Trauma Heavy Strike
Juggernaut Build

Updated for Patch 3.22

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The Pillar of the Caged God is a staff that has its damage increased alongside your Strength, creating an opportunity for a Strength-stacking Attack build. We've selected one of the most straightforward Skills in the game which is Heavy Strike - it has excellent Effectiveness of Added Damage and Attack Speed, making it better than Boneshatter. It will be linked to Trauma Support to get the ramping-up DPS. To mitigate the self-inflicted damage we're going to pick a Juggernaut with Unbreakable passive. Juggernaut is also a superb choice due to Undeniable. It grants Accuracy Rating equal to twice the Strength and increases the Attack Speed per Accuracy. It's one of the most powerful archetypes a Melee character can make use of.

Strength provides you with a lot of Maximum Life and Melee Physical Damage. It will play a role in creating an extremely tanky character with tons of Maximum Life, Armour, Life Recovery, high Elemental Resistance, and Block Chance. The Damage is relatively high for such a tanky build. It implements Critical Strikes and has a lot of Attack Speed, allowing you to quickly stack up Trauma. Heavy Strike deals Physical Damage with a 100% Impale Chance. It uses mostly Rare Items, but there are plenty of Uniques that can be used. The build is very simple and we can safely recommend it to new and experienced players alike.

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

1. Gameplay

It's a Melee build where you use one Skill to do all the damage. Of course, Melee builds use multiple other Skills, such as two Ancestral Totems and Blood Rage for the optimal damage output. For a Curse choose Vulnerability and as your Guard Spell - Molten Shell. Leap Slam is used to move around faster. For Mana-reserving Skills select Precision, Pride, and Determination. We've also added Ancestral Cry to vastly improve clear speed. It is cast instantly with Call to Arms Keystone. To generate Endurance Charges use Vengeance with Stun Support and Endurance Charge on Melee Stun.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Use our Marauder Leveling Guide. It covers a lot of ways to quickly level up such characters with 2-hand Axes. You can start using Strike Skills like Heavy Strike right from the start.
 

Bandits:

you should kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

26 Points Skill Tree
Start with Maximum Life and 2-hand damage nodes.

73 Points Skill Tree
Allocate the Strike Cluster, Impale Chance, Axe nodes, Fortify Mastery, and more Armour with Maximum Life.

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

111 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster nor Timeless Jewels)
121 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Undeniable
2. Unstoppable
3. Unbreakable
4. Untiring

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] Heavy Strike setup
	Heavy Strike - Deals a lot of Physical Melee Damage, has a high chance of dealing double damage, reduces Enemy Stun Threshold, and Knocks Enemies Back.
	Brutality Support - It is a lot more Physical Damage at the price of no  Elemental or Chaos Damage whatsoever.
	Trauma Support - Generates Trauma on Hit - each stack of this buff grants more Damage and causes you to take more Damage with each next Hit.
	Ruthless Support - Every third attack deals much more damage.
	Increased Duration Support - Increases Duration of Trauma Buffs which in turn grants you more damage.
	Rage Support - Generates Rage on Hit, and adds Physical Damage per Rage, much like Trauma Stacks. These sources of Flat Damage are impactful with the Pillar of the Caged God.

[UTILITY] Aura setup
	Pride - Pride increases the Physical Damage your enemies are receiving. The effect is stronger after 4 seconds.
	Determination - Adds and increases your Armour for better Physical Damage mitigation.
	Precision - Adds Accuracy and increases Critical Strike Chance.
	Enlighten Support - Lowers Reservation Cost of linked Skills.

[UTILITY] Totems setup
	Ancestral Warchief - Grants more Melee Damage.
	Ancestral Protector - Grants more Attack Speed.
	Multiple Totems Support - Allows you to summon both Ancestral Totems at the same time.
	Maim Support - Maims enemies, reducing their Movement Speed, and making them take more Physical Damage. Use  Lifetap instead if you cannot afford it.

