Path of Exile

MaulNutz_sl said:

Also is Infernal Blow the best single target DPS skill if I'm focusing on physical damage and not a lot of elemental? Using Heavy Strike right now and doing 2kdps which kinda blows shit up in act 3 cruel.

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Infernal Blow is mostly good as an elemental skill, and mostly as an aoe option. It does decent single target damage, but it's not the best no. Heavy Strike or Double Strike will do more damage on single target, generally Double is better for sustained since the mobs don't move so you don't waste DPS time moving after them, but Heavy hits a lot harder per hit(useful when considering a splash build). Viper Strike can also be interesting with the right setup(which is expensive). Dual Strike is the highest single target attack in the game I believe, mostly due to the various mechanics that enter the equation when dual wielding.

If using a 2H I'd use Double Strike, but if you don't have the dex for it Heavy Strike is a good alternative, I just hate the pushing part of it. Only use Infernal or Glacial if using an elemental build(or in Infernal's case, if using Facebreaker).

Nola_sl said:

Okay since the nerf to cast on damage taken gems are they still worth using? I'm thinking about using this build and codt gem is part of it.

Forum - Scion - ZiggyD's Etheral Knives Mana Shield Scion Build Guide - Nemesis/Hardcore - Path of Exile

And how are some players running with more than one aura or that was nerfed?

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The guide you linked is actually updated for the codt nerf. Notice how it says you need a certain level of codt and a certain level of gems linked to it, that's the nerf. Before you'd always use lvl 1 codt and maxed spells linked to it, that's an easy way to figure out if the build works. Overall though the nerf has simply reduced efficiency of the spells you autocast for free, which is valid balancing, it's not useless because it still casts shit for free that you wouldn't cast otherwise, or would be annoyed at casting. A decoy totem, even a shitty one, will still taunt shit off you for one or two hits, enduring cry will still give you 1 or 2 end charges, molten shell gives you a bit of armor, not a super large amount but decent enough, and curses still do what curses do.

As for auras, they nerfed the base cost a lot, but they also added a ton more reserve cost reduction nodes, and there's still reduced mana support gem, so it's still easy to run 2 if you don't need a large mana pool. You won't run them right away though, while leveling you'll generally only use one and only around lvl 50-60 or so you can run a second one(unless it's like a lvl 1 clarity or you're running vitality or purity as one of the 2 which is 40% only), unless you take the aura nodes very early but generally not worth it. Eventually though once you reach 70 or so and your reduced mana is a good level and you took the aura nodes, you can easily run 2x60% and still have 20% or more left over, which if you're EB is still a very large pool.

For the math, just a maxed reduced mana support is .71 multiplier to auras, so a 60% aura only costs 42.6%(43%rounded) so you could run 2 without anything else but might be a bit tight and that requires a lvl 20 gem so that's like lvl 85ish. Add one of the good reduced reserve cost nodes though and it's a lot easier to keep a good mana pool. Also Alpha's Howl unique helm is 8% reduced reserve. Note that all those are multiplicative with each other(but additive for the same type, so for passives you add all you have first, then multiply with others).

Wouldn't say worthless but like 10bucks top maybe, the cosmetics/tabs are probably the stuff that's worth most of it.