Path Of Exile Crit Build Transition Guide With 100 Divine Orbs

Introduction

In the world of Path of Exile, optimizing your character's damage output is a never-ending quest. One of the most popular and effective ways to achieve high damage is by focusing on critical strikes, often referred to as a "crit build." A critical strike build amplifies your damage significantly by increasing the chance and multiplier of dealing critical hits. However, transitioning to a crit build can be a substantial investment, requiring specific gear, passive skill tree allocations, and understanding of game mechanics. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how to transition to a crit build in Path of Exile with a budget of 100 Divine Orbs. We'll delve into the essential components, considerations, and strategies to make the most of your investment and create a powerful, crit-focused character. This will cover various aspects from selecting the right base class and skills to gearing up effectively, ensuring you can navigate Path of Exile's challenging content with confidence.

Understanding Crit Mechanics

Before diving into the specifics of building a crit character, it's crucial to understand the underlying mechanics. The two core components of a crit build are critical strike chance and critical strike multiplier. Critical strike chance determines how likely your attacks are to deal a critical hit, while the critical strike multiplier dictates the bonus damage applied on a critical hit. A high critical strike chance ensures that you consistently deal critical damage, while a high critical strike multiplier amplifies the impact of each critical hit. The base critical strike chance for most skills is around 5%, so increasing this through gear, passive skills, and support gems is paramount for a crit build. Similarly, the base critical strike multiplier is 150%, and this can be significantly increased through various means. To effectively build a crit character, you need to balance both critical strike chance and multiplier to maximize your overall damage output. This involves carefully selecting gear with crit-related modifiers, allocating passive skill points strategically, and choosing support gems that enhance your critical strike capabilities. Moreover, understanding how these mechanics interact with other damage scaling methods, such as elemental damage or physical damage conversion, is crucial for optimizing your build's performance. By mastering the fundamentals of crit mechanics, you can make informed decisions about your character's progression and gear choices, ultimately leading to a more powerful and enjoyable Path of Exile experience.

Assessing Your Current Build

Before making the switch to a crit build, it's crucial to evaluate your current character setup. This involves analyzing your current gear, passive skill tree, and skill gem links. Ask yourself: What is your current damage output?, How effective is your current build against different types of enemies?, and What are the primary weaknesses of your current setup? Identifying these factors will help you determine the areas where a crit build can provide the most significant improvements. For instance, if your current build struggles with single-target damage, transitioning to a crit build can provide a substantial boost due to the high damage amplification provided by critical strikes. On the other hand, if your current build already has high damage but lacks survivability, you'll need to ensure that your crit build incorporates defensive layers to compensate. Additionally, consider the cost of transitioning. Some builds are more easily converted to crit than others, depending on the skill tree layout and the availability of suitable gear. If your current build relies heavily on specific non-crit mechanics, such as ignite or poison, transitioning to crit may require a more radical overhaul of your character. Evaluating your current build also involves assessing your existing gear. Look for items that can be easily repurposed for a crit build, such as weapons with high physical or elemental damage, or jewelry with critical strike chance or multiplier modifiers. Identifying these items can help reduce the overall cost of transitioning, as you won't need to replace every piece of gear. By thoroughly assessing your current build, you can make a more informed decision about whether transitioning to crit is the right choice for your character and develop a plan for a smooth and effective transition.

