Learn about the key build info and how to increase damage and defense with your stats and gear for the Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist Build.
Key Leveling Notes
While this is a build guide for Explosive Arrow, we primarily use Holy Flame Totem and Flame Wall to level until 32. This is because 32 is the correct time to complete the Normal Labyrinth. Upon getting Shaper of Flames, switching over to using Explosive Arrow will be much easier.
This build will do Library in Act 3 to gain Explosive Arrow, Ballista Totem Support, Determination, Grace, and Purity of Elements. These gems won't be used for now, but are instead put in your gear to level up. Gems gain XP even in your off-hand!
The "Wand Craft" is the easiest way to make any caster leveling better. Selling a magic wand, an Orb of Alteration, and a normal Topaz Ring produces a wand like this: Snapping Driftwood Wand.
If you need a magic wand, purchase a 3-linked Wand from Nessa with favorable colors, those being Blue-Blue-Green, Blue-Blue-Blue, or Blue-Green-Red. Then use an Orb of Transmutation on it. If you need a Topaz Ring, you can sell an Iron Ring with any Skill Gem that is colored Green.
Note: Selling rare items identified they will give you Alteration Shards, while selling them unidentified gives Transmutation Shards.
Since this build switches over to Explosive Arrow at level 32, it is critical to identify rare bows along the way. Stats to look for are + To Level of Socketed Bow Gems, +% Attack Speed, or Elemental Damage with Attacks. The best early bow is a Storm Cloud, which can be bought from other players.
Kill Hillock. Talk to Tarkleigh and choose Freezing Pulse as your reward.
This spell does more damage at point blank range, so don't cast this far away from monsters!
Talk to Tarkleigh, click Purchase Items, and copy the following line: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Paste it in the vendor window in-game and it will highlight four links, movement speed boots, and items with Blue-Blue-Red (BBR) or Blue-Blue-Blue (BBB) sockets. This is called a regex filter, and is imperative to finding important items quickly!
Talk to Nessa, click Purchase Items, and copy the following line: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
After this, complete the quests Mercy Mission and Breaking some Eggs.
Upon killing Hailrake, hit escape and press EXIT TO CHARACTER SELECT (or type /exit in chat). This saves you a Portal Scroll. Selecting a different log out option puts you in a queue on a league start. This "return to town" method is used many times in this guide.
Step 2: Level 4
Talk to Nessa and grab the Quicksilver Flask and Summon Phantasm Support.
Talk to Nessa and Purchase Flame Wall.
Flame Wall deals damage to monsters standing on the wall. The primary purpose of this spell is that any projectile that passes through the wall gains extra damage. Cast Holy Flame Totem followed by Flame Wall. Any monster that does not die from this rotation should be finished off with Freezing Pulse.
Click Purchase Items from Nessa and paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Talk to Tarkleigh and grab Holy Flame Totem and Frostblink.
Click Purchase Items from Tarkleigh and paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Complete the quests Dweller of the Deep and The Caged Brute.
Note: you only have to reach the Waypoint in Lower Prison to acquire a gem from the quest.
Step 3: Level 8
Reach Lower Prison and use the Waypoint back to town.
Talk to Nessa and grab: Combustion Support.
Link Combustion to Holy Flame Totem if you have a Red-Blue-Blue item.
Click Purchase Items from Nessa and paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Talk to Tarkleigh to grab your Passive Skillpoint.
Click Purchase Items from Tarkleigh and paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
The wand craft of a magic wand, an Orb of Alteration, and a normal Ruby Ring will produce: Smouldering Driftwood Wand
This wand will be a substantial DPS improvement. If your leveling sucks, it is because you did not craft a magic wand.
Step 4: Level 10
After killing Brutus, return to town.
Click Purchase Items from Nessa, then paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Talk to Tarkleigh and grab Flame Dash. This replaces Frostblink.
Click Purchase Items from Tarkleigh, then paste in the regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Complete the quest The Marooned Mariner and grab the waypoint in Merveil's Caverns.
