Analysis of Hierophant vs Champion KF totems as a starter

tldr: Champ wins on mitigation, Hiero wins on speed and qol, damage similar. I will probably play Hiero cause no mana issues and don't need Wilma's on SSF (but need delve or farm beasts for bloodline which is fine for me).

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I'm planning to start KF totems on SSF. Here are my findings so far on whether Champ or Hiero is better:

Sustain / recovery

Hiero has 9% life regen (pathing + ascendancy), and can take Divine Shield. If using Arm/ES variant - it's a bit problematic to recover ES - but Divine Shield helps a ton during mapping, another option is to take ZO.

Champ doesn't have much. Not only that, you also lose 25% life occasionally for the Adrenaline proc. However since it's easy to achieve 65/65 block - "5% life on block" shield will carry a lot. On bosses you have to rely on life flasks.

Mana

Hiero mana is solved - it has flat and increased regen from the ascendancy.

Champ has massive mana issues, you have to run some of these: mana flask, stack elreon rings, use inspiration, use lifetap, invest more in reservation. Perhaps you can get 1 lifetap via new gem corrupt system.

Avoidance / mitigation

Hiero has two major ways to build its defence:

• One way is to go full Armour/ES - take Divine Shield and arm/es body armour mastery. Then take new Aul and run Determination/Anger. Tree example: https://pobb.in/7OeVUexin2ip (because of new belt you can anoint both Watchtowers and Surveillance without having to path bottom for +2 totems)
• Another way is to go Armour/Evasion and path down to suppress. Tree example (tati pob) https://pobb.in/3P8yEy2Kf_l3
• Block on Hiero is very problematic without losing a lot of damage. However you can go Glancing Blows and use life or es on block shield.
• 4-5 permanent endurance charges (+1 min from ring)
• Highly effective cwdt-molshell, and 30-50k armour (if Aul bloodline is used)

tldr: your phys mitigation is very good due to high armour and endu charges, but ele mitigation and ES recovery struggles.

Champ mitigation is where it shines, with not much effort you get:

• perma Fortify
• Suppress cap
• 65/65 block
• 3 endu charges during mapping (from Enduring Composure or Disciple of Unyielding)

Damage

Hiero gets:

• +1 totem,
• 5% damage per totem (which leads to 40% more damage),
• 4 permanent power charges.
• either Aul bloodline which allows you to use Anger at 150% effectiveness (this leads to 10-20% more damage), or Farrul bloodline for tigers (125% crit chance and 35% attack speed)
• They added new accuracy clusters near Templar, which are very handy, but we don't know if that accuracy will be global or only to melee.

Champ ascendancy provides:

• 15% increased damage taken
• Hits can't be evaded (from taunted)
• Auto intimidate (frees up glove implicit)
• 100% damage and 25% attack speed (25% extra from Wilma) from Adrenaline (but you have to press a button).

Champ REALLY wants to use Wilma's helmet because Adrenaline and Onslaught both double-dip attack and cast speed. Wilma's gives you Ancestral Bond, 30% ele damage, 45% attack speed. And perma onslaught is super easy to get from cluster. However you get so much attack speed that you might go over KF threshold, which forces you to play reduced duration ring or amulet.

Totem placement speed

From patch notes:

Totem Placement speed now also scales the speed at which Totems emerge. Ranged Attack Totems now have a base placement speed of 0.5 seconds (previously 0.35).

We don't know if that is even a nerf. What we do know is that Hiero has 140% extra totem placement speed. Edit: tati released a video about placement speed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NJqRJuKLsw

While Champ has to spend 5-6 points to get 75% placement speed and a 30% chance to place 2 totems instead of 1.

Because of that, generic mapping will likely be smoother/faster on Hiero.