[3.8] LiftingNerdBro's Tri/Quad Frostbolt Totems Hierophant - Strong League Starter!

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Build status in 3.8:

Looking good overall. The damage has been buffed as a direct result of the change to the Divine Guidance ascendancy rework (Transfiguration of Mind).

I have only made a few minor changes:

- Swapped out Immortal Call for Steelskin in the CWDT setup and updated the gem level suggestions accordingly.

- Removed Bottled Faith as suggested unique item as it is too hard to get ahold of. It has been replaced with a Silver Flask to make it easier to sustain Onslaught.

Good luck in 3.8 Blight League guys!

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Visit me at Twitch.tv/LiftingNerdBro

For more Path of Exile guides Youtube.com/LiftingNerdBro

1. Old gameplay and video guide here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu5yRiHz7Tg

Note: Watch the video, but refer to the forum post/PoB for updated and relevant changes to the build.

2. Join us on Discord! Visit the #poe-help section if you need help or wish to get your build reviewed https://discord.gg/lifting

3. PoB Pastebin 3.8 link: https://pastebin.com/R53DDZmG

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Strengths and Weaknesses of the build

Strengths:

- Beginner and new league "friendly" - the build is somewhat simple in design and easy to understand.

- Great clear speed all the way up to tier 16 maps.

- Easy to level.

- Budget-friendly. The build works great with just rares until you can afford the suggested unique items later.

Weaknesses:

- Relatively weak single target damage (still enough to kill Uber Elder with proper gear though)

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Gem Setup:

Damage setup:

- Frostbolt, Spell Totem, Controlled Destruction, Inc. Critical Strikes, Hypothermia (5-link) & Cold Penetration (6-link).

Note: Consider swapping out Inc. Critical Strikes for Multiple Totems Support late game if you are above 55% effective crit chance without it anyway. This will allow you to summon 4 totems.

Defensive Setup:

- Cast When Damage Taken (lvl 14), Steelskin (lvl 18), Lightning Golem (lvl 16) & Clarity.

Mobility, Damage & Regen:

- Flame Dash, Faster Casting, Culling Strike & Arcane Surge (lvl 4-8).

Note: Despite Ancestral Bond, Flame Dash is still able to cull the enemy once it reaches <10% HP. This is because it still counts as a "hit". Culling Strike also increases the cast speed of Flame Dash if you get quality on it.

Utility:

- Frost Bomb, Increased Duration & Increased Area of Effect.

Curse & Vaal Skills:

- Vaal Righteous Fire, Frostbite, Arcane Surge (lvl 10) & Increased Duration.

Arcane Surge procs when a supported active skill-gem (Frostbite or Flame Dash in this case) is cast and ONLY if it passes the mana threshold requirement. A level 20 Frostbite, linked with Arcane Surge and Increased Duration has a mana cost of 77. This means you can level Arcane Surge to level 10 (in that setup) and ensure a reliable proc every time you cast your curse. Make sure to keep an eye on the mana threshold of the skill as you level.

Check this link for more info on Arcane Surge: https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Arcane_Surge_Support

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Skill-trees & Ascendancy classes:

Ascendancy Class: The Hierophant

Ascendancy Points: Pursuit of Faith --> Ritual of Awakening --> Conviction of Power --> Divine Guidance

Pantheons:

- Soul of Solaris
- Soul of Gruthkul

Skill-tree:

Leveling tree 1:
http://poeurl.com/czki

Leveling tree 2:
http://poeurl.com/czkh

Leveling tree 3:
http://poeurl.com/czkg

Final tree, 116 points:
http://poeurl.com/czkf

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Leveling Tips:

1. Use Freezing Pulse* (but remember to level Frostbolt), until you can socket your first Frozen Trail jewel into the tree, from there start using Frostbolt and pick up Ancestral Bond.

* For leveling link Freezing Pulse with Added Cold and Added Lightning.

Note: remember, once you pick up Ancestral Bond you can no longer deal damage with skills directly cast from your character. You will have to rely on your totems from thereon.

