Blood Magic Shockwave Shadow

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"The ground shook as the relic pushed upward through the ground, rising until it met their gaze with it's ancient carvings. What they didn't know was that the quakes were only beginning."

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With the recent change to Shockwave Totem in 1.2.0, allowing spell damage modifiers to affect it's damage, it's become a viable skill to be used as a primary source of damage. Similar to how Flame Totem's damage was boosted a while back, it's now possible to play an effective build using Shockwave Totem if designed properly.

Many have begun to use the skill in multiple different builds, but I noticed that all of them had the same method of dealing with the high costs of totem skills: Stack Mana and Mana Regeneration, get Eldritch Battery, use Armor/ES or Evasion/ES gear, etc. All of which are nice, but for many new players, not an option.

The issue with stacking mana and regen is that the gear involved is usually not cheap for a new player. In most cases the build is operated by a popular streamer who receives donations, deals with favorable trading, etc, or are played by veteran players who understand how to push the maximum potential out of relatively cheap gear. For new players, this isn't possible, so how does your average first time PoE player get into a build as exciting and fun as this?

Exciting and fun it is, as well. The idea behind using Shockwave Totem is not simply to create totems and deal massive damage, but instead to use their knockback ability to control the battlefield. Pushing enemies into corners in order to trap them, keeping your allies safe, or pushing a troublesome enemy towards your allies so that they can dish out the pain, Shockwave Totem is a skill about positioning and tactics.

To support those tactics, we need to be able to do a few things: 1. Stop enemies in their tracks for the summoning process, 2. Be able to reach out to enemies to maximize the control over the battlefield, and 3. Summon Totems frequently to respond to changing conditions.

This build accomplishes these three feats. First: Stopping enemies is done via the Bear Trap skill. It has the ability to lock enemies in place momentarily, giving the player the time necessary to summon a Totem without the enemy moving too far away from the summoning location, while also providing a necessary source of more powerful single target damage. Second: Increased Area of Effect allows the totems to reach out to deliver maximum control over the field, moving enemies over large spans of space. Finally: Blood Magic. It allows us to work around the heavy mana costs associated with summoning Totems without having to invest in the best gear, or sacrifice survivability to obtain increased Mana, Mana Regeneration, or Eldritch Battery.

But what about Auras? It's true, a good deal of the damage for the Shockwave Totem skill is provided by the Hatred Aura, and the Herald of Ash buff. Together they give a collective mana cost of 85% reservation, which is a whopping amount that most players won't be able to manage on mana, not to mention the additional cost of the Clarity Aura. This is where Blood Magic is actually helping rather than hurting. Behind Blood Magic is the Mortal Conviction node which provides a 60% less modifier to aura reservations. This turns our mana reservation cost from Hatred and Herald of Ash from 85% to 34% reservation. Further so, we're also going to use the Reduced Mana Support Gem in order to provide further cost reduction. With a level 16 gem we have an additional 25% less mana reserved. This brings the total reserved to 26% (when rounded).

26% Life Reservation?! Yes. 26% of your player life will be reserved, but that's not a big issue, and I'll explain why.

The Passive Tree

The build detailed in the link above does a few things to alleviate the cost of mana for the totems and the issue of survivability in one fell swoop. By using Blood Magic, we can now forgo mana, mana regeneration, and Eldritch Battery from the tree. This frees up a good deal of nodes for the sake of travel, life, and life regeneration. With a total 170% increased life, by level 80 the minimum amount of life possible from this is 3303 life (via levels, base life, and Strength). Not an amazing amount, true, but that's besides any life granted by gear. If we expect the player to have at least 50 life (only half of the potential life value on most gear) on each piece of worn gear, we can expect to see roughly 400 life (depending on whether or not the player decides to go with dual wielding). This 400 life is increased by our reasonably large increased life value to give us an additional 1080 life, giving us rough (and low) estimate of 4383 life.

These kind of values are not uncommon on builds that use dual totems, however, these values are usually expected from players in the mid 80's to low 90's in terms of level, and including much more life on gear. Estimating a near perfect life roll for all gear, say 90 life on 8 items, we get 720 bonus life, which is then increased to 1944, giving us a nice total life of 5247. This is, also, at roughly level 80. Of course, a little over 25% of this will be reserved at all times, giving you about 4000 usable life, but that's not too much of an issue due to your high life regeneration.

