[3.0] Blight Occultist CI - ZO - 2 Curse
  I intend to update this guide What is the purpose of this build? It is intended to be tanky, evasive, and be able to stack a lot of damage very fast while focusing on AoE radius for clear speed and ease of play. Further, I have a focus in mind for boss-clearing capability & survivability (not just map clear speed). While you can get a bit more dps out of the skill with a Low Life setup, it sacrifices some defense and flexibility this build has. I am not particularly a fan of leveling one path / gem then re-specing to another, so I avoid these types of build suggestions. Pros:
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-Very high defense, magic defense, and crowd control potential. (Can reach 10k+ ES).
-High sustainable damage, can hold ground through waves of high-damaging enemies through simple skill rotation. -Focuses on key skills with no substitutions / gem swapping -You can (with a little skill) pretty easily level a pure ES build from square one investing in Energy Shield gear as you scale up. -Hexproof maps will slow you down, and force you to be a little more evasive, but it shouldn't stop you. -Pure Chaos Damage: This means both Physical & Elemental Reflect at any % will be completely avoided. -You do not need Shavronne's Wrappings (low-life required item $$$) -Can swap out the Granite Flask for an Elemental Flask (Ruby, Topaz, etc) for additional protection for high damage magic bosses (Atziri, etc) Cons:
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-Not the fastest build around the block, but it doesn't have to rely on evasion for survival except in the most extreme fights.
-Does require some moderate skill at higher levels to dominate, but once familiar with skill routine and reading mobs it is quite fun (see strat section below). -You do have to make a personal choice between rolling attributes on gear due to the point-heavy tree or spending points on +30 nodes. -If you want to pick up the +30's and drop points, I'd suggest one of the following 3 two-node combo's:  Play Strategy / Overcoming weakness:
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Stun example / dealing with ranged monsters: Contagion plays a strong part in clearing, but it also provides a ranged spell where Blight is character range only. The Harbinger buff can be manipulated to serve you best when you need to crack through a tough pack (elites, ranged, etc). With the increased duration attached to Molten Shell + Arcane Surge, both of these effects last longer (Our goal with Molten shell is not the explosion, it is the damage absorption + Increased armor to reduce incoming hits).
If you see a group of ranged mobs (particularly elites / archers / etc), my usual combo is: 1) Throw a contagion and Flame Dash back or to a nearby Line of Sight vantage point. (stay within 1-2 dashes of the mob) 2) Quickly activate Molten Shell 3) Start channeling for one brief click to activate the Harbinger buff (DR + stun immunity) 4) Quickly dash to mobs (preventing stuns while travelling), throw another contagion, and start channeling Blight. (the second buff from Harbinger should come in 3-4 seconds from start of fight) note: The Harbinger will activate as soon as channeling starts, so if I feel confident reaching the pack isn't a problem, I'll only activate Molten Shell for the Armor + DR as the stun immunity will begin once attacking the mobs. Pantheon Suggestions:
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By default I use the Souls of Lunaris & Tukohoma to further bolster the characters ability to mitigate large amounts of damage.
Soul of Solaris is a good choice when you know you'll be dealing with one nasty boss (Daresso / Atziri) Current progress:
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~Level 82
~Have cleared tier 9 maps fairly easily. ~Still leveling to insert 3rd build Jewel.