Step 5: Level 12
After killing Fairgraves and reaching the Waypoint in Merveil's Caverns, return to town.
We do not need any skill gem reward from Nessa.
Talk to Bestel and grab the Passive Skillpoint, then complete The Siren's Cadence.
Equip a Sapphire Ring for Merveil to nullify her Cold Damage. Kill Merveil and move onto Act 2!
Step 1: Level 12
After killing Merveil, walk north into The Forest Encampment (Town).
Talk to Greust, click Sell Items, and sell all items you acquired from Merveil.
Try to purchase a Blue-Blue-Red (BBR) item if you have not found one yet, but it will likely cost an Orb of Transmutation.
Go to the right of town into The Old Fields and complete The Great White Beast.
Step 2: Level 13
After completing The Great White Beast, go to the Waypoint at The Crossroads and return to town.
Talk to Yeena and select the magic Quicksilver Flask reward.
At this point, use two Life flasks, one Mana flask, and two Quicksilver Flasks.
Waypoint back to The Crossroads, and finish the quest Intruders in Black in the Chambers of Sin 2.
Make sure to complete the Trial of Ascendancy in the Chambers of Sin 2.
Step 3: Level 16
After killing Fidelitas and getting the Baleful Gem, return to town.
Talk to Greust and select the gem Wave of Conviction.
Wave of Conviction will replace Freezing Pulse, and it will also apply a debuff to enemies called Exposure. Use it the first time you encounter a pack, and repeatedly cast it against stronger enemies.
Talk to Yeena and purchase the gems Herald of Purity and Herald of Ash.
Herald of Purity gives us MORE Physical Damage, and also summons some minions to help out while clearing or fighting a boss.
Herald of Ash is an Aura that gives 15% of Physical Damage as extra Fire Damage, and also helps smooth out clearing packs. This gem takes priority over all other auras at this point.
Go left from the Town to complete the quest Sharp and Cruel in The Weaver's Chambers.
Step 4: Level 18
Kill The Weaver, pick up Maligaro's Spike, and return to town.
Talk to Silk and get the gem Faster Casting Support.
Replace the Summon Phantasm Support that is currently linked to Holy Flame Totem.
Complete the quest Deal with the Bandits.
Waypoint to the Crossroads, go right to the Broken Bridge, kill Kraityn, and return to town.
Waypoint to the Riverways, go north to The Wetlands, and kill Oak.
While in the Western Forest, kill Alira and complete the quest The Way Forward.
Note that The Way Forward is an Act 1 quest that is only completable in Act 2.
Step 5: Level 18
Talk to Eramir for two Passive Skillpoints.
Take the Waypoint back to the Act 1 town Lioneye's Watch.
Talk to Bestel for an additional Passive Skillpoint for completing The Way Forward.
Use the Waypoint to travel to The Wetlands in Act 2. Click the Vaal Ruins to open it if you have not already done so.
Use a Ruby Ring for this zone, as the monsters casting Explosive Arrow are scary.
At level 20, go to a vendor and sell two magic wands, two Orb of Alterations, and two rare Ruby Rings. These wand crafts will carry until 32, where you will be switching over to Explosive Arrow!
Continue to identify rare bows.
Complete the quest Shadow of the Vaal by killing the Act 2 boss, Vaal Oversoul. After this, return to town and complete the Trial of Ascendancy in The Crypt. Once these are done, move onto Act 3!
Step 1: Level 21
Waypoint to the City of Sarn, kill the Guard Captain, and talk to Clarissa. Complete Lost in Love.
After completing the Trial of Ascendancy and obtaining Tolman's Bracelet, return to town.
Talk to Clarissa to obtain the Sewer Keys.
Talk to Maramoa and choose Flammability. Use it on magic and rare packs, as well as any boss encounter.
Step 2: Level 24
Talk to Hargan and select Purchase Items. Paste in the regex [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
After level 24, you may find a four-link item. This build will use a R-B-B-B til 38, and R-R-G-G at 38.
