GhazzyTV - Essence Drain & Contagion (or Bane/Soulrend) Trickster [SC/HC/Uber Elder/Shaper]

I have question.
Im running bane version with blight on totems.
But i really dont like to play with vaal righteous fire so i decided to take it off.
And now my gem setup looks like this.

6L: Essence Drain, Controlled Destruction, Efficacy, Void Manipulation, Swift Affliction, Empower
4L: Spell Totem, Multiple Totems, Blight, Faster Casting
4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken
4L: Bane, Despair, Efficacy, Controlled Destruction
3L: Malevolence, Discipline, Flame Dash
3L: ???????????

So at this moment i have 3link free, what i should put there?
I dont have any idea, its worth to put golem there or something?
Give me advice please

"

elbowndg wrote:

I have question.
Im running bane version with blight on totems.
But i really dont like to play with vaal righteous fire so i decided to take it off.
And now my gem setup looks like this.

6L: Essence Drain, Controlled Destruction, Efficacy, Void Manipulation, Swift Affliction, Empower
4L: Spell Totem, Multiple Totems, Blight, Faster Casting
4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken
4L: Bane, Despair, Efficacy, Controlled Destruction
3L: Malevolence, Discipline, Flame Dash
3L: ???????????

So at this moment i have 3link free, what i should put there?
I dont have any idea, its worth to put golem there or something?
Give me advice please

You're using essence drain without contagion? Why?

why not? Im using Bane not contagion.
I feel like its way faster for me to clean maps with bane than contagion + ED.
Even thread author is playing bane over contagion

"

elbowndg wrote:

why not? Im using Bane not contagion.
I feel like its way faster for me to clean maps with bane than contagion + ED.
Even thread author is playing bane over contagion

It doesn't look like he is playing either of them this league. Are you ONLY using ED for bosses?? The whole point of ED being meta this league is that its a 2 button press to wipe out an entire Monolith.

If you're having no problem with bane then thats great, you could still add Contagion as the open 3-L just for the Monolith kill.

"

elbowndg wrote:

I have question.
Im running bane version with blight on totems.
But i really dont like to play with vaal righteous fire so i decided to take it off.
And now my gem setup looks like this.

6L: Essence Drain, Controlled Destruction, Efficacy, Void Manipulation, Swift Affliction, Empower
4L: Spell Totem, Multiple Totems, Blight, Faster Casting
4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken
4L: Bane, Despair, Efficacy, Controlled Destruction
3L: Malevolence, Discipline, Flame Dash
3L: ???????????

So at this moment i have 3link free, what i should put there?
I dont have any idea, its worth to put golem there or something?
Give me advice please

Useful additions... Fortify, Flame Golem, Steelskin, Arcane Surge...

Which would you swap out for contagion on that ED link setup ? I'm not using it either, thinking about trying it out.

"

xsnowingx wrote:

"

elbowndg wrote:

I have question.
Im running bane version with blight on totems.
But i really dont like to play with vaal righteous fire so i decided to take it off.
And now my gem setup looks like this.

6L: Essence Drain, Controlled Destruction, Efficacy, Void Manipulation, Swift Affliction, Empower
4L: Spell Totem, Multiple Totems, Blight, Faster Casting
4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken
4L: Bane, Despair, Efficacy, Controlled Destruction
3L: Malevolence, Discipline, Flame Dash
3L: ???????????

So at this moment i have 3link free, what i should put there?
I dont have any idea, its worth to put golem there or something?
Give me advice please

You're using essence drain without contagion? Why?

"

Yreka wrote:

Which would you swap out for contagion on that ED link setup ? I'm not using it either, thinking about trying it out.

"

xsnowingx wrote:

"

elbowndg wrote:

I have question.
Im running bane version with blight on totems.
But i really dont like to play with vaal righteous fire so i decided to take it off.
And now my gem setup looks like this.

6L: Essence Drain, Controlled Destruction, Efficacy, Void Manipulation, Swift Affliction, Empower
4L: Spell Totem, Multiple Totems, Blight, Faster Casting
4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken
4L: Bane, Despair, Efficacy, Controlled Destruction
3L: Malevolence, Discipline, Flame Dash
3L: ???????????

So at this moment i have 3link free, what i should put there?
I dont have any idea, its worth to put golem there or something?
Give me advice please

You're using essence drain without contagion? Why?

In my opinion, Contagion replaces Bane, and works really well for dense maps or Monolith clearing. You will need some other source of Despair - Witchfire Brew seems the most common.

On an unrelated note, I've been running a CI version, using Soulrend / Bane, and it's been very nice for mapping all the way up to guardians. I've run into challenges with the guardians themselves - failed on Minotoar, managed to do Chimera but used every portal doing so. The Cardinal boss from Legion has been a challenge as well, he's killed me a few times. I might do better if I could remember to pop my vaal discipline!

I've been considering swapping over to ED and Contagion instead and using Ghost Reaver to support ES leech instead of life, mainly just to try it out. If anyone has tried both against guardians and has some experience to share, I'd appreciate it.

I thought i start understanding my build.
But i see now my lack of knowledge.

4L: Phase Run, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken

This is not working at all.
when phase run is casted by cast when damage taken its gone after first spell i cast, so its not worth to keep it there.

At this moment i moved back Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken to 3L and i have now free 4L.

I will not put there congation just becouse im rather new in this game, and in this league im focusing on getting some knowledge of game and my character mechanics and next league doesnt look like contagion will be better than bane so im learning to play with bane.

Now i have 2 ideas:
1. Go 4L Increased Duration, Fire Golem, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken and in 3L make Phase run, Increased Duration, Efficacy

or

2. in 3L Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Cast When Damage Taken and in 4 sockets make it 2x 2L Cast when damage taken + fire golem and 2L Phase run + increased duration


What do you think about this ideas? are they good? Or something will not work good again:D?
Which option is better? First or second?

PS. In my opinion first option is wayyy better.

I've reached a bit of a wall with the current build I've modified the original posted here based on other I've found in POE.NINJA, but now I'm kind of lost on where I should upgrade next.

Any ideas? I've got around 6ex to use for possible upgrades. Anything else I could/should change?



Thanks a lot guys!!

Just to chime in with my own experience, I have found Bane/Soulrend to be much quicker and safer for mapping than ED/Contagion. The exceptions are obviously monoliths and delving, where the pack density is high enough that you can consistently get a really strong chain reaction going. Since I have an Arc witch that is much more nimble than this build, I just use Vaal Arc for monoliths and stick to Bane with my trickster.

I do swap out Soulrend and GMP for ED and Swift Affliction for bosses, since ED has much better single-target damage. Despite what others have said, I find this to be an amazing setup for boss killing. It has let me get my first (2!) deathless Uber Elder kills ever this league, and I've been playing for almost a year.