In Path of Exile, the Hierophant is an Ascendancy class for Templars. Collectors of poe orbs may know, the Hierophant offers a mixture of non-conventional sources of damage, defenses, and overall utility aimed towards spell and totem users. The following post will tell you how to choose your gems when you build Hierophant.
1. Damage setup:
- Frostbolt, Spell Totem, Cold Penetration, Increased Critical Strikes, Controlled Destruction (5-link) & Critical Hit Damage (6-link).
- Note: In regards to which weapon you should use, it depends. Taryn’s Shiver 6-linked is your end goal, however before you get that I suggest you simply use a regular 5-linked staff with the affix “2+ To Level of Socketed Cold Gems”.
2. Defensive Setup:
- Cast When Damage Taken (lvl 9), Immortal Call (lvl 11), Lightning Golem (lvl 11) & Increased Duration (lvl 20).
3. Mobility, Damage & Regen:
- Flame Dash, Faster Casting, Culling Strike & Clarity.
- Note: Despite Ancestral Bond, Flame Dash is still able to cull the enemy once it reaches <10% HP. This is because it still counts as a “hit”. Culling Strike also increases the cast speed of Flame Dash if you get quality on it.
4. Utility:
- Frost Bomb, Increased Duration & Increased Area of Effect.
5. Curse & Vaal Skills:
- 2x Vaal Haste, Projectile Weakness, Arcane Surge (lvl 10) & Increased Duration.
- Note: Before you get a 5-linked chest simply leave out one of the Vaal Haste gems.
Arcane Surge procs when a supported active skill-gem (Projectile Weakness in this case) is cast and ONLY if it passes the mana threshold requirement. A level 20 Projectile Weakness, linked with Arcane Surge and Increased Duration has a mana cost of 77.
This means you can level Arcane Surge to level 10 and ensure a reliable proc every time you cast your curse. Make sure to keep an eye on the mana threshold of the skill as you level. If you are new to the game and don’t want to mess up your first build, follow some build guide or buy poe currency from U4GM.
