With these PoE 3.15 starter builds, you will be able to map pretty effectively through the first few weeks of the league.

Which Ascendancy to choose?

As teased in the Balance Manifesto, things are pretty rough this league for some classes.

Golem Elementalist got hit with a major nerf, as did the Ascendancy as a whole due to AIlment changes. it won’t be impossible to level and play with Golems, but nowhere near as easy as it used to be. The Fortify nerf hit many melee builds, although many had already found other defensive layers to compensate. The general consensus is that though all attack skills got an increase to base damage, support skills got nerfed across the board. Mana reservation costs are also much higher for nearly every skill. Use the patch notes to look for nerfs and figuring out what works best for your build. There are way too many nerfs for me to try and cover here.

Other Path of Exile 3.15 Guides:

Witch

[3.15] Wrecker_of_Days’ stress-free Bone Zombies – This is a very basic build with very little depth, but that’s a good thing. The nerfs avoided handing too hard a wrecking to this build, and it still looks very simple. Viable for both SSF and as a league starter due to very simple gearing and gameplay.

[3.15] POE Builds’ Skeleton Summoner – This Necromancer Witch has all the same bonuses and power it did from last patch. There’s very little to worry about this league, as minions look to remain strong. If you want a bunch of spooky bois to blast bosses and mob packs to bit with, this cheap build can be run with a bit of investment into a few Uniques. It offers a great amount of DPS and clear speed, and the playstyle allows for some good defensiveness.

[3.15] ZaPwner’s Crackling Lance Occultist – Will lose some DPS thanks to having to put more effort into sustain and defenses. Overall it’s unavoidable for any build in Expedition. Overall, remains a solid early mapper with some light bossing potential on very budget gear. You can still scale the DPS nicely into Red Maps, but it will take a lot more work.

[3.15] ThanatoZGaming’s Cold ANIMATE WEAPON Summoner – Another summoner option that got out of the nerfstorm of Expedition with a little less pain than the average build. Summoner playstyle is a little less gear-dependent, so it’s easier to scale in this league compared to other choices.

Shadow

[3.15] f1rstborn’s Purifying Flames Miner – This build got by without any huge changes in 3.15, making it a great choice for those looking for the Trap and Mine playstyle. The amount of Phasing and defensive layers make this a great bosser and mapper, so it’s awesome for this League. Gear won’t scale well past a certain point. Everyone and their grandmother will be using Trap and Mine builds in 3.15, so be prepared for prices on gear for these builds to spike.

[3.15] Velyna’s Poets Pen Blade Blast – A very easy build to level and play. Has a lot of versatility depending on your playstyle. You don’t have to run the budget option if you don’t want to. The buffs to some sources of Crit may have even helped this build offset the DPS loss from other indirect nerfs.

[3.15] RadianceTM’s SSF Friendly Poison BF/BB – A very solid mapper with great clear, even after the nerfs. This build guide is incredibly thorough when you drill down into it. With a very detailed leveling progression, this is great for a new or inexperienced player looking for their first Expedition build.

[3.15] oestergreen’s BattleTrapper 2021 – Another trapper build that can scale well on very little currency investment. Trap builds remain a good choice for new players thanks to simple mechanics as well. It’s a very easy thing to boss with thanks to a lot of defensive layers too. ES-based with lots of block chance make it pretty solid for tanking and mapping through large packs. That alone makes it a good choice this leage especially.

[3.15] tripolarbear’s Ice Trap Sabo/Raid Nerf Evader – Since traps are going to be very in this league, here’s another that got through the nerf dance relatively unscathed. Freezing enemies feels good, and this build does that, and a lot more of that.

Marauder

[3.15] The Warbringer Ground Slam Serker – 3.14 gave this build a minor DPS buff with changes to Vaal skills. Path of Exile 3.15 gave a direct buff to Ground Slam, making this a bit more attractive. Even with the nerfs to Seismic Cry and other skills, DPS is still capable as an early mapper on budget gear. Won’t handle the endgame farm too well though.

