Blade Blast
Inquisitor Templar Build

Updated for Patch 3.14

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: high

Blade Blast is an extremely powerful Physical/Area Spell that causes the lingering Blades you had previously left on the ground to explode dealing massive damage. The damage is increased for each Blade out there so you need to cast several Spells in a proper combination for the best burst. It may not be for everyone, as many players prefer "one button builds" but preparing the explosion with one or two casts of Bladefall is very rewarding. Blade Blast Inquisitor in terms of melting Bosses and giving tons of damage without any gear is in its' own League. Even with the small nerfs to Blade Blast's base damage doesn't affect this build that much, and you can't really go wrong with Blade Blast regardless of the class you decide to pick. It works exceptionally well with Inquisitor (our top Ascendancy recommendation), Chieftain, Assassin, Occultist, Elementalist, and possibly some others too. 

As an Inquisitor, you benefit from a very high Critical Strike Chance, and the recently introduced Battlemage Passive, that grants you additional base Spell Damage to Spells based on your main-hand Weapon. Furthermore, by utilizing a Hybrid character with tons of effective Life/Energy Shield with dual Leech and Regeneration. You can take damage as no other build currently. Corrupted Soul got some nerfs this League as well, but that shouldn't affect this build that much either.

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds right here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This is a very powerful Spell Caster build which relies on casting Bladefall and Blade Blast in a sequence to create the optimal amount of lingering Blades with the first of the Spells and have them detonate with Blade Blast for massive burst damage. This build is pretty straightforward, and with the recommended end-game gear you will be able to just stand in front of the Bosses and cast your primary Spells without having to worry about the damage taken. Trust us, the Boss will go down much faster than you. 

You are also going to use several interesting Utility Spells which include Frost Shield - to grant extra flat. Crit. Chance and some extra protection, Arcanist's Brand to apply your Curse and apply. You are also going to use Battlemage Passive, which adds high damage to your Spells if you equip Vulconus in your main hand. You could possibly also find some very high Elemental DPS one-handed weapons, but Vulconus also adds Physical to Fire Conversion which is a must-have in this build.

This video was recorded on a level 92 Inquisitor on Standard League. The character used Vulconus and Crown of the Inward Eye and mostly rare gear. According to PoB calculations the maximum DPS, if an enemy was to be hit by all 50 Blades when fully buffed, stands at nearly 150kk

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling up as a Templar is easy but requires some extra setups. You shouldn't level up by self-casting both Blade Blade and Bladefall as it will be simply too slow in inconvenient to use because of very low Cast Speed and basically much lower damage during the campaign. It's a good idea to socket both of them to Spellslinger Support so that they are triggered automatically when you attack with a Wand - preferably with Frenzy for extra Frenzy Charges or Power Siphon for extra Power Charges (both increase your damage, so that's up to your personal preference). You could also try leveling with Poet's Pen with will deal some decent base DPS that scales with your level, but also trigger linked Spells without Mana Reservation cost. Below you will find the recommended Skill gems set up for the lower levels and several extremely useful Uniques that will help you complete the campaign much faster. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Freezing Pulse setup
	Freezing Pulse - the first Spell that you are going to use before you get to the Spellslinger part of the leveling. It's one of the best Spells for that purpose because of decent damage and range
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds additional Cold Damage
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds high flat Lightning Damage to your Blade Blast Spell
	Faster Casting Support

Bladefall setup
	Bladefall - creates lingering Blades for your Blade Blast. On lower levels use it without any Supports or just the Spell Cascade, on top of Spellsligner if you don't have Poet's Pen
	Spell Cascade Support - makes Bladefall affect two extra areas increasing the number of Blades created
	Spellsligner Support - if you don't have Poet's Pen, it will allow you to trigger Bladefall automatically with Wand Attacks

