[3.15] Crimson Bow Gladiator, RoA + Puncture | Pure Bleed Build | All Content | In-depth

It's been a long time since i've played this build, around 10 months. 3 leagues passed with some passive tree changes, but otherwise the build remains nearly the same. Next league that's going to be released in 3 weeks finally introduces something that might completely shift the build's focus. From what we've been given there are few major points:

Ensnaring Arrow: enemies affected by the skill are tagged as "moving", even if they're standing still. This is a MASSIVE boost to bleed. Currently standard bleed is great for clearing and awful against bosses. Overwhelming majority of them rarely moves if ever, making standard bleed inferior in the long run. Crimson Dance solves that problem at cost of requiring a lot of hits / attack speed in order to maximize the damage. Effectively, with higher investment Crimson Dance deals similar damage like standard bleed during movement. If only something exist to make bosses move...

Farrul's Pounce gloves: they always had big potential. Due to inconsistency (bleed type switch) and standard bleed being weak against bosses there was never a reason to use them. Ensnaring arrow changes everything and allows to nearly double potential single target damage. Link the Cat aspect with Less Duration, then activate it right before the boss (or during map clear if you're strong enough) to annihilate the boss.

Barrage Support and Puncture: the newest support gem is perfect for the strongest bleed skill. I didn't like Puncture initially due to 70% attack speed multiplier combined with build's low mobility. The necessity to hit ~14 times in order to reach near maximum amount of damage wasn't very tempting either. That's no longer an issue with Gladiator's challenger stacks, standard bleed being good again and Barrage support being a thing in case you want to use Crimson Dance. Because of that there's VERY high chance Puncture is going to be main single target skill now. Speaking of single target...

Ballista changes: aka redesigned RAT. The newest skills are absolutely awful for bleed so don't bother. The important part is that both of them have base 3 totems as maximum. Siege Ballista most likely receives the same treatment. GGG didn't say anything specifically about it, so we don't know for sure. There are also new passive on the tree that increase amount of ballistas you can spawn. That means we're finally free from Skirmish! Life quiver here we go. Siege Ballista will most likely remain as an optional single target choice. I liked that unique playstyle and will try to maintain it.

Arrow Nova Support: according to GGG Tornado Shot is dumpstered. The new support gem combined with some other skill might replace it. There's not enough info about it yet so no promises. We'll see in a month.

That's it from the upcoming changes rundown. The build haven't been very popular since the beginning, even after big changes to ailments in general. I feel it might change very soon, but maybe not on the same scale as my CA Raider. Well, there's a lot of work ahead of me.
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
I am definitely interested in some kind of bleed/impale shenanigan Duelist bow build, so I am monitoring this thread.
"
DankawSL escreveu:
Spoiler
It's been a long time since i've played this build, around 10 months. 3 leagues passed with some passive tree changes, but otherwise the build remains nearly the same. Next league that's going to be released in 3 weeks finally introduces something that might completely shift the build's focus. From what we've been given there are few major points:

Ensnaring Arrow: enemies affected by the skill are tagged as "moving", even if they're standing still. This is a MASSIVE boost to bleed. Currently standard bleed is great for clearing and awful against bosses. Overwhelming majority of them rarely moves if ever, making standard bleed inferior in the long run. Crimson Dance solves that problem at cost of requiring a lot of hits / attack speed in order to maximize the damage. Effectively, with higher investment Crimson Dance deals similar damage like standard bleed during movement. If only something exist to make bosses move...

Farrul's Pounce gloves: they always had big potential. Due to inconsistency (bleed type switch) and standard bleed being weak against bosses there was never a reason to use them. Ensnaring arrow changes everything and allows to nearly double potential single target damage. Link the Cat aspect with Less Duration, then activate it right before the boss (or during map clear if you're strong enough) to annihilate the boss.

Barrage Support and Puncture: the newest support gem is perfect for the strongest bleed skill. I didn't like Puncture initially due to 70% attack speed multiplier combined with build's low mobility. The necessity to hit ~14 times in order to reach near maximum amount of damage wasn't very tempting either. That's no longer an issue with Gladiator's challenger stacks, standard bleed being good again and Barrage support being a thing in case you want to use Crimson Dance. Because of that there's VERY high chance Puncture is going to be main single target skill now. Speaking of single target...

Ballista changes: aka redesigned RAT. The newest skills are absolutely awful for bleed so don't bother. The important part is that both of them have base 3 totems as maximum. Siege Ballista most likely receives the same treatment. GGG didn't say anything specifically about it, so we don't know for sure. There are also new passive on the tree that increase amount of ballistas you can spawn. That means we're finally free from Skirmish! Life quiver here we go. Siege Ballista will most likely remain as an optional single target choice. I liked that unique playstyle and will try to maintain it.

Arrow Nova Support: according to GGG Tornado Shot is dumpstered. The new support gem combined with some other skill might replace it. There's not enough info about it yet so no promises. We'll see in a month.

That's it from the upcoming changes rundown. The build haven't been very popular since the beginning, even after big changes to ailments in general. I feel it might change very soon, but maybe not on the same scale as my CA Raider. Well, there's a lot of work ahead of me.


Glad you're still looking to maintain this - I burned out on Blight league a little earlier than usual, and am only catching up on all the announcements - came straight here after reading about Ensnaring Arrow. Fingers crossed, eh?
Giving heads up just in case - I'll be working on CA Raider guide first. It shouldn't have too many changes. Then i'll do a massive update (most likely) to this guide which requires a lot of time.

As a side note - i know the bleed calculator needs help. I was thinking about how can i solve the ~5-10% less damage inaccuracy in some cases and i think i figured out the elegant solution. Farrul's Pounce gloves should also be included in that update. I don't know when exactly but i'll do it within 1 month of the start.

"
Haasts escreveu:
Glad you're still looking to maintain this - I burned out on Blight league a little earlier than usual, and am only catching up on all the announcements - came straight here after reading about Ensnaring Arrow. Fingers crossed, eh?

Welcome back. Yep, i didn't have to change much to maintain the build. Small details here and there, sometimes passive tree. This update changes so much i actually have to take care of it for real.

Not even patch notes and the build already got heavily nerfed with removal of Vicious Projectiles. I wonder what kind of crafting options we'll get from 4 new influences. Gotta wait until poedb.tw guy datamines them. Who knows, maybe the build is going to be stronger than before? Time will tell.
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
You can hardly call the TS changes a nerf. Still insanely strong just doesn't kill the entire screen now. I guess with the build now we replace Siege Ballista with an ensnaring arrow ballista set up. They added some stuff on the bottom of patch notes about a new DoT multiplier stat for bows and quivers so that could cover some of the distance of losing VP. Could also show up as a stat from the 4 new influences. Have to wait to see more.
CA Raider done, now it's time for this bleed bow Glad. The update is going to be tomorrow. There's a lot of unknown factors in crafting so i can't fully update sections like crafting section or equipment, one mod might change everything.

While Tornado Shot didn't get nerfed too much (i bet), the issue is the nerf to base damage of Siege Ballista. While the original concept still remains playable, there's not much reason to actually use it. Puncture deals roughly double the damage now. For now i'll "kill" the original build like i've mentioned before. I might revisit it later.

If you ever levelled with this build before you should be familiar with new setup. Split Arrow (greatly buffed) and Puncture are going to be the new main setups. It's the best combination for standard bleed which with Ensnaring Arrows should be easier to build around and play. I also heavily consider Rain of Arrows (also buffed), i did mention it in the past after +2 TS helmet nerf. It's a matter of preference... and build setup.

