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Path of Exile 3.17 Archnemesis League Starter Builds

Path of Exile Archnemesis Revealed

We’re finally here for the next Challenge League in Path of Exile: Archnemesis. The new challenge league brings both a major endgame rework and a new boss system.  Some minor buffs and nerfs have been handed out, but it’s pretty simple to pick up any build and just run with it. You will likely want something that has good single-target damage for this, but it’s not vital. Path of Exile 3.17 league starter builds will help a lot in this new league.

On the league mechanic itself, there are some definite similarities to previous boss-centric leagues. Players must collect Scouting Reports and Embers of various kinds that help the newly formed miitia fight back against the tide of the encroaching dark. By tying the system into the Siege of the Atlas rework, players have a ton of new bosses to fight. Regular Rare and Magic monsters in the Archnemesis League will drop monster parts that can be used to create a group of four powerful bosses. The parts you use will affect both their abilites and final loot pool. It’s great potential for farming, provided you have the DPS. And since parts can’t be traded, you have to have a good starter build to make this work.

You can see more about all this in the trailer below. But now, let’s get onto the Path of Exile 3.17 Archnemsis League Starter Builds. Archnemesis Challenge League – alongside the Siege of Atlas expansion – arrives for PC players in Path of Exile on February 4, 2022, at 11am PT / 7pm GMT.

Path of Exile 3.17 Archnemesis League Starter Builds

With these PoE 3.17 starter builds, you will be able to map pretty effectively through the first few weeks of the league. The process might be a bit harder with the new bosses being added. You will have to be careful with how much you interact with the league mechanic while leveling. These four new bosses are pretty dangerous, so getting too many powerful modifiers can lead to a frustrating and deadly encounter. Path of Exile 3.17 league starter builds need to be ready for that. Use the list below of 18 builds that are great for getting going in the early days.

Witch

[3.17] Kay’s 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.

[3.17] FireArcher’s Holy Flicker Strike Necromancer – This particular build has a very unique approach to the usual Summoner build. By scaling Blocks and Endurance Charges, it’s etremely tanky and easy to gear up. Adding into that the insane single-target DPS, and it’s perfect as a beginner-friendly approach to bossing in this new league for casual players. It’s not super fast, but it can clear many bosses with enough effort.

[3.17] Unlucky_child’s Discharge Fire Burst – This POE build has a lot going on. There are 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 if you’re feeling to squishy. It can easily clear endgame if you push it hard enough, but it won’t nuke high-tier bosses in two hits like some builds.

[3.17] 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. If you want a build that can clear the entire game on a zero starting budget, look no further.

Shadow

[3.17] Qosmoz’s LL Blazing Salvo Mines Saboteur – Can easily take on most endgame and map bosses. Clearspeed is very good with multiple projectiles ripping through mob packs. 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.

[3.17] oestergreen’s BattleTrapper 2022 – 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. By running a ton of defensive layers, it’s even Hardcore viable if you like that kind of thing.

Marauder

[3.17] 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. The 3.17 changes brought a few minor changes, but nothing too major. A very strong and simple build. Smash foes to bits with this powerful league starter. As for angry Archnemesis league starter builds, this is a good choice.

[3.17] 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. Everyone needs a good RF build to play every now and then. If you just want to run around and watch your foes burn, this is for you.

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[3.17] Navandis Gaming’s Poisonous Concoction Champion – Champion managed to get by without any real direct nerfs this time around. There’s just so much tankiness to be found here, and you really can’t pass it up. This build will probably get nerfed hard next league, so try it out now while you can. It’s a very easy to play build that just basically runs around and nukes everything with massive clouds of poison.

Templar

[3.17] Moosseolini’s Holy Relics Guardian – This is a very cheap build to gear in 3.76, thanks in large part to the simplicity of its gameplay and changes to item crafting. There’s a ton of survivability here to work with. With a solid amount of DPS, clearspeed is average, but bossing should be even better. The Archnemesis mechanic appears to play out similar to Metamorph/Essence and so this build should perform well for the mechanic.

[3.17] Velyna’s Storm Brand Guardian – Had a ton of versatility as a league starter or later league build in Scourge, retained it this league. Brands are a very unique playstyle, so if you’re after something new, this might be it. The playstyle is easy to adjust to once you figure it out. Storm brand all the way through into endgame can be a ton of fun for both general mapping and leveling. The one big flaw is that it doesn’t scale too well against endgame bosses at the highest level. You could make it work, but might be better served swapping after farming enough currency to afford a stronger boss-killing build.

Duelist

[3.17] 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.

[3.17] MAGEFIST’s Oro’s Sacrifice Flicker Strike – By using the zipping around gameplay of Flicker Strike and the Oro’s Sacrifice Unique, this build shreds. The power of the Slayer Ascendancy is put on full display here with great clearspeed. By slightly altering the way Slayer approaches certain build choices, this DPS monster can farm currency like no other easy-to-play Slayer can.

[3.17] POE Build’s Unbreakable Cyclone – Cyclone has long been a favorite of melee players who love to rip and tear through mob packs. While it has been nerfed in recent patches, changes to the Duelist Ascendancies have brought it back into the fold. It’s a pretty traditional build in terms of gems and gear choices, so very easy to gear up. Clearspeed is solid if you’re Atlas farming. Bossing might require some prep with gear and Gem swaps though, so be prepared.

[3.17] strTrader’s Max Block Bleed Lacerate Gladiator – An extremely tanky choice this time around. This monster of a tank manages to run through pretty much everything in the game with ease. With a few swaps oto better gear from league start, this can easily scale into endgame. Able to tear through pretty much anything with facetanking. It won’t clear everything the fastest, but it can get through it with enough effort. Various boss-centric league mechanics can also be breezed through with this POE build.

[3.17] KissMeQuick’s Slayer Reave: REBORN — One of the best league starter builds I’ve seen in a while on the Duelist side of things. If you’re the kind of players that need a strong starting build every league start, this is for you. Can basically easily farm most bosses on a meager budget once you’ve farmed up enough currency. High-tier maps and bosses are not a big deal to this defensive monster.

Ranger

[3.17] Velyna’s Hollow Palm Ice Crash – Hollow Palm leveling is one of the fastest ways to level anything in the game, bar none. GGG has made a few changes to it recently, so you’re very squishy, which makes this non-Hardcore only. But excepting that, this is a solid mid-tier build that has a lot of offensive potential. With the right Ascendancy choices, defensive holes can be plugged pretty easily as well. For a fast-leveling Archnemesis League Starter Build, this is a good choice.

[3.17] 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. If however you a looking for something that can (very) quickly farm high level maps to progress your Atlas, build up a lot of currency and is super fun to play then this build might be right for you.

If you’ve found this list of the Best Path of Exile 3.17 League Starter Builds helpful, make sure to share it with your friends!

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