[OUTDATED] How to Set Up Wintertide Brand Occultist (Path of Exile Beginers 3.20)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LINKS AND NON-BUILD INFO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Forum Guide: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2661120 > Discord / Twitch / YouTube: https://discord.gg/tkzCFtN | https://www.twitch.tv/shakcentral | https://www.youtube.com/c/ShakCentral > Community Global Chat Channel: /1919 (Right click the "Global" chat button in-game) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- BUILD OVERVIEW AND GENERAL NOTES ------------------------------------------------------- > Opening Notes - PLEASE READ > PoB Setup & Configuration > 3.19 Updates > General "Sectionless" Notes ---------------- ENDGAME ---------------- > General Endgame Notes > SSF (Chaos Inoculation-oriented) > Trade (Low-Life-oriented) > Items and General Crafting --------------- LEVELING --------------- > General Leveling Notes > Act 1 Vendor Recipes > Gems (with leveling notes) > Leveling Uniques and Starter Mapping Trade Links ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BUILD OVERVIEW AND GENERAL NOTES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Opening Notes - PLEASE READ > If you haven't read the forum guide, PLEASE do so. The information in this PoB relies on it. > THE DPS, RESISTS, AND ATTRIBUTES IN THIS POB ARE NOT ACCURATE. > This is because the items were designed to be as helpful as possible for new players, not to make the left-side stats panel look good. > Most of the modifiers are not calculated in PoB, as they are custom mod lists to give examples of good mods for each item slot. > Remember that items in PoB aren't real; use the modifier lists on each item to make informed decisions for your crafts and trades. > The "Custom Modifiers" box in the Configuration tab has a custom mod granting +135% to all Elemental Resistances. > This simulates -60% from Kitava and capping resists for endgame at 75%. Get resists wherever possible - you MUST be capped. > Chaos Res (for non-CI builds) is different. 0% is a good early endgame goal. Get as close to 75% as possible eventually. > PoB only calculates 1 Brand. To see accurate Brand DPS enter the text below into "Custom Modifiers" in Configuration: > Wintertide Brand deals 180% more damage. > The SSF version of Cold DoT is designed to be Chaos Inoculation and the Trade version is designed to transition into Low Life later on. > Be flexible; Trade players can stay CI and SSF players can farm or find a Shav's and go Low Life. > The PoB's Configuration is set to show bossing DPS. > PoB Setup and Configuration > Click "Tree" above the stats display on the left. In the skill tree window use the bottom dropdown menu to select your skill tree. > There are 5 leveling trees and the SSF and Trade builds each have a lvl 80, 90, and 100 skill tree. > In the "Skills" tab, make sure your version's links are enabled and the other version disabled. > Select the appropriate equipment in the "Items" tab using the dropdown menu at the top. > Configuration settings: > Both versions - Check "Do you always have Energy Shield", "Have you Cast a Spell Recently", and "Is the enemy Chilled". > "Is the enemy a Boss" should be set to Sirus, and "# of Brands attached to the enemy" should be 3. > SSF - Check "Are you always on Full Life". > Trade - Check "Are you always on Low Life", "Have you been Hit Recently" and "Do you use Endurance Charges". > General Notes -- ELEMENTAL FOCUS AND HYPOTHERMIA -- > Ele Focus prevents Wintertide from chilling. The SSF version no longer uses it; it's optional for Trade with Hypothermia as the alternative. > At level 5, Awakened Ele Focus gives +1 gem level and is too strong not to use. Non-Awakened Focus vs Hypo is preference. > In the Skills section the Trade Wintertide 6L has a disabled Hypothermia as the Ele Focus alternative. -- WINTERTIDE BRAND (WTB) MECHANICS -- > When a brand attaches to an enemy, it applies a stackable "Wintertide" debuff. It gains a "stage" and damage every 0.25 seconds. > When the brand is removed for any reason (death/duration/Brand Recall), it creates an un-stackable debuff called "Wintertide's End". > Wintertide's End (WTE) is a NON-stackable debuff applied via a circular AoE. It is NOT chilled ground and deal NO area damage. > WTE chills and deals Cold DoT equal to the final stage of the Wintertide debuff that it originates from (I know that's confusing). > Socketing Wintertide in a Rime Gaze is pure downside, as Concentrated Effect would only nerf the WTE application AoE. > Increases to Cast Speed let WTB gain stages faster, and increased Duration allows the brand to stay attached for longer. -- BANE AND CAST WHEN DAMAGE TAKEN SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS -- > Both Bane and Cast When