[3.2]Soul Taker Spectral Shield Throw Blood Slushy Gladiator

we are using pure Physical & Bleed damage delivered with Spectral Shield Throw for both mob clearing and single target. Our clear speed is augmented with Bleed Explosions through the Gladiator Ascendancy Gratuitous Violence passive and Spirit Burst through the use of a Lightpoacher Helm. We use two very fast and flexible movement skills Shield Charge and Leap Slam to quickly navigate any terrain.

we are using a multilayered defense setup with high Armour (50%+ mitigation), high Evasion (50%+ evade chance), and high Block & Spell Block (50%+ Block & Spell Block). Our moderate chance to gain Phasing (14%+) keeps us very elusive and smooth moving during mapping. We are also applying Maim, Chill, and Blind to our enemies to greatly reduce their speed and chance to hit.

Our playstyle is Shield Charge into the first pack, use Frenzy and take damage until our Blood Rage and Tempest Shield trigger, throw shields until everything explodes, Shield Charge to the next pack and throw more shields. Our bonus Flasks charges and Overflowing Chalice allow us to run nearly 100% uptime on our Flasks so we piano key as we go.

Life - 5,321
Evasion - 1,580
Evade Chance - 57%
Armour - 14,650
Physical Damage Reduction - 54%
Block & Spell Block Chance - 53%
Attack Dodge Chance - 49%
Spell Dodge Chance - 34%

Hit DPS - 236,522
Bleed DPS - 30,079.3 (per stack)
Total DPS - 477,156.4

* Very durable character with multilayered defensive mitigation
* Medium to fast clear speed through Tier 16 maps
* Can run most map mods
* No gem swaps

* Spectral Shield Throw is love or hate skill
* Top end DPS will max out around 500k
* Endgame gear can be expensive
* Leveling with Spectral Shield Throw from 30 - 50 is painful

Resolute Technique - The mechanics of Spectral Shield Throw require an accuracy check on both the Shield and each individual Shard which can make frequent missing a real problem without significant investment into accuracy on our tree and / or gear. One keystone fixes that problem.
Blood Magic - Scaling pure physical and bleed damage leaves us very few offensive aura options and our multi layered defense doesn’t require a defensive aura. This keystone is an easy choice.
Iron Grip - Our Strength number in our final tree will scale well over 300 making this one point a no brainer.
Crimson Dance - Big bleed DPS boost for boss fighting
Point Blank - Our playstyle is mostly up close and personal making this node another easy choice for DPS.

We start as the Duelist Class moving down and left on the tree through the strength nodes to Master of the Arena Notable passive. We then move down and take all the shield nodes in the Defiance Notable passive wheel.

We then travel left on the tree grabbing Strength nodes until we reach the Hard Knocks Notable passive and move down and then up and to the left through the Strength nodes grabbing the Iron Grip Keystone passive node and pushing up and left directly to Resolute Technique Keystone passive in the Marauder area.

We then return to the lower left of the tree and take the Blood Magic Keystone passive with the additional life wheel including Mortal Conviction Notable passive wheel behind Blood Magic Keystone passive.

Now we grab the entire Bloodless Notable passive life wheel and the entire Red Storm Notable passive wheel in the lower left section of the tree. We take the left half of the Juggernaut Notable passive life wheel and then we travel down and right grabbing Strength and the Crimson Dance Keystone passive.

We then return the the area below the Defiance Notable passive wheel moving down and right through Golem’s Blood Notable passive grabbing the life nodes and further down into the Shield notable passive wheel at the bottom of the tree where we take both Testudo Notable and Retaliation Notable and all connected nodes except the bottom Shield Defenses node.

We then return to the area left of Master of the Arena and move left and up to the Scion life wheel grabbing the Jewel Socket along the way and taking Constitution notable passive and 4 life nodes plus the Path of the Warrior Notable passive.
Back down to the area right of Hard Knocks Notable passive we take the entire Bloodletting Notable passive wheel. Then return the bottom Shield wheel and push right to the Dirty Techniques Notable wheel where we take the right side of the wheel. Then push right and grab the Point Blank Keystone passive. Push up and right to the right side of the Graceful Assault Notable passive wheel taking the right side of the wheel and the entire Thick Skin Notable passive life wheel.

We then return to Master of the Arena Notable passive and push right through the life nodes to Art of the Gladiator Notable passive and continue right taking the entire Command of Steel Notable passive wheel before returning to the area right of Golem’s Blood Notable passive where we take the lower half of the Savagery and Cloth and Chain Notable passives.

We then return the area directly beneath Command of Steel Notable passive and push right and up to the Finesse Notable passive continuing right through Precise Interception Notable passive and taking the entire Herbalism Notable passive life wheel.

Return to the area between Finesse Notable passive and Herbalism Notable passive and push up into Weapon Artistry Notable passive and the left side of the wheel up to Aspect of the Lynx Notable passive. We then return to the area directly left of the Herbalism Notable passive wheel and grab the dexterity node moving up and right to the Fervour Notable passive.

