[2.0] The Cursologist: -182% Enemy Elemental Resist, 11K ES 1.6K/sec regen, Cheap, Support
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The secrets of curse magic have been revealed!
 Do you always play in a group? Do you like keeping your XP because you don't randomly pop when hit? Do you want to impress your friends with how hipster your build is? Do you want to save 15% or more on car insurance? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this build is for you! This build excels at party play, is cheap to start, and doesn't die much. It's viable with a single 4L and scales all the way into badassery. History
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I originally started Warbands League using Rathik's Shotgunless Barrage COC. I had done his Shatterchuck Lite build with great success in the past. With the addition of the 4th act, I died all the time. While leveling in Dried Lake I frequently got 1 shot by Voll. I eventually tried Merciless Malachai and after 40+ deaths, I was frustrated. I decided to seek out something tanky. I ended up using my own variation of the Scionic Flametank Build found here:https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1271604. I had failed to make a sweet regen build in the past, but this seemed legit. After getting to level 75 I had a 20k (5k listed) dps incinerate in a 5L body, 7.5k ES and 1100 ES/sec regen. All was well. But in groups I noticed my damage was mostly negligible, and I almost always play in a group. This got me thinking... I Looked into curses, auras, MF, different spells. I decided to switch 13 skill points around to try out two curses. It was a noticeable boost to party effectiveness. This lead me to the one weird trick that melts bosses... PROS +Tanky +Melts Bosses +Amplifies party clear speed +Great Mobility +Provides huge survivability to parties +Opens strongboxes like a champ CONS -Does NO DAMAGE -Requires at least 1 other party member to deal damage -Coordination required to not have your curse stack get overwritten. -Requires interacting with other players, you introvert. -Not beginner friendly because of the reasons mentioned above. Changelog
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10/12/2015: Added Jewel Selection/placement to skill tree section, Updated Skill Tree for -6% block, +40% max ES. To Do List: Add flask choices Improve gem selection with detailed explanation (needs fortify on whirling blades) Add map list, rate difficulty of bosses, include tactics Show Typical Beginner Gear and stats at level 70 Improve Leveling Guide The One Weird Trick to Melt Bosses
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-182% enemy elemental resistance Here is how: Elemental Weakness lvl/quality 20/20: -44% to elemental resistances Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite level 20: -44% single element resistance Elemental Equilibrium: +25% resistance to one element, -50% resistance to the others 50% increased Curse Effectiveness: 40% from passives, 10% from a q20 curse on hit. Taking my typical setup using ball lightning and flammability: -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1)+50] = -182% fire resistance -1[(44+0)*(1+0.4+0.1)+50] = -116% cold resistance -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1)-25] = -41% lightning resistance Now Map Bosses have 60% reduced curse effect and Act Bosses have 70% reduced curse effect. This is an additive reduction so: -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1-0.6)+50] = -129 fire/-89 cold/-14 light resistance for Map Bosses -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1-0.7)+50] = -120 fire/-85 cold/-10 light resistance for Act Bosses Now you are probably wondering, what about Dying Breath? Fine I'll show you the numbers... -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1+0.18)+50] = -197% fire/-123 cold/-48 resistance -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1+0.18-0.6)+50] = -145% fire/-97 cold/-22 light resistance for Map Bosses -1[(44+44)*(1+0.4+0.1+0.18-0.7)+50] = -136% fire/-93 cold/-18 light resistance for Act Bosses Truthfully it is an amazing staff for this build, but using it comes at a huge hit to survivability (around 3K ES). Use it on weapon switch for when you are feeling comfortable. My Playstyle Unlike most curse builds, this one is unique because of its high survivability, movement speed, and focus on reducing enemy resistances to the max. You will be able to take on bosses that most curse builds would pass on. With this build I zip around the map with whirling blades, applying curses with ball lightning. To help clear speed and provide safety to party members I use two vaal cyclones. There are many options to switch gems to fit your own personal preference or party dynamic, which will be discussed later. I'll try to get some gameplay videos up soon. Beginner's Gear
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All you need to start cursing like a sailor is a 4-link piece of gear. This will let you do curse on hit with elemental weakness and the single element curse of your choice, with a spell of your choice. I will update this section soon with some cheap gear and screenshots later this week. My Current Gear
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You don't need gear this good to be effective, but it helps. On weapon switch I have Dying Breathe. Ephemeral Edge is easy to obtain and provides a nice boost to ES (around 800-1200 depending on gear) and also allows you to use whirling blades for mobility. With gear, you want to prioritize getting extra curses, as each additional curse you can have dramatically improves party survivability. Doedre's Damning is the easiest way to break into 3+ curses. They typically cost 20-25c in new leagues, and can often be found for cheaper. Aside from additional curses you want the highest ES you can get while still maintaining your resistances. You can swap out Vitality Aura for Purity of Elements if you need more resistances. Dying Breathe is a huge boost to curse effectiveness, but it means you lose the ES and regen from ephemeral + high ES shield, as well as the mobility of whirling blades. I use it on lower level map bosses and when I feel safe. Stats at level 89 and levels 82 vs 89 wearing same gear, using old skill tree.
