The newest Path of Exile: Crucible 3.21 expansion is upon us and launches today, and we’ve updated the guides on our sister site PoE Vault to ensure Exiles are well-prepared for the adventures ahead.
You’ll learn about the Ancient Titans who once shaped the primordial surface of Wraeclast and, if you’re powerful enough, you will earn the ability to forge their power onto your weapons.
Crucible Challenge League
In the Crucible league, we will discover Crucible Forges scattered throughout Wraeclast. When you find one, select one of your weapons and channel the power of the ancient titans to spawn a challenging encounter. The longer you channel, the more the molten monsters merge to form even fiercer foes. You’re in control of the difficulty and reward of these encounters!
This Path of Exile April expansion league includes the following:
Improvements to Path of Exile’s Endgame
3 new support skill gems
9 new Vaal Skill gems
10 new Unique items
Atlas Gateways
Improvements to Breach
Improvements to Abyss
Passive Tree Masteries
Saboteur Ascendancy rework
Pathfinder Ascendancy rework
For more information, head over to the PoE Vault League Hub.
Our Recommended Builds for Crucible League
We’d like to give you a few recommendations of what we believe to be some of the strongest league starter builds (although any build tagged as a League Starter and updated for 3.21 is a very solid choice)
GhazzyTV’s Poison Summon Raging Spirits Necromancer is going to be the best minion build of Crucible. This build excels in not only getting your maps clear but it’s an excellent boss killer as well. With the new Atlas bosses, this build will not let you down and is described as the most OP minion build of the league.
GhazzyTV’s Zoomancer Necromancer is a new build for this League, having your army of minions doing all the work for you! Giving good clear speed and consistent bossing damage, the build is perfect for both beginners and veterans alike and a solid league starter choice.
GhazzyTV’s Mage Skeleton Necromancer is back! With these League changes Ghazzy revived his fan favourite Mage Skeleton build. This build brings a very enjoyable clear speed as well as efficient bossing to the table. A solid League Starter.
TbXie’s Cyclone Slayer is back on the table as one of the most popular builds in league-starting and later environments, and is one of those guides that we felt could not be missing. Cyclone is a popular skill and can be built around in multiple ways for mapping and bossing.
TbXie’s Shockwave Totem Hierophant offers incredible clear speed and an old overlapping style of scaling its damage to the point where it becomes an absolute powerhouse. For players who like to blast through the game on a budget and want a build that is expandable with an acceptable amount of currency and incredible returns. This is a one-of-a-kind build.
TbXie’s Explosive Arrow Ballista Champion has been one of the most popular builds for newer players for the longest of times. Especially after recent tree changes it pushed its single target boss killing capabilities up by quite a significant amount, this build is an excellent one for both new and experienced players alike.
Pohx’s Righteous Fire Inquisitor has been a staple of League starts and solo self-found alike, ever since the skill gem was introduced. The concept of running through maps while hordes of monsters die around you is a true Power Fantasy.
Pohx’s Righteous Fire Juggernaut version can easily hold its own. Juggernaut has a much easier time getting the defensive layers online. Also, no need for anything complex, as this build is great for first-timers since your main defensive layers come from armor stacking. If you’re new to Righteous Fire, this version is excellent for you.
Velyna’s Spectral Shield Throw Raider is the build for you if you like throwing a shield around like Captain America, shattering enemies as it bounces and splinters within packs! Spectral Shield Throw scales DPS based on the armor value of your shield, meaning you don’t need to buy an expensive weapon, and it’s an excellent build as League Starter.
Velyna’s Ice Trap Saboteur For most of PoE’s history traps have been known as a strong League Starter, not requiring expensive uniques or heavy crafting to kill bosses early, and this remains true today. If you want to Cruise through the acts into endgame quickly and easily this is the build for you.
Velyna’s Storm Brand Inquisitor offers a smooth campaign experience and a very smooth investment curve throughout early maps and easily helps you farm currency for future upgrades. This is primarily a mapping build and thrives on creating explosion chains that satisfyingly delete most of the screen. This build is suitable for anyone, both new and returning players.
CasualDanPoe’s Minion Army Necromancer is a cheap League Starter that will enable you to farm tier 16 maps on a budget. Fast, deadly, with a lot of quality of life features. If you’d like to feel like a General of an Undead Army, then try out this League Starter and you’re not going to be disappointed.
Corrupting Fever Champion has been a steady choice among mapping-focused players for league start. It’s fast, relatively sturdy, and not too difficult to get going. As a bonus it can be scaled into a true late-game monster if you are willing to invest, through a transition over to Gladiator. Very easy play style and a recommendation for new players.
Shield Crush Juggernaut has been popular among the “True Melee” crowd forever. It differs from most skills in that it doesn’t use your weapon to scale damage, and instead opts to scale its damage through the stats on your shield as well as hitting targets with the shield. A solid League Starter.
Lacerate Gladiator can reach similar heights on significantly less gear, and with a unique style and flair that few other melee skills have. This is partially because Lacerate is not a true melee skill – in the end game, you will be able to obliterate packs nearly a full screen away. If you like a more melee-style build, be sure to check this one out!
To make your leveling experience easier, you can pick up our Quick Reference Levelling guide.
If you’re thinking about getting into Path of Exile (it’s free-to-play!) with this newest league, our mods are available to answer any of your questions, so please feel free to join their Discord.
We wish you an amazing league start.
Team Poe-Vault