Blade Blast setup
	Blade Blast - primary Spell used in this build. Just like Bladefall, you should trigger it automatically by Spellslinger Support on the lower levels
	Elemental Focus Support - greatly increases Elemental Damage but makes Blade Blast unable to inflict ailments
	Added Fire Damage Support - grants high bonus Fire Damage based on Blade Blast's base Physical DPS
	Spellsligner Support - if you don't have Poet's Pen, it will allow you to trigger Bladefall automatically with Wand Attacks

Utility Gems
	Clarity - grants increased Mana Regeneration which might be extremely useful on lower levels
	Herald of Ash - the best Herald for this build as it grants damage bonus based on your Skill's base Physical Damage. Use it only if you have enough Mana after Spellslinger Spells to cast spells without running out of Mana
	Flame Dash - the best mobility skill for this build
	Elemental Weakness - if you need some extra DPS against Bosses you may pick up this Curse for the leveling phase. Later on, it's replaced with Flammability

Bandits:
You should kill all the Bandits for two additional Passive Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

33 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Discipline and Training 2) Light of Divinity 3) Divine Wrath/Judgement 4) Heart and Soul

62 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Cruel Preparation 2) Melding 3) Coordination 4) Assassination

Recommended leveling items:

Goldrim - one of the best leveling Helmets in Path of Exile as it covers up basically all the needs for Elemental Resistances on lower levels
+(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)

Poet's Pen - one of the best leveling Items in Path of Exile, it's quite rare and expensive though so may not be that easy to obtain early in the League. it can be used to trigger one of your core Spells automatically with Wand attacks
(11-15)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Active Skill Gems per 25 Player Levels Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Attack with this Weapon Adds 3 to 5 Physical Damage to Attacks with this Weapon per 3 Player Levels (8-12)% increased Attack Speed

Praxis - a great leveling Ring that reduces the base Mana Cost of all abilities. It makes leveling much smoother as you will be able to freely spam all your Skills

+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Victario's Flight - a great pair of Boots that offers very high bonus Movement Speed, Mana Recovery, and some Attributes
+15 to Dexterity +15 to Intelligence (100-150)% increased Evasion Rating 15% increased Movement Speed (5-10)% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit 10% increased Movement Speed for you and nearby Allies

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

116 Points Skill Tree 
116 Points Path of Building(PoB) link (includes Cluster Jewels)

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Instruments of Virtue
2. Sanctuary
3. Pious Path
4. Righteous Providence

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

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] Blade Blast
	Blade Blast - your primary DPS Spell. It will detonate all nearby lingering Blades, which you initially create with Bladefall. In this build, it has 100% of its damage converted to Fire
	Energy Leech Support - grants high bonus damage and Energy Shield Leech. You can also replace it with Increased Area of Effect Support which makes it easier for multiple explosions to hit the same target
	Controlled Destruction Support - grants high Spell Damage bonus at the cost of reduced Critical Strike Chance
	Inspiration Support - reduces the Mana Cost and increases Elemental Damage of your Blade Blast
	Elemental Focus Support - grants very high bonus Elemental Damage but renders Blade Blast unable to apply Ailments
	Fire Penetration Support - makes Blade Blast ignore some of the monsters' Resistance to Fire

[DPS] Bladefall setup
	Bladefall - creates the most lingering blades when supported by Unleash and Spell Cascade. it has to be cast manually so it’s good to link it to Faster Casting Support as well (or have the gem added by Gloves affix)
	Spell Cascade Support - makes Bladefall create tons of extra blades by repeating itself in two nearby areas
	Unleash Support - it makes Bladefall build up stacks when you don't use it, creating new instances of the Spell when you finally Cast it
	Concentrated Effect Support - causes the Blades to fall closer to each other and increases the skill's DPS. If you don't have Gloves with Faster Casting Support, you may want to replace Concentrated Effect with it so that the build is smoother to play
Support Gems granted by Gloves:
	Faster Casting Support

[UTILITY] Arcanist's Brand
	Arcanist's Brand - a Brand Spell which will trigger all linked Spells when cast, applying your Curse and various debuffs on enemies
	Assassin's Mark - the recommended Curse for this build which greatly increases your Critical Strike Chance
	Wave of Conviction - inflicts Fire Exposure to enemies, reducing their Fire Resistance
	Combustion Support - enemies Ignited by Wave of Conviction will have further reduced Fire Resistance thanks to Combustion debuff

