The vast majority of players start fresh with every league launch rather than playing in the evergreen Standard league.
If you want to get in on the fun, youll need a plan for your new character.
Are you a veteran looking to farm uber pinnacle bosses?
Look for proven builds with significant scaling like Lightning Strike.
Do you prefer blasting hoards of monsters and flying through maps?
You will love Poisonous Concoction.
Are you a hardcore player who needs to prioritize defense?
Inquisitor, Champion, and Trickster builds reign supreme.
Additionally, confirm to account for the cost of any required Unique items.
Many Uniques are dirt-cheap, but some are exorbitantly expensive in trade leagues.
For example, many Shield Crush builds lean on the Prismatic Eclipse Unique sword for attack speed.
Finally, check that you pick something that you will enjoy.
Every player is different and enjoys different play styles.
I tend to gravitate towards melee builds even when the archetype is struggling because I just enjoy them.
Lightning Strike has two components; the melee hit, and the three projectiles it fires.
A single Lightning Strike attack can only hit an enemy with one of these.
This trick allows you to hit a boss twice per attack.
If youre playing Lightning Strike and finding your single-target damage lacking, this is a likely culprit.
Failing to take advantage of this mechanic reduces your damage by more than half.
Poisonous Concoction characters can practically clear low-tier maps without equipping any gear at all.
The Occultist ascendancys Profane Bloom explosions and Pathfinders Master Toxicist proliferation make clearing a breeze.
The downside of Poisonous Concoction is that its single target damage just isnt very good in the late endgame.
That tried-and-true combo still has solid single-target damage, especially with the reworked Mings Heart and Obliteration uniques.
Spark generates multiple lightning projectiles that can bounce off of walls and change directions at random.
The downside of Spark is that it relies on those wall bounces for maximum DPS.
Even in a worst-case scenario wide open space though, Spark does enough damage to get by.
Honorable mentions
The above builds above are reliable, surefire starters for a variety of content.
These builds are strong starters but have various barriers that make them harder to recommend to new players.
It also boasts an incredibly smooth playstyle; just turn on Righteous Fire and run to the boss.
However, it falls outside of my top three for two reasons.
Firstly, it just never gets truly great single-target damage.
Secondly, Righteous Fire constantly drains your health.
If you know what youre doing, Righteous Fire is fantastic.
If you dont know what youre doing, its non-functional.
Explosive Trap should have a higher damage ceiling and can take advantage of physical damage conversion shenanigans.
Ice Trap will likely be more consistent though, and certainly smoother for leveling.
Rage Vortex Berserker
Rage Vortex is another mechanically sound melee skill.
you might let a Rage Vortex rip and then move around without losing DPS uptime.
Once it does though, watch out.
Hopefully now you’ve got a solid idea for your Kalandra league start build!
