Ultimate Bleed Bow Gladiator Build Guide (PoE Sentinel 3.18)

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Introduction

Due to the latest balancing changes, we do not recommend playing this build anymore, as it does not meet the high standards we apply to our guides in terms of fun and performance. We are leaving it up as a reference and it might be revived in a later patch.

The Bleed Bow Gladiator has become a community favorite and a powerhouse that can function at any level of gear. Gladiator is the perfect Ascendancy to facilitate this damage over time focused character, providing huge amounts of innate bleed chance, damage, and defense. All of this combines to make a character that is a capable all-rounder, with devastating single target damage and clear. Keep in mind with the changes in the past few leagues this build has gone towards more of a glass cannon build at higher budgets.

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If you haven’t played a bleed character before, virtually all of the damage comes from the bleed itself. We use tools like Ensnaring Arrow Ensnaring Arrow to ensure that we can take full advantage of this effect in any situation. This build can also make incredible use of some of those end-game influenced items, which gives you practically infinite room to optimize, craft, and upgrade.

Build Assessment

Pros

+ Good single target capability, requires low uptime as virtually all damage is from your bleed (allowing you to focus on mechanics)

+ Well rounded defenses and corpse removal from bleed explosion

+ Works on any level of budget and very SSF capable

+ Clear matches up well with top tier clear builds

Cons

End game gear is specific and expensive or requires crafting knowledge

Can’t deal with Physical Reflect

Has a few gear breakpoints where it can plateau before the next big item is acquired

Path of Building

Path of Building for this build is available here

Included is the recommended set of Low Budget gear, High budget gear, a Multiple skill trees, and all the gem links needed to get the build to tick.

We use the Path of Building Community Fork for all of our builds, which is highly recommended. If you are encountering errors importing the build, please ensure you are using the Community Fork.

Playstyle and Build Mechanics

This Bleed Bow Gladiator uses a bow — the name is a dead giveaway — to apply lethal bleeds using Puncture Puncture and Split Arrow Split Arrow. Anyone who favors big and juicy damage over time effects is going to have an absolute riot with this style of ranged assassin. Very few things feel as satisfying as applying an eviscerating bleed to a beefy boss and watching its health drain smoothly down in a couple of seconds as you safely kite.

Enemies pop with a cathartic splatter via our Ascendancy, which sounds sweet and doubles as a defensive layer that prevents corpse reanimation or detonation. The build has a lot of malleability and most of your utility links can be adjusted to suit player taste. No matter how you configure your character, however, you’re always left with a reasonably tanky ranged reaper that can eviscerate virtually all available content without issue.

Passive Skill Tree and PoB’s

We go over the PoB’s and skill trees on our Skill Tree and Gem Links page

Passive Skill Tree and Gem Links

Gems

We go over all of the gem links this build uses in the end-game on our Gem Link page.

Gem Link Page

Ascendancy, Bandits, and Pantheon Powers

Our Ascendancy, Bandit, and Pantheon Power page goes into detail about all the choices you need to make in these regards.

Ascendancy, Bandits, Pantheons Page

Gear Summary / TL;DR

These items strike a balance between power and cost-effectiveness. If you want to explore more options for Gear (both budget and high-end), Flasks, or get more information on alternatives and specialty items, please ensure you read the “Gear, Jewels, and Flasks page thoroughly.

Our recommendation:

Item Slot Item Name
Head Rare Evasion Helmet or Assailum Assailum — Life/Resistances/Intelligence
Amulet Rare Amulet (Agate Amulet Agate Amulet preferred) — Life/Physical Damage/DoT Multiplier
Chest _Rare Armour/Evasion base _ — Life/Resistances/Evasion
Gloves Rare Slink Gloves Slink Gloves — Life/Resistances
Boots Rare Boots — Life/Movement Speed/Resistances
Belt Ryslatha's Coil Ryslatha's Coil
Rings Rare Steel Ring Steel Rings
Weapon Rare Bleed Bow

For in-depth recommendations for gear, flasks, jewels, and crafting advice be sure to read our Gear, Jewels, and Flasks page.

