- Wed Jan 14, 2026 9:34 pm
#3250
Varunastra Vaal Blade is a PoE 1 unique one-hander that counts as every melee weapon type, letting you stack sword, axe, and mace passives for huge physical DPS in endgame melee builds.
Anyone who's ever tried to stitch together two juicy melee wheels in Path of Exile 1 knows the pain: the best clusters are always a few points too far apart. Varunastra is one of those weird uniques that flips that problem on its head, because the game treats it as every one-handed weapon type at once. That means your "wrong side of the tree" suddenly isn't so wrong. And if you're trying to get a build online fast, grabbing missing pieces like basic currency or a specific upgrade from EZNPC can take the edge off the early gearing scramble without changing how you actually plan the character.
Why the weapon type trick matters
Varunastra isn't strong because it has some flashy, modern-style unique effect. It's strong because it bends the passive tree rules. You can path through sword nodes, then dip into axe or mace clusters, and none of those points are "dead" the way they'd be on a normal weapon. The same idea applies to a lot of jewels, too. People skip mixed weapon mods because they look awkward, so they often cost less. On Varunastra, a jewel with "increased damage with swords" and "increased damage with maces" is suddenly doing real work. You'll feel it when your tooltip jumps even though you didn't change the skill.
Base stats and the annoying requirements
It's built on a Vaal Blade, so it starts from a solid physical base and a crit chance that's actually worth building around. The downside shows up the moment you try to equip it. The Dexterity and Intelligence requirements can be a headache if you're coming from a straight Strength character. You'll probably end up fixing it with an amulet craft, a ring, or a couple of small attribute nodes you didn't want to take. It's not the end of the world, just a tax you've got to pay. Once it's on, it's clearly not "campaign gear" anymore; it wants maps, scaling, and real supports.
Skills and ascendancies that don't waste the sword
You'll see people default to Cyclone, Reave, or Blade Flurry, and yeah, there's a reason. They're smooth, they reward attack speed, and they don't ask you to do gymnastics to keep DPS up. Slayer feels great if you want that steady leech and a forgiving playstyle. Champion is the other obvious pick when you'd rather be tanky and consistent than chase big crit spikes. The main thing is this: Varunastra rewards a tree that's a bit "wrong." Don't be afraid to grab efficient clusters just because the label says axes or claws.
What it really costs to make it shine
Varunastra isn't a plug-and-play league starter for most players. It needs a plan, and it needs the rest of your slots to carry their weight. If your rings are junk and your flasks are random, the sword won't magically save you. But when you line up smart pathing, a couple of underpriced hybrid jewels, and decent rares, it starts to feel unfair. That's also why players end up hunting specific upgrades rather than "good enough" swaps, and browsing targeted listings like POE 1 iteams can fit naturally into that process when you're trying to finish the setup without burning a whole weekend trading.
Anyone who's ever tried to stitch together two juicy melee wheels in Path of Exile 1 knows the pain: the best clusters are always a few points too far apart. Varunastra is one of those weird uniques that flips that problem on its head, because the game treats it as every one-handed weapon type at once. That means your "wrong side of the tree" suddenly isn't so wrong. And if you're trying to get a build online fast, grabbing missing pieces like basic currency or a specific upgrade from EZNPC can take the edge off the early gearing scramble without changing how you actually plan the character.
Why the weapon type trick matters
Varunastra isn't strong because it has some flashy, modern-style unique effect. It's strong because it bends the passive tree rules. You can path through sword nodes, then dip into axe or mace clusters, and none of those points are "dead" the way they'd be on a normal weapon. The same idea applies to a lot of jewels, too. People skip mixed weapon mods because they look awkward, so they often cost less. On Varunastra, a jewel with "increased damage with swords" and "increased damage with maces" is suddenly doing real work. You'll feel it when your tooltip jumps even though you didn't change the skill.
Base stats and the annoying requirements
It's built on a Vaal Blade, so it starts from a solid physical base and a crit chance that's actually worth building around. The downside shows up the moment you try to equip it. The Dexterity and Intelligence requirements can be a headache if you're coming from a straight Strength character. You'll probably end up fixing it with an amulet craft, a ring, or a couple of small attribute nodes you didn't want to take. It's not the end of the world, just a tax you've got to pay. Once it's on, it's clearly not "campaign gear" anymore; it wants maps, scaling, and real supports.
Skills and ascendancies that don't waste the sword
You'll see people default to Cyclone, Reave, or Blade Flurry, and yeah, there's a reason. They're smooth, they reward attack speed, and they don't ask you to do gymnastics to keep DPS up. Slayer feels great if you want that steady leech and a forgiving playstyle. Champion is the other obvious pick when you'd rather be tanky and consistent than chase big crit spikes. The main thing is this: Varunastra rewards a tree that's a bit "wrong." Don't be afraid to grab efficient clusters just because the label says axes or claws.
What it really costs to make it shine
Varunastra isn't a plug-and-play league starter for most players. It needs a plan, and it needs the rest of your slots to carry their weight. If your rings are junk and your flasks are random, the sword won't magically save you. But when you line up smart pathing, a couple of underpriced hybrid jewels, and decent rares, it starts to feel unfair. That's also why players end up hunting specific upgrades rather than "good enough" swaps, and browsing targeted listings like POE 1 iteams can fit naturally into that process when you're trying to finish the setup without burning a whole weekend trading.
- By Williamson