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Additional Progress Notes:
This build is still very much in-progress as I'm working to slot the 2nd Energy Within jewel which will massively increase the characters survivability, and I still have work to do on getting quality gems which will greatly increase overall DPS. Videos:
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Showing capacity for incoming physical dps: https://youtu.be/eCw4uj-fT28?t=6m52s
Showing ability to brush off Chaos: https://youtu.be/dw5quTZTikI?t=5m7s Damage:
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Blight:
 Base 12,108 /sec * 20 stacks = 242,160 potential DPS (normal) * Wither 140% (20 stacks of wither debuff) = 339,024 Contagion:  Contagion is wonderful as it requires few casts and when an onslaught of enemies is incoming it keeps getting passed back to new approaching enemies as well as spreading your chaos damage across the screen. Defense: Multi-layered defense to overcome massive incoming threat
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~Damage Reduction (DR): 8% base + Enfeeble (30%) = 38% DR passive & up to 68% DR with shield buff. (Shield buff is about 50% up-time and can be manipulated to work / trigger when needed if played skillfully, details below)
The Unshattered Will is a buff that lasts 4 seconds, with a cooldown of 8 seconds, and grants the following benefits: -Immunity to status ailments -Stun immunity -20% damage reduction Energy Shield: (lvl100)  Defense readout:  Passive Tree:
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Path of Builder: https://pastebin.com/gsX4LgYS
-Highly recommend using this tool. Intended final gear, jewel placements, etc are all included Path of Exile site: https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/3.0.1/AAAABAMBAAQHBx4I9A18DkgOXBFQEZYTbRQJFX4W8xcvGGobJRzcHRQdTx3ZH8ci9CY8JognqSj6K3gsnCymLL8tiy-dNAo1uTdmOlhCS0NURX5FnUlPSVFJsUuuTLNSr1NSVcZV1lfJWAdcQFxrXypk52f8aHRp2GpDavpsC20ZcLt1nngvfOV88H5ZfqF_xoCkgseD24RIhTKFxYfLiEKPGo9Gj_qQ1pEHkyeUoJUuly2XlZf0muCboaEvpwinK6ebrJi3MLiTu027_LyqvOq-isHFw23PFdAf18_ZW9pi2t3dX9-K37DoWukC6rrr5Ovu7BjviO_r8NX0cffB99f5N_no-tI=?accountName=Katsuko&characterName=Katsuko_ Ascendancy: Occultist
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 4) I chose this for last as in many hard fights where add phases are minimal / non-existent, the node won't help you. Therefore, in line with the idea of being boss-ready it waits until last. Deal with the Bandits:
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Passive Points / kill all
(optional: Kraityn for movement / clear speed & cast speed for channeling) Leveling Guide:
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-There is nothing wrong with taking +30 attribute nodes early for gear & gem requirements and re-specing them later when you are more comfortably able to roll those stats yourself or trade.
-Mind Over Matter is an amazing defensive tool if you are building pure ES until you're ready to take Chaos Inoculation (level 75ish) The build is point heavy, and it is important to get the 'bones' of the tree in place as soon as possible. If you hold off on getting the branches out until past level 50-60, it will make the build very difficult to play later on. -You can connect to the top of the witch area via Deep Thoughts to avoid picking up the Cruel Preparation nodes until later and then move a couple of points around to more resemble the final tree. -Energy from Within jewels can be a little tough to obtain, and they don't make a huge impact until you have a substantial ES pool. It's best to wait until 65+ to start filling in these nodes for life conversion + jewel sockets. -Until higher level, I usually run Discipline + 1 curse (switching between vulnerability for clearing areas & Enfeeble for bosses) -Further, as with most major Keystones, it's usually best to wait on Zealot's Oath until 40-50+ Node Priority:
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   This should get your character established and you can continue to fill in the tree based on your performance / playstyle. You will want to aim to have at least 4~4.5k ES before 75 & mapping tier 3+.  The life regen nodes can be held off until you're closer to taking on Zealot's Oath. Gems:
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Blight - Faster Casting - Void Manipulation - Swift Affliction - Increased AoE - Efficacy
Contagion - Efficacy - Faster Casting - Void Manipulation Spell Totem - Wither - Faster Casting - Increased Duration This is primarily only used for big bads such as bosses, multi & corrupted Essences, etc Blasphemy - Vulnerability - Enfeeble Molten Shell (20) - Arcane Surge (7) - Increased Duration Popping Molten Shell gives us armor & absorbs damage, but it also triggers Arcane Surge boosting dps Flame Dash - Faster Casting Lightning Golem Key Jewels:
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Placement: 1) Spreading Rot: left of witch, underneath Mind Over Matter 2) Energy From Within #1: Above Witch 3) Energy From Within #2: Right of Witch, underneath Melding Current Gear:
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(Accessories need the biggest overhaul currently) Flasks:
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Last edited by Katsuko#0235 on Sep 9, 2017, 1:15:38 PM Last bumped on Mar 21, 2018, 6:40:39 PM
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did noone tell you yet?
