Path of Exile's new Affliction challenge league is approaching, players need effective yet affordable builds to conquer the new endgame. Today let's talk about the top 7 builds for League start for 3.23 Affliction Path of Exile. Some builds will revolve around transfigured skill gems where people just aren't really sure how hard it will be to get them, and how good they actually are because they cannot test them right now. Here are the 7 Affliction beginner builds for POE 3.23.

1. Lightning Arrow Deadeye Build

+ Great clear speed, high movement speed, and solid single target damage 

+ Solid Allrounder.

+ League Start viability

+ Scalability 

This build is a certified softcore banger with one of the strongest scaling into end game. It has a fun range play style with great clear, instant leech, and decent single target with the help of artillery ballista. And on the topic of end game, transitioning to tornado shot will be a lot easier because you don't need a helmet chant anymore, you not actually get the plus one secondary projectile on quality. For the downsides, it would probably be that the build is quite squishy. If you want to make this work in hardcore, you will have to reduce your damage by quite a bit. There's definitely some phases in mid game that are weird decisions between doing damage and not dying to every single hit. However, if properly geared, it should not be too much of a problem. 

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

2. EA Ballista Elementalist/Champion Build

This build has incredible damage across the board, you have ballistas that do the aiming for you, so you can just lean back and chill, place totems, loot. It's also incredibly competitive in solo self found because this is such easy early gearing. For the downsides, it's mostly that it's a totem play style. For some people, that's good, for some people, it isn't, they want to deal damage themselves. And there is a certain delay to the damage, you're basically sticking fuses into the enemy and you have to wait a little 1 second until it explodes. But after that, you have beautiful clear with your ignite proliferations. Another downside would be that you have to use life flask to recover. If you want to play this build on Hardcore, you must want to play Champion version. The champion version has round about half the damage, maybe a little bit less, it also lacks some of the AOE that element list has, but it is a lot tankier. 

EA ballista Champion vs Elementalist:

• Elementalist = Giga damage, mediocre survivability.

• Champion = "Ok" damage, really good survivability.

• Both can clear maps, kill bosses and even some ubers. On SC I prefer Elemenalist cuz deaths is nothing if build doing what it supposed to do.

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

3. Boneshatter Juggernaut/Slayer Build

Slayer bone shatter is the Premier melee build which unless one of the new transfigure gems replaces it will also be the number one choice for Melee this League. If you want to go big bonk, this will be your safest choice. It is an incredibly tanky build and has good clear speed. It also has some great recovery options, even crazier if you go Slayer. But both Juggernaut and Slayer have their distinct advantages. The downside with this build as with a lot of melee builds is low boss damage and a weird damage up time because you have to be next to the boss. And sometimes they just move or have a certain stage and it can get quite annoying. Also the itemization can be a little rough if your new player because you have to make new Fizz weapons whenever you need an upgrade.

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

#4. Summon Raging Spirit Guardian

+ League Starter

+ Bosser 

+ Minion Build 

This is our only minion build on the list, this build just looks incredible. Since you're Guardian, you get completely carried through leveling with the Sentinel of Radiance. In this build, you basically summon these skulls that seek out enemies and deal damage to them and guardian gives you a ton of damaging auras, as well as that some support minions give a great mix of offense and defense. It's a very cozy and comfortable play style. Also easy itemization early, this power spike at the start definitely does fall off after round about yellow maps. And for the downside, it would definitely be that it's not the fastest play style just.

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

5. Detonate Dead Elementalist

This is an incredible all around build that is used by solo self found players by racers and especially hardcore players. It has ridiculous early game power, it can also feel like cheating at times and it doesn't really need much investment in gear at all, it's just an all around great build. One downside is that it's a two button build. You have to first summon corpses and then explode those corpses and they will ignite.

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

6. Corrupting Fever Champion Build

This build has an interesting mix, it is a high clear speed build That is quite tanky as well. You basically throw out wand attacks with kinetic blast with a debuff called corrupting blood. The downside is the boss damage, it can be quite hard to scale your damage up at a certain point. You need to scale your damage up with +2 levels which on this skill can get quite expensive in end game especially if you have no crafting knowledge. 

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details. 

7. Hexblast Mines Saboteur Build

+ It only requires a single unique to pop off yet still has a path to go without it

+ Can dish out stupid damage while maintaining really good clearspeed

+ Gets going as early as day 1 of a new League

The last build for League starter in POE 3.23 Affliction is the Hexblast Mines Saboteur, which is the League starter from last League. It fills the screen with purple explosions, it has incredibly high damage on very little gear and surprisingly high clear speed for a minor because it has so much coverage. It's also great for people looking to start in sanctum, basically get out of the campaign, get a little bit of currency and then start just making currency that way. And while in end game, there's definitely better sanctum runners. This is one of the greater ones to start out with. As for downsides, it's mostly that it is not very tanky, now you can theoretically make it tanky, but then you take too much away from what makes the build good and you would decrease your damage too much. So this build is not recommended for hardcore. 

If you want to play this build, click here to check the full details.