Deciding whether to use Glancing Blows in Path of Exile is a complex choice with various factors to consider. It doesn’t offer a clear-cut answer, as its value depends on your specific build and playstyle. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:
Benefits of Glancing Blows:
Reduces peak damage: By taking 50% damage from blocked hits instead of 100%, Glancing Blows makes you much less vulnerable to one-shots from powerful attacks. This can be crucial for survivability against bosses or challenging content.
Smoother damage intake: With Glancing Blows, your overall damage received becomes more consistent, as large spikes are mitigated. This can make your character feel more tanky and comfortable to play.
Useful for recovery mechanics: When paired with life on block or energy shield on block sources, Glancing Blows can significantly boost your recovery after taking hits.
Drawbacks of Glancing Blows:
Lower overall effective block: Although you take less damage from blocked hits, you also take 50% more damage from unblocked hits. This can significantly increase your overall damage taken if your block chance isn’t high enough.
Reduced recovery for non-block builds: If you don’t rely on life or energy shield on block, Glancing Blows only weakens your recovery, as you’ll take more damage overall.
Investment requirement: Reaching high block chance (75%+) needed for Glancing Bows to be effective typically requires specific talent allocations and gear choices, potentially sacrificing other aspects of your build.
When to use Glancing Blows:
High block builds: If you have a dedicated block build with near-capped block chance (75%+) and rely on life or energy shield on block for recovery, Glancing Blows can be a powerful defensive layer against heavy hits.
Character with low max HP: If your character has low maximum HP and is vulnerable to one-shots, Glancing Bows can significantly improve survivability against burst damage.
Specific boss encounters: For specific boss fights where avoiding big attacks is crucial, Glancing Bows can offer a temporary defensive advantage.
When to avoid Glancing Blows:
Low block builds: If your block chance is below 70%, Glancing Bows will likely lead to taking more damage overall, negating its benefits.
Evade and dodge builds: If your primary defense relies on evasion or dodge, Glancing Bows is irrelevant and may even be detrimental.
DPS-focused builds: If maximizing your damage output is your priority, investing in Glancing Bows likely takes valuable resources away from your offensive capabilities.
Remember:
Test and compare: Experiment with and compare your character’s survivability with and without Glancing Bows to see if it provides a net benefit for your specific build.
Consider playstyle: If you prefer a smoother and more forgiving experience, Glancing Bows might be worth it, even with some damage sacrifice. If you prioritize raw DPS and agility, Glancing Bows might not be the best choice.
Consult experienced players: Seek advice from experienced Path of Exile players or community resources like Path of Building Forum for build-specific recommendations on using Glancing Bows effectively.
Ultimately, the decision to use Glancing Bows is a personal one based on your unique build, playstyle, and risk tolerance. Weigh the pros and cons carefully, analyze your character’s strengths and weaknesses, and determine what strategy makes you feel most comfortable and confident tackling the challenges Path of Exile throws your way.
I hope this comprehensive analysis helps you make an informed decision about using Glancing Bows in your build!
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