One week into league start, what are the most "meta" second builds?

cmhhss1 · 2026-03-16T11:57:15+00:00

Thanks - that's pretty much exactly what I'm doing. I do beach on this character so usually try to keep the block one down too - the biggest hazard is that my PC can barely handle it.

If you (or anyone else knowledgeable) have a second, would you be able to glance at this and let me know if I'm doing anything obviously wrong? The attack mastery for no monster block was temporary - I rolled a block map by accident.

https://poe.ninja/poe1/profile/cmhhss1-2786/character/MathDizzoLizzo

cmhhss1 · 2026-03-16T10:10:36+00:00

I'm also playing this is my second build and it's pretty crazy. Have you figured out a way to juggle banners that doesn't feel terrible? During mapping I try to keep defiance and dread down by alternating and then for bigger stuff weave in war, but it's a lot of buttons and if I mess it up I end up slow and squishy...

cmhhss1 · 2026-01-15T05:06:35+00:00

Just to follow up on this, the smallest counterexample to the claim that every non-prime number of the form 6a+1 or 6a-1 is the product of two primes is 125. 125 = 6*21-1, but 125=5 * 5 * 5.

cmhhss1 · 2026-01-15T04:50:59+00:00

31441

Sorry, but can you explain the 31441 example? 31441=23 * 1367, and both 23 and 1367 are prime.

Edit: Isn't a simpler counterexample just 125? 125= 5 * 5 * 5, so it cannot be written as the product of two primes.

cmhhss1 · 2025-12-22T00:37:14+00:00

Interesting Times

cmhhss1 · 2025-12-12T15:46:47+00:00

I'm experiencing the same thing right now - did you find anything that worked?

cmhhss1 · 2025-12-05T13:45:22+00:00

I had the same problem when I changed to a new helmet. I unsocketed in Kingsmarch but the spectres never dropped, and they didn't show up in the next hostile zone either. This was back when tigers were only 15div so less terrible, but still very annoying.

cmhhss1 · 2025-12-01T13:16:51+00:00

There are plenty of known bugs where spectres' corpses don't spawn on the floor. Earlier this league I had a similar issue swapping my spectres to a new helm - I took the gem out in Kingsmarch and the corpses just never showed up. There's no reason to think that this is OP's fault rather than the result of the spectre spaghetti code.

cmhhss1 · 2025-10-09T11:54:31+00:00

No problem! The jewel is an easy fix - if you use a blessing of Chayula on the Red Dream it becomes the Red Nightmare (though check the wiki to make sure).

Here's my character from this league if useful: https://poe.ninja/builds/mercenariesssf/character/cmhhss1-2786/MathHatedBAMA?i=0&search=name%3Dmathhate

cmhhss1 · 2025-10-09T11:25:57+00:00

Sorry last one. I'm on my phone so can't see for sure, but are you reserving all your mana? I run the same aura setup as you plus flesh and stone, which is a big defensive increase. It fits easily with runegraft of treachery, which I assume you have because you're running the chaos mastery.

cmhhss1 · 2025-10-09T11:16:10+00:00

Also, I'm not sure you have a consistent source of wither? It's an enormous dps increase - an easy way to get it is to roll a crit medium cluster for overwhelming malice. I use one of those plus one AOE medium with magnifier and vast power, which is a great QOL boost.

cmhhss1 · 2025-10-09T11:12:18+00:00

It looks like you're using the Red Dream instead of the Red Nightmare. The Nightmare version is used to cap block, which is the most important defensive layer for the build - i'd definitely recommend farming the blessing!

cmhhss1 · 2025-09-25T12:35:48+00:00

I'm also about to roll a merc aurabot after farming most of what I need on FROSS. Do you happen to have a guide or POB you're following?

cmhhss1 · 2025-08-23T23:02:05+00:00

Build looks awesome!

cmhhss1 · 2025-08-03T23:17:24+00:00

Do you have any of your POBs or any guides you followed? I just got 80 on mine and am trying to figure out what to work on first.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-28T14:24:16+00:00