As a result of these high life values, associated with the high life regeneration, we have a minimum possible Life Regeneration rate of 260 Life Per second (with 3303 Life). This allows us to freely spend mana on Totems without any form of Life return except potions. It's powerful enough that enemies will have a very hard time of killing you, as you won't be constantly using your health to cast skills, seeing as Totems are entirely tactical in placement. You need to be able to move them, but while you're not summoning, your life regen is working to keep you standing, and it does a very good job at that.

So where does this build go after level 80? Wherever you want, but if you really want to feel the power of life, get more life! In 15 nodes, another whopping 54% increased life is available, pushing the minimum Life to 4669 (lvl 95) and the bonus life from gear (using 720) to 2332, giving us a nice 7000 life, 5250 usable, and a life regeneration of 553 life/second

Gear

While the gear listed above is not easily accessible as a new player (Carcass Jack, Geofri's Crest) these items can be easily substituted for other gear and still be entirely viable. This is just an example of what I look for on my gear, and how I plan around the build for that gear. As it's clear to see, most of it is sub-optimal, but at the same time, I have a level 68 shadow that's able to clear level 70 maps.

It's also possible to see the links I'm using for my gear, some of which is also sub-optimal. Links for Shockwave Totem are as listed above, a 4L with SWT - Faster Casting - Increased AoE - Added Fire. If a 6L were available, I'd suggest Culling Strike and Item Rarity for the remaining. Bear Trap optimal 4L Would be BT - Added Fire - Culling Strike - Item Rarity.

Reserved for Leveling guide

Reserved for gameplay video(s)

Good luck grouping, and getting past 73 maps. It has a damage ceiling similar to Searing Bond.

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Fri3dchick3m wrote:

Good luck grouping, and getting past 73 maps. It has a damage ceiling similar to Searing Bond.

Flame totem also works in high level maps. So why shouldnt this totem? Searing bond has such a hard damage ceiling because there are very few gems which can support it.

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CptQaoz wrote:

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Fri3dchick3m wrote:

Good luck grouping, and getting past 73 maps. It has a damage ceiling similar to Searing Bond.

Flame totem also works in high level maps. So why shouldnt this totem? Searing bond has such a hard damage ceiling because there are very few gems which can support it.

Flame totem is far superior. Shockwave Totem damage modifyers include Spell/Phys/AoE, but Flame Totem gets Spell/Elemental/Fire/Projectile.

This not only impacts how you path in the Passive tree for equal amount of damage modification, but also the number of support gems that also support the skill. Inc Area of Effect and Conc Efffect are pretty much it (with a 295% mana multi)- and you have to take both if you don't want to gimnp all those AoE passives you have to take.

EK is also perfect. Witch/Shadow area for spell damage/mana and crit. Shadow/Ranger area for phys damage and projectile. Stays right in the spell/phys wheelhouse.

1. Shockwave Totem:
2. Lvl 20 DPS: 172–319
3. Critical Strike Chance: 4%
4. 30% increased totem life (20Q)
5. Strengths: AoE and AoE mods

1. Ethereal Knives
2. Lvl 20 DPS: 348–522
3. Critical Strike Chance 5%
4. 15% increased Projectile Damage (20Q)
5. Strengths: Crit/dps Scaling, Greater Chance to Freeze/Chill/Shatter, works with Spell Echo and Projectile mods


The OP also started on the completely wrong side for a BM and life-based build. He misses the valuable radius passives in the witch tree, and you wasted so many points travelling from one side to another. He took Mortal conviction, but didn't take any of the aura reservation nodes. You won't run more than 3 40% auras with half your life reserved. Even if you reach 6k life, you will still only have 3k effective. Once your entropic defense fails, bosses will do more than that considering I see no other damage mitigation. You'll get raped in City of Sarn, Orchard, Anwhere there are devourers...

I can appreciate the OP trying to make it work, but at the end of the day, you are spending al that effort to support a lackluster skill with no group synergy and a cap on damage potential.

In reply to Fri3dChick3m:


Issue 1: EK versus Shock totem.
172-319 For Shock (245 Average), 348-522 for EK (440 Average). You forgot the cast speed of these skills, 0.6 for Shock and 0.8 for EK. This means base DPS for the skills are 409 for shock and 550 for EK.

You mentioned spell Echo being usable for EK, providing 69% more cast speed at the loss of 10% damage. While Shock totem can just get double totems. This gives us 841 DPS for EK while having 818 for Shock Totem. Not a huge difference in DPS for the ability to stay extremely safe via the distance gained from using Totems, even with the sacrifice of projectile mods, but at the same time, Shock totem gets conc effect, EK does not.

If you're referring to using EK on a totem as well, Spell totem gives 50% less damage and 30% reduced speed, not worth it.

