NO BRAINER LEAGUE STARTER - Cold DoT Elementalist (3.22)

Link to youtube guide: --- fill main link --- Act 10 run (3hours 33 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61sl5TAzsu0 Level 90 run (7hours 30minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtyykDVkI3w Midgame PoB: https://pobb.in/7oTPIM5UedBY Using Gucci's (https://www.twitch.tv/guccipradas) filter leveling (don't use after campaign), watch clip for setup: https://github.com/GucciPradasPoE/poe-filters https://clips.twitch.tv/FitHeadstrongLadiesTTours-3Gn7TZTxjf0pNpw1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TLDR Regex: "b-b-|-b-b|b-.-b|b-b|nne|Flam|singe|Appre|e to Sp" 1-28 Rolling Magma Help Alira or kill all 28+ Cold dot (Vortex + Cold Snap + Creeping Frost) Wand + Blacksmith's Whetstone + rare (or magic) Chain Belt -> wand with % increased spell damage Skill tree progression: we travel to templar first, start traveling to shadow around level 50, Eldritch Battery after act 10 Kitava Lab order: Mastermind of Discord -> Heart of Destruction -> Bastion of Elements -> Shaper of Storms Pantheon: Soul of Brine King (make sure to upgrade) and Soul of Ralakesh Frost Bomb until exposure gloves Left click vortex - not optimal but good enough, use if you don't like buttonsy Cruelty effect mastery (Growth and Decay cluster) for bossing Delirium (gloves) or Horror (helmet) essence for your Vaal Cold Snap, not mandatory but feels nice while mapping All different cold dots stack - this includes Vortex, Creeping Frost, Cold Snap AND Vaal Cold Snap Good early game stuff Immortal Flesh Elevore Vaal Caress (+5 for our Vaal Cold Snap) Dawnbreaker (high priority, fixes most of the defensive issues this build has) Mark of Submission A Chilling Wind divination card (21/20 Vaal Cold Snap) FAQ Why not Trickster/Ascendant/Hierophant/Occultist? Elementalist has the most damage for leaguestart by a big margin and is overall smoothest as a starter. Why no Elemental Overload? It has been changed a few patches ago to only affect ailment damage over time and therefore it does nothing for cold dot. Why no Eye of Malice? I don't think Eye of Malice is good for mapping in general, you could use it for bossing but I still prefer rare helmet. Why no Rime Gaze? You shouldn't use it as a psuedo 5link because we don't want Conc effect while mapping. If you want to use it, make sure you have at least 800-1000 Energy shield or the slower recharge rate will brick you, can't use Arcanist Brand with Rime Gaze either. What stats scale and don't scale this build? Stats that scale our damage: levels to cold/all (spell) skill gems incrased spell damage/cold damage/elemental damage/area damage/damage over time (cold) damage over time multiplier increased effect of non-damaging ailments Don't scale: adds x to y (cold) damage to spells damaging ailments deal damage faster increased damage with ailments Bandits? Personally, I am an Alira enjoyer, resist makes leveling easier and mana regen makes leveling a lot easier and allows for easier day 1 gearing in general Later on, you will be changing it to 2 skill points (vendor Onyx amulet + 20 Orbs of Regret) Why is my Cruelty not 40%? On bosses you have to click Cruelty effect mastery. 21 Cold snap vs Vaal Cold Snap? Always use Vaal Cold Snap no matter what. Why no clusters? Cold dot clusters are just not very efficient because they got nerfed 20 times, if you really want to drop defence to get a little extra damage you could, but I do not recommend it. Would you build this build differently in Softcore? No major changes, could use damage shield (+1 cold and spell damage) over Dawnbreaker and replace 5% life nodes with AoE nodes. Arcanist Brand vs Hex Bloom vs Bane? Bane has reduced curse effect, I don't recommend using it. I prefer Hex Bloom over Arcanist brand for mapping, but you should use Arcanist Brand if you hate buttons. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Detailed Leveling guide Gems should be in order of importance --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Act 1 Rolling Magma + Elemental Proliferation + Combustion Flame dash + Arcane Surge (Frostblink until level 10) Holy Flame Totem Flame Wall Gems that need to be bought Holy Flame Totem Total cost: 1 Wisdom Notes: Regex that I would use to check early vendors: "b-b-|-b-b|b-.