Infinite EHP? The Most Broken Item in PoE: Svalinn

Lolcohol
15 Aug 202411:35

TLDRIn this video, Loloc discusses the powerful 'Svalinn' shield in Path of Exile, which offers incredible tankiness to the Warden build. With a high chance to block, it transforms into an avoidance layer, similar to evasion. Loloc explains how the shield's life gain on block and the use of various socketed gems enhance survivability. However, he warns that it's not a standalone solution, as it doesn't block all damage types, like DoTs. He suggests pairing it with other defensive layers for a robust build.

Takeaways

  • 🛡️ The Svalinn Shield is highly sought after for its ability to significantly increase block chance, making it a popular choice for tanky builds.
  • 🔢 Players often see extremely high Effective Health Points (EHP) with this shield, sometimes reaching into millions, but this is not the full story of its power.
  • 💡 The shield's 'chance to block' is key; it effectively doubles your block chance and selects the highest number, which is a massive boost to survivability.
  • 🧙‍♂️ For the Warden class, which is supposed to be squishy, this shield provides a surprising amount of tankiness.
  • 🔥 The shield's ability to trigger a socketed Elemental spell on block adds another layer of defense and offense, with gems like Flame Wall Sigil, Power, and Molten Shell being effective choices.
  • 💥 Block should be considered an avoidance layer, not a mitigation layer. Relying solely on block can be risky if other defensive layers like armor or energy shield are not also utilized.
  • 🚫 Not all attacks can be blocked, especially damage over time effects, which the shield cannot protect against.
  • 💉 Life gain on block is a significant feature, with mods like Anvil, Yoke of Suffering, and tree nodes like Testudo providing substantial life recovery upon blocking.
  • 👑 Soul of the Brine King is important for avoiding getting stun-locked, which can interrupt the block recovery animation.
  • 🛡️ Armor plays a crucial role as a mitigation layer when the block chance is already high, with Iron Reflexes being a popular choice to convert evasion to armor.
  • 🔮 The build demonstrated in the video shows that while the shield is powerful, it's not infallible and has weaknesses against certain mechanics like dots (damage over time effects).

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The video discusses the shield named Svalinn, which is popular for its tankiness in the game Path of Exile (PoE).

  • What is unique about Svalinn shield in PoE?

    -Svalinn's unique feature is its ability to increase block chance significantly and trigger socketed elemental spells on block.

  • What is the typical EHP (Effective Hit Points) for builds using Svalinn shield?

    -Builds using Svalinn shield often have an EHP of around 500,000, sometimes reaching up to a million or even 2 million.

  • How does the shield's 'chance to block' line affect the player's block chance?

    -The 'chance to block' line doubles the player's block chance and picks the highest number, resulting in a massive increase to block chance.

  • What are the recommended gems to socket in Svalinn for the elemental spell trigger?

    -Recommended gems include Flame Wall Sigil, Power Charge Onslaught, and Molten Shell.

  • Why should block be considered an avoidance layer rather than a mitigation layer?

    -Block should be considered an avoidance layer because it prevents damage entirely, similar to evasion, rather than reducing the damage taken.

  • What are the limitations of relying solely on the Svalinn shield for defense?

    -Relying only on the Svalinn shield can be risky because not all attacks or damage types can be blocked, and damage over time effects cannot be blocked.

  • What other defensive layers should be combined with the Svalinn shield?

    -Other defensive layers like armor, energy shield, or maximum resistances should be combined with the shield to provide additional mitigation.

  • How does the Svalinn shield contribute to the player's life recovery?

    -The shield contributes to life recovery through mods that grant life gain on block, such as the Anvil, Yoke of Suffering, and tree nodes like Testudo.

  • What is the significance of the 'Soul of the Brine King' in the context of the Svalinn shield build?

    -The 'Soul of the Brine King' prevents stunning, which is crucial to avoid being locked in block recovery animation and to keep blocking effectively.

  • How does the build handle damage over time effects that cannot be blocked?

    -The build attempts to handle damage over time effects with active recovery mechanisms like life leech and passive recovery options like life regeneration flasks.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Understanding the Salon Shield's Tankiness

The speaker, Locol, introduces the video by discussing the effectiveness of the Salon Shield, a popular shield in the game. He clarifies that despite the shield's reputation for being tanky, it's often misunderstood. The shield's key feature is its 'chance to block' attribute, which, when combined with the player's block chance, significantly increases the likelihood of blocking incoming attacks. Locol explains that this is not just about the shield's effectiveness but also about the player's mindset, treating block chance as an avoidance layer rather than a mitigation layer. He also mentions the shield's ability to trigger socketed elemental spells upon blocking, which adds another layer of defense. Locol shares his personal build, which includes the use of gems like Flame Wall, Sigil of Power, and Molten Shell for additional effects when blocking.

05:00

💡 Maximizing Block Efficiency and Avoiding Stuns

In the second paragraph, Locol delves deeper into the mechanics of the Salon Shield, emphasizing the importance of the 'Soul of the Brine King' passive skill, which prevents stunning if a block occurs within the last two seconds. This is crucial for avoiding the block recovery animation, which can leave the player vulnerable. Locol suggests ways to avoid stuns, such as having high block recovery or stun recovery modifiers. He also discusses the concept of defense layers, likening them to an onion, where each layer provides a different type of protection. The first layer is the block layer, followed by armor for mitigation. Locol mentions his build's armor rating and the use of Iron Reflexes to convert evasion to armor, thereby increasing mitigation. He also touches on the importance of dealing with damage over time (DoT) effects and the need for passive recovery mechanisms, such as life regeneration, which he is still working on optimizing.