MoM doesnt work with ES. '%dmg is taken from mana before life' <life, not ES Unknown rule type: SetFondSize
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" I overlooked that small detail. Will update build today, but even if it was rendered useless, the build is still working regardless. Also, Mind over Matter is an easy node that will help defensively until the character is ready to take CI at higher levels and is very easy to re-spec out of. Thanks for the post. |
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The PoB link indicates that your build may have some trouble equipping gems/gear with required strength and dexterity. How do you address this?
Pathing looks fairly efficient, since you are removing MoM, where do you think you want to spend those 3 points? I noticed you shy away from taking Aura effect nodes thus far, yet you're running a discipline build. Thoughts? Do you believe 70% chance to avoid interruption from stuns while casting to be sufficient? (Of course I'm avoiding Vile Bastion). you claimed the build has "-Stun immunity" however, having less than 100% ES immediately disables that, making this claim somewhat false. I failed to figure out how you thought the build was unstunable via curses, equipped gear, or tree. Can you elaborate on this? Are you happy enough with flame dash for a movement skill? The tree is very point-heavy, and offers no intermediary links for leveling (which you claimed anyone could do from a low level as ES with ES gear). Would you care to indicate how you leveled your character at lower levels with break-down trees? The PoB link did not include these. == "I intend to update this guide" Typically WIP builds are not added to the listing, do you believe your build to be feature complete for the most part and ready for other players to follow? Hot Flashes: poeurl.com/bPZT Balance: poeurl.com/btzp Shocking EleHit: poeurl.com/bZXo Last edited by Kwitch#7864 on Sep 8, 2017, 4:52:43 PM
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Update:
-I updated the tree, removed MoM and increased the build's DPS a bit. If you find the dps sufficient, you can always move those points into other ES nodes that I had to leave out (due to being point heavy) -Updated Damage section, Defense section will be utd in a moment. -Updated Path of Building link (another will come this weekend with gear updates and other notes. Apologies for missing the MoM mechanic with CI. I have a Blight / Shavronne's / Low-Life in Standard, this was my first attempt at building defenses with CI & Regen. Kwitch: In regards to the attribute points, different players have opposing perspectives. Some don't mind getting the +30 nodes to accommodate, but I generally prefer to run a Citrine Amulet (STR+DEX) on spellcasters w/ additional all attribute rolls so I can use my skill points more flexibly. Some players don't like having to roll attributes on gear, so it really comes down to the individual. - In Builder it has a Marble amulet (the tree is designed to represent a lvl100 char) due to the build being highly focused on Regen + ZO for mitigation. I will go in further this weekend and work on more gear rolls to show the resistances more clearly. About the Aura nodes: I did take some of these in my standard / LL build, however with all of the reductions they made to ES with 3.0 I put a higher focus on covering as much ES as possible. The idea of the build is to be able to take 3-4 bigger hits before exploding. Unfortunately it comes down to where you want to spend the points. I chose raw ES over spending nodes on Aura effects when I'm only running 1. Vile Bastion I believe will be most effective in T11+ mapping for the ES regen when dealing with screens filled with enemies / beyond mods / etc, as well as the stun reduction. With the hinder effect from Blight + the Blight jewel extending that duration, most physical / melee enemies never get the chance to hit me so the problem would come to ranged / archers / etc. Stun immune? No, not 100%. The shield for the build: This has the pet Harbinger cast this buff on you when you start channeling if his cooldown is up (or as soon as it is if you are already channeling. The Unshattered Will is a buff that lasts 4 seconds, with a cooldown of 8 seconds, and grants the following benefits: Immunity to status ailments Stun immunity 20% damage reduction So you can have about 50% up-time of stun immunity. Flame Dash: I find it a little frustrating simply because unlike whirling blades - it does not move in the furthest direction of the screen (i.e. if your mouse pointer is out of range of Flame Dash's range, it won't simply launch to it's full range) without the assistance of shift+hotkey. However: it is nearly instant movement, recharges decently fast, and only requires a 2L setup. The downside for my personal playstyle preference is just keeping my mouse distance from character in-mind if heat is picking up. Flame Dash is more than sufficient and enjoyable for most activities. I find the near instant speed of the skill to be a winner when considering fights like Atziri. Whirling blades is still fast, it's just not as quick as Flame Dash on a pure caster. WB would be a better choice possibly for Lab speed-runs, etc. The build is gem & point heavy, so I couldn't make way for Lightning Warp's 3L setup to be as quick. Yes, I will post a leveling guide section this weekend for points, etc. Last edited by Katsuko#0235 on Sep 8, 2017, 6:32:49 PM