This brings us to Level 92 at which point you can grab additional life nodes or open Jewel sockets as you see fit.

Our chosen class is the Duelist with the Gladiator Ascendancy. The Gladiator Ascendancy is the best way to scale Bleed chance and damage, has the excellent Bleed Explosion for mob clearing and great defensive mitigation with shields using Block, and Spell Block.

Recommended Ascendancy Class progress is:
* Blood in the Eyes (The Labyrinth)
* Gratuitous Violence (The Cruel Labyrinth)
* Painforged (The Merciless Labyrinth)
* Versatile Combatant (The Eternal Labyrinth)

Soul of Lunaris
Physical damage reduction, movement speed, chance to avoid projectiles, chance to dodge, avoid chained projectiles all synergies well with our overall defenses.

Soul of Garukhan
Chance to evade and movement speed all synergies well with our overall defenses.

Spectral Shield Throw + Brutality + Maim + Physical Projectile Damage + Swift Affliction + Hypothermia + Pierce (Pseudo 7th link from Lioneye’s Vision)
All Support gems scale our Physical & Bleed damage. We will be using the unique Soul Taker Siege Axe to Chill with Physical damage enabling the use of the Hypothermia Support Gem on our pure physical damage for 39% More Damage multiplier with Hits and Ailments as well as increased 20% effect of Chill and 10% chance to Freeze enemies who are chilled.

Shield Charge + Leap Slam + Fortify + Faster Attacks
Shield Charge is our primary movement and positioning skill. Leap Slam is our secondary movement skill for jumping obstacles and gaps. Both are linked to Faster Attacks and Fortify Support Gems.

Cast When Damage Taken + Tempest Shield + Blood Rage
Tempest Shield is used for it’s 3% chance to block. Blood Rage is used for increased attack speed, Frenzy charge generation and Life leech.

Frenzy + Faster Attacks + Vaal Grace
We use Frenzy to generate and maintain Frenzy charges during boss battles. Vaal Grace does not need to be linked.

Reckoning + Blind
Reckoning does not deal significant damage and is used primarily to apply Blind on Block. Blind also applies to the Spirit Burst from our Lightpoacher Helm.

Blasphemy + Vulnerability
We run a zero reservation Vulnerability aura for increased Physical and Bleed damage using the unique Impresence (Physical) Onyx Amulet.

Lightpoacher is easy to find Uber Lab Enchanted with 40 % Increased Spectral Shield Throw Damage and the Spirit Burst augments mob clearing while mapping as well Life Recovery and defensive mitigation through application of Blind with our helm Support Gem link.

Murderous Eye Jewel
+# maximum Life + +% chance to gain Phasing on Kill + +% Attack Speed
Searching Eye Jewel
maximum Life, Added Physical Damage to Attacks, Increased Damage over Time while holding a shield

Lioneyes Vision provides us with a pseudo 7 link with a Level 15 Pierce for Spectral Shield Throw. This is a significant DPS boost and much better Shield Shards penetration in packs.

The Nomad is used for it’s increased Global Physical damage, increased Projectile damage, increased Elemental resistances, and 50% increased Flasks charges gained.

Darkray Vectors are used for it’s +1 to Maximum Frenzy charges, 2% Chance to Dodge attacks per Frenzy Charge, and increased Movement speed per Frenzy charge.

Tombfist Gloves provide +% increased Attack speed, increased maximum Life, and apply Intimidate and Maim to targets on socketed with a Searching Eye a Murderous Eye Jewel.

Murderous Eye Jewel
+# maximum Life, Added Physical Damage to Attacks, +% Increased Damage over Time while holding a shield
Searching Eye Jewel
maximum Life, Added Physical Damage to Attacks, +% Increased Damage over Time while holding a shield

Two Stone Ring
+% Elemental Resistances, +# maximum Life, Added Physical Damage to Attacks
Two Stone Ring
+% Elemental Resistances, +# maximum Life, Added Physical Damage to Attacks

Essential for our zero reservation Blasphemy + Vulnerability curse aura. Also provides Added Physical Damage to Attacks, maximum Life, and Maddening Presence on Kill of a Rare or Unique enemy.

Essential for our build to provide defensive mitigation by allowing our pure Physical damage to Chill (30% maximum enemy speed reduction) and Physical and Bleed damage scaling using the Hypothermia Support Gem allowing us to reliably reach 450k+ DPS.

Rare Colossal Tower Shield Affix Priorities
2000+ Armor, maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, Chance to Block

* Life Flask #1 Affix Priority - Freeze removal, freeze immunity, instant recovery or increased recovery
* Life Flask #2 Affix Priority - Bleed removal, bleed immunity, instant recovery or increased recovery
* The Overflowing Chalice - Increased damage, increased flask charges gained
* Rumi's Concoction -Increased chance to block
* Utility Flask of your choice

Murderous Eye Jewel Affix Priority
+# Increased Attack speed, +# maximum Life