So when looking at damage output versus defensive capabilities, Shock Totem does almost the same damage for a huge boon in defense.

Issue 2: My Pathing
The point of the build is to get life and life regeneration. There's not a whole lot of either in the witch tree and I'm willing to sacrifice blast Radius to get survivability. Going to the witch tree when I want to go blood magic is very silly. I started in Shadow for two reasons. 1: It's my favorite class, the Shadow is full of the best quips and one-liners. 2: His starting nodes are untyped physical, perfect for Shock Totem, or EK. If I had started as any other class, I'd eventually come back to the Shadow start, like every other Shock totem build out there, because those nodes are too good to pass up. Going any other class causes me to lose 4+ nodes of efficiency, as most starting nodes don't fit well for Shock Totem and Shadow gets across the tree just fine. So fine in fact that I'm nearly never more than 4 nodes from a 20% life cluster.

Issue 3: Damage cap.
The skill is doing 12k DPs at level 70 on a lvl 16 gem, without conc effect. I've estimated the damage output to come to around 18K DPS by the time it hits level 20, again, without conc effect. Damage isn't a huge issue for me, and I'm not the kind who believes that if I can't kill Atziri in 60 seconds that my build doesn't do enough damage. Unlike Searing Bond, I can double up my damage by doubling up my totems.

Issue 4: Group Synergy
It really all depends on who you're partied with, but it works fine if you know where to drop your totems. Lots of those jumping on the SWT bandwagon have no clue how to properly place their totems and end up ruining everyone's day. If you know what you're doing though, it's very easy to juggle entire packs of enemies, not moving them by much at all while still dishing out a good chunk of damage.

Issue 1: EK versus Shock totem.

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No mattter how you do the math, EKs base damage is almost 150 dps higher. Thanks for making my point. You did leave out how damage scaling will work - specially when you consider projectile, crt/crit multi modifiers. Spell Echo - EK still wins (plus all the aft-formentioned reasons EK scales so much better)

Issue 2: My Pathing

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Again, you are doing all the work for me. I never said that Shadow was a poor choice. My criticism was your choice to cross the planet for Blood Magic. Blood Magic needs a Path of Life tree. And if you do your homework, you will notice that BM Incinerate, Flame Totem and the like.. never start in the Shadow area. I get it. You saw all those Phys nodes and got thirsty to try something new. Guess what, you can't take something from the old game (BM Flame Totem) and apply it to the new. This is a whole new tree.

Reasonable Conclusion: BM does not work for this build structure if you want to do mid/high maps.

I have no idea why you would convolute a discussion on the theoretical functionaility of the skill - with something so subjective as "How your character looks with pants on."

Issue 3: Damage cap.

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Some clarification on your part is needed here. You have that level 16 SW gem in a Geoffrie's +1 gems, AMIRITE? Linked with Added Fire? Aside from Conc effect, what other damage scaling opportunities do you have that you can't do with other skills? You had to "Sacrifice" the only real damage boost on the skill tree because you didn't want to touch Witch. Your quip about Searing bond being limited by supports that scale into maps, is also the same issue Shockwave faces.

Yes, you can double your damage by dropping a second totem. But that is not damage scaling. Real damage scaling is when you add LMP to a flame totem who's single target dps is 5,300 per stream, and then dual shotgun anything that comes near for over 32,000 dps. And that isn't near capped yet. It's full MF gear 480/110 and in a 4-link of damage gems (FT + FC + LMP + F.Proj + rarity + quantity)

The other issue is, your signature build unique is a Carcass JAck. Cheap, great stats, easy to get and works well with the SW totem. But that is it. No end-game brass ring to hope for that "next level" experience.

Not to compare, but as an example; My build damage progression is

1 Redbeak + shield
2 Redbeaks
1 Doryani's + Shield
1 Doryani's + Shield + Doryani's Invitation
2 Doryani's + Doryani's Invitation


Issue 4: Group Synergy

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Isn't AoE supposed to be the point of this skill over other totem skills? You can't place them in the middle of packs? How does that strat work indoors? I'd love to group with you and see how this works. I'm not buying it tho. As a spectral throw, it would be a pain to have to retarget. Cyclone or any melee other than flicker strike would feel the pain too. But send me a message in-game and I'll host a level 66 map of your choice. Heart_of_Fire

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No mattter how you do the math, EKs base damage is almost 150 dps higher. Thanks for making my point. You did leave out how damage scaling will work - specially when you consider projectile, crt/crit multi modifiers. Spell Echo - EK still wins (plus all the aft-formentioned reasons EK scales so much better)

I proved that you don't know how to take cast speed into account, especially when you're using Spell Echo, a cast speed based buff, to increase the damage output as a source of scaling for EK.

