The Siege Ballista Hierophant is a popular and effective build in Path of Exile that centers around summoning multiple Siege Ballista totems to deal high ranged physical and cold damage. This build is especially favored for its straightforward playstyle, strong damage output, and impressive survivability, making it a great choice for both league starters and experienced players PoE 1 Currency.
Core Mechanics and Playstyle
The build revolves around the unique bow Iron Commander, which grants an additional Siege Ballista totem for every 200 Dexterity the character has. This mechanic encourages heavy Dexterity stacking, allowing players to summon a large number of totems—often exceeding 15—significantly boosting overall damage. The Hierophant ascendancy synergizes well with this setup, particularly the Ritual of Awakening node, which increases damage, life regeneration, and mana regeneration per totem summoned, enhancing both offense and defense.
Siege Ballistas automatically fire powerful projectiles, and the build’s playstyle is very “lazy”: players primarily focus on moving around the map and placing totems while the totems handle most of the damage dealing. This makes it accessible and low-maintenance, suitable for players who prefer a less hands-on approach during combat.
Defensive Layers
Despite being a ranged totem build, the Siege Ballista Hierophant is surprisingly tanky. It benefits from:
1. 100% Spell Suppression via the Magebane Keystone, reducing incoming spell damage.
2. Over 75% chance to evade attacks.
3. More than 60% physical damage reduction.
4. Immunity to elemental ailments.
5. High life regeneration, often around 1200 life per second.
These defensive layers make the build resilient against a variety of threats, allowing it to survive high-level content and bosses with relative ease.
Gear and Budget
One of the strengths of the Siege Ballista Hierophant is its accessibility. It can be started on a low budget using cheap unique items, making it ideal for new leagues. As players progress, they can invest in better gear to increase Dexterity and damage, further enhancing the number of totems and overall DPS. Key items include the Iron Commander bow and rings like Thread of Hope and Brutal Restraint to boost Dexterity and totem count Divine poe 1.
Summary
The Siege Ballista Hierophant is a Dexterity-stacking totem build that combines high damage output with excellent survivability. It offers a simple, one-button playstyle focused on placing totems while benefiting from strong defensive layers and scalable damage through Dexterity investment. Its low budget requirements and effectiveness across various content make it a top recommendation for both new and veteran Path of Exile players.
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