Gear, Jewels, and Flasks

Leveling

As a reminder, we have several guides to help you level up a character.

Gem Progression

Using Tabula Rasa Tabula Rasa will allow you to have 6-Link gem setups early on, which is why we show such examples below. If you cannot get Tabula Rasa (or another item with a 6-Link), then simply prioritize the first gems in each link provided below.

In order to acquire gems that are not available to your class as a quest reward, simply ask a friend to buy them off vendors for you, or buy them yourself from Sioasa in The Library in Act III Library.

From level 1, you should use the following link.

  1. Split Arrow Split Arrow
  2. Chance to Bleed Support Chance to Bleed Support

At level 4, you should pick up Dash Dash for additional mobility.

By level 8, your Split Arrow Split Arrow link should look like this.

  1. Split Arrow Split Arrow
  2. Chance to Bleed Support Chance to Bleed Support
  3. Pierce Support Pierce Support
  4. ###item:onslaught-support###

At this point you should also have single target Puncture Puncture setup.

  1. Puncture Puncture
  2. Chance to Bleed Support Chance to Bleed Support
  3. Maim Support Maim Support

At level 10, you should add Blink Arrow Blink Arrow for additional mobility.

At level 16, you should add Flesh and Stone Flesh and Stone and Ensnaring Arrow Ensnaring Arrow.

By level 18, your Split Arrow Split Arrow and Puncture Puncture links should look like this.

Split Arrow

  1. Split Arrow Split Arrow
  2. Chance to Bleed Support Chance to Bleed Support
  3. Pierce Support Pierce Support
  4. Vicious Projectiles Support Vicious Projectiles Support
  5. Deadly Ailments Support Deadly Ailments Support
  6. ###item:onslaught-support###

Puncture

  1. Puncture Puncture
  2. Chance to Bleed Support Chance to Bleed Support
  3. Vicious Projectiles Support Vicious Projectiles Support
  4. Deadly Ailments Support Deadly Ailments Support
  5. Maim Support Maim Support

At level 24, you can add Purity of Elements Purity of Elements for additional defenses although it might reserve too much of your Mana, in which case you can wait until you have a reliable source source of Mana leech.

FAQ

What map mods are impossible to run?

You will one-shot yourself to Physical Reflect. No Regeneration and Cannot Leech are also very nasty. Monster have Chance to Avoid Bleeds also reduces your damage and clear speed by a considerable amount, although it is very manageable.

What anointment should we go for?

Dirty Techniques or Cleaving.

Check out the rest of the guide for any additional information:

Passive Skill Tree and Gem Links


Ascendancy, Bandits, and Pantheon Powers


Gear, Jewels, and Flasks

Changelog

  • Early updates for 3.17 Archnemesis, still waiting on POB to update.

  • 3.16 Scourge; updated the skill tree, gem links, and rebuilt POB to match some of the updates to gear and clusters.

  • 3.15 Expedition updates.

  • 3.14 Ultimatum first round of updates. More to come when new Bleed mod is in POB.

  • Added video of full Pit of the Chimera (with Maven) clear.

  • Updated Build Assessment and Introduction.

  • Added Furty's profile link for his 3.13 character and expanded explanation in the Gems section.

  • 3.13 Ritual; Full re-write from the ground up by Furty — every word is brand new. Absolute powerhouse for the new league.

  • Revisited and updated for Harvest 3.11. The build is looking solid and plays out as before.

  • Revisited and updated for Delirium 3.10. The build remains extremely solid and only gets better with new Cluster Jewel notables.

  • Revisited and updated for Metamorph 3.9. The build gets buffs in serveral ways: the addition of Ensnaring Arrow; buffs to Bow bases in general; buff to the Rain of Arrows gem.

  • Revisited and updated for Blight 3.8. The build received a tremendous buff via the addition of Damage over Time Multiplier for Bleeding.

  • Build added.

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