In every ARPG known to man, there is and will always be a complete and absolute plethora of different builds for players to try and enjoy; with some being more optimised than others and some that focus solely on being completely ridiculous. Depending on which end of the spectrum you prefer to be on, you can't avoid them; but you most assuredly can join them if they're you're cup of tea! 

 

For the Punk Blender build, you affectively become exactly that: a blender that pretty much shreds anything that comes in your small and constant AOE circle to complete mulch; all thanks to the utilization of some strong items and high strength. 

Do be aware, however, the creator of said build has stated that it's not exactly a new-player friendly build, due to how many expensive/costly some of the items are and how much min-maxing is required to bring the build up to its best possible potential!

 

Before I make a start, this is effectively a refined version of the Blade Vortex build that has been in the game for months now, but this particular version of it makes use of the Chieftain's class, with the increased notion of strength in comparison to some other classes. As previously stated, this isn't the easiest build to make a start with when it comes to being a new player to this sort of thing, but for experienced players this build is going to be something that they can actually afford with the Path of Exile currency.

 

Now – moving onto the actual build!

 

As already stated, the build is designed for the Chieftain class, and uses over 1,200 strength; that's in total to gain the necessary damage needed to keep you alive and your enemies dying! If you look below, you will see some of the key unique items that will be necessary to make this build work successfully:

 

Unique Items:

 

1.Doon Cuebiyari Vaal Sceptre – This is here to gain the damage you'll want to acquire from strength to deal as much damage as possible.
 

2.Repentance Crusader Gloves – The gloves are a necessary addition to acquire Iron Will; an ability that will allow you to deal the damage you would normally gain from strength in physical attacks to be dealt in spell damage as well. Something that will quickly demonstrate why the 1,200 strength stat is so high to deal as much spell damage as you can get away with.
 

3.Black Sun Crest – This helmet allows the user to gain a significant strength increase in the form of a percentage to buff up your strength that much more.
 

4.Alberon's Warpath Boots – These boots are used in the same way that Black Sun Crest is used, and that's to gain a percentage bonus on your strength.
 

5.Carcass Jack Armor – The armour is mainly for the increase in AOE range and damage, something that will quickly correspond with the skills that you'll be wanting for the build.
 

6.Astramentic Onyx Amulet – The amulet is mainly used for a general stat upgrade, but one that is considered invaluable for the build in general.

 

There is a couple of missing item slots, but they are filled with rare items that make up for the builds short comings with some added life, general resistances, and strength.

 

On top of the item build, you're also going to need a few skills to make the most out of this build and while there are some extra gems can you can acquire to strengthen the build; these main ones are the ones that you really need to focus on.

 

Main Skills:

1.Blade Vortex – Blade Vortex is quite clearly the main ingredient for this build, so the inclusion of it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The AOE effect of this skill allows you to deal a significant amount of damage the more you scale your build towards it; hence the success of the build.
 

2.Added Fire Damage Support – When you're playing the Chieftain, you already have a base fire damage increase, so it makes complete sense to buff it that much more with a skill that increases your overall fire damage.
 

3.Controlled Destruction – Controlled Destruction sadly lowers your overall crit chance, but when it increases your linked spell damage exponentially; you'll come to realise just how little critical hits mean to this build.
 

4.Increased Duration – Playing as the Chieftain you'll find yourself with access to some totems, so having the chance to keep them up and running for that much longer to potentially strengthen your character for a long fight is an extra you won't want to be without.
 

5.Spell Echo – Unfortunately this skill does have the detriment of losing some damage, but when you realise that it will repeatedly cast a skill that you're continually using, then that small setback will quickly be put to rest.

 

As with every other build in existence, there's always going to be ways to optimise it in your own, personal ways, but for the most part the build is incredibly solid. While it might be quite a bit more expensive than your typical Blade Vortex build; you can't deny just how strong the Punk Blender build is when you've built your character around it – easily making it worth a try if you're willing to put the time and effort into building and min-maxing it.