Ancestral Warchief Totem
Chieftain Build

Updated for Patch 3.20

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Ancestral Warchief Totem is a Skill that summons a Totem to perform rather unimpressive Attacks - what most builds use it for is the buff that grants you increased Melee Damage. Using it as your main DPS skill has, however, some upsides - you don't need to support your Skill with additional Gems that would enable the Attacks as Totems, it's a standalone Totem Attack. Chieftain's unique Keystones have some amazing synergies with Totems, especially Ancestral ones and that includes both - Ancestral Warchief and Ancestral Protector. Another key aspects of this build are the Unique Items and Keystones: Crown of Eyes which makes Spell Damage apply to Attacks when combined with the new Iron Will Keystone makes your Strength Bonus Apply to Spells, and then again to Attacks at 150% of the original value. From this point is rather obvious that you should stack as much Strength as you can - use Iron Fortress and Brutus' Lead Sprinkler for another well-suited Strenth synergy.

The build is a tanky one - because of the absurd amount of Strength your Maximum Life can easily reach 6 or 7k. The build has a lot of Armour - around, Life regeneration, and Life Leech at a level allowing you to take some heavy punches, it can even survive direct hits from Minotaur's burrow ability. Your Block Chance should be capped at 75% with The Iron Fortress. You will deal almost exclusively Fire Damage with a decent Crit Chance, the damage is unexpectedly high for such a durable build - with all your Totems attacking simultaneously the same target it can kill any Guardian or Conqueror boss in mere seconds. 

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1. Gameplay

Use Warchief Totems as you go - these will kill most of the enemies with one hit, the rare ones with a few more. Your movement skill should be Leap Slam - it allows you to jump over obstacles and it's quite fast. Immortal Call linked with Cast when Damage Taken will prevent you from getting killed too quickly if that's even possible. Your Auras are Anger and Precision for more damage, Determination for Armour, and Clarity to never run out of Mana. For boss fights use Ancestral Protector to boost your Attack Speed, Wave on Conviction linked with Curse, and Enduring Cry if you run out of Flask Charges.

This video was recorded on a level 92 Chieftain on Standard, where we had around 1700 Strength, resulting in around 3kk Totem DPS (when fully buffed) and 7,000 Maximum Life (effectively 6,200 after paying the Life Reservation cost of Precision and Clarity)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

You can start with Ancestral Warchief Totem, it has enough damage to carry you through the acts. Getting a weapon, preferably a one-handed Mace with added Elemental Damage, especially Fire Damage would be great. At first, you will focus on the regular Maximum Life and Melee Damage with Totems, and at the later stages of the game - after you're able to equip the core Unique Items, start paying more attention to Strength and maximize it. You can use Essences of Anger or Zeal on your gear to quickly craft some good items.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Totem setup
	Ancestral Warchief - you can start using it from act 1 and continue to do so for the rest of the game
	Added Fire Damage Support - adds Fire Damage based on your Physical Damage
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - increases Elemental Damage with Attacks
	Inspiration Support - lowers Mana Cost, increases Elemental Damage, and Critical Strike Chance

Aura setup
	Anger - an Aura that adds Fire Damage to your Attacks and Spells

Curse and Leap Slam setup
	Flammability - Curse which will lower Fire Resistance of your Opponents
	Leap Slam - used to move around faster, especially useful during Lab Trials
	Lifetap Support - linked Skills cost Life instead of Mana

Bandits:

Kill all three bandits and be rewarded with two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Passive Tree
Rush for the Ancestral Bond Keystone and the Mace Cluster right next to it. Get some Maximum Life and Accuracy.
 

64 Points Passive Tree
Take Disciple and Training as shown and head for the Totem Cluster at the bottom of the Skill Tree, pick up the useful nodes on your way there

Recommended leveling items:

Le Heup of All - Use this Ring for more Elemental Resistances and to increase your damage.

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Damage (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

Bloodboil - Adds Fire Damage to Attacks, Maximum Life, and some other useful stats.

+(20-30) to maximum Life Adds (12-15) to (25-30) Fire Damage to Attacks +(20-40) to maximum Life +(10-15)% to Cold Resistance 75% reduced Effect of Chill on you 10% increased Movement Speed while Ignited

The Ignomon - Adds Fire Damage to Attacks, Accuracy Rating, and more.