There's a lot of possibilities and it's hard to know what's the best yet. I'm gonna go ahead and test things on my old characters standard before i make judgement.

Time to do some work.
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
3.8 Guide Archive Post #1
Spoiler


Overview
======


For the longest time bleed was in a rough spot, a mechanic that couldn't be used as a standalone... but is it still the case? Over time, new and more powerful toys were added to the game. Stronger ascendancies, influenced items, fossils, new crafting system. After everything, bleed finally became a force to be reckoned with.

This build features a reasonably tanky and well-rounded character capable of tackling all of the content this game has to offer. It uses unique combination of Tornado Shot for map clear and 2 Siege Ballistas for single target damage, with bleed being the primary damaging mechanic.


Pros
+ Good clear speed and single target
+ Quite tanky thanks to dodge, evasion, corpse removal and Purity Sentinels (bodyguards)
+ Bleedsplosion popcorn sound
+ Relatively cheap to get started
+ Decent but not great for beginners, SSF and league start
+ Almost hardcore viable, almost

Cons
- Requires few key items to really start rolling
- Siege Ballista might feel clunky/annoying
- End game gear is very expensive
- Only 5000 to 6000 life



Passive Tree and Bandits
Level 93 - Base passive tree

Passive tree with all the essential nodes, that makes total level 91 + 2 for extra jewel slot. Besides of scaling life and bleeding damage, the tree focuses on:

* Crimson Dance to have reliable damage in all situations.
* Resolute Technique keystone is great QoL and effective dps increase.
* Frenzy charges for more attack speed and damage.
* Dodge/evasion as a secondary defence.

For levels above 93, just pick up jewel slots. They're way too good. Pierce nodes can respec in favour of jewel slots, but only if you have suitable replacement in your gear (amulet with Pierce and/or +1 chain quiver).

Bandit Reward: Oak (recommended) OR 2 passive points

Ascendancy: Gratuitous Violence -> Arena Challenger -> Outmatch and Outlast

Other Ascendancy Classes:
Spoiler
If Gladiator doesn't suit your tastes, then there are other ascendancies you can use instead. Just keep in mind, they're not nearly as good in a league start scenario and require Haemophilia gloves to clear quickly. Passive trees are designed with these gloves in mind.
Starting with the best one:



Champion
Ascendancy: Conqueror -> Worthy Foe -> Unstoppable Hero -> Fortitude
Base passive tree (level 93)

If there's one ascendancy as strong for this build as Gladiator, it's Champion. Slightly lower damage, but INCREDIBLY tanky thanks to permanent fortify and taunting totems. Total ~40% less damage taken if your totems taunt first. Doesn't have to use Resolute Technique thanks to Worthy Foe passive.



Raider
Ascendancy: Way of the Poacher -> Avatar of the Chase -> Avatar of the Slaughter
Base passive tree (level 93)

Incredibly fast and tanky, but really low damage numbers. Should use Malevolence aura with 15% faster ailments Watcher's Eye to make up for it. Once you have all key parts, it feels amazing to play. Doesn't have to use Blood Rage, but still can for little bit extra attack speed.

Great candidate for standalone, non-totem version of this build.



Trickster
Ascendancy: Patient Reaper -> Prolonged Pain -> Ghost Dance -> Escape Artist
Base passive tree (level 93)

Great all around ascendancy with high sustain. Lower damage, but stronger defensively. Shouldn't use Blood Rage to take advantage of energy shield bonuses, other source of frenzy generation on kill is recommended.

You can take Swift Killer and Weave the Arcane instead of ES/Evasion route.



Deadeye
Ascendancy: Gathering Winds -> Rupture -> Powerful Precision -> Fast and Deadly
Base passive tree (level 93)
Perfect Agony tree (level 98)

An oddball compared to all other viable ascendancies. I don't recommend using it, but it can be built in multiple different ways.

Lots of quality of life and some speed, in exchange for incredibly poor defences. Similarly to Raider, low damage output and should use Malevolence aure with 15% faster ailments Watcher's Eye.

This is only ascendancy i would dare going crit based bleed, thanks to all crit nodes. Great candidate for standalone, non-totem version of this build.

Pantheon
Major God: Soul of Lunaris

All around best god for evasion based builds. Extra speed is avoidance is always welcome. Solaris and Arakaali can be used too, but Lunaris is what i recommend.

Minor God: Soul of Ryslatha OR Ralakesh

Minor one are more preference based, you can pick almost anything, really. Ryslatha is always a good option for builds that use instant flasks to quickly heal up a big hit. Also really useful for labs.

Ralakesh is very viable option. Corrupted blood is one of the most troublesome mechanics i've encountered while playing. Reduced damage and chance to avoid might help in tough situations.

Gem Setups
Main Skill (GGGRRR):
Tornado Shot - GMP - Chance To Bleed - Brutality - Deadly Ailments - Maim
Optional link: Swift Affliction instead of GMP

Besides the fact Tornado Shot is one of the strongest skills in the game, it is used primarly for ability to quickly apply multiple bleeding stacks with reasonable damage. It's clear is great as well.

Greater Multiple Projectiles (GMP) damage penalty doesn't lower bleed damage and the build doesn't need much to clear well. It takes only 1 monster to start bleedsplosion chain.

This setup can be used as both clearing and single target, however you need additional projectiles on the gear (+1 arrow quiver+Dying Sun) to reach it's maximum potential.

Single Target Setup (GGGRRB):
Siege Ballista - Chance To Bleed - Brutality - Deadly Ailments - Unbound Ailments - Swift Afflict

Siege Ballista is the second hardest hitting physical bow skill, making it the best skill for single target damage. The problem is low attack speed, making it unreliable tool for bleed application. The issue is solved with not 1 but 2 totems (Skirmish quiver) and Unbound Ailments for more and longer bleed stacks. Unlike other skills, it allows you to continuously apply bleeding while dodging enemy attacks.

If you have elder bow with Vicious Projectiles, this setup should be socketed inside it.

Cursing Setup (GGBR):
Frenzy - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Curse on Hit lvl 5 - Vulnerability

Use it to curse tanky rares, bosses and whenever you need to refresh your frenzy charge duration. Unfortunately you'll have to refresh the curse duration quite often against bosses, as this build doesn't need or have a lot of intelligence to support high CoH gem level.

Guard Skill: Steelskin - Cast when Damage Taken (optional)

Steelskin for extra durability. If manually cast, it's great for any encounter. If you're lazy and linked Steelskin with CWDT, it protects you from multiple hits in quick succession. The entire setup is optional, but recommended nonetheless.

Aura: Grace OR Malevolence OR Pride - Enlighten (optional)

Grace is a default aura. Gives huge amount of addtional evasion, which translates into much higher defence.

Malevolence aura grants up to 20% more damage and remains as an option. The additional dps shouldn't be necessary at all tho.

Pride is an offensive aura that causes nearby monster to take up to 39% more damage, which is VERY significant increase. The catch is you have to be close proximity to the enemy and remain there for a total 4 seconds to gain full benefit. Big risk, big gains.

Enlighten support gem reduces high mana reservation of the auras, allowing for easier mana management. You can also link it to Herald of Purity, Blood and Sand skills for even better effect. Together, they form a great 4-link.

