"Champion that which you love. He who fights for nothing dies for nothing."

The Champion is a defensive/support class that can act as a tank for their party by taunting and debuffing enemies, buffing their allies with an aura, or Intimidate enemies to reduce their defenses. 

Ancestral Warchief is a skill that creates a totem which will attack enemies with melee AoE slams while the player stands close to it. Being near it also increases the player's damage. With this skill, this build can easy and fast to leveling, more importantly, it's very cheap!

 

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • - Beginner and new league "friendly" - the build is very simple in design and execution.
  • - Budget friendly. Start with rare items and upgrade to the suggested unique items once you can afford it.
  • - Easy and fast to level.
  • - Very tanky.
  • - Permanent Fortify & Onslaught.
  • - High life regeneration, making labyrinth traps easier to deal with.
  • - Your totems can taunt, making bosses much less dangerous.
  • - Good for farming Uber lab, Atziri and Guardians. Shaper is doable too if you upgrade from Kondo's Pride to Starforge.

Cons

  • - Some people don't enjoy the "totem playstyle"

 

Skill Tree

Ascendancy

Conqueror --> Worthy Foe --> Unstoppable Hero --> Fortitude

Bandit quest

-Help Oak (phys damage, mitigation, and life regeneration!)

Pantheon

  • - Soul of Solaris (great for boss encounters)
  • - Soul of Ryslate (filling up potions and extra effect of health potions)

Passive Tree

 

Gem Setup

Damage setup

- Ancestral Warchief, Maim, Brutality, Melee Physical Damage, Concentrated Effect (5-link) & Ruthless (6-link).

Note: For mapping I suggest using Faster Attacks instead of Concentrated Effect.

Mobility, Cull & Curse

- Leap Slam, Faster Attacks, Culling Strike & Vulnerability.

Note: Even though Ancestral Bond prevents you from dealing damage; leaping unto an enemy while its below 10% still triggers the culling effect and thus kills it.

Utility 1

- Enduring Cry, Increased Duration, Stone Golem & Life Leech.

CWDT Setup

- CWDT (lvl 6), Immortal Call (lvl 8), Vortex (lvl 9), Inc. Duration (max level).

Note: For this setup, it is important that your gems are exactly the level as posted above, otherwise it won't work. If you accidentally over-level a gem you can sell it to the vendor together with an orb of scouring to de-level it by 1. Or sell it together with an orb of regret to return it to level 1.

Optional, defensive setup for the budget version (No Kaom's Heart)

- Vengeance, Knockback, Life Gain on Hit & Blind.

 

Gear

Look for these stats on your rare gear (in priority):

Important

  • Life
  • Elemental Resistances

Not very important

  • Attack speed & Flat physical damage (only on rings and gloves)
  • Intelligence (only if you need it to progress gem leveling)

Refer Gear

see the PoB link https://pastebin.com/S5gT85At

(If you do not know how to use, see the instructions below, otherwise please ignore)
1. Download Path of Building software
2. Copypastebin URL.
3. Launchpathofbuilding.
4. Click on Import/Export.
5. Click Import from Pastebin
6. Paste the URL copied in step 2.
7. Done!

Jewels

  • - Maximum life
  • - Physical/Melee/Sword/Totem Damage/Area Damage
  • - Attack Speed
  • - Resistances

Flasks

  • - 1x Seething Divine Life Flasks of Staunching
  • - 1x Ample Sulphur Flask of Heat (prevents you from getting frozen when opening strongboxes)
  • - 1x Avenger’s Basalt Flask of Warding
  • - 1x Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat
  • - 1x Lion’s Roar

Note: until you get more accustomed to the labyrinth traps, We recommend using at least 2 health flasks. Also, before you get a Perseverance belt, consider using a Silver Flask, to apply onslaught.

 

Leveling Tips

1. Level 1-12: Use Cleave, linked with Chance to Bleed & Maim.

2. Level 12+ until you grab Ancestral Bond: Use sunder with a 2-handed axe, mace or staff. Link Sunder with Chance to Bleed, Maim and once you reach level 18 and/or get have a 4-link add in Melee Physical Damage

3. Once you get Ancestral Bond, start using Warchief Totems, optimally in a 4-link.

Note: Once you pick up Ancestral Bond your character can no longer deal damage with skills. You will have to rely on your totems from there on.

4. Level 50-60+ try getting yourself a cheap 5-linked armor for your Warchief setup.

5. Level 61+ Get Kondo’s Pride.

Note: until you pick up blood magic and/or use the brutality support gem I’d recommend running Herald of Ash and Hatred for a nice temporary damage boost.

Unique items for leveling (OPTIONAL)

Armour

  • - Wanderlust
  • - Goldrim

Weapons

  • - 2x The Screaming Eagle
  • - Limpsplit
  • - Wideswing
  • - Reaper’s Pursuit
  • - Rigwald’s Charge

Expectations