Fireball Blood Mage Build Guide
Early Access
If you like massive cold and frost explosions, projectiles flying all over the screen, and using your own life to cast spells then the endgame version of Fireball Blood Mage Witch is for you. This build quickly spends then recovers life, leading to a fast-paced endgame play style. Shattering and shocking monsters while littering the screen with Fireballs.
This build places Frost Wall down and shatters them with Fireballs, exploding the crystals, all while raining Archmage empowered Comets on bosses.
Scaling into the endgame, you utilize Archmage along with Crimson Power to scale your mana and life total to extremely high levels. Atziri's Disdain allows you to use Eldritch Battery, and still retain a decent amount of energy shield. With Blueflame Bracers you convert your Fireballs to deal cold damage, allowing them to freeze and with Archmage it allows them to shock!
Note: You do not need resistances on any specific item, just get the required total resistances amongst all gear combined. You need to cap your Resistances at 75% unless otherwise specified in the guide!
Early Access
Path of Exile 2 is currently in early access, this means rapid development including frequent changes to builds as there are balance fixes and we learn more. Pin this page to be notified of any updates.
Leveling Guide
This guide assumes you are at least level 68 and have completed Act 3 Cruel, to learn more about the leveling process check out our Fireball Blood Mage leveling guide.
Skills
Fireball Blood Mage
- Fireball is the main skill used in this build. It shoots out a projectile that explodes when it hits an enemy or obstacle. Upon exploding it creates smaller projectiles that also fan out. Combined with the Wildshards support, 20% of the time it fires 8 projectiles in a circle, all of which explode and cause even more projectiles to fire out. With this support, you want to play a more point-blank play style, so you can shotgun them more often. Which leads to the next main skill gem, Frost Wall.
- Frost Wall works in combination with Fireball, you place this skill down first, and then shoot the Fireball into it. This causes it to explode, dealing massive cold damage and also allowing the Fireball to shotgun and shoot out projectiles everywhere.
- Once you have Crimson Power and Eldritch Battery, Archmage becomes a core part of this builds scaling into endgame. Archmage grants you extra lightning damage per 100 mana, adding a ton of damage. Crimson Power gives life based on the energy shield total from your body armor, combined with Eldritch Battery, this then converts that energy shield into mana.
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- Cast on Freeze is another important part of the puzzle. The Blueflame Bracers convert your fire damage into cold damage, this allows Fireball to freeze. With some investment into freeze buildup on the tree, such as Climate Change, Fireball generates a large amount of energy while mapping. Fireball naturally hits a ton of monsters and explodes causing it to rapidly generate Cast on Freeze Comet.
Boss Fights
- Cast on Shock is a different trigger gem that is used instead of Cast on Freeze, specifically for bosses. This is only needed for pinnacle bosses, or early gear levels for map bosses. Cast on Shock only works once you have Archmage. Archmage allows Fireball to shock, however, it doesn't work very well for mapping. On bosses it generates far more energy than Cast on Freeze, triggering many more Comet. Keep in mind that shock chance is based on your damage dealt, so the more damage, the higher the chance to shock. You may need to invest into shock chance on the tree and/or jewels if you have low damage.
- Eye of Winter is only used for boss fights. This gem is to help proc Sanguimancy, as well as a good source of extra damage from critical weakness and cold exposure. You open with this until the boss is debuffed with 10% increased critical strike chance.
- Flame Wall is another gem that works in combination. When Fireball passes through the Flame Wall, it allows it to ignite and also adds fire damage. Ideally you place this down on bosses along with Frost Wall, before shooting the Fireball. With the Fortress support gem, this causes Flame Wall to become a circle of fire and makes it much easier to play with Wildshards. This also enables the passive point Echoing Flames.
Skill Rotation
Single Target
Clear
- Eye of Winter on the boss until the debuff reaches 10 stacks.
- Drop Flame Wall on top of the boss.
- Drop multiple Frost Walls on top of the boss.
- Explode them with Fireball.
- Drop Frost Wall on the enemies.
- Fireball to explode the Frost Walls.
Skill Leveling Priority
Passives
Fireball Blood Mage
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- Once you get Heavy Frost, you ignore enemy resistances while enemies are frozen. This is nice for bosses especially or tanky rares. It adds a lot of value to the Freeze Buildup stat.
- If you ever have any mana issues, try taking Deep Trance, this reduces life and mana costs.
Ascendancy
Fireball Blood Mage
How to Ascend
Learn how to complete the Trial of the Sekhemas and Trial of Chaos to earn your first 2 Ascensions with our Ascension Guide!