Damage taken include the line "This Gem can only Support Skill Gems requiring Level 'x' or lower". > If the skills that Bane / CWDT support are higher than the 'x' threshold, they will NOT be supported. > For Cold DoT you can run CWDT at any level from 10-20; make sure your Molten Shell doesn't level out of range. -- FLASK MODIFIERS -- > You can fully automate flasks by collecting 5 Instilling Orbs and Glassblower's Baubles per flask and craft "Use when full" from your bench. > The elemental flasks give defensive benefits equivalent to ~80% resists. Do NOT use them to cap resists in place of item modifiers. > You can use other flasks if desired (Quicksilver, Basalt, etc). The best flasks to replace are: > With Aegis Aurora, replace Sapphire (Cold res is already +5%). Without Aegis, you can replace either Topaz or Sapphire. > Supressing Spell damage and Blocking count as being "hit". Because of this, there is a best flask prefix: > "Gain x Charges when you are Hit by an Enemy" will give almost 100% flask uptime. All flasks should have this prefix. >There are no flask suffixes in the Items tab; use the ones that fit your needs best. Good suffixes to consider: > Bleed / Ignite / Curse immunity, Armour, Movement Speed, Cast Speed, and Poison Immunity (Low-Life only) > You can have 100% reduced Curse effect with the Asylum wheel & notable (30%), Armour & ES mastery (20%), and a flask suffix. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ENDGAME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Both Versions > Transitioning from the Act 9+10 Life build to Chaos Inoculation requires passive skill planning. > Save up the respec points you get through the Acts (2 per Act; 20 total). You can also buy regrets from town vendors for 2 Scours. > Start by connecting the right side passives at the Witch start to the rest of the tree, allowing you to respec the left-side points. > See the SSF section below for my preferred transition method - farming the Act 10 Ossuary and switching to CI before killing Kitava. > Mana is a common issue for new Cold DoT players. You need a large mana pool; try for ~2,000. > Attributes are also a concern. Be willing to deviate from the PoB if needed for +30 Notables, Practical Application, or other attribute points. > Skill rotations for mapping and bossing are straightforward: > While mapping, cast WTB as needed and use Flame Dash and Brand Recall as often as possible. > For bossing, cast WTB every 2-3 seconds. Use Bane and Frost Bomb to apply curses and Cold Exposure. Flame Dash as needed. > Avoid Brand Recall while bossing. This disrupts the flow of Wintertide's End and can cut significantly into your boss DPS. > SSF (Chaos Inoculation-oriented) > Start preparing for Chaos Inoculation ASAP in Acts 9-10. The Act 10 Ossuary is a great place to collect starter endgame items. > Look for ES item bases requiring level 60+ and a Heavy Belt, Amulet (Citrine if possible), and multiple resist ring bases. > The goal for starter endgame items is simple: ES, Armour, resists, and a wand with 2-4 damage mods. > Best starter crafting methods (as available): League Mechanic, then Essences / Fossils / Bindings, then Alteration spam. > If you're comfortable dodging enemies, you can swap to CI intuitively. If you're new, try to accumulate around 4,500 ES first. > The lategame SSF Boot is Atziri's Step. If you're unfamiliar with the fight, see this old but still great guide: https://youtu.be/NHLl6Z6-ZeU > Make sure you understand the Reflect part of the fight and the trio of bosses before Atziri. > Video link to help with crafting and the CI transition: https://youtu.be/iwsFiPdAx4Y > Trade (Low-Life oriented) > Until you acquire a Shav's, you should go CI using the SSF Skill gem links. > The level 80 Trade tree is set to CI because most league-starting players will be CI at that point. > Move to Low-Life as soon as feasible. The damage and QoL from Low-Life will make even a 4L Shav's feel great until red maps. > If you don't have a Shav's by lvl 90, don't allocate Pain Attunement. Take some of the lvl 91-100 skill points until you get it. > Until Arrogance Support is leveled and you have the Life Res Efficiency mastery, link it with a 35% aura (Tempest Shield / Discipline). > If you don't use Rime Gaze, you can socket Vortex in an Essence-crafted Glove with "Socketed Gems deal 30% more DoT". > Crafting > The crafting methods below are mostly "general use"; they're meant to help you craft good, usable items, not perfect T1 mirror gear. > Specific / in-depth crafting methods will be labeled as "endgame", with a "general use" method included afterward. > Off-Color Socket Trick > If you need 2-4 off-colors on a 4-socket item with high attribute requirements (i.e. non-Gs on Atziri's Step), DON'T SPAM CHROMES! > Put the item in your crafting bench. set