Build Help - Fire Tank Templar

[Lancer]

Hey everyone, this is yet another "What am I doing wrong?" discussion. This time, the question is: What am I doing wrong with my Templar?

So, here's the concept: Armored Mage. Sceptre + Shield, only deals damage through spells. I like the concept of Avatar of Fire, so this build is entirely set around Fire damage. Has 75% elemental resist, even on Merciless.

Bandits: Elemental Resist, Skill Point, Skill Point

Keystone: Avatar of Fire

Here is my current build at 50 points:
50 Point Templar[www.pathofexile.com]

And here is the build at 119 points:
119 Point Templar[www.pathofexile.com]


Current Level: 68.

Damage Skills: Firestorm, Flameblast, Incinerate. I tried Incinerate for a while, but the fact that it can't crit means I have to base my entire build around just Incinerate, so I've rebuilt my build as more of a general-purpose fire mage, opening up Firestorm/Flameblast/Fireball as possibilities.

Buffs/Auras: Clarity, Tempest Shield, Molten Shell.

Other Skills: Flammability, Lightning Warp.

Gear: No uniques.

Exact Links right now:
Firestorm - Fire Penetration - Life Leech - Iron Will
Lightning Warp - Reduced Duration - Faster Casting
Molten Shell - Flammability - Increased AoE
Flameblast - Concentrated Effect - Increased Burn Dmg - Reduced Mana
Clarity - Tempest Shield - Reduced Mana
Incinerate - Iron Will



I've gone all the way through Normal and Cruel with this build, and I'm now finally getting my butt kicked at the very end of Merciless, to the point where I feel like I can't even make progress unless I have someone else to carry me along.


So my overall issue is: What am I doing wrong? Here are some more specific questions:

1) Does the concept need work? Is this kind of character something that will work into late-game? I'm not looking for a character that can clear entire maps in 10 seconds flat, or characters that can one-shot Dominus; just to improve enough so I feel like I'm not dead weight in a group. Is that possible with the concept of "I set everything on fire and I'm hard to kill"?

2) Does the build need work? Are there certain glaringly obvious keystones/passives I'm missing out on? Should I run down the tree and grab Unwavering Stance? Am I not putting enough points in Max Life? Is Eldritch Battery really that good?

3) Should I move some support gems around? Should I put LMP/GMP on Flameblast and use that as my main damage? Should I get more Iron Will gems?

4) Should I get some different buffs/auras? Maybe Determination, or Purity of Elements? My armor does seem low right now, even with Molten Shell.

5) Do I just need to practice more? My main strategy right now is "Molten Shell, spam Firestorm, run away if I have to." Should I rely more on Lightning Warp? Should I switch to Incinerate when they get close?

6) Should I get some uniques? I don't run with any uniques in my build right now. Should I? Is there some cheap unique with some amazing effect for this kind of build that I'm missing out on? Or should I put way more effort into finding/crafting better equipment? I already spend quite a few resources trying to make decent gear when I find 3L/4L Templar gear.

I know this is a lot to ask. I feel like I've already got the game basics down, but that's not enough to survive Act 3 Merciless. So where do I go from here?

[jamesc70]

Your main problem is 'cast molten shell and then spam firestorm'. Your secondary problem is using burning damage.

It's generally too hard (without a huge bank or perfect gear) to run a 'caster tank'. You have to spend on fire damage and life, which will be gimped if you spend into armor, resistances, and other defensive nodes. You want to play to 'not get hit', and have a Cast When Damage Taken setup for when you do.

Casters want to kill quickly, and Firestorm is a bad choice. Unless you can get it's cast speed up so high that the ground is pummeled with hundreds of drops in several seconds, it plain sucks. Burning damage is another mechanic where you need the right gear to make it kill quickly.

Flameblast is pretty popular now. I'd take a look on the official forums for some guides.

If you don't want to reroll, some tips :

1. Get a Decoy Totem and level it to 20 ASAP. Cast Decoy Totem, all mobs run for it and not you, cast Firestorm (or preferably Flameblast) on top of it. It will die easily at first, but once levelled high, they last pretty good.

2. Use a Cast When Damage Taken -> Enduring Cry -> Immortal Call -> Increased Duration setup. When it triggers from you taking damage, you become immune to physical damage for a short period. For a caster, this is a must, for when something like a Goat jumps on you, it triggers.

3. Get a Searing Touch unique staff, 5 link it at least, and put your main fire spell in there.

[Lancer]

Thank you for replying! This is the kind of feedback I need. Yeah, I was wondering if I was splitting up my passives and gear too much, trying to focus on fire damage, mana, life, armor, and resists all at once. But hey, I managed to limp my way all the way through Dominus on Merciless, so I guess that's something. (Though the maps are now proving... rather tricky.) I'll probably need to completely rebuild my Templar's passives, but I can wait until the next free reset to do so.