This build GOT EVEN STRONGER! - Cold DoT Occultist by @ShakCentral

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LATEST CHANGELOG ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- CURRENT POB VERSION => 1.1 || 2022-02-02 -- [ Fixed ] Spelling & grammar corrections ("3nd" isn't a word). [ Fixed ] Leveling Gem updates; Molten Shell is not available until Library. Replaced with Steelskin early on. [ Changed ] Standardized formatting, coloring, and indenting. [ Changed ] +1 Gem mods on Amulets are now in the core mod pool. Updated Amulet crafting notes. [ Changed ] 3-5 points in the 3 Trade passive trees. Dropped the Melding wheel for Insightfulness and Skill Effect Duration. [ Added ] Notes: In "Build Overview" on Punishment DPS estimation and interactions between SSF vs Trade and CI vs LL [ Added ] Notes: In "Endgame" on hitting 90 without Shav's and example skill / button rotations. [ Added ] Item set for Early Life-Based Mapping before the CI swap. > Previous Changelogs can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/shakcb4e ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LINKS AND NON-BUILD INFO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Forum Guide: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2661120 > Discord: https://discord.gg/tkzCFtN > Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/shakcentral > YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShakCentral > Community Global Chat Channel: /1919 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- BUILD OVERVIEW AND GENERAL NOTES ------------------------------------------------------- > Opening Notes - PLEASE READ > PoB Setup & Configuration > 3.17 Updates (Influenced Items, Glancing Blows) > General "Sectionless" Notes ---------------- ENDGAME ---------------- > General Endgame Notes > SSF (Chaos Inoculation-oriented) > Trade (Low-Life-oriented) > Items and General Crafting --------------- LEVELING --------------- > Act 1 Vendor Recipes > Gems (with leveling notes) > Leveling Unique 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. It's been greatly condensed and the information in this PoB relies on it. > The current PoB version is listed in "LINKS AND NON-BUILD INFO" above for easy reference and ocmparison. > The Changelog at the top contains the changes from the most recent update. Use the link below the log to view the Changelog history. > As a reminder the SSF version is designed to be Chaos Inoculation, and Trade is designed to be Low Life. > Neither version is compulsory; Trade players could stay CI, and SSF players can farm or find a Shav's and go Low Life. > My PoBs are designed to show each version's "low end". The versions will perform even better with higher investment and better items. > Example: Gem level corruptions, more Tier 1 modifiers, more reliance on influenced modifiers, etc. > The PoB Configuration is set up to show bossing DPS. > PoB Setup > Click "Tree" above the stats display on the left. In the window that opens, use the bottom dropdown menu to select your skill tree. > There are 5 leveling trees and both the SSF and Trade builds 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. > Note that when the "Late Endgame" item set is selected, there will be 2 additional skills listed; both are granted by items. > Select your version's Wintertide Brand links under "Main Skill" in the left side menu. > If your helmet has "WTB has +4 to max Stages" set Stages to 24. Otherwise, set it to 20. > In both cases, make sure "Activations per Brand" (below Stages) is equal to or higher than Stages. If not, adjust Stages to match it. > Select the appropriate equipment in the "Items" tab, using the dropdown menu at the top. > PoB Configuration > Setting up the "Configuration" tab using the info below will simulate accurate gameplay settings. > Both versions - Make sure the Custom Modifiers text box in the bottom left contains "Wintertide Brand deals 180% more damage." >This is explained in the text box as well, but the "# of brands attached to the enemy" box is only for the Runesmith notable. > PoB can't calculate more than 1 brand for full DPS numbers, and it can't handle Wintertide's End at all (see WTB explanation below). > If your WTB can hit 24 stages from the +4 Helmet enchant, you can change the custom config from 180% to 200%. > Checkmark "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 - Checkmark "Are you always on Full Life". > Trade - Checkmark "Are you always on Low Life", "Have you been Hit Recently" and "Do you use Endurance Charges". > If you're using the "Late Endgame" items, set "# of Spider's Web Stacks" to 3. > 3.17 Updates > Conqueror-influenced items are now gated behind T14 maps, making it much harder to obtain the following influence items: > Crusader shields and belts, Hunter gloves and amulets, and Redeemer boots and amulets. > Shaper and Elder influenced items should (?) be acquired at similar rates to pre-3.17 > Don't allocate Glancing Blows until you have a Shaper or Crusader shield with "Recover (3-5)% of Energy Shield when you Block". > This may come much later in progression due