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The Updated skill tree gives +665 ES 100/sec regen and -6% block chance. Level 89 + Updated Skill Tree 10885 ES, 1600 ES/sec regen, 75/75/75/100 resists  Level 82 using Old Tree 9551 ES, 1300 ES/sec regen, 75/75/75/100 resists  Level 89 (wearing same gear as at level 82) Old Tree 10220 ES, 1500 ES/sec regen, 75/75/75/100 resists  Skill Tree/Bandits/Jewel Selection (At level 89)
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Nothing fancy here. Grab as much life regen, resistance, and energy shield as you can. Zealot's Oath, Elemental Equilibrium, Chaos Inoculation, and Unwavering Stance. All three curse wheels. 0-2 +30 dex passives to support gems. Tree: https://goo.gl/dRK9Hk updated 10/12/2015 For Bandits do resistance, cast speed, and skill point, er... Kraityn, Alira, Kill. The resistance helps keep the cost of gear down by allowing you to buy high ES with low resists. The cast speed helps reduce the time stuck in one place while casting to help you dodge. We get the skill point in merciless because we don't use any type of charges. Jewel Selection and placement You will want 3 Energy from Within and 1 or 2 Fragile Bloom. I ended up sticking to 1 Fragile Bloom, but two would be fine also. Any more than that and your large ES pool starts to become too ineffective at protecting you against big hits. For other jewels you will want to get ES and resistances. Cast speed, block chance, and knockback are nice too, but are less important.  You will want to place your Energy From within Jewels in this order to maximize effectiveness. Curse and Spell Selection
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Curses
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Curse Basics
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There are so many combinations of curses to use. If you want a long informative read, Vindog's Curse guide is here: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1098458 Depending on your gear you can have 2-6 curses. I currently have 5. Sources of Additional Curse: 1 from the passive tree 1 for each Doedre's Damning Paua Ring (you can wear 2) 1 from Windscream Reinforced Greaves 1 from a corrupted amulet And you start with 1 by default for a total of 6 max! Note: does not give you another curse. An item needs to read "Enemies can have 1 Additional Curse" in order to get an additional curse. 2 Curse - The Beginner. There's no shame in starting out. Your immediate friends will love you.
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4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite 3 Curse - The Handy. People will actively enjoy your company.
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4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Warlord's Mark 4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite or 5L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite + Warlord's Mark 4 Curse - The 4th Base. Seduce people into being your friend by going all the way.
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4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Temporal Chains + Warlord's Mark 4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite 5 Curse - The Cursologist! A welcome addition to any high level party. People will happily stop using their curses in favor of yours!
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I alternate on Q and W my two spells from a 4L and 5L. 4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Temporal Chains + Enfeeble 5L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite + Warlord's Mark 6 Curse - The Sailor. No amount of censorship can stop you.