When you run the numbers, Dual Totems gets just as much availability for scaling as EK does, and then some. Again, EK can't use Conc Effect. That's 69% more damage for some AoE loss. Can EK do that? No.

You have no idea how to properly calculate DPS values of skills.

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Again, you are doing all the work for me. I never said that Shadow was a poor choice. My criticism was your choice to cross the planet for Blood Magic. Blood Magic needs a Path of Life tree. And if you do your homework, you will notice that BM Incinerate, Flame Totem and the like.. never start in the Shadow area. I get it. You saw all those Phys nodes and got thirsty to try something new. Guess what, you can't take something from the old game (BM Flame Totem) and apply it to the new. This is a whole new tree.

You're silly. The only other start which has better pathing for life is Marauder, which I only skip over 2 nodes on. 16 flat life and 5% inc max life. Guess what though? Because I didn't take those nodes, I'm able to grab other, better nodes, like 6% life nodes, not to mention the fact that 16 flat life isn't anywhere near as good as it was before because you get 12 life per level now regardless. Shadow nodes are going to be grabbed regardless of what class you start with. All I did was cut out the terrible starting nodes that don't work for the build, of which, yes, the two Mara nodes I didn't take aren't that great for life anymore (especially when they're meant as life/armor hybrid).

Or would you prefer I went Scion start? 10 flat life is terrible and 0.4% x3 nodes is far less effectice than then 0.6 x3 nodes in Mara.

My pathing is fine, you just don't like that I trekked across the tree, but what you fail to realize is that because of my long travel, I'm in prime position for tons more life.

So, you're wrong, because picking Shadow, and needing to treck across the planet, puts me in prime locations for life nodes. Especially when... wait for it...

Shadow has the most powerful 3 node life cluster in the game. Go ahead and look at it. That's right, in the middle there. 6-6-12, and 20 STR. Of course, you'd rather me go Mara? Or Templar? Even though I already get those nodes?

You're silly.

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I have no idea why you would convolute a discussion on the theoretical functionaility of the skill - with something so subjective as "How your character looks with pants on."

It's not Theoretical I'm running the build now, I'm level 70. It works fantastically so far and I've only got a lvl 16 gem, which means it's got 4 levels to go, which will give me, over those levels, 60% MORE damage than I'm currently doing, which is 12K, bringing me to 19K, actually, but I say 18K in order to account for any possible drops in DPS I might incur, for whatever the reason (even though I can only go up from here). I've got 3K life AFTER reservation and 250 life/second regen.

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Some clarification on your part is needed here. You have that level 16 SW gem in a Geoffrie's +1 gems, AMIRITE?

Yes? It's still a lvl 16 gem. When I lvl it up to 20 it will be at lvl 21 with Geofri's. The damage values I gave were for 16 scaled to 17 and 20 scaled to 21. I don't see how it's a problem.


As for skipping over blast Radius: It's 12% increased damage. That's not a big deal. It's a maximum drop of maybe... what? 100dps off of 18K+? You want me to run up into Witch, skipping tons of great life nodes, for an extra 100 dps or so? How does that make sense?!

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But that is not damage scaling. Real damage scaling is when you add LMP to a flame totem who's single target dps is 5,300 per stream

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You have to be trolling now. "Two totems isn't more damage, but two projectiles is" Do you read what you type?

I'm going to stop now and not take things any further with your completely baseless arguments. You're trying to say two sources of damage, from the same skill, is not scaling, but 3 or 5 sources from the same skill totally is. Okay. Gotcha there. Enjoy your crazy flakes.

Hehe, cool. You just refuted yourself :)

I'll not get into more banter with you over why shadow has a life cluster to compensate for the lack of life everywhere eles compared to every other class.

Let me break this down for you.

The best you can do is double any dps you gain. In this way, adding a second totem is a 1 + 1 = 2 scenario. Its linear and flat.

But when you take your single target dps and multiply it by 3 (LMP) and then by 2 (double-down on the totems) DPS x 3 x 2 = holyshitdps

The reason why I reference mapping, is because there is a crossover point where your linear DPS no longer can sustain a decent clearspeed, or take out bosses without incurring great risk.

I think we are all going to be waiting for a Temple Piety map video for quite some time.

If you don't have the brass to connect with me in-game, I am sure there is someone else here that could FRAPs it.