-b|b-b|nne|Flam|singe|Appre|e to Sp" If you are unlucky and don't have a 3link for your Rolling Magma you could temporarily use the following setup Rolling Magma + Elemental Proliferation Holy Flame Totem + Combustion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Act 2 Rolling Magma + Elemental Proliferation + Combustion Flame dash + Arcane Surge Herald of Ash Skitterbots Flame Wall Wave of Conviction Gems that need to be bought Skitterbots - 1 Alteration Wave of Conviction - 1 Alteration Total cost: 2 Alterations Notes: Personally, I am an Alira enjoyer, resist makes leveling easier and mana regen makes leveling a lot easier and allows for easier day 1 gearing in general Later on, you will be changing it to 2 skill points (vendor Onyx amulet + 20 Orbs of Regret) It's not a msitake to kill all bandits instead to save the regrets, up to personal preference. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Act 3 (part 1, before Cold DoT switch) Rolling Magma + Elemental Proliferation + Combustion Flame dash + Arcane Surge Herald of Ash Skitterbots Flame Wall Wave of Conviction Act 3 (part 2, Cold DoT switch after library) - I am going to assume 3 links here, if you get a 4link Wand + Blacksmith's Whetstone + rare (or magic) Chain Belt -> wand with % increased spell damage Vortex + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction Cold Snap + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction Creeping Frost + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction If you don't have a red socket for Cruelty in your damage setups, it can be temporarily replaced by Elemental Focus or even Efficiacy (if you are out of alterations) You can replace either Cruelty or the blue support that's not Controlled Destruction with either Hypothermia (1 chance each but better) or Swift Affliction (you get one free from Library) Flame dash Frost Bomb Haste Shield Charge + Faster Attacks Clarity Gems that need to be bought 2x Cruelty - 2 Alterations 3x Controlled Destruction - 3 Alterations Frost Bomb - 1 Wisdom Haste - 1 Alteration Shield Charge - 1 Transmutation Faster Attacks - 1 Alterations Clarity - 1 Transmutation Total cost: 7 Alterations, 2 Transmutations, 1 Wisdom I also suggest buying Determination, Grace and Defiance Banner to level in your weapon swap (1-3 more Alterations, only Determination is important to get ASAP, the rest can be bought later when currency is less of an issue - LATEST act 6) Notes: I am assuming 3 links only, if you have 4 link(s), check later acts If you don't have a chance orb (or a fusing that you can convert) to buy Vortex, you should use Wintertide Brand temporarily in its place but switch to Vortex as soon as you can --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Normal Lab = Mastermind of Discord (make sure to actually use Frost Bomb on single target) Act 4 Vortex + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus Cold Snap + Bonechill + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction (Efficiacy instead of Bonechill before 38) Creeping Frost + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus Flame Dash (+ Arcane surge, least priority of any gem) Frost Bomb Haste Shield Charge + Faster Attacks (+ Momentum, very low priority) Clarity Gems that need to be bought 2x Elemental focus - 2 Alterations Total cost: 2 Alterations Notes: You can replace either Cruelty or the blue support that's not Controlled Destruction with either Hypothermia (1 chance each but better) or Swift Affliction (you get one free from Library) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cruel Lab = Heart of Destruction Merciless Lab = Bastion of Elements Act 6 - Act 10 Vortex + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus Cold Snap + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction + Bonechill Creeping Frost + Cruelty + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus Flame Dash (+ Arcane surge, least priority of any gem) Frost Bomb Haste Shield Charge + Faster Attacks (+ Momentum, very low priority) Determination Notes: Switch to Determination instead of Clarity after you pick up the full Sovereignity Reminder that you should buy Grace and Defiance Banner to level in your offhand --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mapping setup - see Skills tab Vortex - Creeping Frost - Cruelty - Controlled Destruction - Swift Affliction - Hypothermia Cold Snap - Bonechill - Cruelty - Controlled Destruction Flame Dash Determination Grace Tempest Shield Defiance Banner Frost Bomb (drop after exposure gloves) Frostbite Shield Charge + Faster Attacks Divine Blessing + Malevolence Cast when Damage Taken (level 1) + Molten Shell (level 10) Elemental Weakness Notes: I recommend leveling 3x Vortex and 3x Creeping Frost in your weapon swap to vaal for 21