[1.3]Cold Witch guide for beginners (Lvl 1 to Atziri)

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

THE BUILD:
You can either have a life based build or take Chaos Innoculation.
Even if you plan for CI it is recommended to start as a life char. Why? It is much easier to get life on gear and to have a big life + ES pool than to level with only a much smaller ES-only pool. You will get passive respec points along the way that you can use to spec out of the life nodes later.

I just started playing POE and this is my first character. I'm level 14 on Domination League. I read a few guides on tips for elmental based witches and so far I've spec'd ES up to the Arcane Focus node and spell damage up to Elemental Dominion, working towards Frostwalker.

Your guide recommends life spec'ing and life items if I'm reading it correctly but so far I've been focusing on items with ES attributes and haven't really had to worry about life, since I rarely dip into it and I've only died once very early on, frozen by the boss on the tidal island. I'm up to the Cavern of Wrath right now (L14).

I haven't got one of those multi-shot gems I've heard about for my ice-spear yet so I've been using fire traps for AOE and Ice Spear mostly. Bosses are pretty easy, since I can usually freeze them.

That's just my experience so far.

"

Yendor wrote:

Bosses are pretty easy, since I can usually freeze them.

Currently you're in a situation, where you could run naked with a Coral Ring if you please to do so. The first few levels are quite easy in comparison and later on you will meet Bosses with heavy elemental resistances.

When it's your first char, be prepared to have a pretty hard time. Without quite good smurf-eq, you won't have a chance to go ES and survive. Life is better in most cases and much easier to find on gear in sufficient quanitities.

"

Toartmock wrote:

"

Yendor wrote:

Bosses are pretty easy, since I can usually freeze them.

Currently you're in a situation, where you could run naked with a Coral Ring if you please to do so. The first few levels are quite easy in comparison and later on you will meet Bosses with heavy elemental resistances.

When it's your first char, be prepared to have a pretty hard time. Without quite good smurf-eq, you won't have a chance to go ES and survive. Life is better in most cases and much easier to find on gear in sufficient quanitities.

I don't know, I've heard other players stating they have a hard time with Witch after not speccing out ES properly. Also, since the guide recommends branching out to Chaos Inoculation based on preference, that would pretty much make those life specs and items worthless by the time you get to that point.

Granted, this is just from my limited experience and understanding.

Do what you want if it makes you happy. Just be prepared that leveling will be much harder if you deliberately restrict yourself to pure ES gear and avoid life on gear/life passives.

BTW not only will the life items you used while leveling be "worthless" once you spec into CI (a2 merciless), but so will your ES gear. You can't hope to handle endgame content with gear you picked up in normal and cruel difficulty. So that's really not a valid argument against a transitional life build.

hi i think i go a use this build
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB37CCEEGWBUKusyycVkqVBK-bnqFVrkSrj6YtH20ZjjwXVCKBMYh5Awj0VyvB84IeiELyHcHF7BinXCQ8Wm1JUY_6STs2e7Sjf8YRlg5InapirNadoi5QQow2Av7fhELDXfJVS217JpUfAjbF2CSnCI9G0NDPZVXGFm-drhpsGYUkqjbp42rkIo5k96a2-gdj5oHAVHNTtQRdxt3ztoZgbUbXKU_sOBo4p4SQVZ2AgzgUTQSz8B-iAAJx2wu4kwx9EH_Gng==

its a good build for my cold wicht? or bad? thx

"

rafitax wrote:

hi i think i go a use this build
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB37CCEEGWBUKusyycVkqVBK-bnqFVrkSrj6YtH20ZjjwXVCKBMYh5Awj0VyvB84IeiELyHcHF7BinXCQ8Wm1JUY_6STs2e7Sjf8YRlg5InapirNadoi5QQow2Av7fhELDXfJVS217JpUfAjbF2CSnCI9G0NDPZVXGFm-drhpsGYUkqjbp42rkIo5k96a2-gdj5oHAVHNTtQRdxt3ztoZgbUbXKU_sOBo4p4SQVZ2AgzgUTQSz8B-iAAJx2wu4kwx9EH_Gng==

its a good build for my cold wicht? or bad? thx

The skill tree is being changed in the upcoming patch
You can find the new skilltree on reddit ( http://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/1zlt62/updated_for_110_offline_skill_tree_calculator/) or wait for the patch to be released.

@rafitax
The build probably is playable. But the whole point of a cold witch is to freeze enemies with the secondary effect. For that to happen on a regular basis you have to invets more in crit nodes (there is no chance to freeze support gem like a chance to ignite gem for a fire witch).

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

@rafitax
The build probably is playable. But the whole point of a cold witch is to freeze enemies with the secondary effect. For that to happen on a regular basis you have to invets more in crit nodes (there is no chance to freeze support gem like a chance to ignite gem for a fire witch).

wow ty, i have a question freze pulse and the other skills works with " crical strike chance"?

cuz i see in ur build u put this points

updated tree for 1.1 + some minor changes to guide.
Aside from the big damage boost, elemental adaption is now within reach.

@rafitax: yes.

Hey guys if instead of taking the cold nodes we take the spell damage/elemental damage at the beginning of shadow? any benefit on flexibility or just doesn't worth?
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMA37BXK4IQB2MHpXNTAuPAVEmyeQMsnAj0MYhVrkSrj6YtH20ZTLPB8wQHUDCio4IeHwLbXn_GiEI2xevkHNwnqX5ZEZbyHdgkXyrxdlptnaMOSKcIJDz8q-OE2t2drhVQj0anXMBRiGtjQxps0NCBSUlRcNW29_Lh5CIZhc9lsjhd8nBSES8pT45ktQQkqlXGZk9Cw4V9gpv3pl3GNukWb9-EtvpG193z42oC_mBtjDadgFVL5RmDOCaVbXu0OBRN-_UEs6IA1U_wHwJx3nc=