Class and Skill Selection

Choosing the Right Class

The first step in transitioning to a crit build is selecting a class that synergizes well with critical strike mechanics. Several classes in Path of Exile are particularly well-suited for crit builds, each offering unique advantages. The Shadow class, with its Assassin and Saboteur ascendancies, is a popular choice for crit builds due to its inherent bonuses to critical strike chance, multiplier, and general damage. The Assassin ascendancy offers powerful nodes like Ambush and Assassinate, which significantly boost crit chance and damage against enemies. The Saboteur ascendancy, on the other hand, provides trap and mine-focused crit builds with enhanced trap trigger radius and increased trap damage. The Ranger class, particularly the Deadeye and Pathfinder ascendancies, also excels in crit builds. The Deadeye ascendancy offers increased projectile damage and critical strike chance, while the Pathfinder ascendancy provides elemental damage conversion and boosts to critical strike chance and multiplier. The Duelist class, with its Gladiator and Slayer ascendancies, is another viable option. The Gladiator ascendancy offers bleeding-focused crit builds, while the Slayer ascendancy provides high attack speed and critical strike chance. The Templar class, specifically the Inquisitor ascendancy, is a strong choice for elemental crit builds. The Inquisitor ascendancy offers elemental penetration and increased critical strike chance against enemies. When choosing a class, consider your preferred playstyle and the types of skills you want to use. Some classes are better suited for melee crit builds, while others excel in ranged or spell-based crit builds. Additionally, consider the ascendancy nodes offered by each class and how they synergize with your chosen skills and playstyle. By selecting a class that aligns with your build goals, you'll be well-positioned for a successful transition to a crit-focused character.

Selecting Key Skills

Once you've chosen your class, the next step is selecting the skills that will form the core of your crit build. Certain skills naturally lend themselves to critical strike builds due to their inherent damage scaling and interaction with crit mechanics. Skills that deal high damage per hit, such as Blade Flurry, Reave, and Cyclone for melee builds, are excellent choices for crit builds. These skills can benefit significantly from the damage amplification provided by critical strikes. For ranged builds, skills like Tornado Shot, Lightning Arrow, and Ice Shot are popular choices. These skills can hit multiple enemies, making them effective for clearing packs of monsters, and their high damage output is further enhanced by critical strikes. For spellcasters, skills like Arc, Storm Call, and Freezing Pulse are commonly used in crit builds. These spells can deal substantial damage, and their critical strike chance can be further increased through passive skills and gear. When selecting skills for your crit build, consider the skill's base damage, attack or cast speed, and inherent critical strike chance. Skills with higher base damage and critical strike chance will generally scale better with crit mechanics. Additionally, consider the skill's range, area of effect, and targeting mechanics. Skills that can hit multiple enemies or target enemies from a distance are often preferred for crit builds, as they provide better clear speed and survivability. It's also important to consider the skill's gem links. Crit builds typically require specific support gems to maximize their damage output, such as Increased Critical Strikes, Critical Damage, and Elemental Damage with Attacks. By carefully selecting your skills and support gems, you can create a powerful crit build that can tackle a wide range of content in Path of Exile.

Gearing Up for Crit

Weapon Selection

The weapon you choose is one of the most critical components of a crit build. The right weapon can significantly boost your damage output and critical strike capabilities. For melee builds, weapons with high physical damage and critical strike chance are ideal. Swords, axes, and daggers are all viable options, depending on your chosen skill and playstyle. Swords generally offer a balance of damage and attack speed, while axes provide higher damage but slower attack speed. Daggers excel in critical strike builds due to their inherent critical strike chance bonus. Look for weapons with modifiers such as increased physical damage, critical strike chance, and critical strike multiplier. For ranged builds, bows with high physical damage and attack speed are preferred. Bows with elemental damage modifiers can also be effective, depending on your chosen skills and damage conversion mechanics. For spellcasters, wands, sceptres, and daggers are commonly used. These weapons typically offer bonuses to spell damage, critical strike chance, and critical strike multiplier. Wands are generally preferred for their cast speed bonus, while sceptres provide a balance of damage and utility. Daggers, as mentioned earlier, offer a critical strike chance bonus. When selecting a weapon, consider its base stats, implicit modifiers, and explicit modifiers. The base stats of the weapon determine its damage range and attack or cast speed. Implicit modifiers are inherent bonuses that the weapon provides, such as increased critical strike chance for daggers. Explicit modifiers are the additional bonuses that can be found on the weapon, such as increased physical damage or critical strike multiplier. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can choose a weapon that perfectly complements your crit build and maximizes your damage output.