Temporary Aura: Vaal Grace - Increased Duration (optional)

Vaal Grace allows us to cap Dodge / Spell dodge. It's a temporary aura which is best used during abyss/breaches/harbingers etc. Vaal Grace can be linked with Increased Duration support for longer aura duration.

Self-buff: Herald of Purity

The more physical damage the better, especially when it's almost free. The minions spawned are pretty good meatshield too, draw aggro and stop projectiles for you. Can be supported with Enlighten.

Stance: Blood and Sand

Used solely to generate Challenger stacks from Gladiator's ascendancy node. You will have to switch stances during mapping in order to maintain maximum stacks. Can be supported with Enlighten.

Frenzy Generation: Blood Rage - Increased Duration (optional)

Natural choice. Attack speed is great, physical leech is perfect for this build and frenzy generation during mapping is insanely easy.

Increased duration is great bonus link so you don't have to recast the skill very often. It's also a downside if there's no monsters around, that's why it's optional.

Movement Skill: Blink Arrow

Used to cross gaps and escape tough situations quickly. Your primary way of moving around is still on foot.

Equipment
My current gear / TL;DR:
Spoiler

Weapon: Bow with Bleed fossil mod, read in-depth explaination for details
Quiver: Skirmish
Armour: Kintsugi OR Loreweave OR rare body armour


Helmet: Life and resists
Boots: Life, resists and movement speed
Gloves: Life, resists and added phys OR Blasphemer's Grasp.


Belt: Ryslatha's Coil
Rings: Life, resists and added phys
Amulet: Life, resists and added phys, Annoint: Cleaving (BASe)


Flasks: 1 Life flasks, 4 utility flasks recommended. Flexible, use what you want.
Dying Sun is great for additional clear.


Jewels: Life and damage on all of them, very efficient if you have at least 3 good mods.
Rain of Splinters is great for Siege Ballista's accuracy/AoE potential
One abyss jewel with life and chance to gain onslaught on kill is recommended.
Watcher's Eye with Grace/Malevolence mods is also great

Below you will find the gear explained in-depth. Piece by piece.

Bleeding Bow
Spoiler

The core item of this build. The ideal bow needs 2 mods:

* 60% chance for Bleeding inflicted with this Weapon to deal 100% more Damage
* Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 20 Vicious Projectiles /
(127–134)% increased Physical Damage

Both of them combined almost triple your damage with bleed. Only the first mod is absolutely neccessary tho. Only available from Corroded fossils.

To obtain both of these two affixes you would need 6-linked elder bow. It also requires a lot of fossil crafting to hit both of them at the same time, so for cheaper version you should craft a normal high ilvl 6-link bow with only 100% more bleeding mod. You won't miss out too much by skipping Vicious Projectiles.

Details how to craft it can be found in crafting section. I suggest to begin with starter version and then move on to elder bow after you've acquired other necessary gear.

Body Armour
Spoiler

Kintsugi
My personal choice of body armour. I use it to mitigate potential oneshots from bosses, and it saved me multiple times in the past. Additional 50% evasion if you get hit is a really nice bonus for mapping. The "20% Less Damage Taken if you've not been hit Recently" also works against degens (LAB TRAPS!) until you've been hit. It's quite reliable when you need it the most, but doesn't always protect you.

Loreweave
Amazing chest for DPS and elemental defence. Not my personal favorite since it lacks evasion but it's still great for defence and offence. Requires 105 intelligence to wear.

Rare Body Armour
High level chests can give you really high amount of life on top of other potential bonuses. Elder armour especially has some really cool mods, plus provides bonuses from Blasphemer's Grasp gloves in case you use them.

Quiver
Spoiler

Skirmish for additional totem. Without it, the Siege Ballista cannot achieve it's maximum potential. You can vaal the quiver for +1 arrow, so the ballista has easier time hitting your enemies. However, with even arrow count it might have opposite effect (missing stationary enemies). +1 chain corruption can be a substitute for pierce nodes. All other corruptions are useless for this build.

Before you get to use Siege Ballista, a normal rare quiver with as much life, resistances and added physical damage is the best option.

End game option:
In case you don't want to use Siege Ballista - a rare quiver with life, resistances and added physical damage/speed mods if possible. Shaped penetrating arrow quiver with +1 arrow is probably what you should be looking for - so you can give up pierce nodes on the tree. You'll end up crafting it most likely. Details how to make one can be found in crafting section.

Helmet, Gloves and Boots
Spoiler

Packed into same category, as you want same thing from all of them:

* Life
* Resistances
* Movement Speed (boots only)

Evasion based preferred, especially the helmet (can achieve really high evasion).
You should avoid ES based gear due to very low intelligence this build has.
On top of that, gear with ES makes end game crafting much more difficult.


Haemophilia - non-Gladiator ascendancy gloves
If you're using one of the optional ascendancies, then these gloves are mandatory. Passive trees are also designed with them in mind. Bleedsplosions greatly increase clear speed and safety through corpse removal. It's really, really hard to pass them up.

End game options:
Helmet crafted with Jagged fossil can roll very good mod that increases physical damage taken by nearby enemies. It shouldn't even be too hard to craft.

It's worth mentioning Blasphemer's Grasp. These gloves are absolutely BiS if you can manage to obtain a lot of elder influenced rares/uniques. Great if you want to min-max the build. Not recommended unless you have at least ~6-7 elder items equipped.

Elder gloves crafted with fossils can also give you nearly as much damage as the unique ones but without forcing you to use multiple elder items. Details can be found in crafting section.

Enchantments

Helmet: 40% increased Tornado Shot damage OR any Siege Ballista enchantment

There's no clear winner here. Additional damage on your clearing skill is never a bad idea. In case you want more single target damage, then any of the Siege Ballista enchantments is good. Personally i really liked 45% totem placement one.

Boots:
#1 - 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently
#2 - 8% chance to Spell Dodge if you've taken Spell Damage Recently.
#3 - 10% increased Movement Speed if you haven't been Hit Recently

All of them are really good, pick based on your preferences.

Gloves: +1 Frenzy vaal implicit

Glove enchantments are kinda worthless. Vaal implicits are quite awesome tho, with +1 Frenzy being the best. Vulnerability on hit is also an option, just a small QoL thing. Easiest way to acquired them are Blasphemer's Grasp gloves.

Belt
Spoiler

Core item of this build.

Ryslatha's Coil is basically a 20-30% more damage multiplier. 50 life on stun is really useful during the map clear, as the bleedsplosions often stun enemies around. It can also be corrupted for one of the very good vaal implicits:

* 6-8% increased maximum Life
* 14-16% to all Elemental Resistances
* 8-12% increased Attack Speed during any Flask Effect
* 8–12% increased Movement Speed during any Flask Effect

Rings and Amulet
Spoiler

Like majority of other gear and little bit more:

* Life
* Resistances
* Added physical damage
* ~25 Intelligence total

Steel rings are obviously the best for additional damage. Coral rings are also great to make up for no health on quiver. You should prioritize life/resistances first and then the damage. You can always mastercraft a little bit of added damage.

Assuming you use Skirmish, you need ~25 intelligence total to use level 20 Unbound Ailments and lvl 5 Curse on Hit. You'll most likely have get it on jewellery.

End game option:
Amulets crafted with fossils can give you A LOT of damage. Added physical and up to 70% increased damage, but at the cost of resistances. Check crafting section for details.

Elder amulets can roll "Projectiles Pierce an additional Target" that would allow to drop pierce nodes on the tree and pick up additional jewel slot. Crafting a decent one is going to be challenging tho.