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[3.15]HunterKee’s ShieldCrush Zoomer – This build has a ton of defenses, making it a great way to push through tougher fights. Has a fair amount of clear speed as well. Expedition handed some direct nerfs to various parts of the build, but it remains a good choice nonetheless for a pure starter. Ditch it for a higher DPS build past Yellow Maps as gearing it for a good shield will be pretty expensive going into endgame maps. Your other option is to craft a high Armour shield using Dense Fossils.

Templar

[3.15] Ex_y’s Voltaxic Spark Inquisitor, Shocked on a budget – A viable budget build that builds on the Spark buff to make a passable base. Loss of elemental immunity and DPS does hurt a fair bit. There’s a definite slowdown to this build. But if you want to shock stuff on a budget, you can’t wrong with this SSF-viable build in Expedition.

[3.15] Enki’s Archmage Hierophant – Enki, creator of the legendary Arc Witch, has returned with a new build for this patch. With so much experience, you know this guide is going to be good. It’s a very cheap build to run and has a very easy gear progression. If you liked the other builds by this creator, give this a try.

[3.15] Velyna’s Storm Brand Guardian – Has a ton of versatility as a league starter or later league build in Expedition. Brands are a very unique playstyle, so if you’re after something new, this might be it. You need to be ready to learn to play this build to full potential though, as it’s not incredibly simple. But with meager gear upgrades over the course of the league it can carry well enough into endgame.

[3.15] Vei’s Elemental Hit Ballista Totem – A totem build with plenty of strength this league, even after the nerfs that make it much harder to sustain Mana. This is still a strong option provided you account for Mana sustain with a Flask or other solution. The nerfs to crit do hurt DPS as well, remains a solid opening build.

Duelist

[3.15] Velyna’s Ground Slam – A solid choice again in Expedition, as it was last league. Ground Slam even got a minor numerical buff this patch. Aside from the lost DPS to the support gem nerf, we’re looking about the same as the last patch for survivability. For that reason, this remains a good choice for a simple and effective melee build. By using the Champion Ascendancy, we retain plenty of tankiness without too much DPS. You could also Slayer if you want even more DPS. As an early mapper, there’s a lot to be had here for relatively little investment. Hollow Palm is one of the easiest ways to blitz through leveling, and Ground Slam got a minor direct buff to offset the support nerfs.

[3.14] Blazer780’s Glad Flicker/Cyclone God – Despite the global nerf to various mechanics, this melee build remains a good DPS machine. It will take much more currency to min-max, so be aware of that. And for all builds in the game, the DPS ceilling is lowered. But with a direct buff, this relatively tanky build is heads above other similar builds.

[3.15] Poisom’s The BLOCKMAN Duelist – Lost a fair amount of DPS on support skills and Flask nerfs. The Cyclone skill did get buffed, but it’s a pretty rough time this patch. If you want a very cheap, but still tanky, build that has plenty of DPS for early mapping, here you go.

Dex2644’s 1H Impale Cyclone Slayer – A relatively strong build with nice endgame DPS. Defenses are a bit lacking, so no facetanking on this build. But if you can play it well, it will carry you through the mapping grind. Also SSF viable.

[3.15] igorkugan’s Gladiator Bleed Earthquake – Has a ton of DoT damage if you’re after that playstyle. This build did lose DPS to Expedition nerfs, but that’s unavoidable. There is still a bunch of potential for offense and defense here. Very easy to gear up and fun to play.

Ranger

[3.15] 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. Remains as strong as it was in previous leagues, for DPS at least. Expedition nerfs make bossing much slower and harder than it was before.

[3.15] Velyna’s Hollow Palm Ice Crash – Hollow Palm took a minor nerf directly this league. Fortify losses also hurt the tankiness of this build. In Expedition, this still remains a solid opening mapper and it’s relatively quick to level, still.

[3.15] bodhe’s The Raining Tempest Deadeye –  With an incredible amount of DPS, you can zoom and melt the endgame grind pretty effectively. With plenty of Evasion and a fairly fast movespeed, you can dodge most attacks before they ever have a chance to hit you. Great for those who want solid clearspeed and pretty OK time bossing in the map grind.

If you’ve found this list of the Best Path of Exile 3.15 League Starter Builds helpful, make sure to share it with your friends!

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