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Path of Exile’s Keepers of the Flame season has begun, and we’re looking at a powerful, fun build in the Explosive Arrow Champion. If you want to be tanky, and obliterate screens full of foes in relatively short order, this is the build for you. While I personally prefer Minion builds, most of my early time in PoE was filled with Totem builds, so this is something I’d definitely grind with.If you’re looking for a build that isn’t going to break the bank, and is going to be reasonably easy to play, I think Explosive Arrow Champion is a great Path of Exile build to return to the game with. Here’s what you need to know about this fun way to play a Duelist.Pros and Cons of an Explosive Arrow Champion build in Path of Exile 3.27ProsSafe and easy to play.Isn’t an expensive build to play, making it solid for beginners and SSF veterans.Tanky, so you don’t have to worry about waiting for damage to kick off.ConsDoesn’t feature much in the way of mobility, so you have to stay on your toes.You have to wait for your damage to kick off, so you aren’t killing things right away.I love the Explosive Arrow Champion in Path of Exile, because you drop totems, and obliterate enemies with Ignite. Totems scale with your stats, making it important that you have enough of things like Attack Speed, Increases to Fire/Burning/Elemental damage, and other useful stats. The only real downside for me is you have to wait for the damage.How to play Explosive Arrow Champion build in Path of Exile 3.27It's so satisfying to watch enemies erupt into flames (Image via GGG/YouTube@ZizaranIt’s pretty easy to play an Explosive Arrow Champion in Path of Exile 3.27. The key feature is Explosive Arrow, which triggers Ignite. Thanks to the Ballista Totem, we fire a bunch of arrows. When arrows hit an enemy, they light a Fuse on that enemy. Then, there’s a delay where you need to fire as many arrows as possible to get more Fuses out there. At the end, they explode into a huge Ignite.You can just keep running through packs of enemies, dropping your totems, and letting them trigger, spreading the pain with Ignite Proliferation Support, and similar gems. Other than Flame Dash you really don’t have much in the way of movement. It’s also an incredibly tanky build, thanks to being a Champion. You are also going to need sources of Attack Speed in this build, to get as many arrows out as possible. That can be picked up with Jewels (Viridian), or in some weapons as well. It's something to keep an eye out for.While this isn’t the most powerful, or most top-tier build, it’s a fun, neat one, that can deliver in terms of map clear. However, one of the most important things to keep in mind is that you want a 100% chance to Ignite, to get the absolute most out of your damage. You also want a 100% chance to ignite without Flammability, because you aren’t always going to curse enemies.Idealgame skill gemsBow: Explosive Arrow, Combustion Support, Ballista Totem Support, Lifetap Support, Elemental Damage with Attacks Support, Ignite Proliferation SupportBody: Frenzy, Lifetap Support, Blink Arrow, Culling Strike Support, Enduring Cry, Urgent Orders SupportHelmet: Determination, Malevolence, Summon Skitterbots, Unbound Ailments SupportGloves: Flammability, Flame Surge, Arcanist Brand, Lifetap SupportFeet: Cast When Damage Taken Support, Vaal Molten Shell, Lifetap Support, Flame DashAnywhere: Corrupting Fever, Lifetap Support, Second Wind SupportIf you’re struggling to find some of your gems, you can get Lifetap Support from An Indomitable Spirit quest in Act 4, or purchase it from Nessa. Elemental Damage with Attacks Support is also in Act 4, from the same quest, or you can buy it from Yeena. Frenzy is found in Act 2’s Intruders in Black quest, or, you can buy it from Yeena.Below are a few more important things to note as you’re going through the game as an Explosive Arrow Champion in Path of Exile, such as your Major and Minor God of choice, and what to do during the Bandit Quest.Important topicsBandit Quest: Kill AllMajor God: Soul of the Brine KingMinor God: Soul of GarukhanPassive Talents and Ascendancy for Explosive Arrow Champion buildThis is what you can likely expect your talent tree to look like (Image via GGG)Above, you can see the rough path you’re going to take as a high-level Explosive Arrow player in Path of Exile. There are a few rather important nodes, because they give you additional Totems/Totem damage, such as Ancestral Bond, Watchtowers, and Surveillance.Once you have Precise Technique, you’re going to want to keep an eye on your stats. It needs your accuracy to be higher than your life , so keep a very close eye on that.Here are your Champion Ascendancy points (Image via GGG)As far as your Ascendancy (Champion) goes, the most important nodes are Worthy Foe, Fortitude, and First to Strike, Last to Fall. These Taunt enemies, which in turn makes them take more damage. Then, you get Fortitification for your nearby Allies, and making your hits permanently Intimidate enemies that are Full Life.Ideal Gear setup for Explosive Arrow Champion build in Path of Exile 3.27GearAffixesHelmetEvasion Rating, Increased Armour and Evasion, Maximum LifeBody ArmorChance to Suppress Spell Damage, Armour, Evasion RatingAmuletLevel of All Skill Gems, Level of all Fire Skill GemsBelt (Dyadian Dawn)Deal no Physical Damage, Attack Damage Leeched as Life against Chilled Enemies, Ignites You Inflict with Attacks Deal Damage FasterGlovesChance to Suppress Spell Damage, Armour, Evasion RatingRingsMaximum Life, Increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills, Dexterity and IntelligenceBootsChance to Suppress Spell Damage, Movement Speed, Maximum LifeWeaponLevel of Socketed Gems, Level of Socketed Bow Gems, Increased Elemental Damage with Attack SkillsQuiverDamage Over Time Multiplier with Attack Skills, Fire Damage Over Time Multiplier With Attack Skills, Increased Movement SpeedAbove are some ideal affixes you may want for your Explosive Arrow Champion build in Path of Exile’s patch 3.27. One of the great things is there’s only one Unique that you’re likely going to pick up, and that’s the Dyadian Dawn Heavy Belt. In terms of bows, you definitely want a fast bow, ideally Short Grove or Grove Bow.Since this isn’t a very recovery-heavy build, I recommend a solid Divine Flask for health, and a few solid flasks to go with it. Granite Flask, Quicksilver Flask, Quartz Flask and Jade Flask are nice. Viridian Jewels also go nicely with this build.Check out our other Path of Exile guides and features7 best League starters for Path of Exile 3.27All Bloodline Ascendancies in Path of Exile known so farPath of Exile 2 Review (Early Access)