Amulet Annoinments:
Cleaving - Black, Amber, Sepia
Cheap and very high damage notable. It might be for axes, but the 2 bleed nodes are global. You can also allocate "Growth and Decay" or "Dirty Techniques" notables instead, they grant slightly less damage but have some extra other effects that makes them worthile. They're more expensive tho.

Hardened Scars - Golden, Black, Teal
Hidden notable. Strongest defensive node for ranged characters, grants Fortify.
Requires a hybrid flask with "Foreboding" or "Enduring" prefix in order to work.

Consitution - Golden, Golden, Silver
Soul of Steel - Golden, Golden, Golden
If you prefer permanent life boots that's not tied to flask. Former node is better in nearly all scenarios, the latter is much stronger at mitigating physical damage.

Flasks
Spoiler


1 life flask for emergencies and 4 utility flasks. Standard for most builds. The setups are flexible, use everything to your preferences.

I VERY much recommend using Quicksilver flask of Adrenaline since this build doesn't have too much movement speed on it's own. Jade/Stibnite flask also seems like a natural choice since it's easy to get decent amounts of evasion, allowing for relatively high mitigation. That's why i pick up life/evasion cluster on passive tree. Quartz flask is also one of my favorites due to synergy with acrobatics and phasing it provides.

From unique flasks:
* Dying Sun - 2 additional projectiles = more clear speed and more bleeds applied by Tornado Shot. Along with +1 arrow quiver/bow, it should allow you to drop GMP for Swift Affliction.

* The Writhing Jar - Great flask for end game bosses. Allows you to refresh frenzy charges during waiting phases (like Shaper).

Jewels
Spoiler

There's not much to discuss, you want any 3 out of these 5 mods on your jewels:

* 5-7% increased maximum life
* 16–20% increased Damage with Bleeding
* 14–16% increased Global Physical Damage
* 12–16% increased Bleeding Duration / Attacks have 3–5% chance to cause Bleeding
* +3-4% to Physical Damage over Time Multiplier

Life on the jewel is especially valued, get it if you can. Bleeding duration might seem useless, but it works like a dimnishing multiplier. Good to invest into it once or twice.

Rain of Splinter is a great unique jewel for Siege Ballista's accuracy. Also allows to use the totems for more AoE coverage in encounters like breach/abyss/harbingers etc. You also might want a single abyss jewel with chance to gain onslaught on kill, awesome for clearing.

Getting a jewel with all 4 good mods is kinda impossible, but finding one with 3 mods at once should be easy. Be sure to look out for other mods that can be beneficial for you:

* Totem mods
* Attack speed mods
* 10–12% increased Damage over Time
* 8–10% increased Damage
* 0.2–0.4% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana
* 14–18% increased Evasion Rating
* Any resistance / intelligence mods

Watcher's Eye is an expensive jewel you might want to acquire once you reach the end game maps. It is incredibly strong both offensively and defensively. Depending on the aura you use, you should look out for these (Bolded mods should be prioritized):

* (10–15)% increased Movement Speed while affected by Grace
* +(5–8)% chance to Evade Attacks while affected by Grace
* (6–10)% chance to Dodge Attack Hits while affected by Grace
* Damaging Ailments you inflict deal Damage (10–15)% faster while affected by Malevolence
* Unaffected by Bleeding while affected by Malevolence
* (15–20)% increased Recovery rate of Life and Energy Shield while affected by Malevolence

Levelling and Progression
Bleed levelling (Act 1-10)
Spoiler
Gem Progression:
Shrapnel Shot - Chance to Bleed - Mirage Archer
Rain of Arrows - Chance to Bleed - Mirage Archer - Vicious Projectiles

Your levelling setups for first 3 acts. Shrapnel shot has amazing single target damage in close range. Later should be switched to Rain of Arrows for better clearing.

Split Arrow - Chance to Bleed - Pierce - Deadly Ailments OR Brutality
Tornado Shot - Chance to Bleed - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Deadly Ailments OR Brutality

Your clearing setup after respec to bleed. Split Arrow has amazing AoE coverage.
Tornado Shot can also be used starting from level 38, but it's optional until level 55.
You can use Deadly Ailments or Brutality depending on your 4-link colors.

Siege Ballista - Chance to Bleed - Vicious Projectiles OR Brutality - Deadly Ailments

Additional setup for bosses. Summon Ballista in a place from where it can accurately attack and let it do the work. Swap Vicious Projectiles for Brutality when you reach level 38 and have a suitable 4-link.

You can use Puncture instead of Siege Ballista for higher damage output until you pick up Crimson Dance. However i do not recommend it for players who use this build for the first time, as it doesn't teach you the build's intended playstyle. Using Ballista is also safer.

Frenzy - Lesser Multiple Projectiles

Frenzy generation against bosses. LMP is used to make it easier to hit. You can upgrade it to final Cursing Setup later, but it's probably too hard to maintain 3 4-links without sacrificing gear upgrades.

Vulnerability - Curses enemies to increase damage. Use on bosses, tough packs, rares etc.
Blood Rage - Frenzy generation and attack speed against normal enemies
Herald of Purity - Additional physical damage and Sentinels for drawing aggro

Blink Arrow : Your movement skill
Grace : Your aura, grants additional evasion.
Purity of Elements : If you really need resistances. Use instead of Grace if necessary.

Passive Tree Progression
Level ~10 (Act 1)
Level ~22 (Act 2)
Level ~31 (Act 3)
Level ~31 (After Respec), after normal Labyrinth
Level ~39 (Act 4)
Level ~46 (Act 5), respec 2 bleed chances when you reach Red Storm
Level ~55 (Act 6-7), take Crimson Dance after cruel Labyrinth
Level ~70 (Blood Acqueducts farm)
Level ~71 (After Kitava)

Bandit Reward: Oak (recommended) OR 2 passive points

Ascendancy Order: Gratuitous Violence -> Arena Challenger -> Outmatch and Outlast

Gem Rewards:
* lvl 2 - Shrapnel Shot
* lvl 3 - Mirage Archer (Medicine Chest side quest)
* lvl 4 - Siege Ballista (buy from Nessa)

* lvl 8 - Lesser Multiple Projectiles
* lvl 10 - Blink Arrow
* lvl 12 - Rain of Arrows

* lvl 18 - Vicious Projectiles
* lvl 24 - Grace, Vulnerability (buy other one from Clarissa)
* lvl 38 - Greater Multiple Projectiles

Additional Gem Purchases:
* lvl 4 - Chance to Bleed (Act 1)
* lvl 29 - Split Arrow, Pierce (Act 1), 2x Deadly Ailments (Act 2)
* lvl 38 - 2x Brutality (Act 4)
* lvl 55 - Tornado Shot (Act 3)

General Levelling Guidelines
First and most important to remember - when searching for an equipment, your priority on them is Life and Resistances. Links are equally as important, be sure to look out for correct socket colors. Upgrade potions regularely. This applies to all acts.

The exception to the "Life and Resistance" part is your bow. You'll have to upgrade it overtime to maintain high amount of physical damage. In case you cannot find a good rare bow, you can create one on a crafting bench inside your hideout starting from middle of act 3 when you find physical damage recipe. There is also a vendor recipe that gives similar but slightly weaker damage (sell to shopkeeper):

Bow + Blacksmith's Whetstone + magic/rare Rustic Sash

Any of these two methods should easily carry you through majority of the storyline. There are few very notable bases you should be crafting with this method:

Bone Bow (lvl 23, vendor recipe) -> Decurve Bow (lvl 38) -> Citadel Bow (lvl 58)

Starting from Decurve bow, use Whetstones on a white bow to increase it's quality.

