We’re finally here for the next Challenge League in Path of Exile: Scourge. PoE 3.16. 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 3.16 league starter builds I would recommend. Like many other builds in this league, Scourge league starter builds will have to further adjust to changes. GGG has put a lot of emphasis on retooling existing defensive scaling for players, mostly to help offset the nightmare that was 3.15’s nerfs.
There have been pretty significant nerfs to various aspects of the common playstyles. One such notable area is that many skills have had buffs to melee strike range removed. This has been offset by the introduction of new damage and defensive scaling, but will still be felt in the overall offense of builds.
To compensate, various flask mitigations have been retooled again in 3.16, adding more potential utility for those items that got wrecked last patch. Many gems have had their effects shuffled around, or even changed completely. Various Ascendancy classes have been given a big breath of fresh air. Players will find that many previous Scourge league starter builds are just as viable thanks to this revitalization.
With these PoE 3.16 starter builds, you will be able to map pretty effectively through the first few weeks of the league.
Witch
[3.16] 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.
[3.16] Sanavi’s Armageddon Brand Elementalist – Use Fire and Crit Strikes to blast enemies to bits with this powerful build and the pretty unique Brands playstyle.You get a lot of mobility and defensive layers, it’s fairly survivable. The one downside of this build is that there is a very high potential for gearing, which means min-maxing in SSF is pretty hard.
[3.16] wishdropper’s Armageddon Brand Elementalist – This POE build has a few things going well for it. A buff to general damage is nice and makes this much more fun to nuke mobs with. Numerically it’s very strong in Scourge. And the playstyle is very basic, as brands are a similar playstyle to mines.
[3.16] brant09081992’s BRO, DO YOU EVEN SUMMON? Dark Pact Skeleton Caster – If you’re after the ideal summoner playstyle, this might be it. It’s not vulnerable to map mods, has a good amount of clearspeed, and has no required gear. The playstyle itself can be a bit difficult for newer players to manage though, as there’s a lot going on.
[3.16] Unlucky_child’s Discharge Fire Burst – This POE build has a lot going on. There’s a lot of explosions to deal out, and it can clear with the best of them. It’s a very cheap build to gear, and has excellent clear speed. It has a few holes in defense though, so ditch it past white maps for something tankier.
[3.16] 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. In Scourge, you have lots of defensive layering options that help out as well.
Shadow
[3.16] 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. With a better budget, you can get through most of the game on a version of these Can easily take on most endgame and map bosses. Has plenty of DPS for Atlas farming as well.
[3.16] Qosmoz’s LL Blazing Salvo Mines Saboteur – Can easily take on most endgame and map bosses. Has plenty of DPS for Atlas farming as well. Blinding and other offensive support layers helps with defense as well. Avoid that damage without too much hassle. Just zip around and drop mines, and you’re going to be fine.
[3.16] 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 makes it pretty solid for tanking and mapping through large packs. That alone makes it a good choice this league especially.
Marauder
[3.16] 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. And now in POE 3.16, the passive tree shuffling gave us even more buffs. Smash foes to bits with this powerful league starter. As for angry Scourge league starter builds, this is a good choice.
[3.16] Wrecker_of_Days’s RIGHTEOUS INCINERATOR – A rather powerful Righteous Fire build that is viable for SSF and other game modes. Take on the most powerful of foes with a relatively easy-to-manage playstyle. A 1-button playstyle couldn’t be simpler, choose this and relax.
Templar
[3.16] Moosseolini’s Holy Relics Guardian – This is a very cheap build to gear in 3.16, thanks in large part to the simplicity of its gameplay. Just blast apart your foes with minions, simple. The Fortify and minor DPS nerfs do hurt this patch, but the massive change to passive trees means that the overall increase in mana efficiency, minion damage and Armor are solid buffs.
[3.16] 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.
[3.16] Velyna’s Storm Brand Guardian – Has a ton of versatility as a league starter or later league build in Scourge. 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.
Duelist
[3.16] Velyna’s Ground Slam – A solid choice again in Scourge, 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 loss. You could also use Slayer if you want even more DPS. As an early mapper, there’s a lot to be had here for relatively little investment.
[3.16] Poisom’s The BLOCKMAN Duelist – This POE build took some nerfs to Block in this patch, but that’s to be expected. The big bonus to DPS thanks to the tree rework for Duelist helps offset the defensive nerf. Still very viable for facetanking early bosses. A higher budget for gear could really make this thing shine.
[3.16] igorkugan’s Gladiator Bleed Earthquake – This POE build took some nerfs to Block in this patch, but that’s to be expected. A general loss to DPS on the Gladiator tree also hits pretty hard. Still a viable build for early mapping. Has a lot of defensive scaling, but takes more gearing focus to get to previous levels.
Ranger
[3.16] Velyna’s Hollow Palm Ice Crash – Some of the changes to Dodge and other defensive layers has a big impact on this build. But offensively, it remains a good choice to go for if you don’t mind the less-tanky playstyle.
[3.16] Fuzzy Duckzy’s Lightning Strike Raider – With a lot of passive DPS, this build is still very capable in Scourge. Players will be able to screenclear pretty effectively with this somewhat tanky variant of spellcaster Scourge league starter builds. The one big downside is that it’s much slower than some would like to play.
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