it to 2 sockets, and use the bench to color them as needed (either 15 or 25 Chromes). > If you need more off-colors, set it to 3 sockets. If you don't hit the color, go back and forth between 2-3 sockets until you do. > This method uses mostly Jewellers and saves a lot of currency. > Endgame Wand 1. Obtain an ilvl 2 Driftwood Wand from the Coast or an ilvl 2 Demon's Horn. > ilvl 2 Horn is only possible by turning in Dark Temptation sets with a lvl 2 character, Vaal-bricking it, and vendor recipe-ing it. 2. Spam Deafening Essences of Woe for "+1 to level of all Cold Spell Skill Gems". > If you're ok with a lower Spell Damage modifier, SSF players can use Shrieking / Screaming Woes. 3. Use Orbs of Annulment to try for an open prefix AND suffix. If you annul Spell Damage or the +1 Gems, start again at step 2. 4. Craft "Prefixes cannot be changed". Use a Scouring Orb to remove all suffixes, leaving a rare wand with only 2 prefixes. 5. Craft "Can have up to 3 Crafted Modifiers", then "18-20% Cold DoT Multi" and "21-30% increased DoT". 6. Wand has 1 open mod. Get a Fenumus beast via trade / Einhar missions and fight it to craft "Aspect of the Spider". > If you're Low-Life, swap to CI for the Fenumus fight. He will murder you. > "General use" wand crafting can be done with Essences of Woe or Aetheric / Frigid Fossils. > Shield > Dense Fossils on a Shaper or Crusader base for the ES-on-block mod. > Body Armour > Dense Fossils or Essences of Woe for high Energy Shield. > Endgame Helmet > Wear Rime Gaze :) > Endgame Boots 1. Buy ilvl 84 Sorcerer Boots with Fractured T1 %ES or T1 flat ES 2. Enchant the boots with 35% mana regen and quality to 30% with perfect fossils. 3. Use Dense Fossils for T1 flat or % ES (whichever isn't fractured). The result needs an open prefix and suffix. 4. Bench craft "Prefixes cannot be changed" and Aisling slam, hoping for Movement Speed / Onslaught prefix. > If you get a suffix unveil, Annul/Scour and try again. If you get a bad prefix, start over at step 3. 5. Optional: If you hit bad suffixes during step 3, craft "Prefixes cannot be changed". > Harvest "reforge defense / lightning" for a chance at high tier ES Recharge Rate or a Resist. > "General use": Shuddering fossils. You can use Scorched Fossils on Redeemer boots, as they block the only bad Redeemer mods. > Gloves > Frigid Fossils on Hunter gloves. On regular gloves use Dense Fossils for high ES or Rage / Sorrow Essences for high attributes. > Amulet > Presence of Chayula - use Defense Catalysts to convert an extra 4% of your Life to Energy Shield > Amulet are the most versatile item for Cold DoT. Crafting options include these options: > For Shaper, Frigid + Dense Fossils. You want Cold DoT Multi, and Dense fossils block bad mods while adding ES mods. > For Crusader, Dense Fossils for multiple ES modifiers. > For others, any of Aetheric, Dense, or Frigid Fossils for Damage / ES. > The +1 gems modifiers have been moved into the core mod pool. I'm not sure the best way to craft +1/+2 Amulets is yet. > Rings > Spam Rage/Sorrow Essences for high attributes and / or resists. > Crusader, Redeemer, and Hunter Rings can roll useful mods with Aetheric Fossils. > Endgame Belt 1. Buy an ilvl 84 Crusader Crystal Belt. Use Tempering Catalysts to 20%. 2. Use Dense Fossils or Corroded + Dense + Sanctified until you get T1 flat ES and T1 % ES 3. If you have 3 prefixes, keep high Armor mods or Annul if the 3rd prefix is bad. If you remove either ES roll, start over. 4. With good prefixes and open suffix, craft "Prefixes can't be changed" then Harvest "Reforge Defense" to get ES recovery. > "General use": for Shaper / Crusader Crystal Belts, spam Dense Fossils. For others use Rage/Sorrow Essences for attributes and ES. > Cluster Jewels > LARGES: 8 passives, "12% Cold Damage", ideally ilvl 49 or lower. > SSF Note: If you don't have a Cold large, there are good Notables on Spell / Elemental / Fire / Lightning damage clusters. > You want Deep Chill, Prismatic Heart, and any relevant 3rd Notable if possible. Use Frigid Fossils or Harvest Cold reforges. > MEDIUMS: 4-5 passives, "10% Damage over Time" (easier to roll than Cold DoT), ilvl 68+ > Alt Spam for Brush with Death. Rolling a good 2nd Notable (Vile Reinvig or Deep Chill) is expensive (>1000 Alt average). > SMALLS: 2 passives, "15% Armour" (for Endurance Charges) or "6% Energy Shield" (for either ES on Kill or high ES total), ilvl 68+ > Alt spam for Enduring Composure (Armour), Brush with Death (ES), or Energy from Naught (ES). > Anointments and Catalysts > Budget Anointment 1: Divine Judgment. 1 Sepia, 1 Teal, 1 Black. 50% increased Elemental Damage > Budget Anointment 2: Disciple of the Unyielding. 1 Violet, 1 Crimson, 1 Opalescent. More Endurance Charges + damage per charge > Best Anointment: Tranquility. 1 Azure, 2 Golden. 