[UTILITY] Vengeance setup
	Vengeance - It damages nearby enemies after taking a Hit, which you constantly receive with Trauma stacks.
	Stun Support - Linked Skills have reduced Enemy Stun Threshold, so they Stun with ease.
	Endurance Charge on Melee Stun Support - Grants you an Endurance Charge on Stun. It too reduces the Enemy Stun Threshold, and grants more Damage per Endurance Charge.
	Leap Slam - Use this Attack to move faster and jump over obstacles. It always Stuns enemies on Full Life.
	Faster Attacks Support - Increases the Attack Speed for Leap Slam. Use  Lifetap instead if you cannot afford to pay Mana Cost.

[UTILITY] Molten Shell
	Molten Shell - A Guard Spell that reduces a portion of incoming damage. It prevents more damage than more Armour you have.

[UTILITY] Ancestral Cry
	Ancestral Cry - Ancestral Cry enhances Strike Attacks, making them able to target two additional enemies and increasing their range.

[UTILITY] Vulnerability
	Vulnerability - Hex Curse to make your enemies take increased Physical Damage and cause Maim.

[UTILITY] Blood Rage
	Blood Rage - Increases your Attack Speed, Life Leech, and generates Frenzy Charges on kill while draining your Life.

[UTILITY] Berserk
	Berserk - Use Bersek for a brief bonus to Damage and Durability. It will drain all of your Rage.

6. Gear Setup

The only required Unique item is the Pillar of the Caged God. It requires a lot of Strength, at least 1000. The damage it increases must also be high to begin with - for that, you will need Flat added Physical Damage to Attacks. It comes from Trauma and Rage, but acquiring it from gear is also important. Attack Speed is quite important too, not only to deliver damage faster but to generate more Trauma Stacks. Get the basic defensive modifiers like Maximum Life, Armour, Spell Suppression, Block Chance, and Chaos Resistance. Only 96 Intelligence is required if you use Enlighten Support, and 155 Dexterity due to Blood Rage. You won't get it on a Skill Tree so get them from Items.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - The Helmet will be expensive if you want the best possible one. Here, aim for the Warlord's mod for extra Strength sourced from Accuracy, Maximum Life, and a lot of Strength.

Min. requirements: Gain Accuracy Rating equal to your Strength (Wardlord Suffix) + 70 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Strength Nearby Enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage (Elder Suffix) Armour Chaos Resistance 1% increased Critical Strike Chance per 10 Strength (Elevated Wardlord Suffix)

Helmet enchantments: Heavy Strike enchantment

(Weapon) Pillar of the Caged God - It increases your Damage per Strength. It means you will need a lot of Strength and flat Physical Damage, as the weapon itself has a measly 50 DPS.

+18% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff 1% increased Area of Effect per 20 Intelligence 1% increased Attack Speed per 10 Dexterity 16% increased Physical Weapon Damage per 10 Strength

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Rare Body Armour is where you can gain a lot of Strength. We recommend getting the Warlord one, it has an excellent pool of mods you will benefit from.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 50 Strength Increased Strength (Wardlord Suffix) Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Socketed Attacks have -15 to Total Mana Cost (Wardlord Suffix) You Can Apply Additional Curse

(Body Armour) The Iron Fortress - It is another good option. This Armour grants a lot of Strength, Armour, and Block Chance. You can also pick the Life mastery for 15% increased Maximum Life with it. Only the best Rare will be better than this.

+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) Rare Boots - Pick a pair of Boots with Resistances, Maximum Life, Movement Speed, and Strength.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +40% to Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed Strength Optional affixes: Attributes Armour Chaos Resistance

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - They should grant you Strength, Maximum Life, Resistances, and maybe Accuracy. Implicits from Eldritch orbs for extra Strike or Rage on Hit would be a good addition.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Accuracy Rating Attack Speed Added Physical Damage Chaos Resistance

(Gloves) Tanu Ahi - These are great in a lot of Trauma-based builds with Leech, as they often provide you with Adrenaline, which is a very powerful buff that increases your damage and survivability.