(12-20)% increased Rarity of Items found +10 to Dexterity Adds 12 to 24 Fire Damage to Attacks +(100-150) to Accuracy Rating +(100-150) to Evasion Rating +20% to Fire Resistance

Goldrim - Goldrim gives you a lot of Elemental Resistances which is essential to survive.

+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

Tabula Rasa - Tabula is great because it allows you to link any six gems from the start.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

104 Points Final Passive Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
122 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Tukohama
2. Arohongui
3. Ramako
4. Hinekora

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 Ralakesh: Moving while Bleeding doesn't cause you to take extra Damage; 25% reduced Physical Damage over Time Damage taken while moving

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Ancestral Warchief setup
	Ancestral Warchief - This Totem will be used to do all the work, it uses Slamm Attack to Hit opponents causing heavy Fire Damage.
	Elemental Focus Support - Totems will deal more Fire Damage but will be unable to Ignite with Attacks.
	Fire Penetration Support - The Attacks will Penetrate a big portion of Fire Resistance.
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - Attacks will deal more Fire Damage.
	Inspiration Support - Lowers the Mana Cost of Skill, increases Crit Chance, and Elemental Damage. It can be replaced with  Concentrated Effect Support for more concentrated damage.
	Multistrike Support - Attacks are repeated twice with greatly increased Attack Speed, but the Damage itself is lower.

[UTILITY] Ancestral Protector and Warcry setup
	Ancestral Protector - Placing these Totems will increase your Attack Speed, and the overall damage increase is significant.
	Combustion Support - Enemies Ignited by the linked Totem have lower Fire Resistance.
	Enduring Cry - Warcry that regenerates your Life rapidly on use and grants temporary defensive buffs.
	Multiple Totems Support - You can place more Linked Totems faster.

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Anger - An Aura that adds Fire Damage to your Attacks and Spells.
	Determination - You gain additional and increased Armour.
	Precision - Increases your Accuracy Rating and Critical Strike Chance.
	Enlighten Support - lowers Mana Reservation for linked Skills which reserves Mana.

[UTILITY] Clarity
	Clarity - Regenerates your Mana, it doesn't need to be leveled all the way up to level 20.

[UTILITY] Arcanist Brand setup
	Arcanist Brand - Arcanist Brand can attach to an enemy and periodically trigger linked Spells with reduced AoE and Damage.
	Wave of Conviction - Applies Exposure which reduces the Fire Resistance of your opponents by 15%.
	Assassin's Mark - More Crit Chance and Crit Multi wit Hits against Cursed enemies, on kill they grant a Power Charge, Life, and mana.
	Summon Ice Golem - Ice Golem grants you Accuracy Rating and Crit Chance.

[UTILITY] Immortal Call and Leap Slam setup
	Immortal Call - Guard Spell which reduces Elemental and Physical Damage taken for a short duration, keep it at level 11.
	Cast when Damage Taken - At level 9 it will Trigger Immortal Call automatically as you take damage.
	Leap Slam - Your movement Attack to make you more mobile.
	Faster Attacks Support - Increases the Attack Rate of Leap Slam.

6. Gear Setup

You will Stack Strength so that's obviously the most desirable stat on any item. Having over 1k Strength is a good start, 2k is already a lot and you should aim for something in between as to not lack in other defenses such as Life, Resistances, and Damage. To increase your Damage seek Accuracy Rating, Crit Chance and Crit Damage, Fire Damage with Attacks, and Strength. In order to grow more resilient look for Maximum Life, Resistances, Armour, and Strength. You will need around 155 Intelligence and 119 Dexterity, you can get them easily by equipping Astramentis. Other key Uniques are Brutus' Lead Sprinkler, The Iron Fortress, and Crown of Eyes. Synthesized Items could be useful but expensive - the Implicit mods there can increase your Strength.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances at 75%
2. Provide you with enough DPS and Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Crown of Eyes - Crown of Eyes is a core item, it increases your Attack Damage based on 150% of your Spell Damage, which is drawn from your Strength via Iron Will Keystone.

