Path of Exile: The 8 Best League Starters for 3.23

Path of Exile 3.23 is just days away from launch and the affliction league promises a host of surprises. With a complete meta shift from 3.22, PoE 3.23 is set to engage ARPG gamers with plenty of core content. 

For starters, the fan favorite Ultimatum makes a return and the lesser played Metamorph mod has been removed from the game. Much of Metamorph’s catalysts and drops have been assimilated with Ultimatum to provide an exciting gameplay. 

Heist has seen a reward remake and Labyrinth has had a complete overhaul which focuses more on gems rather than enchants.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 8 best league starters to help you navigate the harsh worlds of Wraeclast in 3.22 Affliction.

1. Lightning Arrow Deadeye 

If you played LA Deadeye in 3.22, chances are you’re going to love it in 3.23 as the skill got buffed due to the labyrinth rework. 

The Lightning Arrow Deadeye League Starter strategically accumulates flat Elemental Damage to attain impressive DPS, making it ideal for swiftly progressing through both the campaign and maps.

This League Starter build for the Lightning Arrow Deadeye excels as a formidable mapper, showcasing high efficiency even with a mid-range budget. 

If you prefer a swift and dynamic build that unleashes numerous projectiles, effortlessly piercing through enemies and rebounding with precision, then this is the perfect choice for your character!

2. Hexblast Mines Saboteur

The Hexblast Mines Saboteur serves as a bosser and mapper, showcasing exceptional damage capabilities across all gear levels.

Crafted with the intent to commence a new league, this build thrives even without significant currency investment, efficiently clearing most, if not all, content. It excels in mapping and boasts substantial damage output, making it adept at confronting endgame bosses. 

The strategy involves strategically placing mines on the ground, followed by precise detonation. This league starter is perfect for people looking to balance their mapping and bossing activities and can be scaled well into the endgame.

3. Toxic Rain Pathfinder

A popular build of the past, Toxic Rain makes a return in the Affliction league adding yet another mix to the ever rising bow builds.

The nature of Toxic Rain is such that it produces damage from leveling gems and isn’t restricted to your weapon damage. This lets you freely complete the campaign and enter low level maps without worrying about weapon dps.

The Pathfinder ascendency has always been known for its automation. In a way, Pathfinders offer a mageblood start without having to farm one and are ideal for new players looking to have a great league start in Path of Exile 3.23. 

4. Corrupting Fever Champion

If speed, explosions, and defenses are something that you crave for, Corrupting Fever is the perfect league start. Combined with the defenses of the Champion, you have a perfect recipe to conquer the campaign and even clear up to yellow maps with no gear upgrades.

While the CF Champion requires a few uniques and a bit of understanding, it is still a great league start for those that haven’t tried Corrupting Fever before.

The idea behind Corrupting Fever is it takes a chunk of your health and sprays projectiles using Kinetic Blast all over your foes. This adds a Damage over Time debuff that is stackable. Much of your knowledge goes into learning how Corrupting Fever works to have the best chance at a league start.

5. Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist

The Explosive Arrow or EA Elementalist has been popular for many leagues now thanks to the safe approach in both, hardcore and softcore leagues. 

While it does take a second to ramp up the damage from the Explosive arrows detonating, the satisfying clear and the relatively safe approach to bossing is what makes EA Ballista Elementalist such a popular league starter.

The build is great in front loading your ballistas before a boss spawns to enable copious amounts of damage before they get a chance to react. This adds an additional layer of defense, in that, you don’t have to worry about boss mechanics if the boss is on the floor.

6. Boneshatter Juggernaut/Slayer

While Path of Exile has suffered from a lack of melee builds that are also beginner friendly to league start, Boneshatter isn’t one of them. 

In fact, Boneshatter has been popular among melee enthusiasts to enjoy close and personal combat while vanquishing hordes of enemies across multiple leagues now. 

It’s safe, reliable, and it comes in 2 ascendancies depending on your taste for horror. The Slayer build dispatches foes with an in-built Culling Strike and is perfect for the softcore player. 

The Juggernaut offers a balanced line of offense and defense. Regardless of which one you pick, this build focuses on blasting foes across maps and offers decent boss damage as well. 

7. Detonate Dead Elementalist

The term ‘Detonate Dead’ has been synonymous with Diablo’s Corpse Explosion. If you love a hybrid minion + caster playstyle, destroying the corpses of your foes to win your battles is the ideal Path of Exile 3.23 league start.

Detonate Dead deals damage based on the minion life which means the larger the life pool of the foe, the more burst you receive to your overall damage. 

Traditionally, Detonate Dead don’t require any specific uniques to kick start their journey. However, once you do rack up the currency, they can be scaled into endgame builds that destroy just about any content in a few seconds.

8. SRS Guardian

We haven’t forgotten our minion loving dark friends. Summon Raging Spirits has seen an up and down reception for a few leagues now. 

Think of the SRS playstyle as a place and move on gameplay. You summon your skull friends, they do damage, and you move on to place more of them.

It’s a simple gameplay for those looking to enjoy minion gameplay while also staying relevant in the endgame.

The build works flawlessly in softcore and even in a solo self found league start.

Final Thoughts

With the impending arrival of Path of Exile’s 3.23 expansion, the decision of which league starter to choose becomes pivotal for a successful campaign clear.

This article delves into 8 distinct builds, each offering unique strengths that cater to a diverse array of playstyles and preferences. Whether you lean towards spellcasters, melee warriors, or strategic totem masters, these league starters have proven their effectiveness in past expansions and are well-prepared to overcome the challenges awaiting in the Abyss.

So, prepare your gear, gather your wits, and embark on an epic adventure in the affliction league that is due to arrive on December 8th.

If you’re looking for community tools related to Path of Exile to make you Path of Exile 3.23 league start easy, check out our post – 13 Community Tools to Make Your Path of Exile league start smooth.