In Path of Exile, the Templar class offers a blend of strength, intelligence, and a unique set of abilities that can make for some powerful builds. Amidst the recent buffs to melee skills, several spell-based builds remain effective, one of the best being the Archmage Hierophant utilizing the new Transfigured Gem with Ice Nova on Frostbolt. This build stands out due to its incredible single-target damage, excellent clear speed, significant tankiness, and nearly limitless scaling potential. If you’re looking to conquer Tier-17 maps, 100 percent Delirium, Simulacrums, or even some Uber bosses, this build is an ideal choice.

Core Mechanics of the Build

At its heart, this build revolves around using Ice Nova in combination with Frostbolt to maximize both damage and area coverage. The Hierophant Ascendancy synergizes exceptionally well with this setup, allowing for a powerful balance between offensive and defensive capabilities.

Archmage Support: The core mechanic here is the Archmage Support Gem, which increases spell damage based on the total mana spent. This gem turns your mana pool into a potent damage source, allowing for massive spell scaling.

Ice Nova on Frostbolt: Ice Nova, when cast on Frostbolt projectiles, repeats the spell along the path of each Frostbolt. This interaction provides both high single-target damage and exceptional clear speed. With the correct positioning, the repeated Ice Novas can overlap on a target, delivering devastating bursts of damage.

Transfigured Gem: The new Transfigured Gem synergizes well with the Archmage build, boosting spell damage and providing additional layers of offense and defense. This gem enhances the damage of Ice Nova and bolsters the survivability of your character, making it a crucial addition to the build.

Why This Build is Effective

The Archmage Hierophant with Ice Nova on Frostbolt excels due to its versatility and ability to adapt to various endgame challenges:

High Single-Target Damage: Thanks to the interaction between Ice Nova and Frostbolt, this build can focus devastating bursts of damage on single targets. This makes it effective against bosses and high-health enemies.

Great Clear Speed: The build's ability to clear packs quickly is attributed to the repeated Ice Novas on Frostbolt projectiles. The large area coverage of Ice Nova, combined with its ability to chain between Frostbolts, allows you to annihilate mobs with ease.

Tanky and Durable: The Hierophant Ascendancy provides access to  POE Exalted Orbs several defensive layers, including a substantial amount of mana, which serves both as an offensive and defensive tool. The build also gains additional defenses from the Mind Over Matter mechanic, where a portion of damage taken is absorbed by mana. Depending on your gear and preferences, you can modify the build to be extremely tanky, making it viable even in Hardcore.

Infinite Scaling Potential: With the Archmage support gem and a focus on mana, the build has nearly infinite scaling potential. The more mana you stack, the greater your damage output, allowing for tremendous growth as you acquire better gear and level up.

Minimal Unique Item Requirements: This build is relatively easy to gear for, as it does not rely heavily on unique items. While there are a few recommended uniques, such as a Cloak of Defiance or Indigon, they are not mandatory for the build to function effectively. This makes the build highly accessible, even in Solo Self-Found (SSF) mode.

Key Items and Gear Recommendations

While the build is flexible in terms of gear, certain items can optimize its performance:

Cloak of Defiance: Provides a large mana pool and extra defense through Mind Over Matter.

Indigon: Further enhances spell damage based on the mana spent recently, synergizing perfectly with the Archmage support.

Aegis Aurora: If you opt for a shield-based version, Aegis Aurora provides significant defense by restoring energy shield equal to a percentage of your armor whenever you block.

Crafting rare gear with increased maximum mana, spell damage, cast speed, and resistances will also boost your build's efficiency. Aim to maximize your mana pool while maintaining a solid amount of life, energy shield, and resistances.

Viability in Different Game Modes

This Archmage Hierophant build is versatile enough to thrive in multiple game modes:

Softcore: In standard modes, you can push the damage output even further by sacrificing some defensive layers, making it one of the best bossing builds available.

Hardcore: With some adjustments, this build can become incredibly tanky, providing a safe and effective way to tackle Hardcore content. By investing in more defensive options, such as block chance, life recovery, and extra layers of mitigation, you can minimize the risk of dying in the harshest conditions.

Solo Self-Found (SSF): The low reliance on unique items and the ability to Path Of Exile Currency function well with self-crafted or dropped gear makes this build an excellent choice for SSF players.

Conclusion: A Build With Limitless Potential

The Archmage Hierophant with Ice Nova and Frostbolt is currently one of the best Templar builds in Path of Exile due to its adaptability, damage potential, and scalability. Whether you are aiming to tackle the most challenging content in the game or looking for a versatile build that can handle multiple roles, this setup offers everything you need. With its ability to scale damage infinitely and its unique playstyle, it stands out as a top-tier choice for Templars in the current meta.