HoAg Gladiator - Cheap, Easy to Play, All Content Build (No Mageblood Required)

This build is my version of Herald of Agony on Gladiator ascendancy. I built it specifically to ignore as best as it can all map mods, including t17 map mods, and to be able to handle some of the more difficult content in the game (possessed bosses/giant exiles, 8mod t17s with risk scarab, 100% deli, etc) It can stand in elder tentacle explosions, flame bearers, volatile cores, most boss attacks and not get touched, although it does still have some weaknesses and does die to some things. I hit lvl 100 and 40/40 this league with this build and had a blast with it, hopefully others will enjoy it also.

Build excels at farming Ultimatum, Simulacrum, t17s, Rogue Exiles, Delirium, Delve

Build handles most boss fights pretty well, but is not a giga dps boss killer for farming mass bosses all day

Build is weak at Blight, Sanctum, fights with a lot of DoT damage particularly ground pools, and certain Uber Boss fights

Current PoB: https://pobb.in/2oYocKL0aLBs

Budget/Progression PoB: https://pobb.in/rriYsldNioMu

Build Showcase Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S5gfV7S3lk Vs Feared (most recent/updated version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xI5AApr5E Vs wave 14/15 Simulacrum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbmLxV5r5a8&t=166s Vs t17 Citadel map (early/budget version)

Skills Breakdown -

This build functions mostly as a 1 button playstyle. Hold down cyclone and move around while Agony Crawler kills everything. You rarely have to move to avoid anything, mostly just DoT effects such as ground puddles and shapers beam, or attacks that cannot be blocked like shaper slam or exarch ball phase.

I do have a brand setup (i know a 2nd button) but it isnt necessary and is just more damage to try to bolster the single target dmg on this build. I have desecrate/spirit offering along with despair curse linked with arcanist brand. The offering gives a good chunk of damage and also procs my Graft (The Great Avalanche) to summon spiders which apply Brittle to the enemy. This is mainly just for bosses. I also run Snipers Mark with Mark on Hit.

My second graft is Heart of Flame which has high uptime as I am constantly losing tiny amount of life due to life cost of my skills.

I use cyclone and cast while channeling with ball lightning of orbiting and life gain on hit. I have cyclone at 0 mana cost (1 life cost) so that i never have to worry about being out of mana in no regen maps. Ball lightning is also 0 mana cost (2 life) so that I will always be able to spam my main skill to both do damage and continue getting life gained on hit, which is important defense against damage over time effects, which are this builds weakness. I also have a shaper ring with life/mana gain on hit for spells so that ball lightning also heals me and fills my mana up in case of no regen maps.

Herald of Agony is linked to awakened minion dmg, awakened vicious proj, awakened void manipulation, pierce, and damage on full life. If you play the budget version with Lioneyes armor you would swap out Pierce support for either Empower or Withering Touch.

I took Aul bloodline for the action speed immunity, this negates petrification, freeze, drowner orbs slowing effect, delirium slow effect, and Citadel boss debuff. Farrul bloodline can also work for the same effect by using a Guardian Turtle and speccing into Wild Will. I opted for Aul so that I did not have to worry about spectre dying in super juiced maps, although turtle is very tanky and can survive most content pretty well.

Gear Breakdown -

I utilize Gladiators lucky block node along with Azadi Crest shield to get double lucky block, essentially giving 99% chance to block attack and spell damage. I also use forbidden flame/flesh jewels to take Champions Fortitude node for max fortify, giving me 26 permanent fortification. (build also works fine in budget version without forbidden jewels)

I am utilizing the new Rigwalds Hunt armor to give my Agony Crawler 26% chance to do double damage. If you do not have the forbidden jewels you can run Lioneyes Vision (regular not foulborn) as a budget option, or Diallas/skin of the lords.

My gloves atm are 4white Triad Grip for full chaos conversion on Agony Crawler to get max benefit from Despair curse and bypass ES.

I am running Dark Seer as my main weapon, it gives +2 to Herald of Agony, Malediction, and almost 200 flat life, and also allows me to get some minor value out of Weapon Master ascendancy node (more AOE for ball lightning). Festering Resentment is a fun option to play with as it lets you become an afk build, but i prefer Dark Seer for pushing hard content. Sometimes I will slap on Festering dagger for delve or other easy farming when i dont want to hold down cyclone.

My Circle of Nostalgia ring has -3 to mana cost of skills implicit, this is very important for getting cyclone down to 0 mana as it applies to both channelled and non-channelled skills.

I use tattoos to get 100% chance to avoid bleeding, and also reduced ignite duration (along with jewel corruption implicits). I also have a few tattoos for poison chance. Due to high use of tattoos on this build I was able to squeeze in Rational Doctrine for consecrated/profane ground. Due to attribute rolls on gear you may have to play around a bit to get Str/Int/Dex in the right balance if you want to use this jewel.

I run enduring composure on a Megalomaniac for Endurance Charges along with 6 total Pure Agony medium cluster jewels. This brings me to 83 total Virulence for Agony Crawler.

Bound by Destiny gives poison immunity as long as 2 hunter pieces are worn, another easy fix to a pesky DoT effect.

Impossible Escape for Chaos Innoculation allows me to grab Whispers of Doom, Serpentine Spellslinger, some more poison chance for spells, and a single 8% reservation node that i needed to squeeze everything in.