Most builds will use Chromatic Orbs once they find a four link item with favorite stats (example: a build needs a B-B-B-B on a Silken Garb). This build will wait until level 32, when the build really needs the R-R-G-G
Complete the quests Victario's Secrets, The Ribbon Spool and The Gemling Queen.
Choose the rare Jade Amulet as a reward.
Ensure that you complete the Trial of Ascendancy from The Catacombs at some point during this cycle.
Step 3: Level 26
Complete the quest Piety's Pets.
Ignore the quest Sever the Right Hand. We do not need to kill Gravicius for this build.
Aim for at LEAST level 27 before killing Piety.
Farm in The Docks if you are behind in XP. You can reset a zone by holding down Ctrl and left clicking on either a zone entrance or Waypoint.
Any of the two-stone ring bases, such as Two-Stone Ring, will be the best type of rings you can equip. Despite this, always prioritize stats over basetype. For example, Coral Ring is superior to Two-Stone Ring
Step 4: Level 27
While in the Imperial Gardens, go to the Library and complete the side quest A Fixture of Fate.
This quest gives access to all gems in the game level 31 and below.
Gems can level up in any socket, including your off-hand!
Purchase the following gems and prioritize equipping them in the following order:
Explosive Arrow
Ballista Totem Support
Determination
Grace
Purity of Elements
Note that you will not be using these gems at this moment, they are only equipped to gain XP.
Step 5: Level 28
Try to get your resists close to 75% Fire, Cold, and Lightning.
The best craft you can make is with the Crafting Bench in your hideout. Use the 16-20% of a single resist craft, which only costs an Orb of Transmutation.
Talk to Hargan for a Passive Skillpoint (from the quest Victario's Secrets). Then talk to him again and shop for a four-link by pasting in the regex [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Talk to Grigor to get a Passive Skillpoint.
Complete the Trial of Ascendancy in The Imperial Gardens.
While fighting Dominus, avoid getting slammed when he raises his fist. Kill Dominus and move on to Act 4!
Step 1: Level 28
Complete the quest Breaking the Seal.
Farm Dried Lake until at least level 30.
Act 4 is when the game strains your resistances. Playing with below 75% elemental resists is extremely dangerous. Start to over-cap resists in this Act, as we are aiming for at least 105% by the time we kill Act 5 Kitava.
Keep identifying rare items and keep chugging along with high Life and resists gear.
Step 2: Level 30
Complete the quest An Indomitable Spirit
Reach the Waypoint in the Crystal Veins and complete the normal Labryinth.
Ascend as an Elementalist, and choose Shaper of Flames.
Step 3: Level 32
Swap the second you get a four link! The gem setup will be Explosive Arrow - Ballista Totem Support - Faster Attacks Support - Ignite Proliferation Support
Use Elemental Proliferation Support instead of Ignite Proliferation Support until level 38. Elemental Proliferation Support can be bought in Act 1 from Nessa.
The swap to bows requires a lot of dexterity, so take Agility if necessary. Worst case scenario, take Practical Application as well.
In another setup, use Lightning Spire Trap with Combustion Support to apply -10% Fire resist.
Do not progress past Crystal Veins without being at least level 32, farm Dried Lake if you need to catch up.
Complete the quest The Eternal Nightmare by killing Daresso and Kaom.
Step 4: Level 34
Kill Piety, then complete the quest Corpus Malachus.
Talk to Piety again, go kill Malachai, and move on to Act five!
Step 1: Level 35
Get at least 75% resists in Fire, Cold, and Lightning - but aim for 105%, as you lose 30% from killing Kitava.
Put every armor and jewelry piece you have into the crafting bench in your hideout to see if it has space for a Fire, Cold, or Lightning resist craft. This is only usable if the item has an Open Suffix (hold Alt on an item to see).
Complete the quest Return to Oriath and talk to Lani for a ring matching the resists you need the most. Get any of the Two-Stones over the single-resist rings, as they are easier to replace later.
