[outdated] Caustic Arrow Solo Map MFer (20/300+)

Hi, I'm trying this build for the first time. I've always done witch-related builds, so apologies if these are noob questions.

1) Do you still suggest using Method of the Madness? Your leveling guide suggests using it but its not in your lvl 95 skill tree linked in the first post.

2) When do you suggest cutting over to PA now in 2.1? I was a little unsure of your guide if it meant wait until 64 or switching at 31ish was still recommended.

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Aevaris wrote:

Hi, I'm trying this build for the first time. I've always done witch-related builds, so apologies if these are noob questions.

Do you still suggest using Method of the Madness? Your leveling guide suggests using it but its not in your lvl 95 skill tree linked in the first post.

Hence the levelling guide being marked out of date. I personally started with it, then specced out later but it isn't a cluster we use in a finished build anymore, so I leave it up to you whether you're willing to respec once you have jewels, or just prepare for the finished build

Once you have enough dot nodes, you can do searing bond and caustic to level with at least a +1 bow. I forget exactly when I did this. I think after shadow dot and growth and decay and it worked very well.

I finally got my gear completed today with a crafted +3 bow!!


I'm really enjoying this build so far. My Char is close to lvl 87 and I'm hoping of getting the lvl90 achievement soon.

Thx alot for your in-depth guide to the new CA!

You're welcome =)

Quick update. I found an exalt so I bought andvarius, +2 5 link bow, goldwyrm, and a bunch of cheap rares. Just about to finish act4 cruel, I just started using caustic arrow and holy crap does it ever clear faster than my rare bow and tornado shot was.

My build in a couple levels will be https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAAAwIBAF4A7gMeBS0ILg-rES8UdRUgFr8Y2xmKGY4ZtB9BJIsknSaVKk0s6S2DLiM1kjY9PydDMUd-SshVS1uvYeJiWmVNbIxuaW6qdO11y3aCfXWE2Yaziq-NfpAKkBGTmZcGm42dqrTRtUi18re2u5674702vqfDOsSiyAzLvdN-1fjYvdrB3Q3mgepi62Ptg-969qP-ug==. With the rares I bought I have capped resists in merciless, if I get glove with cold+light res I can drop the two 18% resist nodes. Heading for growth and decay next, blood rage still slowly drains my health which is annoying.

I'm trying to be stingy with respec points, do you think it would be okay to head to acrobatics instead of grabbing method to the madness, and respec as soon as I have enough points to loop through herbalism?
I think that the soonest I could complete it would be at level 67 with a skill tree like https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAAAwIBAF4A7gMeBS0FtQguDkgRLxNtFAkUdRUgFr8Y2xmOGbQbyB9BI_YknSaIJpUqTSzpLYMuIzB8NZI2PT8nQzFHfkrITZJRR1VLW69h4mJaYqxlTWyMbmluqnTtdct2gn11hNmGs419jX6Nv5AKk5mbjZ2qo4q0xbTRtUi18rcwt7a7nrvjvTa-p8LsxKLIDMu9037UI9X42L3awd0N4tXjhOaB6mLrY-2D7g7vevaj_ro=.

That's a lot of points in stat nodes, would my damage be low if I swapped over this early? Mind you my damage is so much better even with a gimped low level caustic right now lol.

Thanks again, such a detailed and useful guide.

If you really want to, yeah, you could just do the loop now and maybe make up for some of the damage with jewel slots, but if you don't have any jewels prepared or the currency to be able to go get some, I would recommend going for Method first.

The following is the net respec points you get from questing:

* 2 from Fetid x 3
* 2 from Golden Hand x 3
* 2 from Busts * 3
* 2 from Deshret's Spirit * 3

= 24 points total.

If you pick up Method first, THEN complete the loop through Herbalism, you will only need to use 9 of those points to spec out of Method and the travel points.

The net result is slower access to everything else, but once you complete the loop (which should be right before you start mapping): blam, you get 9 points to throw into a lot of different stuff.

That's how I did it anyway. Alternately you could just loop first, then frenzy charges to make up for the damage.

