Ngamahu's Flame
Cyclone Slayer build

Updated for Patch 3.7

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

We are presenting yet another build from the Crafty Guides series. While our previous builds were more or less budget and beginner friendly builds, this one is more suitable for players that seek to clear all the Path of Exile's end-game content, yet still on a rather "accessible" budget. Ngamahu's Flame Cyclone Slayer will let you farm all the bosses, let you face pretty much any map mod while being relatively cheap. 

Cyclone builds have become extremely popular after the 3.0 Expansion's changes. The movement/getting stuck issues of Cyclone a lot of players might have had experienced in the past are fixed, making Cyclone one of the most popular Skills in Path of Exile at this moment. With its' amazing damage output, it makes it one of the most popular and budget-friendly (in terms of PoE currency expenses) Shaper farming builds out there. Moreover, in Patch 3.7, Cyclone has received significant buffs to both its damage, radius, and Attack Speed. All this combined greatly increases your damage output directly and increases Molten Bursts proc coefficiency

For the full list of our Path of Exile builds you can visit the following article: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

Ngamahu's Flame Cyclone Slayer is a straightforward melee build. Spin through the maps incinerating your enemies with the Cyclone attack which triggers Molten Bursts with the Ngamahu's Flame equipped. This also provides very high Life, high Life Leech and is a little bit different(making it more fun) than the regular Cyclone builds. This build, however, relies solely on Fire Damage, which makes it vulnerable to reflect map mods.

0:06 Tier 16 Hydra Guardian 0:43 Tier 14 Crystal Ore 1:25 Tier 14 Orchard 1:40 Tier 16 Phoenix Guardian 2:17 Tier 15 Lava Lake This video was recorded on a level 88 Slayer with Bronn's Lithe, Starkonja's Head, and Xoph's Blood

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

The easiest way to level up a Duelist/Slayer is to upgrade the weapon slot every couple levels to the highest physical DPS two-handed weapon you can get. You should try to focus on Life/Elemental Resistances on Rare equipment in the other slots. You can also find some general gear recommendations in our other article here Top 10 Path of Exile leveling uniques. With the recent buffs, leveling up as a Slayer is a piece of cake, and you should do more than fine with just self-found items

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Molten Strike setup
	Molten Strike - one of the best Melee skills in Path of Exile which can be used from level 1
	Melee Physical Damage Support - grants very high DPS bonuses to Melee/Physical Attacks
	Added Fire Damage Support - adds extra Fire Damage based on your weapon's Physical Damage

Sunder setup (levels 12 and above)
	Sunder - good DPS and nice AoE. You may as well stay with Molten Strike for the entire leveling phase, but it surely provides less clear speed on lower levels
	Added Fire Damage Support
	Faster Attacks Support - another recommended Support Gem that improves your DPS output
	Melee Physical Damage Support

Utility Gems
	Herald of Ash - grants extra Fire Damage based on your Physical Damage
	Summon Lightning Golem Support - the recommended Golem for this build which increases your Attack and Cast Speed
	Ancestral Protector - summons a Totem increases your Attack Speed
	Flammability - the recommended Curse for this build which reduces monsters' Resistance to Fire

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for the extra two Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

31 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Art of the Gladiator 2) Master of the Arena 3) Executioner

63 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Vaal Pact/Vitality Void 2) Charging Offensive 3) Splitting Strikes 4) Barbarism

Recommended leveling items:

Blackheart - can be equipped as early as level 1. Grants amazing DPS boost at the early stages
Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks 5% increased Physical Damage Adds 1 to 3 Chaos Damage to Attacks +(20-30) to maximum Life (2-4) Life Regenerated per second 10% chance to Cause Monsters to Flee

Limbsplit - cheap and an extremely powerful unique two-handed weapon. Will work fairly well until level 35+. Can also be replaced at level 18 with Wideswing
+1 to Level of Socketed Strength Gems (80-100)% increased Physical Damage Adds 5 to 10 Physical Damage +(15-30) to Strength Culling Strike