Act by Act Guidelines:
Spoiler
First 3 acts are trivial. Stack added physical damage early on since there's almost no danger. You'll be using normal attack based build as bleeding isn't very good just yet. Try to find Lapis Amulet before lvl 16, you'll need a little bit of intelligence to use Herald of Purity.

At level 31, after finishing act 3 and beating normal Labyrinth you can respec to Bleed. You'll have to finish one of the side quests in Fetid Pool or Crypt to be able to remove all 4 nodes.

Once you fully convert to bleed, the playstyle will change massively. Majority of the monsters should die quickly, but those that don't move much will be huge pain in the ass. Make sure to have Siege Ballista setup for bosses. It is absolutely to take them down quickly.

In act 4 it's important to have good resistances, especially fire resist. At level 38 after you breach the beast, you can change (but don't have to) your Split Arrow setup to Tornado Shot. You can also buy Brutality support, it's a good idea to link it to your clearing skill.

Act 5 is where things get little bit tougher. Monsters out there are quite dangerous and it's recommended to have capped fire and lightning resitances. It's also a time where bleed removal life flask becomes necessary. I suggest to farm Chambers of Innocence until you reach level 45 and then face the Innocence himself. Don't forget to respec Bleed chance nodes once you reach Red Storm notable. Next boss is Kitava, 1600 life is enough to tank all of his abilities.

Once you arrive in act 6, check your resistances. If they're below 50%, you should pick up Purity of Elements from Clarissa (act 3) - use it instead of Grace aura until you solve the resistance problem. It's recommended to have at least cold and lightning capped before the final boss.

Act 7 shouldn't give you any troubles outside of boss fights and spooky ghosts inside Crypt. Progress easily, collect all passive points and before you descend to Temple of Decay - you should face Izaro inside cruel Labyrith.

This marks second big setup change during levelling. Allocate 2 more ascendancy points, take Crimson Dance keystone and switch your main setup to Tornado Shot if you didn't already. Now you're ready to face Arakaali.

Act 8 should be a piece of cake, every single fight (yes, even Doedre). After taking Crimson Dance, your clear speed should be somewhat similar to previous acts but single target is much, much stronger. It's good to have freeze removal flask for Lunaris area, in case you don't have it already. Defeat the final boss of this act and proceed to Blood Acqueducts.
Preparing for maps:

The area with a long stream of blood is where you'll spend next 1-2 hours. It's a great place to farm experience, i recommend staying there until level 70. Look for gear upgrades and slowly adjust your gems to recommended final setups.

You should start looking out for 5-link body armour OR Tabula Rasa which you can farm in Blood Acqueducts. You'll probably end up buying, either the armour or the remaining Humility cards. The gem setup socketed inside should be:

Tornado Shot - Greater Multiple Projectile - Chance to Bleed - Brutality - Deadly Ailment
6th link (Tabula): Maim

You should also try to find/craft/buy a bow with higher damage and attack speed than your current one. There are two amazing and cheap unique options:

* Reach of the Council
* Lioneye's Glare

In case they're out of your price range or unavailable at all (first day of the league / SSF), just craft or buy an Imperial bow with at least 200 max physical damage. You cannot find one in acqueducts, but you can buy it from Irasha starting from level 66.

Once you're ready, go on and finish the storyline. Act 9 should be really easy. The monsters in act 10 hit quite hard so make sure to have a Jade/Stibnite flask for defence. It is a good idea to finish merciless Labyrinth before Kitava. 4000 life is enough to not get one-shot in both fights, might be a little hard to acquire tho.
Mapping Progression
Spoiler
If you're here, i'm assuming you have at least a 5-link AND/OR decent physical bow. Preferably both, but just one one them is enough for smooth experience.

White maps:
Passive Tree Progression (level 80)

They shouldn't be a problem at all. Most map mods are trivial, running them blue is completely viable. No real danger outside of few bosses like Pen, Grotto or Spider Lair. The best of all, the equipment you acquired before Kitava is enough to easily kill everything. You have 2 very simple goals for this map tier

* Upgrade your gear that's not a bow or body armour (Life and Resistances)
* Level up as much as you can.

There's no real goal for this tier, so the best you can do is prepare for what's to come.

Yellow maps:
Passive Tree Progression (level 87)

This is where you'll spend quite a lot of time, recommended level is 80-90. This map tier isn't too risky, but some map mods might be deadly without proper defences/damage.
Gear goals for this tier:

* 6-linked bleed Bow, crafted with fossils
* Skirmish + Rain of Splinters
* Ryslatha's Coil
* 5-linked Kintsugi / Loreweave / Rare armour
* General gear upgrades

The bow is primary objective of yellow maps. The cheapest way is to buy the 6-linked base (Imperial/Citadel/Spine Bow) and make it yourself. All details about crafting can be found in crafting section. You should socket Siege Ballista setup inside the bow.

Once you acquire the bow, you should also start using Skirmish quiver for the additional totem. Rain of Splinters jewel is also very much recommended as without it, the Ballista might miss the target and effectively lower the damage.

Afterwards, a simple yet extremely strong upgrade is Ryslatha's Coil. Gives insane amount of effective damage and decent chunk of life. Try to get one with as much life and maximum physical roll.

It is also the time to start looking for one of the unique body armours. Kintsugi is what i always recommend, cheap and prevents oneshots when you need it the most. Loreweave is an offensive option. In case your resists are lacking, you can use a rare armour instead. 5-link is enough, easiest way to get one is with Jeweller's Touch prophecy.

Of course, with such major changes to the build you should also adjust your other gear. Never stop looking for upgrades.

Red maps:
Passive Tree Progression (level 93)

That's where mapping becomes tough. Defences has worse effectiveness, monsters can hit hard, map bosses become tanky. Your damage should carry you through most maps easily, but the bosses combined with some map mods can be too scary. The build should be fully functional at this point and all you can do now is improve it to be faster and stronger.
There are 3 following goals for map tier:

* 7-link elder bleed Bow, crafted with fossils
* 6-linked Kintsugi / Loreweave
* Min-maxing the build - fossil crafted gear, Blasphemer's Grasp etc.

The bow is the ultimate single target damage upgrade. It will take huge amount of money to craft one, so you can postpone it for as long as you want to. Again, all details how to make one can be found in crafting section.

6-linked body armour is not necessary but still welcome damage upgrade. The important part is that Tornado Shot linked with Maim support will apply the debuff on enemy that also boosts damage of Siege Ballista.

Lastly, general gear upgrades. It's all min-maxing at this point. I cannot tell what combination you should run as it all depends on your current and future gear. Overall, fossil crafted gear can massive increase your damage. You should also think about Blasphemer's Grasp, see if you can include it in your setup (requires massive investment).

After that, all you can do now is enjoy the build, kill some end game bosses and look for another build you want to play.

Map Mods
Map Mods you can run but are very annoying/dangerous:

* Monsters reflect #% of Physical Damage
If you use Tornado Shot, you'll most likely kill yourself instantly. You can run this mod by using only Siege Ballistas for clear. You will have to resummon them very often since they're affected by reflect as well. Avoid if possible, for safety and sanity purposes.

* Cannot Leech Life / Mana from Monsters
This mod is so rare it might as well not exists. It's really awful to run tho. Doable to do, but you would need to rely on Siege Ballistas to clear it. I think it's best to just avoid it entirely.