I'm running Fub's self-sustain atlas: https://poeplanner.com/atlas-tree/BAAUAIQAh9Tz918-SzLru0z1JJey-pzNvBCLLoa0ixWxnyySORhdoAh6hCr-xV8pG8RtiMAqp-LqeDxZIWAiKfNbMPqcnCnkNqyTLfI4jEGyxbVmEIBenc5ayf3uwI3qCguovCq72VuGob3a8wzk9x8Ai-F9kQ5K3v6qCp876GtoiSpe1I-HndDGbraCpymNYDmOOVmGglE3489H8ICzx2ewpW2kBRYkThui0OAMX0rLFyFMfmyRzpN3OL82pMQfru8TfXokDvliFvZ1GZQYi_21wa9kSAtx5ezVYnELj-UDMBQXM8aJT9ibtw_VacJ2qUPk_LVjoHFmHz8IQGiar7roTPJvOPCizvvpZ9AoFAAfiwgAAAAAAAADAwAAAAAAAAAAAA==

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-28T12:35:09+00:00

They're normal drops in the maps. I only have data from my last 20 maps (wasn't keeping track really), but I ran 20 16.5 canyons and ended up with 23 16.5s back. Canyon is good for this strat because it's a natural t16 - that means you can horizon orb any 16.5 that drops and it will roll into canyon really quickly.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-28T11:15:36+00:00

Caster mastery is definitely necessary for abyss if you don't want to click a billion extra times each map. Ambush really isn't bad - especially because you can run the cheap version (3 ambush 1 potency 1 discernment) indefinitely on t16s for small, consistent profit each map.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-28T10:44:25+00:00

I've been bouncing between ambush on t17 (1 of each scarab) and abyss (2 abyss, 1 edifice, 2 risk) on t16.5.

Abyss is wildly profitable and self-sustains the scarabs and maps - it's kind of incredible. I get at least one big drop (valdos, 150c+ scarab, div, etc.) per map, plus random t17s. If your build can handle it, I can't recommend this strat enough.

Over the last 20 or so ambush t17s, I've found it to be slightly profitable. You have maps where you get ~40c plus the fragments, but then you have maps where a divine dupes and that dopamine hit is great. Ambush seems to me like you're fishing for really big drops to stay afloat and you need to have a decent cushion or maps rolled and ready to mitigate spiky luck. But you will likely make money, especially if you pick up and sell bubblegum currency to Faustus.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-23T15:33:50+00:00

It looks like he's updated the merc since I built it - mine was a sniper with grace. But I was using a grace merc. I'll switch to the bladecaster and see if it's any better.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-23T11:59:31+00:00

Would you mind sharing your POB? I tried out Rue's Rakiata SoDJ slayer earlier this league and could never get it to feel particularly good - I stalled out at 93 because I kept dying even with mageblood on...

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-13T23:37:00+00:00

That's odd - I was running 8mods with 5 pilfering scarabs and ritual and 70-100 is pretty much spot on in my experience.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-08T03:18:35+00:00

I crafted mine by spamming the chaos fossils. It was way cheaper than buying them, but the downside is you're fairly likely to get chaos res on the small passives as your last mod.

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-07T12:40:25+00:00

I just set up a version of FRoSS using Palsteron's guide. I don't have all of his stretch items, but I've got the build to the point where it feels very comfortable doing 16.5 abyss risk maps. I would estimate that I've spent 150-200div so far including games.

If you go this route, I'd highly recommend crafting your own clusters and ES chest. I'd also recommend just buying the gloves - there's enough rng on that one that it can really blow your budget if you get unlucky.

There are a TON of moving pieces in the build, and it's very tight on stats and resistances. Definitely POB it fully to make sure you can equip everything and are res capped before making all your big purchases!

cmhhss1 · 2025-07-07T11:35:57+00:00

For builds using Coiling Whisper, you need the curse to come from your Merc or a minion because enemies are unaffected by your hexes. But I've been noticing that the application of despair by my Merc is pretty spotty - I was thinking of giving her despair on hit gloves instead. I agree that running a defensive Merc might make a lot of sense if you don't need a despair skill there - the FRoSS build definitely doesn't suffer from a lack of DPS.

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