[3.24] Bane/Blight Occultist Starter

Played a Bane Occultist a few leagues ago and it's to this day the most fun I've had with a build!
What are we thinking about the viability of this for 3.25?

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OgreShaman wrote:

Played a Bane Occultist a few leagues ago and it's to this day the most fun I've had with a build!
What are we thinking about the viability of this for 3.25?

The most relevant changes:
- Blight & Bane buffs (24% and 20% up respectively at level 20).
- Infused Channeling rework (Infusion removed -> 9% less damage but gained 10% damage reduction from hits while channeling).
- 40% nerf to base evasion from Grace.
- New, better base types and reworked quality.

All in all, it shouldn't feel worse than in 3.24 and it got me to 38/40. T17s raised my death count significantly but hopefully they'll be adjusted as promised.

Other than adjusting for these changes, the guide should remain the same. I think I can recommend helping Alira for the convenience at the league start. The PoB will be updated soon-ish.

Curious to play Bane/Blight this league. Can't wait to see any updated pob!

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FrenchDigglet wrote:

Curious to play Bane/Blight this league. Can't wait to see any updated pob!

Sorry, I haven't got to it yet, but you can use the current one pretty much as it is.

Hello! Im playing in HCSSF and Im really interested of trying this build. Im not pro player of any means so Im wondering can I play this build in HCSSF as it is or should I make some modifications/adjustments to it?

Edit:

And I have read your Google docs -guide. But I understood you meant in HC -section that gear have to be good enough. But what about talent tree? Does it also have to adjusted/modified a little before going map?

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Therier wrote:

Hello! Im playing in HCSSF and Im really interested of trying this build. Im not pro player of any means so Im wondering can I play this build in HCSSF as it is or should I make some modifications/adjustments to it?

Edit:

And I have read your Google docs -guide. But I understood you meant in HC -section that gear have to be good enough. But what about talent tree? Does it also have to adjusted/modified a little before going map?

The tree should be fine as it is.

For the campaign, the recoup nodes combined with the curse mastery and Blood Drinker are great for sustain, but you still have to keep your life pool and resistances up. You can overlevel your gems for more damage, so that you can skip Malevolence and use Grace right away. Remember about defensive flasks as well.

If you want to use Pain Attunement, you have to be wary of chaos damage - regular encounters should be fine once your resistance is capped, but avoid map mods and altars providing it to monsters. You can delay the switch and keep gearing for life as well as ES until you feel it out and actually need the damage boost.

Probably don't bother using Void Sphere - you will forget about it and die to reflect in maps. Don't risk it with the chaos mastery removing 10% of your life when you use a chaos skill, too.

Damage over time blocks your ES recharge, so once in maps, adjust your pantheon as needed and make sure your flasks can remove bleeding/corrupted blood (doesn't hurt to have 2 for that) and poison.

You might get lucky and drop Doedre's Damning, which would let you add Enfeeble early on. Not sure if Gwennen is worth considering, if you want to try to farm it somehow, but maybe that's a way.

I have played PoE on/off over 10 years but since I love to play HC because it kind of gives me adrenaline burst since if I die its over. Because of that I have never played character with Pain Attunement.

I noticed that you had picked up dualwield nodes in your tree. Im going for shield imstead of dualwielding wands because its more safe option. Also small biffs to shield blocks in items itself is nice. Not sure if I should pick some shield nodes also.

I have not yet killed Exarch so that could be "end game goal". Besides that I would like to get as high level as possible. My highest so far has been 97. So it would be mostly mapping. As far as I remember Betrayal is maybe best XP for now in maps?

You said Grace got big nerf. Its still worth it? So my auras would be Grace, Purity of Elements and Vitality? Also if Im not going Pain Attunememt would it be awful idea to go for hybrid? By that I mean Life and ES build. Or even CI build if I found lot of good ES items later? Or is it kind of stupid because from Occultist we find 60 free chaos resistance?

Im really glad that I found your build! I have tried to find build for what would work in HC. I have tried to google it very many times in past year so its strange that this was first time I found it. But better later than never!

I have played Bane long time ago when it was new spell (gem). It was my only CI build which I have ever played. But it was time when Occultist gave free ES and if I remember correctly Occultist was only way to get Wicked Ward.

Oh and one more thing. Im mostly worried of physical damage. My best defense against is evasion+lot life+ES? As far as Im not doing end game bosses and being careful with damage mods in maps I should be okey? Resist cap + suppression cap (before yellow maps) normally have been enough against spell damage in maps.

And thanks for your help and time!