Map Mods you can run but are slightly annoying/dangerous:

* Players cannot Regenerate Life, Mana or Energy Shield
Build mostly relies on leech so it's totally fine to run. Just make sure to not run out dry by using non-clearing skills. Mana pool is small after all. Blood Rage degen is going to be really awful

* Player Dodge chance is Unlucky / Monsters have #% increased Accuracy Rating
Scary mod, almost completely nullifies your defences. However you will kill majority of the monsters almost instantly so it's not that big deal. Some tanky rares might be very dangerous tho.

* +#% Monster Physical Damage Reduction
Absolutely awful. Unlike "Monster Life" mod, this also lowers the damage of bleedsplosions. Lowers clear speed and single target by a lot. Obviously doable but it's best to avoid it.

* Monsters have a #% chance to avoid Poison, Blind, and Bleeding
Almost the same as Phys Damage Reduction. It's annoying as hell but Tornado Shot with GMP hits so many times it's not that much of an issue. Makes Ballistas nearly useless for single target.

* #% increased Monster Movement/Attack/Cast Speed
Problematic for Siege Ballista. The faster and more mobile the monster is, the smaller chance of Ballista hitting it.

* Players gain 50% reduced Flask Charges
Really annoying in low density maps. It's OK for the most part tho.


Other than that, it's standard. Too many damage mods are dangerous, curses are scary for bosses etc.
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
3.8 Guide Archive Post #2
Spoiler


3.5 Build Videos

Uber Elder deathless
Guardians: Constrictor / Eradicator / Enslaver / Purifier

Grand Architect Ahuatotli, Depth 283
Abyssal Lich Kurgal, Depth 318
Grand Architect Ahuatotli, Depth 332 (50% speed)


3.4 Build Videos (still relevant)

Shaper kill
Guardians: Minotaur / Phoenix / Chimera / Hydra

Uber Elder Guardians:
Constrictor / Purifier / Eradicator / Enslaver

T16 Scriptorium (No regen)
T16 Scriptorium on 5-link
T15 Siege on 5-link (45% monster life)
T10 Belfry, low level and gear
T4 Gorge (SSF league start)


Path of Building
PoB code:
https://pastebin.com/AipcY01g

This PoB is based on my character from Delve HC. The gear is mostly life/resistances focused, with all crucial equipment pieces equipped. No mirror tier bullshit here.

It features 6 different passive trees - default Gladiator tree with all optional ascendancies.
You can change them at any time for quick comparison. Have in mind that you need to manually change configuration if you want to compare them. Number indicates required level for that tree.

Ryslatha's Coil and Bleed fossil mod don't work in PoB, so the DPS is much lower than it is in reality. For levels above 90, i socketed typical bleed jewel inside all nearby jewel sockets.

Shaper/Guardian config is enabled by default. Build can reach up to 1 million realistic single target DPS with VERY good gear and high level. It's closer to ~750k with reasonable gear and 7-link bleed bow.

=========================================
= CALCULATING EFFECTIVE DPS - PLEASE READ THIS =
=========================================

PoB is really awful at calculating bleed dps, even more if you use Crimson Dance.
For actual accurate DPS numbers, i've created google doc specifically for it.
Bleed DPS Calculator. All the necessary info can be found in the document.

To quickly estimate the damage, go to "Calcs" tab and find Bleed:

#1 - Take max roll of MH Source Physical
#2 - Multiply it by 8 to match Crimson Dance stacks
#3 - Multiply by ~260% - To take Ryslatha's and fossil bleed mod into account
#4 - Multiply by Effective DPS Mod - you get theorethical max DPS
#5 - Multiply by ~75% - now you get realistic maximum dps

Crafting Section
How to craft your own gear. To remind:

Magic items can have 2 affixes: 1 prefix and 1 suffix
Rare items can have 6 affixes: 3 prefixes, 3 suffixes
To check what mod is prefix or suffix, enable Advanced Mod Descriptions in game (Options -> UI)

Additional resources:
PoEDB.tw
Fossil Cheat Sheet

In case you don't have required crafting recipes, ask a trusted mastercrafter. You can find them on forums under Trading -> [your league] - Shops. They'll require a small fee for their services.

Bleeding Bow crafting
Spoiler
Best bow bases:
* Imperial Bow - highest AS with good max phys
* Citadel Bow - highest max phys with low AS
* Spine Bow - slightly worse Imperial, but cheaper

Normal Bow crafting (starter version):
Requires: 6-linked bow, highest ilvl possible (easiest to buy one)
Method: Corroded + Jagged
Fossil mods: 60% chance for Bleeding inflicted with this Weapon to deal 100% more Damage

Step 1: Use fossil crafting method until you hit 100% more bleeding damage mod
Step 2: Check if the bow has at least 2 out of 3 following mods:
#1 - ~100%+ increased Physical Damage (hybrid and single mod, combined)
#2 - ~36+ added maximum Physical Damage
#3 - ~10%+ increased Attack Speed
Step 3: Mastercraft the remaining affix. If you cannot craft, go back to step 1.

Elder Bow crafting (expensive version):
Requires: Elder bow, good bow base, ilvl 80+ (ilvl 83+ recommended)
Method: Corroded + Jagged

Step 1: Use fossil crafting method until you have these 2 prefixes:
#1 - 60% chance for Bleeding inflicted with this Weapon to deal 100% more Damage
#2 - Supported by Level X Vicious Projectiles

Step 2: Check how many following mods the bow has:
#1 - X added Physical Damage OR hybrid X% increased physical damage
#2 - X% increased Attack Speed

Step 3a: 2 affixes - End the crafting
Step 3b: 1 affix - Mastercraft the remaining suffix if you can, end the crafting.
Step 3c: 0 affixes - Ask me for help in forum thread/in-game. It's very hard to tell you what to do depending on your current mods. Writing it down would be lots of work, but i also don't want you to brick your bow. I have different solution in mind that i'll execute later, but for now, just ask me for help.

Shaped Quiver crafting, +1 Arrow & Life
Spoiler
Let's start with a quick look at good exclusive mods:

* Adds an additional Arrow (prefix)
* 7–10% increased Movement Speed (prefix, T2: 3-6%)
* 9–10% chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill (suffix, T3: 5-6%, T2: 7-8%)

Pretty much all of them would be awesome to have. This build lacks movement speed so anything helps.

Useful non-shaper mods you might want on the quiver:
* +#% to Fire/Cold/Light/Chaos Resistance
* #% increased Attack Speed
* Adds X to X Physical Damage to Attacks
* Projectiles Pierce 2 Additional Targets (Deafening Essence of Misery)

Alt -> Regal method
Step 1: Spam alts/augs until you hit +1 arrow
Step 2: Regal the quiver
Step 3: If you regaled life below 50, scour the quiver and go back to step 1
Step 4: Mastercraft 40-55 life

Cheapest way to craft one, enough to satisfy your needs. You could also play around with "Can have multiple Crafted Mods" depending on what you got.

Fossil crafting
Method: Corroded + Metallic + Serrated / Shuddering
Fossil mods:
* 30–40% increased Damage with Ailments (suffix, Corroded, !!blocked by Metallic!!)
* 3–5% chance to gain a Frenzy Charge when you Hit a Rare or Unique Enemy (suffix, Shuddering)

An option to Skirmish for more life / additional arrow.