2. Prioritize getting your second Frozen Trail jewel.

3. Level 28+ Get a 4-link for your Frostbolt setup.

4. Level 40+ try getting yourself a cheap 5-linked staff for your Frostbolt setup. This makes a big difference in damage.

Note: a cheap way to get a 5-linked staff is by buying the The Flora's Gift divination card. These are typically very cheap a few days into the league.

5. Level 70+ start saving up for a 6-linked staff. (If you can afford a 6-linked Taryn's Shiver go for that)

6. Wait until level 80+ to try and get Uber Lab done unless you have a someone boost you.

How to get a 6-linked staff:

- Check for cheap 6-linked staves on poe.trade (if you buy a corrupted staff, make sure it has the right socket colors) OR

- Farm or purchase 6 The Dark Mage divination cards.

Optional, but powerful leveling unique's:

- 2x Lifesprig/Axiom Perpetuum
- Wanderlust
- Goldrim
- Karui Ward
- Lochtonial Caress

Alternatively, if you cannot afford these, then try the following method:

- Crafting a 1+ to cold gems wand/sceptre in the beginner adds some nice damage while leveling. You can do that by getting a blue (magic) wand/scepter, sapphire ring and an orb of alteration. By trading/selling this to the vendor, he will in return give you back a weapon with +1 to cold gems.

Bandit Quest:

- Help Alira for some sweet mana regen, crit multiplier and 15% too all elemental resistances.

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Gearing and stat priorities:

Defensive affixes, in priority:

1. Life
2. Elemental Resistances (75% on Merciless)
3. Mana

Offensive affixes, in priority:

1. Spell/Cold/Elemental Damage
2. Critical Strike Multiplier
3. Cast Speed
4. Critical Strike Chance

Note: depending on your crit chance, "Critical Strike Multiplier" eventually becomes the best way of scaling the damage.

Check my current gear via the PoB Pastebin linked further above.

Jewels:

- Inc. Maximum life
- Inc. Spell/Elemental/Cold/Totem Damage
- Inc. Cast Speed
- Inc. Critical Strike Chance
- Inc. Critical Strike Multiplier

Flasks:

- 1x Seething Divine Life Flasks of Staunching.
- 1x Bubbling Sanctified Mana Flask of Heat.
- 1x Chemists Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline.
- 1x Ample Diamond Flask of Warding.
- 1x Chemist's Silver Flask of Warding

Note: To be able to use the Basalt and Silver Flask twice per full flask the "Chemist's roll needs to be of 23% or higher. To use the Diamond Flask 3 times per full flask the "Ample" roll must be 20+.
This is not important in the beginning, but it makes a nice difference later on.

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Recommended unique items:

Jewel's: 2x Frozen Trail



Recommended unique items:

Weapon: Taryn's Shiver



Chest Armor: Belly of the Beast



Gloves: Maligaro's Virtuosity



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#DoYouEvenNerdBro
LNB

Reserved!

If you don't have a five link, once you reach maps you can farm a Flora's gift card in a couple minutes (in Jungle Valley map, unless they change where it drops. Unlikely though).

You can then craft some spell damage on that (alt+aug or essence) or +2 cold gems (alt+aug or essence).


Very minor guide edit - the Pandemonius is listed as a gloves, but it is an Amulet. The way to get this is by finding/buying a The Halcyon (which is good, not great) from a Tul breach or by killing the Breachlord Tul, and then using a Blessing of Tul to upgrade it.

Pastebin for path of Building required :)

looks great and lots of fun..will try this.
quik question is if u can get us the Pastebin for PoB for easy configuration.

thx again

pastebin ?

Hi, sorry if my question is stupid but in the beginning of league how do you get access to the frozen trail? Wait to have it in trade?

Because that seems to be more important for the build and it interests me a lot.

thanks.

Nice guide. I am tempted to go for this, but with the vendor shop for threshold jewels removed in 3.0 , you can only get one from you quest line, right ? And that means this league starter build might struggle to get where it can afford the second one for a little or what?

Ty for this one lifting, just what i was looking for.

Hey Lifting! Great build and video as always! I am thinking of trying this as my starter.

What would you think of using the new glacial cascade instead of frostbolt? Maybe a more single target focused version? I may give it a try.