Path of Exile – How to Build Lightning Cleaver Marauder

The Lightning Cleaver Marauder represents one of Path of Exile’s most versatile and powerful melee archetypes, excelling in both solo progression and cooperative gameplay scenarios. This build leverages a sophisticated dual-wield elemental damage system that fundamentally changes how Cleave interacts with weapon mechanics.

What makes this approach truly exceptional is its dual-wield elemental mechanics. When you attack with Cleave, you strike with both weapons simultaneously, delivering two separate elemental damage instances without suffering the typical dual-wield penalties. This creates a damage multiplication effect that few other melee skills can achieve.

The foundation combines Cleave with Blood Magic, supported by six carefully selected auras that create an incredibly robust character capable of handling virtually any content Path of Exile throws at you. The synergy between these elements provides both offensive power and defensive stability in a package that remains accessible to newer players while offering depth for veterans.

Your core skill configuration centers around the Cleave skill gem linked with Weapon Elemental Damage, Blood Magic, Faster Attacks, Life Leech, and Elemental Proliferation. This creates a powerful active skill supported by five complementary enhancements that transform your basic attack into an area-clearing powerhouse.

The six-aura system provides the build’s foundation, generating substantial buffs that scale both your damage output and survivability. Proper aura management is crucial – you’ll need to balance reservation costs with the Blood Magic keystone that converts mana costs to life instead.

Advanced players should note that the shock application from Lightning Damage creates additional damage amplification through the Elemental Proliferation support, effectively increasing your clear speed against grouped enemies by 20-30% depending on pack density.

Building your passive skill tree requires strategic allocation across three key areas: core attributes, offensive enhancements, and defensive layers. You’ll aim for +250 to Strength, +140 to Dexterity, and +110 to Intelligence, creating a balanced stat foundation that supports both your damage requirements and gear prerequisites.

Offensive passives provide 4% increased Attack Speed, 110% increased Elemental Damage with Weapons, 41% increased Elemental Damage, plus a critical 20% Chance to shock enemies with Lightning Damage. This shock chance synergizes perfectly with your Elemental Proliferation support gem.

Defensive layers include 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes, which complements your massive health pool. Your keystone selections – Iron Reflexes and Resolute Technique – provide consistent damage output by eliminating misses while converting evasion to armor.

Additional utility comes from 30% increased Effect of Buffs, 20% increased Radius of Area Skills, 45% increased Shock Duration on enemies, and 8% increased Area Damage. These collectively enhance both your clearing capability and boss damage potential.

This build’s primary advantage lies in delivering exceptionally high health pools and damage output regardless of your equipment quality. The six-aura system combined with shock stacking enables you to overcome challenging map modifiers while remaining effective in group play situations.

When facing Lightning Thorns reflect damage, experienced players should immediately switch to Whirling Blades for mobility while the effect persists. This simple adjustment prevents most of the reflect-related deaths that plague less-prepared characters.

For optimal performance in endgame content, prioritize elemental resistance caps alongside 2.9% Life Regeneration per Second, 321% increased maximum Life, and +60 to maximum Life. This defensive investment ensures you survive encounters that would eliminate less robust builds.

Remember the core combat philosophy: survival enables damage delivery. Your massive health pool and regeneration allow you to maintain aggressive positioning while your consistent damage output wears down enemies.

New players often underestimate the importance of proper aura timing and reservation management. A common mistake involves activating too many auras simultaneously before securing adequate life regeneration, resulting in unsustainable life costs during intense combat.

Advanced optimization involves carefully balancing your shock duration with attack speed to maintain maximum uptime on damage amplification effects. For players struggling with specific content, our Class Guide offers additional strategic frameworks that complement this build’s philosophy.

Gearing flexibility remains one of this build’s strongest attributes. While high-end equipment enhances performance, the core mechanics function effectively with moderate gear, making it ideal for league starters or budget-conscious players.

For those seeking to accelerate their progression, understanding Weapons Unlock mechanics can provide valuable insights into damage scaling principles that apply across multiple Path of Exile builds.

The Lightning Cleaver Marauder represents one of Path of Exile’s most complete melee experiences. Whether you’re tackling the campaign or pushing into endgame mapping, this build provides the tools for success. For comprehensive gameplay strategies, consult our Complete Guide for additional strategic depth.

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