Path of Exile (PoE) is a game that draws players in with its deep mechanics and complex skill trees, offering an immense variety of ways to build a character. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a complete newcomer, one of the most enjoyable and accessible builds to start with is the Cyclone Impale build. This guide is designed to help beginners understand why the Cyclone Impale build is a fantastic choice for new players, how it works, and how to optimize it for both leveling and endgame content. We'll cover the mechanics, passive tree, ascendancy choices, gear recommendations, and skill gem setups.

 

Why Choose the Cyclone Impale Build?

When first starting out in Path of Exile, one of the most important factors to consider is how well the build scales, how easy it is to play, and whether it has a smooth leveling curve. The Cyclone Impale build checks all of these boxes, making it a top-tier choice for beginners. Here's why:

 

Ease of Play: The Cyclone skill is one of the most intuitive and fun skills in Path of Exile. With Cyclone, your character automatically spins around, hitting multiple enemies as you move. The mechanic is highly satisfying because it feels dynamic and powerful. Cyclone can be used as both a movement skill and a damage-dealing skill, allowing for fluid, fast-paced gameplay.

 

Synergy with Impale: Impale is a mechanic that rewards players for hitting an enemy multiple times. Each time you strike, you deal additional damage based on the number of times the target has been impaled. This mechanic pairs beautifully with Cyclone, as it applies numerous hits in a short amount of time. The result is an incredibly strong synergy, boosting your damage output significantly without requiring complicated mechanics to manage.

 

Great for Both Single-Target and AoE: The build excels at both clearing packs of mobs and dealing with bosses. Cyclone provides strong area-of-effect (AoE) damage, which makes clearing regular monsters easy, while the Impale mechanic scales your damage for single-target encounters, like bosses and rares.

 

Smooth Leveling Experience: Cyclone, combined with Impale, offers a smooth and straightforward leveling experience. As you progress, the build remains strong, and you won't need to respec too often, which is a common pain point for beginners. From the early acts to endgame content, Cyclone Impale can hold its own, making it an ideal choice for players new to the game. You can also use Path of exile currency to improve them.

 

Core Mechanics of the Cyclone Impale Build

Before diving into the build's specifics, let's take a closer look at the two core mechanics: Cyclone and Impale.

 

Cyclone

Cyclone is a melee attack skill where your character spins around in place, dealing damage to nearby enemies with each rotation. It is a physical damage skill, making it especially effective when paired with other physical damage boosters.

 

Cyclone is not just an attack-it's also a movement skill, which means you can continuously move through enemies while attacking. This mobility allows you to avoid damage, reposition in the heat of battle, and clear packs of monsters efficiently. Cyclone's smooth mechanics, combined with its high damage potential, make it one of the most popular skills in Path of Exile.

 

Impale

Impale is a mechanic that provides additional damage when you hit an enemy multiple times with a physical attack. The more times you hit the enemy, the more damage you do. When your character hits an impaled enemy, the stored damage from previous Impales is triggered, effectively multiplying your overall damage output.

 

Cyclone's rapid-fire nature makes it an ideal candidate for applying Impale, as each spin applies multiple hits in quick succession. This means that with each spin, you're stacking up Impales and dealing massive bonus damage as the fight progresses.

 

Passive Tree and Key Nodes

The Passive Skill Tree is a critical aspect of any PoE build. For Cyclone Impale, the goal is to increase melee physical damage, attack speed, life, and Impale effectiveness. Here's how to approach the tree for a solid Cyclone Impale build:

 

1. Starting Point

The Duelist is the best class to start with for this build. Not only does the Duelist offer great access to physical damage and attack speed nodes, but it also has strong survivability through the Gladiator ascendancy. As a beginner, the Duelist class gives you a balanced mix of offense and defense, making it easier to progress through the game.

 

2. Important Nodes

Impale Cluster: This cluster is where the magic happens. It increases the effectiveness of Impale and boosts the damage you deal when hitting impaled enemies. Make sure to prioritize these nodes early.

 

Melee Damage: Focus on nodes that increase melee physical damage and attack speed. These are crucial for scaling Cyclone and maximizing your damage output.

 

Life and Defenses: Since you'll be in melee range frequently, it's essential to focus on life nodes to increase your survivability. Nodes like Heart of the Gladiator and Juggernaut provide a significant amount of health and help make you tankier.

 

Endurance Charges: Look for nodes that grant you endurance charges (such as Unflinching or Unflinching Stance). These charges reduce incoming damage and increase your overall defense, which is crucial for staying alive in tough encounters.

 

3. Ascendancy Choices

The best ascendancy for a Cyclone Impale build is the Gladiator, which offers a great balance of offensive and defensive capabilities.

 

Blood in the Eyes: This is the primary node for increasing Impale damage, which makes it a core part of the build. It significantly boosts your chance to Impale and your overall damage.

 

Versatile Combatant: This node increases your block chance when dual-wielding, making you harder to hit and improving your overall survivability.

 

Grave Intentions: This node provides further damage boosts to Impale, allowing you to stack even more damage.

 

Way of the Gladiator: This node offers additional life and damage for Gladiators, making it an ideal choice for a tanky, high-damage build.

 

Gear and Weapon Choices

Your gear plays a crucial role in making your Cyclone Impale build effective. Here's a breakdown of the items to focus on:

 

1. Weapons:

Axes are the ideal weapon choice for this build, due to their high base physical damage. Look for axes that provide increased physical damage and attack speed. Swords are also viable, but axes generally offer higher raw damage output, which is beneficial for scaling your Impale damage.

 

2. Armor:

Helmet: Focus on life, resistances, and any physical damage mods. Look for helmets that provide additional Cyclone or Impale bonuses.

 

Body Armor: A solid life roll and resistances are key. You can also aim for Kaom's Way or Astramentis for added survivability.

 

Gloves and Boots: Prioritize life, attack speed, and resistances. Boots with increased movement speed are essential for mobility.

 

3. Flasks:

Life Flask: Essential for emergency healing. A Divine Life Flask with Instant Recovery is ideal.

 

Silver Flask: For boosting attack speed and damage.

 

Quick Silver Flask: Movement speed is crucial for quick map clearing and positioning. You can buy POE currency to get them.

 

Skill Gem Setup

The skill gems you choose are vital for maximizing your damage and survivability. Here's a general gem setup for Cyclone Impale:

 

Cyclone: Link Cyclone with Melee Physical Damage, Impale Support, Brutality, and Damage on Full Life to increase both your damage and the effectiveness of Impale.

 

Movement Setup: You can use Leap Slam or Whirling Blades for mobility, linked with Faster Attacks for increased movement speed.

 

Aura Setup: Pride is a must, as it increases physical damage taken by enemies near you. You can also use Herald of Purity for additional physical damage.

 

Defensive Setup: Immortal Call linked with Cast When Damage Taken will provide a temporary invulnerability buff. Steelskin or Molten Shell can also help mitigate incoming damage.

 

Conclusion

The Cyclone Impale build is an excellent choice for beginners in Path of Exile. It provides a smooth leveling experience, strong damage output, and great survivability. By focusing on key attributes like physical damage, attack speed, life, and Impale effectiveness, you can build a character that performs well throughout the entire game, from the early acts to the endgame bosses. This build requires minimal micromanagement, making it a perfect entry point for newcomers to the game.

 

With a solid understanding of the mechanics and a good setup, the Cyclone Impale build will allow you to conquer Wraeclast with style and power.