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4L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Temporal Chains + Enfeeble 6L: SPELL + Curse on Hit + Elemental Weakness + Flammability/Conductivity/Frostbite + Warlord's Mark + Assassins Mark or 4L/5L/gloves with curse on hit. Which Spell you use to cast your curses depends on what element you want to lower. I typically use ball lightning and flammability because lots of people use fire and ball lightning is the easiest spell IMO to spread curses. -182 Fire/-116 Cold/-41 Lightning use Ball Lightning lvl 1 and Flammability -182 Fire/-116 Lightning/-41 Cold use Frost Nova lvl 1 and Flammability -182 Lightning/-116 Cold/-41 Fire use Firestorm lvl 1 and Conductivity -182 Lightning/-116 Fire/-41 Cold use Frost Nova lvl 1 and Conductivity -182 Cold/-116 Fire/-41 Lightning use Ball Lightning lvl 1 and Frostbite -182 Cold/-116 Lightning/-41 Fire use Firestorm lvl 1 and Frostbite For defensive curses I feel warlord's mark, temporal chains, and enfeeble are the best choices and in that order. Let me explain. Warlord's Mark This curse lets everyone leech life, which helps with reflect and deaths in general, gives endurance charges, and the stun stuff it grants is just icing on the cake. Temporal Chains This curse slows enemies down. It is really nice. I value it above Enfeeble because it allows party members the opportunity to move away from danger. Enfeeble This curse reduces enemy damage, accuracy, crit chance, and crit multiplier. Great for keeping party members from being 1 shot. The only curse people typically ask for is Assassin's Mark. If you are at 5 curses, swap out your enfeeble for it, otherwise it gets complicated with socket colors. Other Skills
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For aura's you want Discipline and Vitality. On a single slot you want Arctic Armor. Grab a Chaos Golem. You want Whirling Blades + Faster Attacks. 4L your boots for Cast When Damage Taken + whatever flavor you like. I do CWDT + Molten Shell + Immortal Call + Animate Guardian or Raise Spectre. You have a great deal of liberty with Vaal skills. I recommend using 2. Vaal Cyclone, Vaal Haste, and Vaal Discipline are the best. Put em in a 3L with increased duration! I like a longer Vaal Cyclone compared to a faster one because you have less chance of instagibing yourself by sucking enemies on top of you before they die. Leveling Guide
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Grab some gems and go! Hopefully I'll update this guide with more, but in case that doesn't happen here are some tips. Roll a 4L with incinerate or your favorite spell. Maybe get some elreon jewelry to fix mana problems. You can startout going up the left side of the witch tree for more spell damage and later swap into ES/CI. Wait until level 50-60 before going CI. I made the switch at level 50 and my survivability remained the same. Do you like BACON?!
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YES EVERYONE LOVES BACON.
Thanks
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I'd like to dedicate my guide to XWEAKLINGX. He took me in and helped me out when I started playing. He quit playing to spend time with his family because his grandmother is terminally ill, and I admire him for that. I'd also like to thank all the people I have encountered along the way. You have made my time here in Wraeclast enjoyable! I welcome any comments or critique. If you would like to see it in action I am typically on in the evenings between 6 and 10 pm GMT-8. Last edited by sirdaneth#0956 on Oct 12, 2015, 4:46:49 PM
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Looks good, I am just changing a few areas of my skill tree around with my support witch to match this build , will update with how I find it
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Sweet. Hope you enjoy it!
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Nice to see some different curse build!
I like bacon too. Guide français : http://sites.google.com/view/poefr/
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"Yes I would actually like that, jokes aside nice support char there |
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looks good mate
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I dont like bacon.
.. JUST KIDDING I LOVE BACON!! |
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Just started this build in the 1Month league and its not fun at all.... at least when you play alone (as in my case).
So if you wanna try this one, get a group which you can buff. why i used this build in the short league: the uniques are super cheap: doedres and windscream are only 1c each, so you can spend your currency for high es items to get you defensives up. on top of that i have an additional info: if you can grab a 6l chest, you can save a 4L curse setup when you use arsenath gentle touch. so spell+coh+4 curses in chest and the temp chains on hit from the gloves. you will lose a bit of defensive stats, but you have another 4L setup to run. Last edited by Hyron#2986 on Oct 6, 2015, 7:27:05 AM
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Though it's obvious that this is not meant to be played solo : there is the word "support" in the title, you're not meant to deal damage on your own.
But your teammates will be devastating everything around them for you. |
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