10:02

🔥 Combining Avoidance and Mitigation for Ultimate Defense

The final paragraph focuses on the overall strategy of combining avoidance and mitigation to create a robust defense. Locol discusses the limitations of the Salon Shield, particularly against damage over time effects and certain unblockable attacks. He emphasizes the need for a well-rounded defense that includes not just the shield but also other elements like armor, life leech, and passive recovery. Locol shares his experience with the shield in various combat scenarios, including boss fights, and how it performs against different types of damage. He also mentions the importance of other defensive mechanisms like spell suppression and the use of certain gems for additional effects. Locol concludes by encouraging viewers to experiment with different gems and strategies to find what works best for them and promises to provide a finalized version of the build once he has completed his testing.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡EHP

Effective Hit Points (EHP) refers to the amount of damage a player can take before dying, factoring in damage mitigation and avoidance. In the context of the video, EHP is discussed in relation to the shield's ability to increase survivability. The script mentions EHP values of 500,000 to 2 million, indicating the shield's effectiveness in enhancing tankiness.

💡Warden

A Warden is a class in the game Path of Exile (PoE), known for its defensive capabilities. The video discusses how a Warden build can be exceptionally tanky, or able to withstand a lot of damage, which is unexpected for this class, thus making it the subject of the video.

💡Svalinn

Svalinn is a unique shield in PoE that is central to the video's discussion. It is described as 'the most broken item' due to its ability to significantly increase block chance, which in turn greatly enhances the player's survivability in combat.

💡Block Chance

Block chance is a mechanic in PoE where a player can block incoming attacks, preventing damage. The video explains that Svalinn's unique property doubles the block chance and selects the highest number, leading to an '85% chance to block' as mentioned in the script, which is crucial for the build's tankiness.

💡Elemental Spell

An elemental spell in PoE is a type of spell that deals damage aligned with an element, such as fire or ice. The script describes using Svalinn's ability to trigger a socketed elemental spell on block, which is a strategic way to combine damage prevention with offensive capabilities.

💡Flame Wall

Flame Wall is a skill gem in PoE that creates a wall of fire, damaging enemies that pass through it. The video mentions using Flame Wall Sigil as one of the gems socketed in Svalinn, which procs when the player blocks an attack, adding an offensive layer to the defensive playstyle.

💡Molten Shell

Molten Shell is a skill in PoE that provides damage reduction and reflects a portion of physical damage back to enemies. The video discusses how Molten Shell is constantly active due to the high block rate, further enhancing the tankiness of the build.

💡Avoidance Layer

An avoidance layer in PoE refers to mechanics that prevent damage rather than reducing it after it's taken. The video emphasizes thinking of block as an avoidance layer, similar to evasion, which is crucial for understanding how the Svalinn shield contributes to the build's overall defense strategy.

💡Mitigation Layer

Mitigation layer refers to the part of a player's defense that reduces the damage taken after an attack has landed. The video contrasts avoidance and mitigation, advising that while the Svalinn shield is excellent for avoidance, other defense mechanisms like armor are necessary for mitigation.

💡Life Gain on Block

Life Gain on Block is a mechanic where the player regains health upon successfully blocking an attack. The script mentions various mods and items that provide life gain on block, such as the Anvil of the Void and the盾牌上的mod, which contribute to the build's sustainability by healing the player during combat.

💡Sigil of Power

Sigil of Power is a skill gem in PoE that creates a sigil that periodically releases a nova when hit. The video discusses how the Sigil of Power procs when the player blocks an attack with Svalinn, providing additional damage reduction and contributing to the overall defensive strategy.

💡Arctic Armor

Arctic Armor is a skill in PoE that grants cold resistance and chills enemies. The video mentions that Arctic Armor provides less damage taken while stationary, which synergizes well with the blocking mechanic of Svalinn, as the player often remains stationary to block attacks.

Highlights

The Svalinn Shield is a highly sought-after item in Path of Exile (PoE) for its tankiness.

The Shield's 'chance to block' is lucky, doubling the block chance and selecting the highest number.

The Shield provides a massive increase to block chance, which can be calculated easily in PoE.

An 85% chance to block and 75% chance to block spell damage is achievable with the Shield.

The Shield allows for triggering a socketed Elemental spell on block with a 25-second cooldown.

Various gems can be used with the Shield, such as Flame Wall, Sigil of Power, and Molten Shell.

The Shield should be considered an avoidance layer rather than a mitigation layer.

Not all damage types can be blocked, such as damage over time effects.

The Shield is not a guarantee of immortality in the game.

Life gain on block is a significant feature, with mods providing substantial life recovery.

Anvil and Yoke of Suffering mods are used to increase life gain on block.

Testudo and Anointed Testudo provide additional life recovery when blocking.

Soul of the Brine King prevents stunning, which is crucial when using the Shield.

The Shield should be paired with other defensive layers, such as armor, for a well-rounded defense.

Iron Reflexes is used to convert evasion rating to armor, enhancing the mitigation layer.

The Shield's effectiveness is demonstrated in combat, especially against bosses with dots.

Active and passive recovery methods are discussed, including the use of life flasks.

The video concludes with a discussion on the Shield's potential in future leagues and its current overpowered status.