- You takeSanguimancy and Vitality Siphon at the same time. Sanguimancy is required to take other Blood Mage nodes, it causes all spells to cost life as well as mana. This is a major downside, however, it does also provide a ton of recovery with Life Remnants. These spawn after killing monsters and critically hitting bosses. They grant health globes that heal and overflow your life, up to double your normal maximum. Health globes can spawn when killing Frost Walls, this makes standing on top of your Frost Walls when blowing them up with Fireball even better.
- Vitality Siphon grants spell leech, currently the only source of it in the game. This grants a ton of extra recovery, making it very nice for bossing especially.
- Grasping Wounds is taken third, this prevents 25% of damage from hits, causing the life to be lost over 4 seconds instead. This is great paired with Vitality Siphon, and makes it MUCH less likely for you to be 1-shot.
- Crimson Power is taken last, this grants you life equal to your body armor's energy shield. This works really well in combination with Eldritch Battery, Atziri's Disdain, and Archmage.
Gearing
Fireball Blood Mage
Offensive Scaling
- All Spell Skill Gem levels provide the biggest damage increase, however it also increases both mana and life cost. Scaling gems too fast with low life and mana causes you to struggle with costs.
- Spell damage and Elemental damage increases scale all your damage.
- Every 100 maximum mana grants you extra lightning damage from Archmage.
- Shock Magnitude causes your shocks to increase damage taken on the target by more than the normal 20%.
- Spell Critical Strike increases your damage and also causes more Life Remnants to proc on bosses.
- Cast Speed makes the character feel much better to play.
Defensive Scaling
- Sufficient +#% to Fire, Cold, Lightning and Chaos Resistance to cap your Resistances
- Resistances to scale your elemental defenses into the endgame.
- +# to Maximum Life.
- A shield with a high % Block Chance.
- A body armour with high energy shield once you have Crimson Power. Before you have it, Cloak of Flame is a nice option.
- Atziri's Disdain grants you % energy shield based on your maximum life, making it a great addition with Crimson Power.
- If you are still struggling check out our Survival Guide for additional useful information!
Here's how you should gear your Fireball Blood Mage. Sorted mostly in order of importance
Weapons
- Look for Weapons with the following stats:
- +All to Spell Skill Gems
- +% Spell Damage
- +# to Maximum Mana
- +% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
- +% Critical Strike Chance to Spells
- +% Cast Speed
- +% Shock Chance (on low damage)
- Gain % damage as extra element is lower priority with Archmage, but it is still good damage.
Body Armour
Shield
Gloves
Boots
Rings
Amulet
Belt
Jewels
Atlas Passives
Fireball Blood Mage
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- Early on Waystones found have a % chance to be a higher tier, is good for progression. Make sure you use your highest waystones on bosses.
- This build excels at doing Breach and Ritual specifically, though it can do all mechanics very well!
- Deadly Evolution should only be taken once you have very endgame gear. It makes rare monsters and unique monsters significantly stronger, but they drop way more loot.
Endgame Activities
Learn about the endgame activities available to you in Path of Exile 2 with our guide!
FAQ
Fireball Blood Mage
When should I swap to Archmage?
Once you have a body armour with around 400-500 energy shield and Crimson Power, you can take Eldritch Battery and switch to Archmage. Keep in mind you can always drop Vitality Siphon for Crimson Power if you find a good body armour early on and swap it back later.
Why are my Frostwalls not dying in 1-Fireball?
What should I socket into my gear?
How do I get 190 Spirit?! What if I only have 160?
Why am I not shocking that much?
I struggle with my attributes, what should I do?
I keep dying! Is there any way to solve my defense?
What bonuses should I choose from relics in Act 2 and venom drought in Act 3?
Video
Fireball Blood Mage
Summary
Fireball Blood Mage
- The Fireball Blood Mage uses life to cast devasting Fireballs to blow up Frost Walls causing Archmage empowered Comets to fall from above.
- Very fast paced gameplay with health being used as a resource and overflowing constantly while killing monsters.
- Freezing with Blueflame Bracers, shocking with Archmage, and igniting with Flame Wall, you make use of every element.
- This very tanky Witch is perfect for a melee/ranged play style, while still dealing a lot of damage.
- Massive health and energy shield pool with the use of Crimson Power and Atziri's Disdain, any high density league mechanic becomes easier rather than harder with Grim Feast and Life Remnants backing you up!