[UTILITY] Heralds/Auras
	Herald of Ash - increases your Fire Spell Damage and enemies slain cause additional fiery explosions
	Herald of Purity - greatly boots your base Physical Damage
	Zealotry - the best Aura for this build which grants a high Spell Damage bonus and creates extra Consecrated Grounds which benefit your Inquisitor greatly
	Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation Cost of linked Spells

[UTILITY] Flame Dash
	Flame Dash - the recommended Movement Skill for this build. It allows you to progress faster through Maps and avoid heavy damage
	Arcane Surge Support - each cast of Flame Dash will grant you the Arcane Surge buff which increases your Spell Damage and Cast Speed. Do not upgrade it above level 5

[UTILITY] Vaal RF
	Vaal Righteous Fire - you will be using the Vaal part of the skill to gain a high Spell Damage bonus temporarily

[UTILITY] Frost Shield/Steelskin
	Frost Shield - an amazing Utility Spell which grants a protective Shield and increases your base Critical Strike Chance
	Steelskin - the recommended Guard Spell for this build, grants a protective shield that absorbs incoming damage. Use whenever off cooldown
	Vitality - if you have "spare" Mana you can use a low-level Vitality too. Or if you have some source of Mana Reservation Cost reduction like Helmet enchantment, or Amulet affix, you may be even able to use it at a maximum level

5. Gear Setup

In this section, you will find the recommended Items for our Blade Blast Inquisitor Templar build. This build should be quite easy to set up as it doesn't require any specific expensive Uniques, and the ones listed should be relatively easy to obtain. Most of the gear can be replaced with random Rares anyway. 

We guarantee that our list will:

1. Cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. Save you at least a couple of hours!

(Helmet) Crown of the Inward Eye - one of the best Helmets for this build which grants tons of Life, Energy Shield, Mana, and damage bonuses based on those three stats. It's also cheap so we don't recommend forcing yourself to get a "better" rare

333% increased Armour and Energy Shield (9-21)% increased maximum Life, Mana and Global Energy Shield Transfiguration of Soul Transfiguration of Body Transfiguration of Mind

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - if you are playing SSF or the Crown is just too expensive for you, you can stick to a random Rare Helmet with Life, Resistances, and possibly some extra DPS bonuses

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Global Critical Strike Multiplier Nearby enemies have -9% Fire Resistance

Helmet enchantment: Blade Blast deals 40% increased Damage Bladefall has an additional Volley

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - a rare chest is the best all-around Armour you can use for this build. You should look for the highest bonus life and craft extra ES based on Max Life on it

Recommended affixes: 110 Maximum Life 6% Maximum Life Gain 10% of Maximum Life as extra Maximum Energy Shield Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - just a budget option that can be used to farm lower Tier Maps faster

(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) Rare Sceptre - the best possible pick for the off-hand Slot. Look for bonus Fire Damage based on Physical Damage and bonus Spell Damage and Spell Crit. Chance

Recommended affixes: 60% Spell Damage Gain #% of Physical Damage as Extra Fire Damage 100% Spell Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Cast Speed +1 to All Physical Spell Skill Gems

(Weapon) Vulconus - the best in the slot main hand Weapon which will grant tons of added damage to Spells thanks to the use of Battlemage Passive from Inquisitor's Ascendancy. It also helps you convert 100% of your Physical Damage to the Fire element

40% increased Global Critical Strike Chance Adds (85-110) to (135-150) Physical Damage Adds (130-160) to (220-240) Fire Damage 50% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit (70-100)% increased Fire Damage with Hits and Ailments against Bleeding Enemies (70-100)% increased Physical Damage with Hits and Ailments against Ignited Enemies Every 8 seconds, gain Avatar of Fire for 4 seconds (160-200)% increased Critical Strike Chance while you have Avatar of Fire 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire while you have Avatar of Fire +2000 Armour while you do not have Avatar of Fire

