Top 3 AoE Builds for High Damage and Fast Clear Speed in Path of Exile

Greetings, Exiles! In today's article, we’re diving into three incredible Area of Effect Top 3 AoE Builds for High Damage and Fast Clear Speed in Path of Exile(AoE) builds in Path of Exile that are sure to improve your damage output and clear speed.

Whether you're into massive boss damage or clearing maps at lightning speed, these builds will have you covered. And the best part? We’ve provided helpful tips on their survivability, budgets, and pros and cons so you can choose the one that fits your playstyle.

1. Ultimate Sweep Slayer - Duelist Class

Pros

• Massive Boss Damage: The Ultimate Sweep Slayer delivers powerful hits with its sweeping attacks, capable of killing endgame bosses like Guardians in just a few strikes. With only 4-5 sword spins, you’ll feel like a powerhouse!

• Incredible Clear Speed: Thanks to the massive AoE of the Sweep skill, you can cover nearly the entire screen, wiping out mobs quickly and efficiently.

Cons

• Low Survivability: The biggest drawback of this build is that you need to stay close to enemies while attacking. This makes you vulnerable, so be sure to outlevel the maps you're in and invest in defense to stay alive.

• Limited Attack Speed: While Sweep delivers massive damage, the attack speed isn’t as fast as other skills, which might feel slow in certain situations.

Budget

• Early Endgame: You can start this build with about 90 chaos and easily clear early endgame maps.

• Comfortable Yellow Maps: To move comfortably into yellow maps, invest around 150 chaos.

• Full Atlas Completion: For a complete Atlas run, expect to spend around 6 Divines.

Ratings

• Clear Speed: 9/10 – The AoE is huge, but the lack of movement during attacks slightly lowers the score.

• Boss Damage: 10/10 – The power of Sweep makes quick work of bosses.

• Survivability: 8/10 – Defense layers like fortify, evasion, and spell suppression help, but staying still during attacks is risky.

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2. Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant - Templar Class

Pros

• Unbelievable Boss Damage: The Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant makes use of Archmage support to convert mana into extra lightning damage. This results in an AoE explosion of Ice Novas on every frostbolt, shredding bosses in seconds.

• Exceptional Clear Speed: With Frostblink and Wintery Blast, you can zoom through maps, casting Ice Novas in all directions, obliterating everything in your path.

Cons

• High Investment Required: This build isn’t cheap. You need around 10 Divine Orbs to get it running smoothly.

• Mana Gear Dependency: You need equipment that boosts your mana, which can be a challenge during the gearing process.

Budget

• Minimum Investment: This build requires at least 10 Divine Orbs for optimal performance.

• Mandatory Unique Items: Kitava’s Thirst (helmet) and Anathema Ring are essential for improving your clear speed and damage output.

Ratings

• Clear Speed: 10/10 – With non-stop Ice Nova explosions and the ability to speed through maps, this build excels in clear speed.

• Boss Damage: 10/10 – The synergy between Ice Nova and frostbolts guarantees rapid boss kills.

• Survivability: 9/10 – The huge mana pool and energy shield, combined with instant leech, provide solid survivability.

3. Cyclone of Tumult Slayer - Duelist Class

Pros

• Fast and Fluid Gameplay: The Cyclone of Tumult Slayer build offers smooth movement, making it incredibly satisfying to wipe out enemies while constantly moving. With the reworked melee buffs and Ancestral Totems, you’ll feel powerful all the time.

• High Boss Damage: Once fully geared, you’ll reach over 15 million DPS, allowing you to melt even the toughest bosses in seconds.

• Ease of Setup: Compared to other builds, this one is straightforward and easy to assemble.

Cons

• Low Survivability During Leveling: While survivability is high once fully built, leveling can be tricky. Staying too close to enemies puts you in danger, so it’s important to pace your progression and level up before tackling higher-tier content.

• Stun Immunity: While stun immunity is available through cluster jewels, they’re not accessible early on. However, you can mitigate this with evasion nodes if you're having issues with stuns.

Budget

• Early Endgame: You can start this build with only 90 chaos and clear early endgame content.

• Yellow Maps: To progress comfortably into yellow maps, 150 chaos is a good investment.

• Full Atlas Completion: Aim for around 6 Divines for a fully optimized build.

• Mandatory Unique Item: Stampede Boots are essential for maintaining movement speed, which ensures the downside of Cyclone’s movement doesn’t slow you down.

Ratings

• Clear Speed: 9/10 – With Cyclone's high AoE and continuous movement, you can farm maps quickly and efficiently.

• Boss Damage: 10/10 – High DPS makes boss kills swift and satisfying.

• Survivability: 9/10 – With high armor, evasion, spell suppression, and instant life leech, you’ll be tough to kill.

Conclusion

These three AoE builds offer unique advantages depending on your playstyle, whether you prefer overwhelming boss damage or blitzing through maps at lightning speed. Each build has its own set of challenges, but with the right investments and strategy, you'll be clearing endgame content in no time.

Which build do you think is the most exciting? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave a thumbs up if this guide helped you!

Happy building, Exiles!

FAQs about AoE Builds in Path of Exile

1. What is an AoE build in Path of Exile?

An AoE (Area of Effect) build focuses on dealing damage to multiple enemies at once, usually with skills that have a large area of impact. These builds are excellent for clearing maps and handling large groups of monsters.

2. What are the best AoE builds for fast leveling?

The Ultimate Sweep Slayer and Cyclone of Tumult Slayer are great for fast leveling due to their powerful AoE damage. Both offer incredible clear speed, allowing you to level up quickly and efficiently.

3. How much currency do I need to start an AoE build?

It varies depending on the build:

• For Ultimate Sweep Slayer, you can get started for around 90 Chaos Orbs.

• Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant requires a higher investment of around 10 Divine Orbs.

• Cyclone of Tumult Slayer can be started with 90 Chaos Orbs, but may need further investment to become fully powerful.

4. What are the key items I need for AoE builds?

For most AoE builds, you'll need specific unique items to boost your damage or survivability:

• Ultimate Sweep Slayer: No mandatory unique items, but equipment choices matter.

• Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant: Key items include Kitava's Thirst helmet and Anathema Ring.

• Cyclone of Tumult Slayer: The Stampede boots are essential for increased movement speed.

5. How do I improve survivability in AoE builds?

Survivability in AoE builds can be challenging due to their aggressive playstyle. Key strategies include:

• Ultimate Sweep Slayer: Stay a few levels above the map tier and invest in defensive layers like armor, evasion, and spell suppression.

• Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant: Use a large mana pool and 50% of your damage absorbed by mana to increase survivability.

• Cyclone of Tumult Slayer: Focus on stun immunity with Cluster Jewels and use evasion nodes for added defense.