The Best Explosive Arrow Ballista Build in Path of Exile 3.26
If you're looking for a league starter in POE currency that's fun, safe, and scales into the endgame, then the Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist might be your perfect match. This build delivers massive single-target damage through high-powered ignites while also clearing entire screens with ignite proliferation. On top of that, your four golems and ballistas provide passive buffs, letting you stay mobile and safe as your totems do the heavy lifting.
The best part? This build requires no mandatory unique items or awkward stat checks to get started, but with investment, it can scale into a true powerhouse. In this article, we'll break down everything you need to know about this build-from mechanics to gear, skill gems, passives, and gameplay.
How the Build Works
At its core, this build leverages Explosive Arrow (EA) combined with Ballista Totems to apply powerful ignites. Each EA arrow adds a fuse to the target. Once the fuse timer ends, the arrows explode, creating a massive ignite that scales with the number of arrows stacked.
Ballista totems make this process even stronger by rapidly stacking fuses for you. Since totems scale with your stats (not like minions, which scale separately), your gear directly increases their power. That means modifiers like attack speed, fire damage over time, burning damage, totem damage, and damage over time multipliers all fuel your ignites.
To maximize damage:
Attack speed increases how quickly fuses stack.
Ballista count (via Ancestral Bond and passives) determines how many totems you can drop.
Ignite proliferation ensures whole packs melt when one enemy burns.
Offensively, the scaling is simple but devastating. Defensively, the build layers multiple forms of mitigation:
Elementalist Ascendancy provides strong elemental defenses.
Armor is stacked via Determination, Granite Flasks, and gear.
Evasion comes from Grace and Jade Flasks.
Bastion of Elements adds a protective shield against elemental hits.
Spell suppression and capped resistances shore up endgame survivability.
The result is a mobile, safe, and versatile playstyle where you stay at range while your totems deal consistent, high damage.
Leveling Guide
Leveling into this build is smooth with a few early tips:
Start as Ranger to grab useful gems early, then transfer them via stash to your Witch.
Early Rings:
Sapphire Ring (Act 1 Merveil)
Ruby Ring (Act 3 Val Ruins)
Two-Stone Ring after level 20 for elemental resistance coverage.
Early Aura: Grace is excellent if you feel squishy.
Stat Fixing: Dexterity will likely be your biggest hurdle. Solve this with:
Bench-crafted stats.
Stat-boosting amulets.
Agility node on the passive tree.
Level 30: Complete Fixture of Fate to unlock the Library vendor and buy gems like Explosive Arrow, Ballista Totem Support, Faster Attacks, Grace, Blood Rage, and Frenzy.
Level 34: After your first Labyrinth, you'll unlock your first Golem.
By Act 4, you can grab the remaining golems using Orbs of Chance. You'll eventually run Flame, Lightning, Stone, and Chaos Golems for maximum buffs.
Playstyle during leveling: Drop totems, keep moving, and let them finish enemies offscreen. This makes progression fast and safe.
Ascendancy Progression
The Elementalist ascendancy offers both offense and defense. Here's the optimal order:
1.Liege of the Primordial-Buffs your golems and grants powerful elemental bonuses.
2.Shaper of Flames-Guarantees every hit ignites, and all damage types can ignite. This is vital for scaling EA ignites.
3.Bastion of Elements-Provides Primal Aegis, absorbing large chunks of elemental damage. Crucial for mapping safety.
4.Mastermind of Discord-Reduces enemy fire resistance via exposure, synergizing with Flammability and other debuffs.
Passive Tree Overview
The passive tree is optimized for ignite scaling and survivability.
Offense:
Fire damage, elemental damage, ignite duration.
Damage over time multipliers (the strongest way to scale ignite).
Projectile damage and attack speed nodes.
Defense:
~5,500 life at endgame.
Armor, evasion, and suppression.
Life mastery and resistance clusters.
Key notables: Heart of Flame, Holy Fire, Ash/Frost/Storm, Panopticon, and Watchtowers.
Cluster jewels are great for customization:
Large Cluster: Fire damage over time scaling.
Small Cluster: Resistance, attributes, or extra life.
Fully invested, the build can hit:
16M ignite DPS
4M burning ground DPS
while remaining tanky enough for endgame bosses.
Skill Gem Setup
Main 6-Link (Explosive Arrow Ballista):
Explosive Arrow
Ballista Totem Support
Ignite Proliferation
Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks
Awakened Burning Damage
Awakened Deadly AilmentsUtility & Buffs:
Golems: Flame, Lightning, Stone, Chaos.
Arcanist Brand Setup: Flammability, Flame Surge, Wave of Conviction (auto-applies exposure and curses).
Auras: Grace, Determination, Precision (with Enlighten for mana sustain).
Movement: Flame Dash + Arcane Surge.
Attack Buffs: Blood Rage (attack speed + frenzy generation), Frenzy (extra charges on bosses).
Gear Priorities
One of the biggest strengths of this build is gear flexibility. No unique items are mandatory, but several cheap ones smooth progression.
Early Priorities:
Life and Resistances on every rare.
Accuracy: Aim for 100% hit chance. Accuracy gets harder as you level.
Burning Brutality anoint-cheap and powerful for early damage.
Cheap Uniques:
Skirmish (extra totem)
Storm Cloud (fast bow for early leveling)
Defenses:
Aim for 100% spell suppression on gloves, boots, body armor, and passives.
Get capped elemental resists (75%).
Stack armor (Determination + Granite Flask).
Endgame Upgrades:
High-attack-speed bow with +1 gems and DoT multiplier.
Eldritch mods on armor for suppression, resistances, and auras.
Cluster jewels for additional damage multipliers.
Mercenary (Scion's Spectre Setup)
The best mercenary setup is a Kineticist focused on curse and elemental damage support.
Weapon: High fire-damage wand with ignite chance.
Key Gear:
Replica Victario's Charity (endurance charges).
Leer Cast (damage boost).
Kaom's Heart (extra life).
Legacy of Fury (scorch).
Rings like Polaric Devastation + Doedre's Damning for curse support.
This merc setup essentially acts as an aura and curse bot, boosting your damage while debuffing enemies.
Gameplay Tips
The beauty of this build is its "fire and forget" playstyle.
Totem Placement: Drop Ballistas near choke points, bosses, or large packs.
Stay Mobile: Focus on dodging while your totems do the work.
Pre-cast Strategy: Drop totems before bosses spawn to pre-stack fuses.
Map Clearing: Ignite proliferation means packs vanish instantly.
Bossing: Consistent ignite uptime makes fights safe and efficient.
This style rewards tactical positioning and awareness. You control the battlefield at range while your totems handle the damage.
Why Play Explosive Arrow Ballista?
Beginner-friendly: No uniques required, smooth leveling, safe playstyle.
Endgame viable: Scales into millions of DPS with investment.
Great balance of damage and defense.
Fun playstyle: Drop totems, dodge mechanics, and watch the world burn.
Whether you're new to Path of Exile or a veteran looking for a low-maintenance league starter, this build checks all the boxes. It's safe, powerful, and incredibly satisfying once the screen-wide ignites start chaining.
Final Thoughts
The Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist remains one of the most versatile builds in buy Path of exile currency. With its balance of offense, defense, and accessibility, it's an excellent choice for both casual mapping and high-end bossing. The ability to start cheaply and scale into late game makes it a build worth trying for any exile.