Armor and Jewelry

While your weapon is the primary source of damage for a crit build, your armor and jewelry play a crucial role in enhancing your survivability and critical strike capabilities. Armor pieces should focus on providing both defensive stats and critical strike-related modifiers. Chest armor with high evasion rating or armor value is essential for survivability, while gloves and boots with attack or cast speed can significantly boost your damage output. Look for armor pieces with modifiers such as increased critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, and elemental resistance. Jewelry, including amulets, rings, and belts, is where you can significantly enhance your critical strike stats. Amulets with increased critical strike multiplier or global critical strike chance are highly sought after for crit builds. Rings with increased critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, and elemental resistance are also valuable. Belts can provide additional defensive stats, such as increased life or energy shield, as well as offensive modifiers like increased damage or critical strike chance. When selecting armor and jewelry, prioritize items with a combination of defensive and offensive stats. It's important to strike a balance between damage output and survivability to ensure that your character can withstand incoming attacks while dealing significant damage. Additionally, consider the item's sockets and links. Sockets allow you to equip support gems that enhance your skills, while links determine which gems can be linked together. Armor pieces with the correct number of sockets and links can significantly improve your build's effectiveness. By carefully selecting your armor and jewelry, you can create a well-rounded character that can both deal and withstand damage, making you a formidable force in Path of Exile.

Budget Allocation (100 Divines)

With a budget of 100 Divine Orbs, you have a significant amount of currency to invest in your crit build. However, it's crucial to allocate your budget wisely to ensure that you get the most value for your investment. A common strategy is to prioritize your weapon first, as it is the primary source of damage for most crit builds. Allocate a significant portion of your budget (e.g., 40-50 Divine Orbs) to acquire a high-quality weapon with the desired modifiers. Look for a weapon with high physical or elemental damage, critical strike chance, and critical strike multiplier. Next, focus on your armor and jewelry. Allocate approximately 30-40 Divine Orbs to acquire pieces with a combination of defensive and offensive stats. Prioritize items with critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, elemental resistance, and life or energy shield. Finally, allocate the remaining 10-20 Divine Orbs to acquire support gems, flasks, and other utility items. Support gems can significantly enhance your skills, so it's important to invest in high-level or corrupted gems with desirable modifiers. Flasks provide essential buffs and sustain, so make sure to acquire flasks with useful effects, such as increased movement speed, damage, or resistance. It's also important to consider the cost of crafting or modifying your gear. Some items may require additional crafting materials or currency to achieve the desired modifiers. Factor these costs into your budget when making purchasing decisions. By allocating your budget strategically, you can acquire the essential gear and support items needed to create a powerful crit build within your 100 Divine Orb budget.

Passive Skill Tree

Key Passive Nodes

The passive skill tree is a crucial element of any Path of Exile build, and crit builds are no exception. Certain passive nodes are essential for optimizing your critical strike capabilities and overall damage output. Critical strike chance nodes are a must-have for any crit build. These nodes increase your chance to deal critical hits, ensuring that you consistently deal amplified damage. Critical strike multiplier nodes are equally important, as they increase the bonus damage applied on a critical hit. These nodes significantly boost your overall damage output. Weapon-specific nodes that increase damage with your chosen weapon type are also crucial. These nodes provide a substantial damage boost and synergize well with crit mechanics. For example, if you're using a sword, you'll want to invest in sword-specific damage nodes. Elemental damage nodes are essential for elemental crit builds. These nodes increase your elemental damage, which is amplified by critical strikes. Life or energy shield nodes are crucial for survivability. These nodes increase your maximum life or energy shield, making you more resilient to incoming damage. When allocating passive skill points, prioritize nodes that directly enhance your critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, and damage output. Balance these offensive nodes with defensive nodes to ensure that your character can both deal and withstand damage. It's also important to consider the pathing and efficiency of your skill tree. Plan your pathing carefully to minimize travel nodes and maximize the number of beneficial nodes you acquire. By strategically allocating your passive skill points, you can create a powerful and efficient crit build that can tackle a wide range of content in Path of Exile.