Either way is completely acceptable and more or less just depends on whether you have the CoH + Frenzy 4L setup done or not.

I'm completely lost on this whole thread and your display of the Caustic Arrow solo map MFer build. There are too many different types of skill trees and items in your gear don't match what you're saying and the list of leveling on what people should select first doesn't show in the skill tree. I'm just completely confused on this build. I tried into it for awhile and got as far as Cruel Act 3. I just can't do it. I'm lost with the whole mechanics of it...

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MisterSinister8 wrote:

I'm completely lost on this whole thread and your display of the Caustic Arrow solo map MFer build. There are too many different types of skill trees and items in your gear don't match what you're saying and the list of leveling on what people should select first doesn't show in the skill tree. I'm just completely confused on this build. I tried into it for awhile and got as far as Cruel Act 3. I just can't do it. I'm lost with the whole mechanics of it...

I've already left a giant warning that the levelling section is out of date. A lot of people show up here knowing what they're doing and can adjust on the fly, so I haven't removed it.

If you want to avoid confusion on the trees, just do the first spoiler. 2.1 level 95.

The gear section is literally just for gear. It's not for gems ("items in your gear???"). You should only be looking at the gear section quite literally for the gear.

For gem slots, that's what the gems spoiler is for.

As for "lost with the mechanics"... it's all there in the guide. You're only the second person in almost 300 pages to express confusion with the writeup, so I'm pretty confident that it isn't confusing, but rather you're just struggling to understand it. Which is fine.

That's why I monitor this thread at least twice a day so that I can help people out who do end up getting confused. It's understandable, I go into a breathtaking amount of detail in certain sections and, admittedly, I'm behind on doing some cleanup work on it, including the levelling section. There's a lot of other games, and life, that are taking up my time at the moment and I just haven't got around to it.

Anyway, point being.

If you want to give it another go, let me know exactly what you're struggling with and I'll be glad to help you out.

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Serleth wrote:

If you really want to, yeah, you could just do the loop now and maybe make up for some of the damage with jewel slots, but if you don't have any jewels prepared or the currency to be able to go get some, I would recommend going for Method first.

Yeah, I'll grab method. Already went this way might as well. After I get method/entropy/dirty techniques/growth and decay where should I head to? 4 skill points would give me two frenzy charges.

I won't swap over to the right side and acrobatics until I can at least afford all 3 frenzy passives, no rush if I grab method anyways. Probably swap like this:https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/AAAAAwIBAF4A7gMeBS0FtQguDkgRLxNtFAkUdRUgFr8Y2xmOGbQbyB9BI_YknSaIJpUqTSzpLYMuIzB8NZI2PT7PPydDMUd-SshNklFHVUtVhVoaW69h4mJaYqxlTWyMbmluqnTtdct2gn11hNmGs419jX6Nv5AKk5mbjZ2qo4qly7TFtNG1SLXytzC3trueu-O9Nr3mvqfC7MMzxKLIDMu9037UI9X42L3awd0N4tXjhOaB6mLrY-2D7g7vevaj_ro=.

I'm not sure what mister's deal with the guide is, even following the outdated leveling build I just bought a deaths harp and had a quick look at a 2.1 split shot guide. Easy even for someone who hasn't played path in a long time. Kind of just assumed you'd respec later on, otherwise the passives are pretty self explanatory. Maybe post a a leveling build that shows the old progression up past method and explain that you have to respec at higher level? Might save some confusion, threw me off a tiny bit at first I guess.

Thanks again for the awesome guide and answering all my questions, I'm pretty rusty it's nice to have guidance.

Edit: Which gems should I level in the offhand? Might as well get some gems ready for the gcp recipe.

Hi. Very nice Guide, played it in the last season too. Actually i have a problem. My char(knusbrick) has nearly the def-stats than my old char (FarmItUp)- FarmItUp can run T10 maps, knusbrick got very hard problems running t3 maps....i dont know where the problem is. Can anyone help me?

link to my charakters: https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/ententrainor/characters

ps: The Skill-tree is changed a bit by me.

Thank you very much and sorry for the bad english

ententrainor