Complete the quests In Service to Science, The Key to Freedom, and reach the Chamber of Innocence
Step 2: Level 38
Once you enter the Chamber of Innocence, farm this zone until at least level 40. You can reset a campaign zone by holding down CTRL and clicking on the zone or Waypoint.
If you are clearing the Chamber of Innocence and are still under level 40, use a Portal Scroll and talk to Lani for a Granite Flask
Talk to Vilenta for a Passive Skillpoint.
Complete the quest Death to Purity.
Step 3: Level 40
Complete the quests The Ravenous God and Kitava's Torments.
When Kitava closes his fist, he will spawn orbs that hone in on your location in an X formation, exploding in the center. Avoid any slams and abilities from the large unique monsters that spawn. Kill Kitava, and move onto Act six.
After killing Kitava, your resists drop by 30%. This should be easy to overcome, and in softcore your resists should be at least 50% each. Every point of resistance gear from here on out drastically increases your survivability!
Step 1: Level 42
If you are 42, you don't need to farm any XP past this point until Act 9, just be within 6 levels of the zone.
Entering this Act without 75% all resists is perfectly fine (in softcore!). The elemental damage you take here depends on which part of the Act you are in. The Mud Flats and the Tukohama fight requires Fire res, the Shavronne fight Lightning res, and the Brine King Cold and Lightning res. Using this, it’s okay if your resists initially look like 75% Fire, 50% Cold, and 50% Lightning (again, in softcore). In hardcore, ensure that all resists equal 75% or more.
Go to your hideout and throw each piece individually at the crafting bench to see if you can craft a Fire, Cold, or Lightning resist on them for 1 Orb of Transmutation each. Obviously only craft the types of resists you need!
Go out to The Coast and get the Waypoint, then go to the Mud Flats and complete the quest The Father of War.
Once at the Ridge Waypoint, take it back to The Coast and complete Bestel's Epic.
Use a Portal Scroll, complete Fallen From Grace, and return to town.
Step 2
Talk to Lily Roth for 2x Passive Respec Points. This vendor gives access to all gems in the game, but can be accessed from your hideout, so do the quest anyways.
Talk to Bestel for either a rare Leather Belt or Citrine Amulet, depending on which slot needs a bigger upgrade.
Talk to Tarkleigh for a Passive Skillpoint.
Travel to The Lower Prison and complete the Trial of Ascendancy there.
Finish the Essence of Umbra by killing Brutus and Shavronne. Grab the Spell Damage craft after the fight.
Step 3
Kill Abberath in Prisoner's Gate for The Cloven One.
Grab the Waypoint in The Riverways, then go north to The Wetlands and kill Ryslatha for The Puppet Mistress.
You may skip Abberath and Ryslatha until late Act 7 if your character is too weak at this point.
Return to town, then talk to Bestel for a Passive Skillpoint.
Talk to Tarkleigh for a rare Callous Mask and a Passive Skillpoint.
Complete the remaining questline to defeat The Brine King, then move onto Act 7.
Step 1
Select the Brine King Pantheon (the Keybind is Y by default)
Complete the quest The Silver Locket
Travel to The Crypt for the Trial of Ascendancy and the map for Essence of the Artist.
Waypoint back to The Crossroads, travel north to the Chamber of Sins, and complete Web of Secrets.
Do the Trial of Ascendancy while in the Chambers of Sin 2, and complete The Master of a Million Faces.
Step 2
Optionally, you may travel back to town at this point and talk to Helena for an amulet reward.
Gather the seven fireflies for the quest Lighting the Way, and kill Greust for the quest The Master of a Million Faces while in The Dread Thicket.
Exit The Dread Thicket and travel to The Causeway for Kishara's Star.
Get to the Waypoint in the Vaal City and talk to Yeena there, then return to town.
This also frees your inventory of the fireflies!
Step 3
Select the Pantheon Ralakesh, Master of a Million Faces.
Talk to Eramir for two Passive Skillpoints.