(8–12)% increased Attack Speed (100–150)% increased Armour and Evasion (2–3)% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life 10% chance to gain Adrenaline for 2 seconds when Leech is removed by filling Unreserved Life 10% chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds when Leech is removed by filling Unreserved Life

(Belt) Rare Belt - On your Belt look for Strength, Maximum Life, and Resistances. Get the Stygian Vise, you can socket a Jewel there that will get you even more Strength.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life +90% to Elemental Resistances +40 to Strength Optional affixes: increased Maximum Life increased Damage

(Belt) Ryslatha's Coil - It's a great Belt in most Melee builds, but this one especially. It grants tons of damage (including flat damage), Life, Strength, and 50 Life on Stun.

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies +(20-40) to Strength (30-40)% more Maximum Physical Attack Damage (40-30)% less Minimum Physical Attack Damage Adds 1 to (15-20) Physical Damage to Attacks +(80-100) to maximum Life Gain 50 Life when you Stun an Enemy

(Belt) The Magnate - A very good choice too. It has Strength, Resistances, 50% increased Flask Charges Gained, 10% Chance to deal Double Damage, and 5% for Triple Damage.

(20-30)% increased Stun Duration on Enemies +(40-50) to Strength +(20-25)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Charges gained 10% chance to deal Double Damage while you have at least 200 Strength 5% chance to deal Triple Damage while you have at least 400 Strength

(Amulet) Astramentis  - A cheap Amulet with a lot of Attributes and nothing else. It's suitable for this build, but a very expensive Rare can be much better.

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

(Amulet) Rare Amulet  - Look for a Synthesised Amulet with increased Strength. It's the best option so it may be expensive. It should have flat Strength and Maximum Life too.

Min. requirements: +50 to Maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances 50 Strength increased Strength (Synthesised Implicit) Optional affixes: Attributes increased Attack Speed Accuracy Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted)

Recommended Anointments: Panopticon Master of Blades Charisma

(Ring) Rare Rings - Steel Rings are great as they add Physical damage, but the best-in-slot Rings will have a Synthesised Implicit for increased Strength much like the Amulet does. Go for the usual modifiers like Life, Resistances, and Attributes. You can also craft reduced Mana Cost of Skills.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances +40 to Strength Optional affixes: Adds Physical Damage to Attacks Chaos Resistance Attributes Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted)

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - On your Rare Jewels look for Strength, a 7% increased Maximum Life, and whatever is missing. Attack Speed will be the most important. Abyss Jewels, especially the Murderous ones, will give you flat Physical Damage so they're good too.

Recommended passives: increased Maximum Life increased Attack Speed Elemental Resistances Strength

(Jewel) Lethal Pride - It's used to obtain more Strength by placing it next to your allocated passives. The socket near Vigour seems like the best option.

Commanded leadership over (10000-18000) warriors under (Akoya-Kaom-Rakiata) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Karui Historic

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Look for Pride modifiers on your Watcher's Eye. The extra two Impale is the best one.

(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: Impales you inflict last 2 additional Hits while using Pride (40-60)% increased Attack Physical Damage while using Pride

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - Overlord grants Fortify on Hit so this is what we would recommend. All of the listed Notables will be good too, look for them on a Jewel with 8 passives.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Overlord 1 Added Passive Skill is Devastator 1 Added Passive Skill is Martial Prowess 1 Added Passive Skill is Master the Fundamentals 1 Added Passive Skill is Battle-Hardened 1 Added Passive Skill is Force Multiplier 1 Added Passive Skill is Master the Fundamentals

(Jewel) Progenesis - While it is expensive, it is also great in this build as you take damage constantly, so the mitigation it provides is very valuable, Be sure you have good Life Leech or Recoup to make good use of it. It's good with The Magnate. You can select a second Life Flask if you can't afford it.

+35% to Chaos Resistance (20-10)% reduced Charges per use (-35-35)% increased Duration When Hit during effect, 25% of Life loss from Damage taken occurs over 4 seconds instead

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask with instant Life Recovery and Bleed Immunity Basalt Flask with increased Armour Silver Flask with increased Attack Speed Granite Flask with reduced Effect of Curses on you

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.