+(300-350) to Accuracy Rating (120-150)% increased Energy Shield -30% to Fire Resistance (0.4-0.8)% of Attack Damage Leeched as Life (0.2-0.4)% of Attack Damage Leeched as Mana Increases and Reductions to Spell Damage also apply to Attacks at 150% of their value

Helmet enchantments: Ancestral Warchief enchantment mods

(Weapon) Brutus' Lead Sprinkler - The must-have for this build. It adds Fire Damage to Attacks per Strength, has high Attack Speed, and overall very high Fire and Physical Damage.

16% increased Elemental Damage 20% increased Physical Damage Adds (8-13) to (26-31) Physical Damage 30% increased Fire Damage (15-20)% increased Attack Speed (30-40)% increased Critical Strike Chance Adds 4 to 7 Fire Damage to Attacks with this Weapon per 10 Strength

(Weapon) Rare Shield - You can Craft a mod for the increased maximum number of Totems. Other than that, aim for Strength, Maximum Life, and Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: +80 to maximum Life +50 to Strenght +1 to maximum member of Summoned Totems Optional affixes: increased Attack Damage Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) The Iron Fortress - It adds to your Strength, has a lot of Armour, and increases your Melee Physical Damage and Chance to Block Attack Damage alongside your Strength.

+1% Chance to Block Attack Damage per 50 Strength Chance to Block Spell Damage is Unlucky +(60-120) to Strength (80-100)% increased Armour 10% reduced Movement Speed Strength's Damage Bonus instead grants 3% increased Melee Physical Damage per 10 Strength

(Boots) Alberon's Warpath - These can increase Strength by up to 18% which is a lot.

Adds 1 to 80 Chaos Damage to Attacks +(180-220) to Armour +(9-12)% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed +1 to maximum number of Skeletons (15-18)% increased Strength

(Boots) Rare Boots - For Rare boots, the best option is to have solid Strength, Maximum Life, Movement Speed, and Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +50 to Strenght 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances increased Armour

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Gloves can provide a lot of Maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, Strength, and some offensive stats such as Accuracy Rating.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances +40 to Strenght Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating Armour

(Belt) Rare Belt - You can find a lot of useful mods on your Belt - it ranges from the regular defensive affixes to more offensive ones, such as increased Elemental Damage with Attacks.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances +50 to Strength Optional affixes: increased Elemental Damage with Attacks Skills increased Maximum Life

(Amulet) Astramentis - This Amulet grants you a lot of Strength and other Attributes which will be needed anyway, clearly one of the best choices.

+(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits

Recommended Anointments: Blacksmith's Clout Blood Siphon Shaman's Dominion Charisma

(Ring) Rare Ring - Strength, Maximum Life, and Elemental Resistances will be the most desirable stats.

Min. requirements: +60 to Strength +60% to Elemental Resistances +60 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Adds Fire Damage to Attacks increased Elemental Damage with Attacks Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted)

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - You will need some Jewels with Increased Maximum Life, added Strength, and if you lack in Elemental Resistances - it's a good place to get some.

Recommended affixes: 7% Maximum Life Elemental Resistances Strength Optional affixes: increased Attack Speed or Damage with Maces increased Attack Speed or Damage with One-Handed Weapons Melee Critical Strike Chance or multiplier

(Jewel) Brawn - Brawn increases your Strength and Dexterity but reduces Intelligence.

(4-6)% increased Dexterity (4-6)% increased Strength (15-10)% reduced Intelligence

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Anger, Precision, Determination, or Clarity Mods are most welcomed, it's an expensive Jewel but one worth buying.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - Attack-based Large Cluster Jewel with 2 or 3 Notables and 8 or 9 nodes is good enough.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Drive the Destruction 1 Added Passive Skill is Weight Advantage 1 Added Passive Skill is Calamitous 1 Added Passive Skill is Martial Prowess

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - Having one Sleepless Sentries and Ancestral Guidance will elevate your Damage by a lot.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Sleepless Sentries 1 Added Passive Skill is Ancestral Guidance

(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - Adds tons of Armour and Block Chance for both - Spell and Attack Hits.

+1500 to Armour +(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect +(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect

(Flask) Bottled Faith - A luxurious option that is nonetheless a great one if you need to increase your DPS.

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask of with Freeze immunity/removal Diamond Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Quicksilver Flask with random ailment removal or increased Movement Speed

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

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