Every league, the Path of Exile community finds new ways to break the game. But every once in a while, a build evolves in a way nobody expected-not because of a new skill gem or a patch change, but because a few players experiment POE currency, collaborate, and stumble onto something wild.

This article breaks down the discovery, the mechanics behind it, the gear changes, the new tree setup, and why this "Gladiator-but-also-Elementalist" hybrid works at all. Strap in-because the sheer weirdness and power of this update is exactly what makes POE theorycrafting so fun.

How the 99% Block Gladiator Became an Explode Build

If you've been following the build, you already know the Gladiator's identity: massive block, massive regen, full ailment immunity, and steady damage scaling through fire DoTs and detonate setups. What you didn't expect was for the build to suddenly start blowing up packs like an Elementalist equipped with a God-tier synthesized weapon.

The missing ingredient?

A bizarre but powerful unique: Venerius Astroblade.

The Venerius Astroblade: The Key to "Being an Elementalist"

Normally, Barracks' Spite creates explosions based on shocks and ignites-but Gladiators don't naturally access Elementalist mechanics, and ignite/shock interactions don't mix cleanly on a pure physical block build.

But Astroblade changes the rules.

The amulet's wording:

"If you have six different influence types among your equipped items, the stars align: you gain Elemental Conflux."

Elemental Conflux does everything:

 Every hit ignites

 Every hit shocks

 Every hit chills

 All elemental ailments apply from all damage

So if you meet its requirement-six influenced items-the Gladiator "double-dips" and functions as both a tank and an Elementalist. That means your ignites now shock, your shocks ignite, and Barracks' Spite's explode chain becomes consistently triggered on every pack.

The result?

Explosions everywhere-just like an Elementalist with full Conflux uptime.

The Mapping Experience: From Slow Burn to Full Detonation

Once the new setup was crafted, the difference in mapping was immediate.

Walking-not even sprinting-into an Ultimatum, mobs simply combust. Rares die and trigger chain explosions. Packs evaporate before skills even fully animate. Even mini-bosses inside mechanics detonate and wipe out surrounding enemies.

Damage, as Travick puts it, "went straight to the moon."

Best of all:

The Gladiator's core defenses stayed intact.

 99% Lucky Block

 90 max res across the board

 Bleed, shock, ignite, and poison immunity

 High recovery and tankiness even in Ultimatum

 Fire, shock, and explosion scaling all layered

The only downside is slightly reduced regen due to gear shuffling-but even that only matters in Ultimatum when all three "worst possible" modifiers appear simultaneously.

Gear Overhaul: Turning a Tank Into an Elemental Explosion Engine

The biggest changes came from adapting the build to meet Astroblade's six-influence requirement while preserving survivability.

Let's break down the upgrades, left to right.

Amulet: Venerius Astroblade

This is the centerpiece.

 Grants Elemental Conflux when six influenced items are worn

 Enables shock-ignite synergy for explosions

 Replaces the Anvil (meaning you must recoup block chance elsewhere)

This one change redefines the entire build.

Rings: Barracks' Spite + Valyan

Barracks' Spite: Provides the explosions. Enough said.

Valyan: Still essential for "Cannot Be Poisoned."

However, since gear is changing, there are alternatives:

 You can influence a ring and roll poison immunity on the Topaz Flask instead.

 This opens up more flexibility if crafting becomes expensive.

Weapon & Shield

Weapon remains unchanged, though a Nebulis now provides massive scaling due to the build's stacking elemental damage.

The shield got a notable upgrade:

 +1% Max Block Chance corruption

 Purchased for 10 divines (budget alternatives exist)

If you lose max block from not using Anvil, you can make it up:

 On tree

 With corruption

 With block tattoos

 With crafted prefixes

Chest: Doppelganger's Guise

Still best-in-slot.

The only gem change:

Detonate Dead of Scavenging → regular Detonate Dead

Why?

Because the build now needs actual corpses for explosion chains, provided via Desecrate in the shield.Influence Gear Crafting: Helm, Gloves, Boots

To achieve six total influence types, Travick rebuilt his armor slots. The crafting choices here are not perfectly optimized-but they work.

Helmet: Arc Demon Crown (Elder + Redeemer)

Mods targeted:

 +2 to socketed skill gems

 Ignites deal damage faster (elevated)

 Increased burning damage

The ignite-faster mod is a massive multiplier. Burning damage could be improved further depending on preference.

Gloves: Shaper + Warlord

This combo allows:

 Elevated Fire DoT Multiplier (huge)

 Increased Damage over Time

Downside:

You lose Eater/Exarch implicit ignite spreading.

Solution:

A Fan the Flames medium cluster or Megalomaniac jewel.

Boots: Hunter + Lightning Influence

These boots are scuffed but functional. Ideally, you'd craft:

 Ignite mod (Hunt)

 Life regen suffix

 Resistance suffix

 Lightning prefix for Astroblade synergy

Current setup still works, but Travick plans to recraft them.

Flasks

Still using:

 Ruby

 Sapphire

 Topaz

 Cinderswallow Urn

 Mageblood to automate everything

A new Amethyst Flask fills chaos resistance gaps until gear can be rebalanced.

Skill Setup Changes

The gem links remain similar, with the main changes being:

 Desecrate added to shield

 Regular Detonate Dead in chest

 Flame Wall, Burning Damage, and Wave of Conviction unchanged

 No more Frostblink (socket pressure increased)

 Enlighten added to support reservation after tree changes

The New Passive Tree: Cleaner, Stronger, and Conflux-Optimized

Switching to Elemental Conflux eliminated the need for ignite chance tattoos. This opened new routing options and freed points for juicy damage clusters.

Key upgrades:

Unnatural Instinct

Placed in the Templar wheel, granting:

 Life regen

 AoE

 Fire damage

 Utility from small nodes normally unreachable

Light of Meaning (Fire version)

Placed to make nearby small nodes scale fire damage significantly.

Tattoo Strategy

Since ignite chance is no longer needed:

 Strength nodes become life regen tattoos

 Block nodes become block tattoos

 Resist/Crit tattoos used where needed

Fan the Flames Cluster

Since gloves lost the ignite spread implicit, this medium cluster restores proliferation.

Megalomaniac Jewel

Travick's version included:

 Fan the Flames

 Surging Vitality (huge burst regen every 4 seconds)

Defensive Adjustments

Because regen dipped due to gear swaps, the build temporarily invests in Hardy for recovery rate. Once boots and gloves are optimized with regen rolls, these points may be freed for more damage.

Headsman: The Unexpected MVP

A surprising addition is the Forbidden Flesh + Forbidden Flame pairing for Slayer's Headsman node.

Benefits:

 AoE while mapping

 Culling strike

 Massive damage boost

 Makes explode chains even more reliable

And the best part?

The pair only cost 10–24 div total when discovered.

Final Thoughts: A Build That Shouldn't Work-but Absolutely Does

This version of the 99% Block Gladiator is the perfect example of community-driven innovation in Path of Exile:

 A tanky league-start-ready build

 Transformed into an Elementalist explosion engine

 Without losing survivability

 Without requiring synthesized explode weapons

 By leveraging obscure uniques and influence stacking

It's weird, powerful, flexible, and genuinely fun to play.

There's still room to refine the gear and tree, and Travick openly invites feedback from anyone who finds even better crafting routes.

But in its current state Path of exile currency?

This is one of the coolest, most unexpected evolutions a Gladiator build has seen in years-and a reminder that POE is at its best when players experiment wildly.