to the influence-gating (especially for SSF players). > General "Sectionless" Notes -- WINTERTIDE BRAND (WTB) MECHANICS -- > Elemental Focus prevents both of the Wintertide Brand debuffs (explained below) from chilling. > Because of this, the SSF version doesn't use it at all, while it's optional for Trade builds. > The Wintertide 6L for the Trade build has a disabled "7th link" Hypothermia as an alternative to Elemental Focus if desired. > Hypo over Ele Focus gains chill at a DPS loss BUT lvl 5 Awakened Ele Focus gives +1 gem level and is the best option overall. > 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 does NOT deal 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. -- FLASK SUFFIXES -- >There are purposefully no flask suffixes; use the suffixes that fit your needs best. A few suggestions for good suffixes to consider: > Bleed / Ignite / Curse immunity, Armour, Movement Speed, Cast Speed, or Poison Immunity (Low-Life only) > NOTE: You can use a reduced curse effect suffix and take the Asylum wheel & Mastery to hit 100% reduced Curse effect if desired. -- PUNISHMENT CURSE AND DPS ESTIMATION -- > The Punishment curse only takes effect when the enemy is on Low Life (50% or less). It adds no DPS until that point. > To estimate your DPS, check the "Is the enemy on Low Life" box in the configs tab and note the DPS. > Now uncheck the box and note the second (lower) DPS. You can estimate your average DPS to be halfway between these numbers. > Easy example: If you have 3.9 million "checked" DPS and 3.1 million "unchecked", your estimated DPS is abotu 3.5 million. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ENDGAME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > General Endgame Notes > The SSF Notes below have details on transitioning from the leveling life-based build to Chaos Inoculation. > The 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 as early as possible. The Act 10 Ossuary is a great place to collect starter endgame items. > The goal for starter endgame items is extremely simple: ES, Armour, and resists. Get a wand with 2-4 good damage mods. > Best starter crafting methods (as available): Challenge League Mechanic, then Essences/Fossils/Bindings, then Alteration spam. > There is no hard rule on "when to swap to CI". If you're comfortable dodging enemy attacks, you can swap intuitively. > If you're new to CI, try to accumulate 4,500 to 5,000 ES before switching. > Trade (Low-Life oriented) > 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 higher red maps. > If you don't have a Shav's by the lvl 90 tree, don't allocate Pain Attunement. Take some of the lvl 91-100 points until you get it. > If you're not using Presence of Chayula, you'll need to have some Chaos Resistance in the build. > If you don't use Rime Gaze, Vortex can be socketed in an Essence Glove with "Socketed Gems deam 30% more Damage over Time". > 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. > 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 1. Buy or Alt spam ilvl 85 Redeemer Hubris Circlet with -9 Cold Res and NO other redeemer mod(s). 2. Buy any Helmet base with level 20 Hypothermia and no other shaper mod. 3. Awaken the Hypothermia base ONTO the Redeemer Hubris. If you don't hit an open suffix, sell the helm and start over. 5. Craft "Suffixes cannot be changed" and scour to only have the awakened mods left. > If there isn't an open prefix for the meta craft above, use Harvest "Reforge keeping suffix" crafts. > Be sure to bench craft any suffix mod before using the Harvest craft or you could brick the helm. 6. Multimod in this order: "Can have 3 crafted modifiers", then "Suffixes cannot be changed". Now use Aisling's add unveiled mod. > Be sure both meta crafts are done before using Aisling. This removes "Suffixes cannot be changed" and adds an unveiled prefix. 7. Bench craft "+1 to Zombies". This blocks the highest weight veiled mod. Unveil the prefix. You want +2 to AoE for Vortex. 8. If you don't hit +2 AoE, craft "Suffixes cannot be changed", remove +1 Zombies via the bench and Annul the unveiled mod. > If you annul "Suffixes cannot be changed", craft it again and annul until you have "Suffixes cannot be changed" as the only prefix. 9. Try another Aisling and repeat until you get +2 AoE. Always bench craft +1 to Zombies after each Aisling. 10. Go to your bench and remove the crafted mods. Craft "Can have 3 crafted modifiers", Armor / ES hybrid, and Flat ES. > Getting a Rime Gaze or a Crown drop should be fairly easy, but general use helmet crafting is just Dense Fossils / Woe Essences > If you use a rare for early mapping, try to avoid over-reliance on its resists, as neither unique has any. It'll make the swap easier. > 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 an open suffix, craft "Prefixex cannot be changed" and Harvest craft "reforge defense" to get ES recovery. 5. Bench craft as needed. > "General use": for Shaper / Crusader Crystal Belts, spam Dense Fossils for 2-3 ES mods. > For others use Rage/Sorrow Essences for attributes and an ES prefix. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LEVELING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Vendor Recipes > There are 2 vendor recipes that matter for spellcaster 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 one before Brutus or Mervail. > Gems & Links > Don't worry too much about having perfect links while leveling. Use what you have, adjust when you can, and keep moving forward. > I'd much rather spend 1 extra minute killing the Act 3 boss with a 3-link than 20 extra minutes farming Act 3 for a 4-link. > As your available sockets fill up, don't forget you can level skill gems in your "off-hand" weapons for 6 extra gem leveling sockets > This is especially useful for leveling gems that aren't being used until later Acts or the Endgame (Discipline, 5L/6L Supports, etc) > Skill gem colors are to the right of each "|" line. Plusses or commas between gems show linked or unlinked sockets respectively. > Example: "Stormblast Mine + Swift Assembly | B+G" <- The two gems should be linked in a blue + green socket combo. > For 4+ links, gems are listed by priority. Link as many as possible (After Act-3 don't use damage skills with less than 3 links). > 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. > Skill gems starting with a purple letter are given as a free quest reward. Check with quest NPCs so you don't miss these free gems. ----------- ACT I ----------- > Level 2-4 > Freezing Pulse (Drop Fireball) + Arcane Surge | B+B > Stormblast Mine | B > Level 4-10 > Frost Bomb, Orb of Storms (Drop Freezing Pulse) | B, B > Stormblast Mine + Swift Assembly, Steelskin (Put on Left Mouse for auto-guard skill | B+G, R > Frostblink + Arcane Surge | B+B (You can also link Frost Bomb to Surge if you have a B+B+B) > At Prison Waypoint, get Added Lightning and link with Stormblast Mine (B+G+B). Buy Efficacy (B) and level it for Wintertide Brand. > If you have "extra" currency, you can use a vendor recipe to craft a powerful wand. Trade the following with an NPC vendor: > 1 Magic/Blue wand + 1 Sapphire Ring (see below) + 1 Alteration. This gives you a wand with an "added damage to spells" modifier. > Iron Ring + any blue skill gem = Sapphire Ring > Level 10 & 12 > Replace Frostblink with Flame Dash after Brutus. > Buy Vitality, Clarity | R-B > At Cavern of Wrath Waypoint: Wintertide Brand + Efficacy | B+B > Orb of Storms can be removed when you start using Wintertide. > Final Act 1 Links > Single target: Stormblast Mine + Swift Assembly + Added Lightning | B+G+B > Clearing: Wintertide Brand + Efficacy | B+B > Movement: Flame Dash + Arcane Surge | B+B > Auras and Utility: Vitality, Clarity, Frost Bomb | R, B, B ----------- ACT II ----------- > Level 16 & 18 > 16: Buy Skitterbots, and Trade players should start leveling Tempest Shield | B, B > 18: Replace Swift Assembly with Trap and Mine Damage. Add Controlled Destruction to Wintertide links | B+B+B > Buy Brand Recall, Elemental Focus, and another Controlled Destruction. Use Recall & level the others for later | B, B, B > Final Act 2 Links > Single target: Stormblast Mine + Trap and Mine Damage + Added Lightning | B+G+B > Clearing: Wintertide Brand + Efficacy + Controlled Destruction | B+B+B > Movement: Flame Dash + Arcane Surge | B+B > Auras: Vitality, Clarity, Skitterbots | R, B, B > Utility: Frost Bomb, Brand Recall | B, B ------------ ACT III ------------ > Run Vaal Side Areas for Vaal Discipline and/or Vaal regular Disciplines. Vaal Orb recipe = 7 Vaal gems + 1 Sacrifice Fragment. > Level 24 > Buy Frostbite, Malevolence, Bane, Elemental Weakness, and Discipline (optional; see above) | 5xB > Frostbite can be used immediately. The rest are endgame gems and can level in off-hand sockets. > The gems are listed in purchase/priority order if you don't have currency to buy all of them at once. > Level 28 & 31 > After Gravicius, buy Vortex and link with Controlled Destruction + Ele Focus (Drop Steelskin) | B+B+B > Run Library for Swift Affliction. Buy 2x Hypothermia, Determination, Inspiration, Molten Shell, and Punishment | G, G, G, R, R, R, R > Trade players who plan to go Low-Life eventually should buy and start leveling Arrogance. | R > The gems are listed in purchase/priority order if you don't have currency to buy all of them at once. > You can swap to full Cold DoT (WTB + Vortex, drop Stormblast Mine) as soon as you have B+B+B+B and B+G+B+G links. > Final Act 3-4 Links > Single target: Vortex + Hypothermia + Controlled Destruction + Swift Affliction | B+G+B+G > Clearing: Wintertide Brand + Efficacy + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus | B+B+B+B > Movement: Flame Dash + Arcane Surge | B+B > Auras: Vitality, Clarity, Skitterbots | R, B, B > Utility: Frost Bomb, Brand Recall (either gem can link with F.Dash + Surge in a B+B+B), Frostbite | B, B > In Act 4 (lvl 38) get Bonechill and Cast When Damage Taken. | B, R > When you get a B+B+B+G, replace Swift Affliction with Bonechill. > Link CWDT + Molten Shell. Be sure Molten Shell doesn't out-level CWDT (read its gem description on supporting gems). | R+R > 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 > 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