Wideswing - this Axe will work wonders with both Sunder and Earthquake setup. Replace when feeling underpowered
Socketed Gems are Supported by level 20 Increased Area of Effect (120-160)% increased Physical Damage +10 to Strength +(50-80) to Accuracy Rating +10 Mana gained on Kill +2 to Weapon range

Meginord's Girdle - great leveling belt (for melee/physical builds in general) Might be used until late game because of its amazing bonuses
+(25-35) to Strength Adds 5 to 15 Physical Damage to Attacks +25 to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(10-20)% to Cold Resistance 25% increased Flask Life Recovery rate

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

115 Points Final Skill Tree
115 Points Path of Building(PoB) link 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Headsman
2. Endless Hunger
3. Brutal Fervour
4. Bane of Legends

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Cyclone setup
	Cyclone - your main DPS spell. It is used both for damage and as a movement spell
	Fortify Support - grants extra damage and a great defensive buff. If you can't afford the 6th link you can use this Gem with your Leap Slam to get the buff
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - since we deal Elemental Damage this is a core Support Gem for this setup
	Added Fire Damage Support - grants bonus Fire Damage
	Infused Channelling Support - grants a very high damage bonus to supported skills while you channell them, as well as, very solid defensive bonuses
	Combustion Support - grants increased Fire Damage, Chance to Ignite and reduces monsters' resistance to Fire Damage

[UTILITY] Enduring Cry and Immortal Call
	Enduring Cry - generates Endurance Charges based on the number of nearby enemies
	Immortal Call - grants very high damage reduction bonus extended for each Endurance Charge consumed. You should use it in emergency situations or when you are expecting a big damage spike coming your way. Has to be cast manually
	Increased Duration Support - will increase the duration of both the Immortal Call and Vaal Haste
	Vaal Haste - Vaal Aura which increases your Attack and Movement Speed for a short duration

[DPS] Ngamahu's Flame setup (does not require any links)
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - grants extra Molten Burst's projectiles (the Ngamahu's Flame's exclusive skill)
	Elemental Focus Support - increases Elemental Damage dealt with supported skills
	Immolate Support - grants additional Fire Damage against Burning enemies (which you inflict with the Cyclone skill)
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Fire Penetration Support
	Concentrated Effect Support

[UTILITY] Flammability Curse/Aura setup
	Blasphemy Support - makes your supported curse works as an aura around you. This Gem makes your playstyle much smoother
	Flammability - the recommended curse for this setup

[UTILITY] Golem setup
	Summon Lightning Golem - increases your Attack and Cast Speed
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will automatically resummon your Golem when you take a certain amount of damage

[MOBILITY] Leap Slam and Ancestral Protector
	Leap Slam - your main mobility skill. You can use it to jump over obstacles and cliffs
	Ancestral Protector - used only for the Increased Attack Speed buff
	Faster Attack Support - link to Leap slam for faster movement

[UTILITY] Herald of Ash
	Herald of Ash - greatly increases your DPS and causes additional fiery explosions when you kill enemies

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find suggested gear for this build. Depending on your budget, you will have a couple of Amulet and Body Armour options. While there are several viable options for the chest slot, in order to farm the end game content, Xoph's Blood Amulet may be required. If the recommended items are above your current budget feel free to visit our Market section where you can restock your PoE currency. You can also trade your items from previous leagues with other Odealo users, getting you the resources needed to complete the build.

Our recommended gear will:

1. Cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and maximum Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Devoto's Devotion - pick as high increased Armour and Evasion bonus you can afford. The best piece should have the enchantment that enhances Flammability Curse or increases Cyclone's Attack Speed

10% reduced Physical Damage +(50-65) to Dexterity 16% increased Attack Speed (150-200)% increased Armour and Evasion +(15-25)% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed Mercury Footprints

Helmet enchantment: 15% increased Cyclone Attack Speed 30% increased Flammability Curse Effect

(Body Armour) Bronn's Lithe - Bronn's Armour provides the highest damage bonus for the Cyclone build. The only downside of using this item is lack of defensive stats

