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

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

"

Barlin wrote:

Thanks for the update!

I was curious as to the advantage of taking the 3 increased cast speed nodes (12% total) as opposed to the three 10% increased spell damage (30% total) at the start of the witches section?

The mana cost went down with 1.2. A bit more cast speed than with the pre-1.2 tree should be sustainable. Cast speed is a MORE multiplier whereas increased spell damage is additiv. 12% cast speed should give you more damage than 30% increased spell damage.

I was actually not sure how cast speed affected the damage output. Thanks, master Bada :)

As with any cold build optimizing for as high cold damage per hit works out best. Freeze is based upon this simple formula. Therefore casting speed is the least important mod to use.

Casting speed is better for other spells like flame blast where it matters.

This is why i am sceptical if spell echo really is better than added cold/cold pen/faster projectiles. It reduces damage per hit but casts twice. Maybe better for pure dps but surely not for freezing exiles and bosses and even general freezes.

The best item you can get when starting from beginning is a wand with +1 cold gems. Easy and cheap to craft. I used this all the way through normal including dominus.

One thing i don't see mentioned is using Heatshiver unique helm. +1 to cold gems and 60% mana regen. Easy to get the right sockets. Dirt cheap. Bought a 4-link for 1 alch in the rampage league. Used this all the way to act 2 merciless.

You will be hard pressed finding a better item to put fp in expecially for your first charachter in a fresh league.

Also later i think that a simple 4-link staff with +2 cold spells should be better than even a 5-link in an item with no +x gem levels. I haven't tested this though but i plan to do so. Only problem i see is getting the right colours. Staves are str/int based after all.

Great guide btw.

"

kompaniet wrote:

This is why i am sceptical if spell echo really is better than added cold/cold pen/faster projectiles. It reduces damage per hit but casts twice. Maybe better for pure dps but surely not for freezing exiles and bosses and even general freezes.

Spell echo isn't meant to replace cold penetration (i think i should edit the initial post). It rather replaces faster projectiles if projectile speed comes from gem quality or gear. With 15-20% quality on FP i'ld go with FP - LMP - cold penetration - spell echo - life leech (with a 4L i'ld rather drop life leech and use a battery of Seething Divine Life Flasks
That's based on my current experience as i have chosen to level another cold witch in Rampage.
Anyone that feels uncomfortable to sustain life on flask use only should keep life leech instead of echo.

Without quality wearing a Karui Ward might be enough (worked for me while i had no quality on my fp) so faster projectiles can be dropped for spell echo.

As for wearing a staff: I used a Taryn's Shiver for a while on my first FP witch but switched back to dagger + shield because of the block. Physical damage is the achilles heel of witches. Getting immunity to physical attacks on 30+% shouldn't be given up lightly. (I won't be dropping the Crest of Perandus on my Rampage char any time soon). The benefit of a +2 level also has diminishing returns at higher levels. While level 3 has 28% more damage than lvl 1, the difference between lvl 20 and lvl 22 is only ~12% more damage.

A beginner will not have access to lvl 20 gems or taryn's shiver for a long time. Both items are very expensive.

Karui ward on the other hand is cheap and i find the 30% projectile speed is worth the slot.

I agree with you that block chance is very good. But on the other hand devoting a 4-link for cwdt + enduring cry + increased duration + immortal call and make it trigger early might yield the same result or better since we tend to stay close to shotgun frozen monsters. Atleast i tend to do that =)

I'm currently in the process of testing double curses. Using these two items and gems. So far it seems to be working good. One cast is enough to curse every monster in a pack. The downside is of course that it requires a 5-link.

Excellent guide. Excellent update.

However if going for a life build, for 89 of 120 points spent I'd do this.

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB34rfsIIQB6UC40myLJwFQkGWrrNMswQHLR-VIMHzoqN_xn5ZJ6nr5F8qEZYHHpUu8NVJUQ5IXfJCw9-EAv6MNtD1g9tVxjpYaxe86sBUakMI9G0ZVUth4iaVFr9w1YnTcFKP-uv1ZJ3yHQMeH0EPq1M1m7XDOspKb56DCUZxtAzqug18V8ko-oLH-ejr7prgRZ1TUkGHtz7-Cti98kU64aZXTeP-jzWSnKSHE3cHB2PLvQ==

As was said, around this point, it's time to make decisions on how to progress.

- If you want Eldritch Battery it's a couple of points
- If you want more focus on Auras, spec into the Aura nodes, they are all right there
- If you want more life or mana you are right next to 3-point clusters of both (near the Harrier node); and with a couple of travel points, the 3-point Blood/Mind drinker clusters in the Shadow start
- If you want more fast cast, you are right next to 3 sets of 3-point clusters with 12% fast cast each
- If you want more spell/elemental damage, there is 30% in the Witch start, 58% in the Shadow start, and 40% over by Elemental Equilibrium

Also note that if you don't want to focus on Auras, and you can get Dex from elsewhere, you can save 3 skill points by connecting through the center of the tree; and use said saved points to pick up the life/ES and Melding nodes right there or the life/life-regen and Combat stamina nodes by the Scion life wheel.