5% Max ES + Transfiguration of Soul (tl;dr - more damage) > Tempering (Defense) Catalysts - High ES Belt. | Imbued (Caster) Catalysts - Mark of the Shaper or other high damage jewellery. > Intrinsic (Attribute) Catalysts - Jewellery with high attributes | Prismatic (Resistance) Catalysts - Obvious; high resist items. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LEVELING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > General Leveling Notes > If you're struggling for resists, Purity of Elements is a great crutch (with a high mana reservation cost) and can be bought in Act 3. > If you need Transmutes, sell items unidentified. If you need Alterations, ID them first. > Swap Skitterbots for Determination when you feel your damage is high enough and you want more defenses. Act 9 / 10 at latest. > If you have mana issues, stop leveling Vitality and/or Clarity until you have more mana. > Vendor Recipes > There are a few vendor recipes that matter for spellcasters in the early game. > 1. Selling an Iron Ring with a skill gem will grant a resistance ring of that gem's associated resist. > 2. Selling a Magic (blue) wand + 1 Orb of Alteration + 1 resistance ring will grant a wand with added elemental damage to spells. > This is incredibly useful early on while leveling with non-DoT skills, especially if you can make 1-2 before Brutus or Mervail. > "Added damage to spells" mods do not work with Damage over Time, so you'll need a new wand when you swap to full Cold DoT. > 3. Selling a wand (any rarity) + 1 Blacksmith's Whetstone + 1 Chain Belt will grant a wand with % increased spell damage. > The Chain Belt can be Magic, Rare, or Unique; higher rarity belts will give higher spell damage rolls, but require higher levels to use. > Gems & Links > Don't worry too much about having perfect links while leveling. Use what you have, adjust where you can, and keep moving. > As your sockets fill up, don't forget you can level gems in your "off-hand" weapons for 6 extra sockets. > This is especially useful for leveling gems that aren't being used until later Acts or the Endgame (Discipline, 5L/6L Supports, etc) > Arcane Surge only triggers after a certain amount of mana is spent. From gem levels 1 to 6, this happens at 15|16|17|19|22|26 mana. > Check your Flame Dash mana cost occasionally and when it reaches a new cost threshold, level Arcane Surge. ----------- ACT I ----------- > Leveling from 1-12 (or even 28+) can be done with many different (spell) skills. If you don't like the gems below, level with your favorites. > Detonate Mines is bound to D by default, but can be re-bound to any skillbar button, including left mouse. > At level 12 Wintertide can now be your main clear skill, but remember to keep Frost Bomb leveling for Cold Exposure and the endgame. ----------- ACT II ----------- > Cold Snap is a quest reward and can be used as extra damage if desired. > Brand Recall is technically optional but is a large quality of life boost. You can even automate it on left click. ---------------- ACT III+IV ---------------- > Run Vaal side areas for Vaal Discipline or use Vaal Orbs on regular Disciplines until you get one. > Vaal Orb vendor recipe = 7 Vaal gems + 1 Sacrifice Fragment. > You can swap to full Cold DoT (WTB + Vortex & drop Stormblast Mine) as soon as you have B+B+B+G and B+B+G+G links. > Leveling Uniques and Starter Mapping Trade Links > Paste the links below into your browser to trade for strong leveling uniques as well as cheap items for early endgame maps. > Wanderlust : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/EBoYS5 > Goldrim : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/nrblf0 > Lifesprig : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/LgaXhn > Lochtonial Caress : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/yddGhR > Berek's Grip : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/X37KsP > Astramentis : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/dVKOIJ > Rime Gaze : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/PrZ2mrDcL > Bated Breath : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/KYMjbDS5 > Bitterdream : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/6zL0hG > 2-5C Starter Wand : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/jjrjZDRfX > 2-5C Starter Body Armour : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/4rVrbkMf9 > 2-5C Starter Armour/ES Shield : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/6k7kmp2iG > 2-5C Starter Boots : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/XD0QKJ7IP > 2-5C Starter Gloves : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/KD0B7ryU5 > 2-5C Starter Rings : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/YqMorqvhY > 2-5C Starter Amulet : https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Onslaught/W9G8q2ZSm