First two fossils block majority of the prefixes. Serrated fossil should massively increase chances of rolling +1 arrow on top of low prefix pool. Shuddering fossil is optional to Serrated, gives higher chance of hitting good suffixes but isn't nearly as good at hitting +1 arrow itself.

Don't get your hopes up tho, hitting both prefixes at same time is still rare, or you might hit low hp roll. In the long run, it's best way to make +1 arrow quiver with over 55 life that you can mastercraft.

In case you want elder influenced quiver for Blasphemer's Grasp ailment remove on flask, this method can also be used for that purpose.

Damage crafts - Amulet, Gloves, Helmet
Spoiler
Amulet
Method #1: Jagged + Corroded + Pristine (optional)
Fossil mods:
* 20-30% increased Physical Damage (prefix, Jagged)
* 30-40% increased Damage with Ailments (suffix, Corroded, !!blocked by Jagged!!)

Elder mods:
* +(13–16)% to Physical Damage over Time Multiplier
* (1.6–2)% of Life Regenerated per second
* (7–13)% increased Attack Speed
* Projectiles Pierce an additional Target

Crafted mods:
* -9 to -8 to Total Mana Cost of Skills
* 0.7–1% of Life Regenerated per second

Provides very high damage boost. Using both Jagged and Corroded will give you highest chance of rolling damage prefixes and phys DoT multiplier. You'll have to be a little lucky with the life tho. You can add Pristine, but it will heavily increase chance of physical leech mod that's not needed at all.

Marble amulet is really cool base to craft, it's always that little extra regen to mitigate degens (like Blood Rage). Not necessary by any means, only a personal preference.

Elder Gloves
Method: Jagged + Corroded (optional)
Fossil mods:
* Adds 6–8 to 9–11 Physical Damage (prefix, Jagged)
* Adds 7–11 to 12–18 Physical Damage against Bleeding Enemies (prefix, Corroded)

Elder mods:
* +(13–16)% to Physical Damage over Time Multiplier
* (31–35)% increased Damage with Bleeding / Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 20 Chance To Bleed

Crafted mods:
* Projectiles Pierce an additional Target / +1 to Level of Socketed Projectile Gems
* You have Onslaught during Soul Gain Prevention
* (31–36)% increased Attack and Cast Speed while Focussed
* Non-Vaal Skills deal (51–60)% increased Damage during Soul Gain Prevention

Gloves can give you A LOT of added physical damage. To make it better, elder gloves can grant up to 16% phys DoT multiplier, increased bleed damage AND pseudo 5-link (for Tornado Shot clering). Any approach to fossil crafting is viable pretty much.

These gloves are really competitive with Blasphemer's Grasp damage wise. The potential HP is still higher for the unique ones + ability for +1 frenzy charge corruption but if you don't have a lot of elder items... well, that's a way to go.

Rolling high life might be hard, so you'll probably end up having to mastercraft it.

Helmet
Method: Jagged + Pristine
Fossil mods:
* Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage (suffix, Jagged)
* 1% Life Regeneration (suffix, Pristine)
* 2-3% increased maximum Life + 15-25 maximum Life (prefix, Pristine)

Crafted mods:
* Projectiles Pierce an additional Target / +1 to Level of Socketed Projectile Gems
* 7–8% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Fire Damage
* (121–140)% increased Duration of Ailments you inflict while Focussed

9% damage increase is quite big, as it's a straight multiplier to the damage dealt. The increase is additive with Vulnerability/Maim debuffs.

Focus craft can be useful, but most of the time enemy will die before you actually take advantage of huge duration increase.

Other crafts - Rings, Boots, Jewels
Spoiler
Rings
Method #1: Jagged + Pristine (optional)
Method #2: Corroded + Pristine(optional)
Fossil mods: 30-40% increased Damage with Ailments (suffix, Corroded, !!blocked by Jagged!!))

Elder mods:
* +(16–20) Life gained for each Enemy hit by your Attacks

Crafted mods:
* -9 to -8 to Total Mana Cost of Skills
* 17–20% increased Damage

Unlike amulet, rings don't have global physical damage mod. I don't think it's worth to fossil craft the rings overall, chaos spam feels like a better option honestly.

I wouldn't advice to use Corroded fossils either. You have to get resistances somewhere. Before crafting rings for damage, you should craft amulet or gloves first.

Elder Boots
Crafting method: Chaos Orb spamming

Elder mods:
* (7–10)% chance to gain an Endurance Charge on Kill
* (9–10)% chance to Dodge Spell Damage

Crafted mods:
* All 3 hybrid movement speed crafts
* You have Onslaught during Soul Gain Prevention
* Non-Vaal Skills deal (51–60)% increased Damage during Soul Gain Prevention

Elder boots can roll really great stuff for defence. Endurance Charge on Kill and up to 10% Spell Dodge are simply amazing, especially the first one. Gladiator's Outmatch and Outlast passive gives bonus 10% physical reduction on maximum endurance charges, making it a priority mod.

Simple chaos spam is definitely the best. Pristine would make it difficult to have all 3 prefixes or open prefix for movement speed/life craft.

Crimson Jewels
Method: Corroded + Jagged (optional) + Pristine (optional)
Fossil mods: 15–20% increased Damage with Ailments (suffix, Corroded, !!blocked by Jagged!!)

Jewels have a really high pool of mods, so hitting the right mods might be really hard - especially hitting life. Getting right combination of damage mods should be relatively easy, maybe even all 4 damage mods. If you're seeking 5-7% maximum life mod, it's probably easier and cheaper to simply buy the jewel. Nobody builds around bleeding after all.

Crimson jewel is the base with highest chance of rolling physical/life mods. Don't craft any other jewel base.

FAQ
Q: Is this build good for a new player?
A: It's decent because it's easy to get good damage on a budget. Survivability and versatility is a slight issue tho and overall playstyle is a little unique (totems + self-clearing).

If you want a new player friendly build, you should check out my Caustic Arrow Raider guide.

Q: How do you level with twink gear?
A: There's so many possibilities. Bleed with good bows, good old Sunder, Toxic Rain/Caustic Arrow, elemental bow... I don't know which one is the best. I'm sure you can think of something.

Q: How does the bleed work?
A: Mechanics are quite simple:

#1 - Each hit that applies bleeding is inflicted on the enemy, but only 1 ailment can deal damage (or 8 in case of Crimson Dance).
#2 - Bleeding damage is based on source physical damage. That means it also inherits the high or low damage rolls.
#3 - Game ALWAYS proritizes stacks with highest damage.
#4 - Having previous points in mind, that means hitting target multiple times will increase the damage output since you apply more high damage bleeding debuffs.

Q: Why don't you use Vicious Projectiles?
A: Lowers AS. Other support gems offer nearly as much damage without any real downside. Plus it's also a goal to have 7-link bow, with Vicious Projectiles being the bonus link.

Q: Why don't you use +1 Tornado Shot projectile enchantment?
A: I've used it once in the past and i didn't like it very much. The spread was almost always a cross, being hit or miss similar to no enchant at all. You're free to use it if you like.

Q: How about Mirage Archer?
A: Sure, why not. If that's what you like anyway. You will lose good chunk of DPS tho.

Q: Why Siege Ballista for single target and not Puncture?
A: Siege Ballista with Skirmish quiver applies bleed stacks quicker, while allowing you to dodge enemy attack, apply debuffs, upkeep charges during that time. It simply works and has a great theme. That being said, Puncture is a viable replacement.

