Templar Guide: Mastering the Art of Light and Strength to Forge a Multifaceted Combat Specialist in Path of Exile

 Author:  Gameusd

Introduction

In the action role-playing game Path of Exile, the Templar is a unique and widely popular character class. This class integrates both strength and intelligence attributes, enabling it to exhibit formidable melee physical attacks in combat while also employing various elemental spells for ranged output.
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Character Background and Characteristics

The Templar is typically depicted as a bald, bearded elder, embodying a seasoned warrior with a steadfast faith. His background narrative revolves around being a loyal guardian who fights for the gods and order, acquiring divine power through profound faith and unwavering determination.
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Skills and Combat Style

  • Melee and Spell Hybrid: The Templar is adept at using a variety of melee weapons combined with elemental strikes to eliminate foes, such as Lava Strike and Lava Shield—skills that feature elemental magic effects. Concurrently, they excel at utilizing ranged spell abilities like Lightning Ball and Frost Bomb.

  • Totems and Summons: Monks can leverage ancestral and divine powers to set up totems for combat support, summoning elemental attack or defense-oriented totems.

  • Auras and Support: As a supportive class, the Templar can cast various beneficial auras to enhance their own and their teammates' attributes, including increasing damage mitigation, boosting attack power, and more.
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Skill Tree and Equipment Selection

The Templar has multiple branches available in the skill tree to choose from, allowing them to customize their talents according to different skill builds (BDs) to create a truly unique character. In the game, by making intelligent choices in talent point allocation and equipment combinations, the Templar can achieve diverse playstyles, ranging from pure physical, elemental, mixed damage, to even support-based archetypes.

The Templar in Path of Exile is an incredibly flexible and strategic class, cherished by players for its rich array of skill combinations and tactical versatility. It's a class that combines both physical and elemental offensive capabilities, capable of crushing enemies with melee skills, casting spells for ranged assaults, and deploying auras and totems to aid themselves and allies. Below is a general guide to playing the Templar:
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Class Traits

  • Attribute Tendencies: The Templar naturally inclines towards strength and intelligence, enabling them to balance between melee physical damage output and elemental spellcasting.
  • Combat Approach: Depending on gear and skill setups, the Templar can pursue tanky, burst, sustained damage-dealing, or even supportive roles.
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Ascendancy Class Choices

  • Judicator: Focusing on controlling and debuffing enemies, suitable for players who enjoy intricate gameplay and complex battle rhythms.
  • Inquisitor: Players who usually opt for this Ascendancy tend to build around totems, like using a Vortex Totem build, stacking poison and applying multiple hits to deal massive chaos damage.
  • Guardian: Ideal for those who wish to serve as the core tank of a team or possess robust defensive and group support capabilities.
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Skill Selection and Linking

  • Melee Damage: Choose melee-oriented skills like Lava Strike, Earthquake, or combine them with elemental damage like Lightning Strike, Ice Spear, etc.
  • Totem Builds: Use skills like Vortex alongside Poison, Void Manipulation, Concentrated Effect, and Increased Area of Effect to form potent remote AOE damage outputs with totems.
  • Auras and Support: Timely unlock aura skills in the skill tree, such as Discipline Aura, Haste Aura, Precision Aura, to boost personal or team effectiveness.
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Talent Allocation

  • Strength and Intelligence: Determine whether to invest heavily in strength or intelligence based on your chosen BD; some builds may require agility to equip certain gear.
  • Core Talents: Identify key nodes in the skill tree that align with your build, such as increasing damage, life, resistances, critical strike chance, and critical strike multiplier.
  • Ascendancy Talents: Develop corresponding talent branches based on your chosen Ascendancy class.

Equipment Configuration

  • Weapons and Armor: Select gear that supports your skills and talents, such as dual-wielding weapons to enhance melee output or staves to improve spell efficacy; armor should prioritize survival stats, energy shield, or life, while seeking out items with additional gem sockets and quality attributes.
  • Jewels and Accessories: Socket jewels with appropriate modifiers, such as increased damage, elemental penetration, or improved skill effectiveness; rings and amulets commonly provide crucial resistances, life bonuses, and other attributes.
  • Enchantments and Crafting: Utilize crafting services to enchant and modify equipment, enhancing its core properties.
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Early Game & Advancement

  • Starting Out: Opt for simple, survivable builds early on, such as relying on low-entry barrier skills like Lava Strike during the initial stages.
  • Midgame Progression: Gradually refine your build by challenging harder dungeons, maps, and realms to acquire better gear and skill gems.
  • Late-game Optimization: Adjust talents, gear, and skill links to tackle higher-end content, such as tier 16+ maps and legendary bosses.

Battle Tactics

  • Mobility and Kiting: Regardless of your build, mastering good positioning techniques is essential to avoid unnecessary damage.
  • Resource Management: Wisely use potions, energy shield recharge, and endurance charges to maintain combat sustainability.
  • Environmental Interaction: Leverage terrain advantages to effectively control and damage enemies.
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Economic Strategies

  • MF Gear: While pursuing maximum damage output, prepare a Magic Find (MF) gear set for farming equipment and currency.
  • Trading Market: Stay informed about market prices and obtain necessary items through trading and self-sustaining production.

Conclusion

In summary, the Templar in Path of Exile provides a highly diversified gaming experience, allowing players to continuously adapt and evolve their characters according to personal preferences and gaming environments. With each new season and version update bringing fresh changes, the specific strategy details must align with the current version information. Due to the variability of gameplay in each version, players need to ensure they have ample gold and items to guarantee a fulfilling gaming experience. Choosing to buy PoE currency, such as gold, through services like Gameusd can help players become proficient with the Templar class.