[3.4] The Mistress of Agony - Lowlife BlightDrain Ascendant / Occultist - ALL content viable!

Hey any chance you could post leveling trees, having a rough time with survivability @act5 at the moment.

Hi,

Just hit lv88 in ssf harbinger league without too much trouble..
since my gear options are limited this proves the build works quite good :)

managed to gather 6,5k ES and around 29k dps on ED with lv19 gem now.

just wondering, since `m still fairly new, is it possible and wise to go lowlife
without a Shavronne`s Wrapping?
Only using Clarity with Bloodmagic now leaving Haste out to be able to look at my healthdrops from chaos and so (got 48% chaos resist now)

or u reckon just go CI untill i got some item that prevents chaos penetrate shields?

I really, really want to try this build out, but this is only my second character since I came back for 3.0.

What gems/skills should I be using for leveling? The 6L is listed and in the comments, a 4L is mentioned as being viable.

I don't need a super in-depth guide or anything, but if any of the people who have leveled this build up could give me some direction for leveling gems and the support set ups, I'd be immensely grateful.

Thanks!

After playing my first char ever to 96 (spectral throw ranger) I wanted to try out an ES caster build and chose this one to be it. I am now level 70 and now able to wear all the key gear I got beforehand and started mapping again. I am starting to see now how this build really works out and must say it is pretty nice too. You have this awkward 1-2 seconds though I feel when you have a bigger group charging you and you have to use contagion first and then ED. of course most of the times everything explodes then instantly :) Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time making this build. I'll definitely will keep leveling this one too.

Just a quick question, do i want to keep my Shield Charge at level 12?

At the moment the str requirement is 127 for me.

I don't think there is much reason to go higher than the 115 strength you need for the Breath of the Council.

Sorry if I couldn't answer for some days. I'll try to cover all questions now. :)


@barabulka1: in PoE there are skills which are insanely good for their clearspeed (like flicker strike, kinetic blast, tornado shot for example) and others which are good all-rounders for their capabilities, safety and playability against most map mods.

Essence Drain is a skill which allows you to face ALL the content of the game (the only exception being Hall of Grandmasters unique map), and ALL map mods (even no regen is doable if you use a mana flask in specific maps). It is, btw, slower than other skills because of its lower DPS cap when compared to lets say barrage or blade flurry or other good single target abilities. Being a chaos spell, btw, means it's totally reflect-proof, and since we have a very high ES pool in semi-endgame gear, the safety of the build is very high.

The Scion Ascendant version of this build excels at mapping, the Witch Occultist version excels at Guardians / Shaper farming.

Clear speed in 3.0 is more than decent btw. Once you get your endgame boots and you have all auras in place (especially Haste), with the buff to Contagion cast speed mapping is pretty smooth.

As to leveling, some pages ago a streamer highlighted his gameplay / passive choices. I'll find his post and I'll link it in the main guide tonight, since it's a good starting point for all those who want to try the build without being experts of PoE. This covers sheepy666's question too.


@Trashcan2386: if you want to go lowlife without shavs, there are two possible solutions.

1. You use Solaris Lorica
2. You use Skin of the Loyal (or a well-rolled Vaal Regalia) and use Coruscating Elixir to avoid chaos damage deaths when being lowlife.

Personally I prefer going for Shavs all the time. In this league it isn't expensive at all when compared to past ones.


@IronDragoon: I always leveled my ED characters with ED itself in a Tabula Rasa setup.


@D3s7r0y3r: thanks for the kind words! Happy you're appreciating the build.


@Vellaura: your shield charge level must match your strength. 113 is the value you should aim at to equip Breath of the Council, so you have to adjust Shield Charge level accordingly.

I'd love to play scion for this, but witch's passives are just better :(
Thought about this build alot, it's gonna be my last of the league I think. Good work.

"

Cicida wrote:

I'd love to play scion for this, but witch's passives are just better :(
Thought about this build alot, it's gonna be my last of the league I think. Good work.

Yes, Witch Occultist is pretty insane to play ED especially if you want to focus on endgame boss farming. Wicked Ward is an amazing defensive tool for the endgame content.

On the other hand, Scion is very good for mapping. The trickster sub-ascendancy, with its extra evasion and regen, provides a fantastic defensive tool against large mob packs.

I have cleared all the endgame content with both character versions (Scion and Witch). When you know how to play as an Essence Drainer you can do all bosses easily once your gear is set in stone, with the Witch Occultist you have more room for errors which is good especially if it's your first ED char in PoE.

I've been thinking about a build very similar to the Occulist LL option. Thinking of going Xirgil's Crank for recharge chance and +1 gems. 1) worth the loss of ES? And 2) is the flask alone enough for ZO?