Path of Exile: How to Improve Survivability When Using Magic Find Build

By Benjamin Paraggua Published 06/23/23 EDT

Are you struggling to survive when using a Magic Find build (MF) in Path of Exile? If so, you've come to the right place! Here, I will go over some tips to help you survive better on a generally squishy build.

Use the Right Auras

Magic Find builds in Path of Exile are squishy because of the defensive items you have to sacrifice to pump up your IIQ and IIR. That said, the first and most impactful thing you can do to improve survivability on this build is using the right auras.

The best aura you can slot into your build is Purity of Elements. This is because it not only increases your elemental resistances, but it can also make you immune to various elemental ailments, such as freeze, chill, shock, and ignite.

Another gem that you should add to your aura setup depends on whether you're stacking armor or evasion. If you're using mostly armor-based equipment, use Determination. Conversely, if your build has a high evasion value, then Grace is a no-brainer.

Aside from defensive auras, I will let you in on a little secret: in Path of Exile, sometimes offense is the best defense. For this reason, you'd want to add an offensive aura that complements your build.

For example, if you're playing a Lightning Arrow MF build with a tri-element bow, incorporating Anger or Wrath into your setup allows you to eliminate enemies before they even hit you because these auras increase your elemental damage considerably.

Take Advantage of Petrified Blood

If you've added all of the aura gems mentioned above and you still find yourself dying a lot, then it's time for you to add another defensive layer: Petrified Blood.

Petrified Blood is a buff in Path of Exile that protects the lower half of your HP, preventing some of the immediate life loss when damaged by hits and applying the loss over time. In other words, damage that would otherwise kill you will be applied over a brief period, giving you a small window to use a life flask and restore your HP.

That's not all! Petrified Blood has another useful function. If you're wondering why the effects of Divination Distillate - a staple flash in most MF builds - are suddenly removed, that's because your HP has fully recovered. Divination Distillate only increases your item quantity and item rarity if your HP is slowly recovering due to flask use.

Petrified Blood fixes that because the damage you receive is spread across a few seconds, which means that your HP is never truly full. As long as you're taking damage, you'll always gain the benefits of Divination Distillate during its flask effect.

So, will you go offensive, defensive, or both to toughen up your MF build?