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +2 to Level of Socketed Movement Gems 10% increased Attack Speed (35-50)% increased Damage with Movement Skills (200-250)% increased Evasion Rating 10% increased Movement Speed 15% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've used a Movement Skill Recently

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - another very good option for this Cyclone build. Grants great area damage bonus, and has defensive stats that might allow you to pick cheaper items in other slots (rings and belt mainly)

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(50-70) to maximum Life +(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances (40-50)% increased Area of Effect (40-50)% increased Area Damage Extra gore

(Weapon Slot) Ngamahu's Flame - this is the core item of this build. You will need 6 sockets on this piece, but no links are required. We will input 6 Support Gems that will boost the Molten Burst spell it provides

(190-230)% increased Physical Damage (8-12)% increased Attack Speed 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire Damage Damage Penetrates 20% Fire Resistance 20% chance to Trigger Level 16 Molten Burst on Melee Hit

(Boots) Rare Boots - pick the pair with the highest Life and movement speed bonus you can afford

Min. requirements: 85 maximum Life 24% Fire Resistance 22% Cold Resistance 22% Lightning Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed

Boots enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently Adds 45 to 68 Fire Damage if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt - leather belt or vanguard belts are both perfectly viable options

Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life 40% Fire Resistance 30% Cold Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Amulet) Xoph's Blood - a must have end-game item for this build. Otherwise, you will need to use Avatar of Fire major node and alter the skill tree

+(20-30) to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(20-40)% to Fire Resistance 10% increased Strength Damage Penetrates 10% Fire Resistance Cover Enemies in Ash when they Hit you Avatar of Fire

(Amulet) Carnage Heart - another decent option. Requires altering the skill tree to pick up the Avatar of Fire passive node

+(10-16) to all Attributes +(20-40) to all Attributes +(10-20)% to all Elemental Resistances (1.2-2)% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 50% increased Life Leeched per second (30-40)% increased Damage while Leeching Extra gore

(Rings) Rare Rings - Steel and Opal Rings after level 80 are recommended, however, they can get expensive with the recommended stats. If you are using Carnage Heart and/or Carcass Jack, they both will give you additional resistances, so you might alter the search filters and actually find a decent Opal/Steel rings in your desired budget

Min. requirements(1st Ring): 60 maximum Life 12% increased Fire Damage 15% Cold Resistance 15% Lightning Resistance Min. requirements(2nd Ring): 50 maximum Life 10% increased Fire Damage 15% All Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: added Physical Damage to Attacks increased Elemental Damage increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Attributes

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - as this is the last item, you might want to adjust the Resistances here. After that, simply choose the pair with the highest life/attack speed combination and within your budget

Min. requirements: 65 maximum Life 35% Cold Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed increased Melee Damage

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - simply find jewels the highest values of the following recommended stats

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Fire/Projectile/Melee Damage Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed

(Jewels) Rare Abyss Jewels - will grant higher DPS bonuses when compared to Rare Jewels

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Fire Damage to Attacks added Fire Damage to Axe Attacks Optional affixes: chance to grant Onslaught on kill

(Flask) Dying Sun - the most important flask in the build. It is required to face reflect mobs (your damage element is fire only). If you are doing only mid-tier maps it might not be that important

+50% to Fire Resistance +6% to maximum Fire Resistance Requires Level 68 (-10-10)% increased Charges used (15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

(Flask) Lion's Roar - gives great defensive and damage bonuses while being relatively cheap

+3000 to Armour Adds Knockback during Flask effect 75% chance to cause Enemies to Flee on use (20-25)% more Melee Physical Damage during effect Knocks Back Enemies in an Area on Flask use

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity) Ample Basalt Flask of Iron Skin (Physical Damage mitigation) Ample Silver Flask of Adrenaline (increased Movement Speed)

We hope that you enjoyed this guide (and will enjoy the Ngamahu's Cyclone Slayer even more). We will appreciate your feedback. If you have any suggestions about which build should we work on next let us know in comments below.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.