Jewel Sockets

Jewel sockets provide a valuable opportunity to further customize and enhance your crit build. Jewels can provide a wide range of modifiers, including increased critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, damage, and survivability. Certain jewels, such as Watcher's Eye and Thread of Hope, can offer powerful and unique bonuses that significantly enhance your build. Watcher's Eye jewels provide modifiers that enhance the effects of your auras, while Thread of Hope jewels allow you to allocate passive skill points outside your normal reach. When selecting jewels for your crit build, prioritize modifiers that synergize with your chosen skills and playstyle. Jewels with increased critical strike chance or critical strike multiplier are always valuable, as they directly boost your damage output. Jewels with increased damage of your chosen damage type (e.g., physical, elemental) can also provide a significant damage boost. Additionally, consider jewels with defensive modifiers, such as increased life or energy shield, to enhance your survivability. It's important to carefully evaluate the cost and benefit of each jewel before making a purchase. Some jewels can be quite expensive, so it's essential to ensure that the jewel provides a significant improvement to your build. Consider the number of jewel sockets available in your passive skill tree and allocate your budget accordingly. Prioritize jewels that provide the most impactful modifiers for your build. By strategically utilizing jewel sockets, you can further optimize your crit build and achieve even greater levels of damage and survivability.

Optimizing Your Playstyle

Flask Management

Flasks are an essential part of any Path of Exile build, and crit builds are no exception. Flasks provide temporary buffs and sustain, allowing you to deal more damage and survive challenging encounters. For crit builds, flasks with increased critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, and attack or cast speed are particularly valuable. These flasks can significantly boost your damage output during critical moments. Flasks with elemental resistance and life or energy shield recovery are also crucial for survivability. These flasks can help you mitigate incoming damage and recover lost health or energy shield. When selecting flasks for your crit build, prioritize flasks with useful effects and modifiers. Flasks with increased duration and reduced charges used are also beneficial, as they allow you to maintain the flask's effects for longer. It's important to manage your flasks effectively during combat. Use your flasks strategically to maximize their benefits. For example, use your damage flasks when facing tough enemies or bosses, and use your defensive flasks when taking heavy damage. Flask management is a skill that can be honed with practice. Pay attention to the cooldowns and durations of your flasks, and try to use them at the optimal times. By mastering flask management, you can significantly improve your survivability and damage output, making you a more formidable force in Path of Exile.

Positioning and Movement

Effective positioning and movement are crucial for maximizing your damage output and survivability in Path of Exile. For crit builds, positioning is particularly important, as you need to be in a position to deal damage while avoiding incoming attacks. If you're playing a melee crit build, you'll need to position yourself carefully to ensure that you can hit enemies without taking excessive damage. Use movement skills, such as Whirling Blades or Leap Slam, to quickly reposition yourself and avoid dangerous situations. If you're playing a ranged or spell-based crit build, positioning is even more critical. You'll need to maintain a safe distance from enemies while still being able to deal damage. Use movement skills and positioning to kite enemies and avoid getting surrounded. Awareness of enemy attack patterns is also crucial for effective positioning and movement. Learn to recognize enemy attack animations and telegraphs, and use this knowledge to anticipate and avoid incoming attacks. Practice your movement and positioning in various combat scenarios, such as mapping, boss fights, and delves. With practice, you'll develop the reflexes and awareness needed to position yourself effectively in any situation. By mastering positioning and movement, you can significantly improve your survivability and damage output, making you a more effective player in Path of Exile.

Conclusion

Transitioning to a crit build in Path of Exile with a 100 Divine Orb budget is a feasible and rewarding endeavor. By understanding crit mechanics, carefully selecting your class and skills, gearing up effectively, and optimizing your playstyle, you can create a powerful character capable of tackling challenging content. Remember to prioritize your weapon, balance offensive and defensive stats, and manage your flasks wisely. With dedication and strategic planning, you can unleash the full potential of a crit build and dominate the world of Wraeclast. This guide provides a solid foundation for transitioning to a crit build, but remember that Path of Exile is a constantly evolving game. Stay updated with the latest patch notes and community discussions to refine your build and adapt to new challenges. Experiment with different skills, gear combinations, and passive skill tree layouts to find what works best for your playstyle. With continuous learning and experimentation, you can become a master of crit builds and achieve even greater success in Path of Exile. Happy gaming, and may your crits always be with you!