Q: Why don't you use War Banner?
A: Using it would mean having 5% of you mana pool. With some investment it should be possible to run it, but it's not recommended.

Q: I have problems sustaining mana, what can i do?
A: Linking Herald of Purity, Aura and Stance with Enlighten support (at least lvl 2) is the best course of action, but might be a little expensive. Crafting "-X to Total Mana Cost of Skills" or even flat mana might solve the problem. If you can't do any of those, you can always disable Herald of Purity/Stance until you can support every mana reservation skill.

Q: Why do you take two handed melee weapon nodes?
A: The hit and attack speed based bonuses are exclusive to melee weapons. The ailment increases are not, they only require you to wield two handed weapon - bow fits that category.

Q: Are you sure Ryslatha's Coil works with bleed?
A: Yes, i'm certain. This video should dispel all your doubt

Q: What do you think about Farrul's Pounce gloves?
A: They have higher damage potential, no doubt. That doesn't make them worth using tho. You will end up losing damage in plenty of cases where the additional damage matters (immobile bosses) due to long time period between the buffs and short Crimson Dance duration. You can work around them, but it's still quite limiting

Q: How do Farrul's Pounce two different bleed types interact with each other anyway?
A: They're completly separate debuffs. That means you can have up to 9 bleeds total, 8 from Crimson Dance and 1 standard bleed.

Q: How's the hardcore viability?
A: On the edge of viability. I managed to get to level 93 on HC somehow, but it's not very good build for it. Once you get enough damage, you shouldn't have many issues with survivability as almost everything dangerous will die quickly.

Prepare your gear before you respec, be super careful at levels 70-80 and overall play safe.

Q: Is it good for party play?
Should be fine overall. Even if you can't kill monsters well, bleedsplosions will contribute greatly.

Changelog
To do list (for me mostly)
Spoiler
* Low priority: Bleed calculator update

* Proof read every single time there's a new big update.
December 4th, 2019
Equipment:
* Added suggested amulet annointments.

Crafting Section:
* Added phys DoT multiplier to the crafting.
* Adjusted some crafting methods, there's not many changes overall.
* Added warning to "increased Damage with Ailments" mod that they can be blocked by other fossils.

September 5th, 2019 - Blight League
General:
* Removed mentions about +2 projectiles Tornado Shot enchantment.

Equipment:
* Updated helmet enchantment suggestion.

Path of Building:
* Updated PoB to reflect above changes.

FAQ:
* Added new question: "Why don't you use +1 Tornado Shot projectile enchantment?"

June 23th, 2019
Path of Building:
* Updated PoB link to fix some initial config issues

June 19th, 2019
Path of Building:
* Updated PoB link to include new gems and recommended setups

June 7th, 2019
Passive Tree:
* Updated all trees to 3.7 version of the game. Also applies to levelling section.

Bleed Calculator (PoB):
* Updated Ruthless modifier
* PoB now reflects Faster Bleeding modifier while calculating the bleed duration and dps (separate from More multiplier). I adjusted calculator to account for this change.
* There's A LOT of stuff to do, i'll fully remake the calculator to include all of the changes at later date.

June 6th, 2019
General:
* Minor updates all around the guide, not worth specifically mentioning

Passive Tree:
* Made incredibly minor change. Two 4% life nodes in Thick Skin cluster were changed to 4% life nodes at duelist's starting area and Barbarism cluster. There, +3% to all resistances and 6% evasion for free.
* This change will be reflected in PoB link once the new gems arrive.

Gem Setups:
* CWDT Immortal Call setup changed to Steelskin - CWDT (optional)
* Vaal Grace now has optional bonus support - Increased Duration
* Vaal Grace no longer mentions that you can link it with CWDT Immortal Call
* Added Pride as a new optional aura.
* Enlighten is now an optional support gem to help you reduce 85% mana reservation. Only listed under auras, to not repeat same thing 3 times.

Levelling and Progression:
* Passive trees are ready to be released. I'll update them shortly before the new league launches, when official passive tree is available.
* Added a paragraph that informs about using Puncture instead of Siege Ballista for single target damage. It is not recommended for people using the build for the first time, so they can get familiar with build's intended playstyle.

FAQ:
* Updated answer about War Banner
* Added new question - "Why Siege Ballista for single target and not Puncture?"
* Added safety question - "I have problems sustaining mana, what can i do?"

June 5th, 2019 - Legion League
Passive Tree:
* Updated main passive tree to 3.7 version of the game.
* Other passive trees are going to be updated shortly before new league launches, when official passive tree is available.

Gem Setups:
* Blood and Sand is a new mandatory gem.

Path of Building:
* Updated PoB link to 3.7 pre-launch version.
* PoB will be updated once again after new gem data is available.

REMOVED SECTION: Synthesis League
* Synthesis is not going core, so there's no reason to keep it.
* It won't be missed.

Changelog's... changes:
* The changelog has been cleared due to it's length.
* You can still find whole changelog prior to 3.7 update on page 8 inside the archived guide.
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
December 13th, 2019 - Metamorph Launch
General:
* Old build is gone. New superior version takes it's place.
* Standard bleed is now a main focus of the build. Crimson Dance is no longer taken.
* Build now uses Split Arrow for clear and Puncture for single target.
* There are now 2 versions of the build - basic and end game. Both should handle all content.
Spoiler

Passive Tree:
* Two entirely new passive trees. Basic one is main focus of the build.
* End game passive tree focuses on Lioneye's Fall unique jewel.
* Optional ascedancies have been REMOVED. Gladiator is simply superior. End game version wasn't compatibile with other ascendancies.

Pantheon:
* No changes.

Gem Setups:
* Split Arrow and Puncture are now main skills.
* Added Ensnaring Arrow as a mandatory setup.

Equipment:
* Removed mentions of 7-link bleed bow.
* Removed Blasphemer's Grasp gloves, they're not worth it anymore).
* Removed Haemophilia gloves since there's no optional ascendancies now.
* Removed Rain of Splinters jewel and Dying Sun flask.
* Updated some modifiers on equipment.
* Bow and quiver sections still need attention. Waiting for new influenced modifiers.

Levelling and Progression:
* Updated bleed levelling and mapping progression to reflect newest changes.
* NEW SUB-SECTION: End Game Build
* Focuses on expensive upgrades to the build.

Map Mods:
* Updated to reflect newest changes to the build

Videos:
* No changes for now. I don't have means to record new ones.

Path of Building:
* PoB link updated with basic version of the build.
* End game build is currently not included.
* Added warning that bleed calculator is currently outdated.

Crafting Section:
* Added warning it's outdated, but fossil crafting should still be fine.

FAQ:
* No changes yet.

Changelog's... changes:
* The changelog has been cleared due to it's length.
* You can still find whole changelog prior to 3.8 update on page 13 inside the archived guide.


Technically i more or less finished the build ~20 minutes before launch. I'll try to be brief.

I'm not comfortable giving a guide for a build that i didn't test it personally. After all this is entirely new build with mechanics i'm already familiar with. I did some tests on standard and i know it will work great despite my fears.

I wasn't extremely happy going for more glass cannon approach. I like my builds tanky. However the damage gained from doing this change is insane compared to minor defensive boost. Build should be fine, but i'm worried about hardcore viablity. At least build has more life.

End game build version should just be actually highest possible damage bow bleed build there is.

Anyway, i'm out to play new league. Best of luck to you guys!
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3053600 - My Guides
Please keep this guide updated. I really want to play it all this league

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