The Ultimate Kingsmarch Build Guide - Path of Exile

Path of Exile (PoE) is renowned for its complex and highly customizable character builds, enabling players to tailor their gameplay experience extensively. Among the many interesting and powerful builds is the Kingsmarch build-a unique and engaging style that centers around explosive area damage, crowd control, and high survivability. Whether you're a new player looking to try something fresh or a veteran aiming to optimize your Kingsmarch setup, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to master the Kingsmarch build and how to get Path of exile currency.

What is Kingsmarch?

Before diving into the specifics, it's important to clarify what the Kingsmarch build entails.

Kingsmarch is not a single skill but rather a build archetype typically based on the interaction of certain skills and items that generate powerful explosions dealing massive area damage. The core concept revolves around chaining explosions to clear packs of monsters swiftly while maintaining excellent survivability through defense layers and mobility.

The name "Kingsmarch" is inspired by a combination of the fiery, marching onslaught feel of the build and its thematic flair-often involving fire or elemental damage paired with area-of-effect (AoE) explosions.

Core Skills and Mechanics

The effectiveness of the Kingsmarch build depends heavily on synergy between your active skills, passive tree, gear, and support gems. Here are the main skills typically used:

1. Fireball / Firestorm / Explosive Trap

Fireball is often the go-to skill for Kingsmarch due to its innate explosive properties and scaling potential.

Firestorm is a strong alternative, raining down fiery meteors that explode on impact.

Explosive Trap is used in some variations to trigger explosions remotely and control the battlefield.

2. Detonate Mines / Explosions

Many Kingsmarch builds incorporate mines or traps that detonate to cause massive AoE explosions, often enhanced by specific items and passive nodes.

3. Supporting Skills

Movement Skills: Such as Flame Dash or Leap Slam, to reposition quickly.

Defensive Auras: Like Grace or Vitality to boost evasion and life regeneration.

Utility Skills: Like Arctic Armour or Enduring Cry for added defense.

Passive Skill Tree Overview

A strong Kingsmarch build relies on a balanced passive skill tree that enhances damage, survivability, and resource management.

Key Nodes to Prioritize:

Fire Damage Increases: Nodes boosting fire damage, burn damage, and elemental damage.

Area Damage: Amplifies the AoE explosions and fireball radius.

Life and Energy Shield: Essential for survival; pick notable clusters for max life and ES.

Trap and Mine Damage: If your build uses mines or traps, invest heavily here.

Cast Speed / Projectile Speed: Increases damage throughput and projectile efficiency.

Resistance Nodes: To cap your elemental resistances and mitigate damage.

Notable Keystone Passives:

Elemental Overload: Grants massive damage increases after critical strikes but disables critical strikes on damage-over-time effects.

Trickster or Saboteur Ascendancies: These classes synergize well with Kingsmarch style builds.

Ascendancy Classes Best Suited for Kingsmarch

Choosing the right ascendancy class will significantly influence your build's effectiveness. Here are the most popular choices:

1. Saboteur (Shadow)

Excels with trap and mine damage boosts.

Gains skills that enhance explosion radius and trigger effects.

Provides excellent mobility with skills like Chain Reaction and Pyromaniac.

2. Trickster (Shadow)

Great for survivability with energy shield and evasion.

Boosts elemental damage and damage over time.

Provides life and mana sustain, which is crucial for prolonged fights.

3. Elementalist (Witch)

Boosts elemental damage and ignite effects.

Can summon golems and other minions to aid in combat.

Increases elemental resistances and shock effects.

Recommended Gear for Kingsmarch

To optimize your Kingsmarch build, you'll need gear that amplifies fire and elemental damage, boosts your AoE explosions, and improves survivability.

Weapons

Wands or Sceptres: With +to fire or elemental skill gems, increased spell damage, or cast speed.

Unique Items:

Taryn's Shiver (Bow): Converts physical damage to cold and adds projectile damage-useful for alternative versions.

Fireborn (Wand): Boosts fire damage and spell critical strike chance.

Kingsguard (Body Armour): Sometimes used to theme the build or for specific defensive benefits.

Armour

High Energy Shield or Evasion Armour: Depending on your ascendancy choice.

Unique Items:

Carcass Jack: Increases AoE and damage.

Shaper's Touch: Boosts elemental damage with gloves.

Kaom's Heart: Massive life boost, essential for tanky builds.

Accessories

Rings and Amulets: Look for fire damage, elemental damage, cast speed, and life bonuses.

Belt: Stygian Vise with a Life and Resistances Abyssal jewel.

Jewels: Focus on fire damage, cast speed, area damage, and life.

Support Gems Setup

Link your main skill with these support gems to maximize damage and efficiency:

Elemental Focus: Increases elemental damage but prevents applying status ailments (so consider if you want ignite or chill effects).

Controlled Destruction: Significant spell damage boost but reduces critical strike chance.

Increased Area of Effect: Expands explosion radius.

Burning Damage: Increases burn effect damage.

Trap Support / Mine Support: If using those mechanics.

Spell Echo: For faster casting.

Playstyle and Combat Strategy

The Kingsmarch build thrives on controlling large groups of monsters with explosive AoE damage while maintaining mobility and defenses.

General Tips:

Keep Moving: Use movement skills to stay out of harm's way.

Set Mines or Traps Strategically: Place them where they will hit the largest groups of enemies.

Trigger Explosions Efficiently: Learn timing to maximize chain reactions.

Monitor Your Defenses: Keep flasks ready, especially those that boost resistances or grant immunity to ailments.

Bossing

While Kingsmarch excels in clearing packs, it can also handle bosses with proper gearing and strategy:

Use mines or multiple fireballs to stack damage.

Keep distance and dodge mechanics.

Use buffs and defensive skills proactively.

Bandit and Pantheon Choices

Bandit

Helping Alira is a popular choice for Kingsmarch builds due to the elemental resistances, mana regeneration, and critical multiplier she grants.

Alternatively, killing all bandits for two passive points can also be effective.

Pantheon Powers

Soul of Ryslatha: Provides life regeneration.

Soul of Shakari: Offers poison immunity.

Soul of Arakaali: Reduces damage over time effects, useful for survivability.

Leveling Your Kingsmarch Build

Early leveling is straightforward by using Fireball or Explosive Trap as your main skill.

Prioritize life nodes early.

Use quick, cheap gear upgrades.

Keep your resistances capped.

Gradually invest in trap/mine and fire damage nodes as you reach mid-levels.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Mana Issues: Use mana flasks and consider Clarity or other mana regen support.

Survivability: Keep a balance between energy shield and life, and use defensive flasks and skills.

Damage Scaling: Invest in quality gems and upgrade your gear progressively, you will buy Path of exile currency more easily.

Lag or Performance: Reduce particle effects or lower graphical settings to improve performance during explosive fights.

Conclusion

The Kingsmarch build in Path of Exile is a powerful and visually spectacular choice that delivers devastating area damage with satisfying explosions and excellent crowd control. By focusing on fire and elemental damage, investing in traps or mines, and choosing the right ascendancy and gear, you can craft a character capable of dominating both clearing maps and facing endgame bosses.

This guide has covered the essential skills, passive tree nodes, gear recommendations, and playstyle strategies to get you started on your Kingsmarch journey. Remember, PoE is all about experimentation and customization-so don't hesitate to tweak this build to suit your preferences and playstyle.

Good luck, Exile! May your flames scorch all who stand before you.