Currently, my build is similar to the above. I didn't take the +30 str node. Don't need it. I'm also only level 64 so haven't made it to the Scion life wheel yet. I'm at the life wheel doorstep, 1 point away from reaching it. I'm currently toying around with whether or not I can get away with not having Eldritch Battery. Just unspec'd EB. It currently works, but I will probably need to get it back to support Artic Armor. Will see though. Currently only running Clarity at level 5. And Purity because my resists suck without it. And Herald of Ice.

What will I do after the life wheel is completed. Not sure yet. Though if I don't do Aura mana reduction, I will be getting my 3 skill points back and get my Dex elsewhere.

"

Galtrovan wrote:

Excellent guide. Excellent update.

However if going for a life build, for 89 of 120 points spent I'd do this.

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB34rfsIIQB6UC40myLJwFQkGWrrNMswQHLR-VIMHzoqN_xn5ZJ6nr5F8qEZYHHpUu8NVJUQ5IXfJCw9-EAv6MNtD1g9tVxjpYaxe86sBUakMI9G0ZVUth4iaVFr9w1YnTcFKP-uv1ZJ3yHQMeH0EPq1M1m7XDOspKb56DCUZxtAzqug18V8ko-oLH-ejr7prgRZ1TUkGHtz7-Cti98kU64aZXTeP-jzWSnKSHE3cHB2PLvQ==

Viable tree that works just as fine as the templar-shadow variant.
The reason i choose the latter are: 1) Convenience. I used that spec before the expansion so i know it works. 2) Block. Block nodes are better reachable and meanwhile i personally prefer block as #1 defense mechanism (plus another layer of cwdt-enduring cry).

EB/AA:
You will need a higher leveled clarity if you want to run arctic armour.
Currently i'm doing piety runs with my rampage char. I had to take EB and run a lvl 16 clarity to sustain a lvl 16 AA (enough for titty bitches to no longer be annoying). Mana pool is ~2000. If you have resists on gear and can drop purity that leaves alot of free mana (running only clarity + herald of ice). What to do with it? With a cloak of defiance one could easily sustain the MoM effect. Or just run Tempest Shield for additional 4 block.

Never liked arctic armour much. It takes too much of an incvestment just to get any little use out of it and it's very situational where you actually notice it. Titty bitches and the machine gun lizards. And that's pretty much it.

Not to mention as soon as you jump into a map with half regen or no regen you will never be able to sustain it. Perhaps by teleporting around with lightning warp but that is highly annoying.

I would like to ask some advice of those who have been using the Life build of this Witch Build. My Witch is so far level 16 and these are the passives that i have taken so far...

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMBAuMEBwVCB6UsnEGWSbJMs1XGghCD266z0PXfit-w6-Q=


When reaching level 17 i will first pick "Deep Thoughts" and on 18 the life node above "Cruel Preparation". But after that it is a bit difficult for me to chose which side of the passive tree i should go. I mean for leveling her up as best as possible?

Both sides have interesting things to chose. The left side has quit a few nodes for resistances and also one for reduced mana cost for all skills and that is always good. But on the right side there are nodes like "Written in Blood" "Freeze" and their related nodes. So both sides have good nodes, and that is what confuses me a bit right now. So which side should i first go through once i reach level 18 with my Witch?

"

Fessels2903 wrote:

I would like to ask some advice of those who have been using the Life build of this Witch Build. My Witch is so far level 16 and these are the passives that i have taken so far...

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMBAuMEBwVCB6UsnEGWSbJMs1XGghCD266z0PXfit-w6-Q=


When reaching level 17 i will first pick "Deep Thoughts" and on 18 the life node above "Cruel Preparation". But after that it is a bit difficult for me to chose which side of the passive tree i should go. I mean for leveling her up as best as possible?

Both sides have interesting things to chose. The left side has quit a few nodes for resistances and also one for reduced mana cost for all skills and that is always good. But on the right side there are nodes like "Written in Blood" "Freeze" and their related nodes. So both sides have good nodes, and that is what confuses me a bit right now. So which side should i first go through once i reach level 18 with my Witch?

Purity of Flesh, then Written in Blood.
After that Coldhearted Calculation -> Blood Siphon.
Then Templar: Celestial Walker -> 40% mana reg at the templar start.
As you probably won't be running a 5 linked freezing pulse until you reach lvl 70+ the 40% manareg ain't that urgent.

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

"

Fessels2903 wrote:

I would like to ask some advice of those who have been using the Life build of this Witch Build. My Witch is so far level 16 and these are the passives that i have taken so far...

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMBAuMEBwVCB6UsnEGWSbJMs1XGghCD266z0PXfit-w6-Q=


When reaching level 17 i will first pick "Deep Thoughts" and on 18 the life node above "Cruel Preparation". But after that it is a bit difficult for me to chose which side of the passive tree i should go. I mean for leveling her up as best as possible?

Both sides have interesting things to chose. The left side has quit a few nodes for resistances and also one for reduced mana cost for all skills and that is always good. But on the right side there are nodes like "Written in Blood" "Freeze" and their related nodes. So both sides have good nodes, and that is what confuses me a bit right now. So which side should i first go through once i reach level 18 with my Witch?

Purity of Flesh, then Written in Blood.
After that Coldhearted Calculation -> Blood Siphon.
Then Templar: Celestial Walker -> 40% mana reg at the templar start.
As you probably won't be running a 5 linked freezing pulse until you reach lvl 70+ the 40% manareg ain't that urgent.

Thank you very much Bada_Bing. :)