Hexblast Mine Saboteur is a powerful and popular build choice for Shadow players in Path of Exile 3.26. Combining the explosive burst damage of Hexblast with the precision and safety of mine deployment, this build excels in both clearing maps and tackling bosses. Despite some recent balance changes in the 3.26 patch that introduced a cooldown and radius adjustments to Hexblast, the Saboteur archetype continues to make this build one of the most effective for high damage and reliable gameplay PoE 1 Currency.

The core of the Hexblast Mine Saboteur build revolves around using the Hexblast skill combined with mine mechanics, allowing players to throw and detonate multiple mines in quick succession. Hexblast deals high chaos damage to enemies afflicted with curses, especially with Despair or Temporal Chains applied. The mines serve as a delivery system that maximizes both area damage and burst potential, triggering a rapid chain reaction of explosions that can clear screens of enemies and decimate bosses. The Saboteur ascendancy offers key bonuses such as increased mine laying speed, detonations, and survivability layers that help balance the character's relatively low tankiness.

In terms of ascendancy and skill tree focuses, the ideal progression includes Explosives Expert, Demolitions Expert, Pyromaniac, and Born in the Shadows for maximizing damage and survivability. Players often invest in mana reservation efficiency to use skills like Blasphemy with Blight or Despair curses while maintaining enough mana for mine placement. Defensive layers such as evasion, blind chance, and life nodes are essential due to the build's moderately low inherent durability, making strategic positioning crucial. The Profane Proxy unique ring is a highly recommended item, as one of its Skitterbots creates a curse aura that enhances Hexblast damage by maintaining curse uptime on enemies.

One of the biggest advantages of the Hexblast Mine Saboteur is its incredible clear speed and area of effect damage, making mapping fast and efficient. The build benefits from auto-targeting mines, crowd control with freezes and chills from Hexblast, and defensive auras that reduce incoming damage. Players can lay mines preemptively while moving, detonating them instantly when enemies enter range. This method of safe, ranged damage dealing allows players to maintain distance from hazards while still dishing out significant burst damage. However, learning the detonation mechanic and managing cooldowns on Hexblast can require some adaptation.

Despite its many strengths, Hexblast Mine Saboteur has notable downsides. The character is relatively squishy and requires careful positioning to avoid death from powerful enemy hits. It also tends to have a higher skill ceiling compared to straightforward melee or ranged builds, as players must balance curse uptime, mine placement, and cooldown management effectively. Early game leveling can be slower and gear-dependent, with the build requiring some investment in currency or unique items to reach its full potential. Nevertheless, once optimized, it can deal over 400 million DPS with consistent critical strikes and excellent crowd control.

In conclusion, Hexblast Mine Saboteur remains a top contender for players seeking a high-damage, explosive playstyle in Path of Exile 3.26. It leverages the latest buffs and adjustments to Hexblast's damage and radius, while the Saboteur ascendancy ensures fast mine deployment and solid survivability Poe 1 Divine Orb. This build thrives in both mapping and boss fights, offering a satisfying mix of strategy, speed, and raw power that continues to make it a favorite in the Path of Exile community.