(Boots) Rare Boots - pick a pair with the highest Life/Resistances combo with at least 25% bonus Movement Speed. Also you may try getting Elusive and/or Tailwind on the pair but it can get pretty pricy

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 25% Increased Movement Speed 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: You have Tailwind if you have dealt a critical strike recently Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike

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

(Belt) Stygian Vise - the best option for this build. Aim to the highest possible Life bonus and some extra Resistances

Recommended affixes: 100 Maximum Life 10% Maximum Life Optional affixes: Global Physical Damage/Fire Damage Elemental Resistances

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - the BiS option for this build. You should aim to get most of the required Attributes from this piece of gear as you will need a lot of Dexterity to use Blade Blast and Bladefall

Recommended affixes: 60 Maximum Life 50 Dexterity 30% Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: +1 to Level of All Dexterity Skill Gems Reduced Mana Reserved

Recommended Anointments: Heart of Flame Charisma

(Rings) Rare Rings - basically look for high bonus Life and Resistances. If needed also get Attributes here. If you can afford such Rings, you may also try getting the Critical Strike Multiplier stat on them

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Attributes

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - once again aim for high defensive stats. You may also get Faster Casting Support Gem from a Shaper pair

Recommended affixes: 70 Maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Socketed Gems are Supported by level # Faster Casting Support Spell Damage Chance to Unnerve Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit

(Jewel) Rare Abyss Jewel - flat Added Physical Damage gives you the highest DPS bonus thanks to Damage Conversion. You also want extra Life here

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Global Critical Strike Multiplier Added Physical Damage to Spells Optional affixes: Increased Damage if you have killed recently

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - possibly the best Jewel you can get for this build. You should look for one or two Zealotry Aura bonuses on it

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifiers: (10-15)% increased Cast Speed while affected by Zealotry (100-120)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground while affected by Zealotry Critical Strikes Penetrate (8-10)% of Enemy Elemental Resistances while affected by Zealotry

(Jewel) Unnatural Instinct - grants massive bonuses for your Herald Skills on top of other valuable bonuses. It has to be socketed right above Witch's Starting Point right of Instability

Allocated Small Passive Skills in Radius grant nothing Grants all bonuses of Unallocated Small Passive Skills in Radius

(Jewel) Glorious Vanity - a must-have Jewel if you want to benefit from Corrupted Soul Passive. It should be socketed below Mind over Matter to have it converted. Corrupted Soul divides your damage taken between your Life and Energy Shield, increasing the effectiveness of your dual Regen and dual Leech. Our Jewel had 4350 Sacrificed in the name of Doryani for that to work

Bathed in the blood of (100-8000) sacrificed in the name of (Ahuana-Doryani-Xibaqua) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Vaal Historic

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - just get Max Life, Crit. Multi. and Spell Damage here

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Increased Spell Damage/Global Physical Damage Cast Speed

(Flask) The Wise Oak - since your Fire Resistance is most likely going to be the highest, this Flask can offer some serious DPS boost

+35% to all Elemental Resistances During Flask Effect, 10% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest

(Flask) Bottled Faith - the best Utility Flask in PoE which adds tons of extra Crit. and extra bonuses related to Consecrated Grounds

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-50)% increased Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius +(1-2)% to Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies

(Flask) Cinderswallow Urn - another amazing Utility Flask for this build which grants tons of Life/ES Recovery on Kills and Onslaught buff

Onslaught Recharges 1 Charge when you Consume an Ignited corpse Enemies Ignited by you during Flask Effect take 10% increased Damage Recover (1-3)% of Life when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Recover (1-3)% of Mana when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Recover (1-3)% of Energy Shield when you Kill an Enemy during Flask Effect Veiled Suffix

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (Bleeding Immunity) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Warding (Curse immunity)

If you have any feedback about this build or suggestions for the next one, please let us know in the comments below! We are always glad to make all kinds of build guides, from end-game monsters to beginner-friendly and budget builds just as this Blade Blast Inquisitor!

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