Talk to Weylam Roth to select the Quartz Flask and a Passive Skillpoint.
Talk to Helena and select the rare Carnal Boots.
After this, complete the Cruel Labyrinth.
Completing Cruel Lab awards you with Mastermind of Discord, which greatly increases your clear speed and damage!
Step 4
Finally, Waypoint back to The Vaal City, travel to Temple of Decay 2, and kill Arakaali. Avoid the cone of poisonous bolts, as well as the purple orbs that spawn far away and travel towards the boss. After this, move onto Act 8!
Step 1
Kill Doedre for the quest Essence of the Hag, then go to the right towards The Quay.
Complete the quest Love is Dead, then travel to the Grain Gate to complete The Gemling Legion.
Continue to the Solaris Temple and get the waypoint in Solaris Temple 1.
Complete the quest Solar Eclipse and return to town.
Step 2
Talk to Clarissa for a Passive Skillpoint.
Talk to Hargan for whichever Two-Stone ring reward you need the most.
Talk to Maramoa for a Passive Skillpoint.
Step 3: Level 54
After putting in the passive point Elemental Equilibrium, complete the Cruel Labyrinth.
Completing Cruel Lab awards you with Mastermind of Discord, which when used properly is a substantial DPS boost!
Elemental Equilibrium causes hits that deal elemental damage to inflict Exposure to other Elements. Explosive Arrow has a small Fire damage hit, followed by a massive Fire explosion. This initial hit does very little damage, but it is what counts for Elemental Equilibrium. To make this keystone apply exposure to Fire, your initial hit MUST do more damage with Cold or Lightning damage. To do this, get flat damage to Cold or Lightning on rings, amulet, or bow. This is also why the unique Storm Cloud is amazing for this build!
Go back to Solaris Temple 1, travel to the Solaris Concourse, through Harbour Bridge, then Lunaris Concourse.
Go to the Lunaris Temple 2 and complete Lunar Eclipse.
Travel to the Lunaris Concourse and kill the Twins Solaris the Eternal Sun and Lunaris the Eternal Eternal Moon. Stand behind Solaris when she throws her Fire Spear and move away when Lunaris fires Cold Rain from the Sky. Afterwards, continue onwards to Act 9 and the best zone in the campaign for farming - the Blood Aqueducts!
Step 1: Level 54
Your goal is to farm Blood Aqueducts until character level 64 for both gem levels and currency. While farming Blood Aqueduct you might find Humility cards, which sell for approximately 2 Chaos Orb at the start of a league. Sell these, as a 6 link is not needed. Feel free to start shopping for Palsteron's list down below!
The final goal we have of Blood Aqueduct is to farm gear that has good resistances. We want our resists to be close to 105% when killing Act 10 Kitava, as we get another penalty to our resistances. Mapping with ~60% resists is fine for softcore, but is a definite no-go in hardcore. Continue farming gear, currency, and xp in Blood Aqueducts until 64, then move on to act 10.
Step 2: Level 64
Go back to Lunaris Concourse in Act 8 to get the Trail of Ascendancy in the Bath House and complete the Reflection of Terror in the High Gardens.
Return to town and talk to Hargan for a Passive Skillpoint.
Complete the quest The Storm Blade. Return to town, then talk to Petarus and Vanja for any of the (useless) rare
Step 3: Level 64
Talk to Sin for the next quest item, then Petarus and Vanja again. Return back to the Vastiri Desert waypoint and complete the quest Queen of the Sands.
Return to town and talk to Irasha for a Passive Skillpoint.
Step 4
Kill The Basilisk in the Boiling Lake
Complete the quest Fastis Fortuna
Complete the Trial of Ascendancy in The Tunnel
Complete the Ruler of Highgate, then return to town and talk to Irasha for a Passive Skillpoint.
Step 5
Finish the quest Recurring Nightmare by killing Act 9 boss The Depraved Trinity. Avoid the boss' slam, and avoid getting hit by the scorpion ads that spawn. Next, move onto Act 10!
