Since the introduction of Reliquarian in Path of Exile, this unique Ascendancy class has consistently drawn significant attention with each new league launch, largely because its passive skill setup is adjusted with every league update.
In 3.30 league, Reliquarian has been refined through changes to its Notable passives, specifically enhancing the class’s effectiveness against bosses.
In this guide, POECurrency provides everything you need to know to play Reliquarian during Covens of Umbra league.
Overview of Reliquarian notables in PoE 3.30
Reliquarian’s passive tree consists of four sets of nodes, each offering a variety of passive effects. The core concept of this Ascendancy is that it integrates the unique properties of various Path of Exile items directly into your character.
These effects are not merely direct copies of the original items; they often feature variations, such as boosted numerical values or the removal of the original gear’s inherent drawbacks.
When you select Reliquarian as your Ascendancy in 3.30 league, the progression remains consistent with the mechanic’s original design: you begin with 2 Ascendancy points, which unlock the first set of nodes.
As you progress, the second, third, and fourth sets of nodes are unlocked in subsequent stages.
It is important to note that while Reliquarian’s passive effects are derived from specific items, they do not affect the actual gear you have equipped. If you wish to improve your weapons or armor, the most effective approach is to buy PoE currency to enhance their quality or reroll their modifiers.
First set of nodes
This set contains five distinct passive effects. Death’s Door grants 25% increased movement speed, immunity to bleeding, and an increase to your maximum Endurance Charge count. In the view of POECurrency, this is a rather modest bonus for an Ascendancy choice.
Shadowstitch increases your maximum Life and maximum Energy Shield based on the number of corrupted items you have equipped; however, it also imposes a penalty to all of your resistances, including Chaos Resistance.
In the early stages of 3.30 league, the massive resistance penalty, compounded by the fact that you are restricted to wearing corrupted gear, is quite difficult to manage. While this mechanic appears designed for the endgame, it is, all things considered, rather underwhelming.
As for The Brass Dome, it grants a +5% to all maximum elemental resistances (excluding Chaos resistance) and makes you immune to extra damage from critical strikes.
Crown of the Inward Eye offers a 20% increase to maximum Life, maximum Mana, and all Attributes, a bonus accessible during the second stage of Ascendancy trials.
While this is certainly strong, POECurrency suggests that The Scales of Justice holds greater potential for a transformative impact, as it allows you to effectively scale both Life and Mana simultaneously.
You may also encounter challenges while progressing through the nodes, specifically during Ascendancy trials. If you have managed to accumulate some POE orbs, do not hesitate to spend it on upgrades to keep your momentum going.
Second set of nodes
This set, along with the three that follow, each contains six distinct passive skills. In Reliquarian passive setup 2 for Path of Exile 3.30, Foulborn Tremor Rod stands out as a key option.
It ensures that all your mines detonate an additional time, effectively doubling your mine damage, a 100% damage boost that is otherwise extremely difficult to obtain through other means.
Also featured is The Crustacean’s Call, which brings back the crab totems that garnered significant attention during 3.29 league. This provides a compelling option without imposing overly restrictive requirements on your choice of weapon.
The remaining four passives, while each possessing their own merits, come with specific limitations that make them less versatile than the two mentioned above.
Third set of nodes
Within this set, the item that will likely catch your eye, according to POECurrency, is Rigwald’s Quills. Its effect allows projectiles to fork an additional time; the resulting split projectiles continue their flight, potentially triggering further effects along their path.
Moreover, you can not only adjust their branching angles, but, depending on your position within the passive tree, even cause them to generate an additional projectile each time they branch.
Ultimately, this passive grants you an exceptionally wide projectile coverage in Path of Exile 3.30, allowing you to clear enemies rapidly during dense combat encounters and boost your PoE currency farming efficiency.
In contrast, the remaining five passives, including Essentia Sanguis, are quite lackluster. If you’re looking for a recommendation, consider unlocking Starcaller if you favor critical strike-based builds.
Fourth set of nodes
The highlight of this setup is The Archon’s Tools, which provides various bonus damage modifiers based on the type of damage you deal.
Building on this, you can utilize classic tri-elemental Path of Exile weapons, or leverage gear that grants bonuses based on your attributes to stack multiple types of elemental damage.
As for Box of Jewels, it offers random jewel-related bonuses, for instance, extending the duration of Ignite to apply to all other elemental ailments.
Honestly, this one is rather poor; surely no one would waste their final Ascendancy point on it, right?
Choir of the Storm can theoretically offer critical strike benefits comparable to Starcaller, but this overlap doesn’t provide any particularly significant advantage.
That said, it’s worth noting that Blackflame might synergize with The Scales of Justice from the first group, allowing you to convert a massive amount of fire damage into fire damage over time.
While there are many new Reliquarian passives to choose from, only a select few are truly worth investing in for Path of Exile 3.30. Be careful not to waste your passive points on the wrong ones!