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"I made you a thing. http://imgur.com/a/noaXP It shows you how to import your current character into PoB, which you can then share as a link for other players. Your response indicates that you would put points into the +30 nodes to accomodate the requirements of the build. That is a significant undertaking considering that the build assumes you are level 100. I am not sure how you would reach level 101 and acquire more skill points. If you think I'm being rude, please reconsider my initial statement: The PoB link indicates that your build may have some trouble equipping gems/gear with required strength and dexterity. How do you address this? I understand how you acquire more skillpoints. You understand how a player acquires more skillpoints. What I wanted you to do was demonstrate which skill points you would drop to pick up +30 nodes earlier, which pieces of gear you would acquire those attributes from, or what priority you gave to jewels etc. to address this. It was merely an incomplete aspect of your guide, not my representation of please explain to me how someone can reach level 100 with a 80 dex deficit to equip their gear. " For hardcore players, being stunned at an inopportune time is crucial. It merely seemed like good information to clarify, since you are demonstrating the build can tank a lot of spikey damage. However, two qualifiers should be made for this: • You must channel your ability in order to have a chance to receive stun immunity. During movement you will be boned. • In perfect, ideal, no downtime scenarios... Half of the time you will be totally stunable. it's a significant difference. Your cons section as well states things such as 'reading mobs makes it easy to dominate', but then never explains any rationale behind how you plan to do so, or what mobs to look out for. Other builds do not make such positive claims in their cons section, so I never bothere to press their feet to the fire. Humblebragging as a negative to the build perhaps was my issue with it. Looking forward to more updates. [/quote] Hot Flashes: poeurl.com/bPZT
Balance: poeurl.com/btzp Shocking EleHit: poeurl.com/bZXo |
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Major updates:
-Updated Cons section to discuss attribute point requirements. I also listed three suggestions of points you can remove in order to pick up +30's if you'd rather have points on the tree instead of gear -Added an overcoming weakness section -Added a Leveling Guide section -Added a Node Priority section for leveling -Added a Pantheon suggestion section -Updated Path of Building link including the following changes: 1) Removed Mind over Matter (for when character takes CI. In it's place I took nodes leading to Fangs of the Viper for added DPS, elemental resistances, & movement speed for clearing. 2) Removed one mana reservation node in favor of an Aura bonus effect node. 3) Updated all gear in Path of Building. (most importantly the accessories) The tool now shows fully covered attributes. Last edited by Katsuko#0235 on Sep 9, 2017, 1:17:29 PM
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great additions to the build, added to the listing, good work.
Cheers Hot Flashes: poeurl.com/bPZT
Balance: poeurl.com/btzp Shocking EleHit: poeurl.com/bZXo |
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Why not just use Eye or Presence of Chayula amulet for stun immunity?
Last edited by Lost_Robot#1141 on Sep 10, 2017, 4:30:46 AM
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" If you want to drop points & take +30 nodes to avoid rolling stats on gear to use this you'd be welcome to. With a 50% passive stun avoidance and 100% stun immunity (50% uptime) combined with enemies within the massive field of blight being hindered I'm not sure why it would be necessary. You'd be pulling points out of ES, DPS, losing spell damage + %ES + resistance / (+Marble amulet could add up to 300 to ES & 163ish more ES regen /sec). Plus we're already CI so the Chaos resist roll is pointless on those. ES took a big hit for 3.0, need to be very careful removing ES when you are dependant on that ES pool for regen. |
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