Step 1
Kill Plaguewing and complete the quest Safe Passage.
Place a portal in the middle of the Ruined Square, and go to the waypoint in the Control Blocks (left).
Take the waypoint back to town and talk to Lani in town for a Silver Flask.
This flask gives us a buff called Onslaught, which substantially increases our speed.
Step 2
Don't complete the quest Vilenta's Vengeance in the Control Blocks at this time if your character feels weak. Instead, go through your portal that you placed earlier and go to the right this time towards the Ossuary.
Complete the quest No Love for Old Ghosts and the Trial of Ascendancy in the Ossuary.
Complete the Merciless Labyrinth and choose the ascendancy point Heart of Destruction
Go a bit slower than normal in Merciless Labyrinth, as there is a difficulty spike. Stop for dark shrines, and try to get extra keys if they are along your path. We are looking for currency and gear, and Merciless lab can actually provide a lot of both.
Heart of Destruction grants the Convergence buff for 4 seconds whenever you hit a Unique enemy. Convergence grants 30% MORE elemental damage. When not affected by Convergence, you gain a massive 60% increased Area of Effect! The build really comes online with this ascendancy point.
Step 3
Kill Avarius to complete the quest Death and Rebirth, then return to town.
Talk to Bannon with the The Staff of Purity in your inventory.
Talk to Lani for a Blood Raiment.
Talk to Weylam Roth for 2x Passive Respec Points.
Step 4
Travel back to the Ravaged Square, talk to Innocence, and complete the quest An End to Hunger.
Kill Kitava, and move onto the mapping section below - congratulations on completing the campaign!
Note that killing Kitava reduces your overall resistances by 30%. We prepare for this by obtaining gear with as high resists as possible. Aim for 75% Fire, Cold, and Lightning Resists.
Act 1
Regex: [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Act 2
For Bandits, kill all for 2 Skill Points
Act 3
Skip Gravicius quest, do Library quest A Fixture of Fate instead.
Paste your regex string starting at level 24 to look for a four-link [rgb]-.-|b-b-r|b-[br]-b|r-b-b|nne
Act 4
Complete the Normal Labyrinth at level 32 and start using Explosive Arrow
Keep Resistances at 75% and keep identifying Rares for potential upgrades
Act 5
Get resists to 105% or at least close to
Farm Chamber of Innocence until at least Level 40
Act 6
Get Resistances back up to 75%
Take Brine King as Major Pantheon
Act 7
Take Ralakesh as Minor Pantheon
Complete your Cruel Labyrinth after collecting all Act 6 & 7 Quest Rewards Skill Points
Act 8
Level 54 before entering Blood Aqueducts
Act 9
Farm Blood Aqueducts until level 64.
Take Garukhan as Minor Pantheon
Act 10
Complete the Trials for the Merciless Lab and run it.
Continue gearing for 105% to All Resistances (75% post Kitava).
Pantheon
Pantheon Planner
For Information on how to unlock your Pantheon, consult our Pantheon Guide!
For the Major Pantheon select Brine King to gain Immunity to Freeze and the Reduction of Chill Effect. This bonus is not baseline and needs to be acquired with a Divine Vessel.
For Minor Pantheon, select Abberath and upgrade it. This grants you defences but more importantly Immunity to Burning Ground.
Mapping Preparation
You're done with the Campaign and are ready to take on Path of Exile's Endgame. Priority 1 is capping your Elemental Resistances (75%) and having sufficient Attributes to continue leveling your Skill Gems. Use Essences you have gathered on any item that is not Magic or Rare already. Items with an open modifier slot can be crafted on. Head to the Crafting Bench and craft Resistances you need and Life wherever else possible.
Map Modifiers
Avoid (or cautiously run) the following modifiers:
Avoid Chance to avoid Elemental Ailments because you can't Ignite frequently enough!
Take care of -% to maximum Resistances because you then get destroyed by Elemental Damage!
Avoid Reduced Effect of Auras because it will reduce your Armour and Evasion, making you vulnerable to attacks!
