[3.13] ESSENCE DRAIN / BANE / SOULREND Occultist / Trickster Build. STARTER & UBER Elder Carry!

Hello everyone!
Essence Drain Occultist / Trickster is a well known, solid league starter with countless guides existing! Let's take a DEEPER look into current state of ED and also find out how well new Synthesis gear and skills like Soulrend / Malevolence / Bane will work together!
Why "ULTIMATE"? Because it gives you FOUR different setups to play! From offensive to defensive, from poor newbie to rich expert!


Spoiler

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With over 20+ active builds it is becoming hard to keep up with replies and comments, so make sure you follow me on discord, twitter and more importantly = twitch to ask for anything!
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SOULREND vs. ESSENCE DRAIN...who is the winner? Also Talking about using Bane and Malevolence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6VxxP0cyNc
VIDEO BUILD GUIDE:
https://youtu.be/xAVgqoEskh0
V1.1 UPDATE:
https://youtu.be/J6CXp3WVb1M
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V 1.8 UPDATE (15/01/2021)
-POBs (all 3) updated for 3.13
V 1.7 UPDATE (01/07/2020)
-POBs (all 3) updated for 3.11
V 1.6 UPDATE (12/03/2020)
-POBs (all 3) updated for 3.10
V 1.5 UPDATE (12/12/2019)
-POBs (all 3) updated for 3.9 (added Pantheons so make sure you use FORK for POB)
V 1.4 UPDATE (06/09/2019)
-POBs updated for 3.8 (both Occultist and Trickster)
-Occultist got a flat 40 ES regen on a Vile Bastion
V 1.3 UPDATE (08/07/2019)
-Added Trickster version due to popular demand + Trickster ascendancy choices (will be only for Limb + Shield)
V 1.2 UPDATE (06/06/2019)
-POBs updated
-1500k ES less now:( . Not so tanky boi now, just your casual 9k normie :(
-Wicked Ward gone from the Ascendancy, so we have 2 options: Profane Bloom or Frigid Wake. Profane Bloom is great for Bane, Frigid Wake is great for everything else and especially Uber Elder.
-dropped starting ES nodes in Witch Area (they are SHIT now!)
-took Insightfulness instead
-took Wicked Ward now on the tree (optional now!)
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V 1.1 UPDATE (30/04/2019)
-POBs updated and now only 2 left instead of 3 to reduce complexity
-replaced standard gear with the league gear
-added Deathless Uber Elder video + Shaper videos
-expanded various written sections
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http://www.angryroleplayer.com/path-of-exile-builds/soulrend-essence-drain-occultist-trickster-path-of-exile-build/
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In 3.6 update, a couple of new Chaos Skills appeared, such as Soulrend, Malevolence and Bane. As well as older Chaos Skills got significant boost and revamps!
In this guide you will find the most comprehensive, versatile and detailed information on different ED setups!

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How does ED / Contagion combo works
Think about Contagion as a "fuse" and ED as a "nuke". You mark enemies with Contagion and then shoot ED projectile in a pack. They start melting and explode, proliferating chaos damage to nearby enemies, thus "chaining" DoT chaos damage.
Where damage comes from?
1) Damage Over Time
2) Non-Ailment Chaos Damage Over Time Multiplier (tree, crafted mods, etc)
3) Chaos Damage
4) +1-2 to Gem Levels (bow, staff, etc)
5) Curses (Despair, etc)
6) In the very last end-game form we will be reserving a part of our life with Blood Magic and some auras (Disipline + Clarity) and allocating Pain Attunement passive to give as 30% MORE Spell Damage while on Low Life (Low Life is <35% life)
How Bane works?
Bane is a Chaos Damage Over Time Spell. It has a Curse tag and scales with all Curse modifiers, such as effectiveness and duration, and at the same time it's not technically a "curse" itself, so it does not count towards your curse limit. It does decent amount of damage on it's own and other linked curses multiply it's damage and are triggered through bane as well. So it's an extremely usefull, powerful skill on top of everything else. With PROFANE BLOOM occultist passive it's possible to use Bane as a standalone 6L killer.
How good is Soulrend
Soulrend is a selfcast Damage Over Time Chaos spell. It has very low 0.4 second dot duration, high cast time and is mana hungry as well. Overall it's a decent skill for clearing maps. Literally one button action. But unfortunately it's very bad for bosses as you need to solve your mana issues and duration makes it a super spammy "stand your ground" skill. Your mobility suffers a lot during boss encounters and overall is not the best experience.
Trickster helps with that.
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1) PROS
Spoiler

+extremely tanky and safe (2-3x defensive Curses, 11-14K+ ES, very high ES regen)
+easy to league start (can run on Uniques with good sustain), if you are familiar with the game in general
+requires only 1 6-Link for end-game
+all mods, even no mana regen is possible
+no need for Wither totem (when you get Withering Presence ascendancy passive)
+always stun immune (unlike squishy Trickster)

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2) CONS
Spoiler

-with ED+Contagion you constantly need to cast 2 skills. If you want to spam just 1 and zoom-zoom, this build might not be for you :)
-Soulrend is slow to cast because NO CAST SPEED investment
-Not super newbie friendly as you need some knowledge on playing life/hybrid builds and then transition to CI and eventually to Low-Life.
-Low-Life Chest (Shavronne's Wrappings) is usually very expensive at the start of the league, but drops down cheap very fast

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3) Skill Tree Progression / Path of Building / Ascendancy / Bandits
For the levelling tree please watch the video guide and check POB!
Spoiler


OCCULTIST:
Path of building (End-game +3 bow. Balanced HIGH DPS setup. Levelling tress are here!):: https://pastebin.com/RQM916UE
Path of building (Cerberus Limb + Shield HIGHEST DEFENSE setup):: https://pastebin.com/rsyZg372
Trickster (Cerberus Limb + Shield HIGHEST DEFENSE setup): https://pastebin.com/a6T3WBQh
IF YOU GET AN ERROR WHILE IMPORTING OR ANY OTHE ERRORS, IT MEANS YOUR POB IS OUTDATED ORIGINAL VERSION THAT IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED. YOU NEED A "COMMUNITY FORK" ONE TO MAKE IT WORK:
https://github.com/PathOfBuildingCommunity/PathOfBuilding
For Occultist Ascendancy: Vile Bastion, Void Beacon, Withering Presence, Profane Bloom
For Trickster Ascendancy: Ghost Dance, Escape Artist, Patient Reaper, Prolonged Pain.
Bandits: Kill All

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4) Early Levelling Gear / Skills
Spoiler

Selling a blue wand/sceptre along with a CHAOS/POISON gem will result in a +1 to Chaos Gems weapon. Use this recipe early on!
Overall levelling Chaos build is as follows now:
1) Blight with Infused Channelling and Void Manipulation till 12.
2) Essence Drain + Contagion till 24
3) Bane / ED till 28
4) Soulrend / Bane till maps
5) Whatever mix you'll get used to till END GAME. Bane + Soulrend or Bane + ED, or ED + Contagion. Everything is good and depends on your personal preferences!
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Start levelling Contagion. Take Explosive Trap, Blight or Magma Orb and spell your way forward till Essence Drain at level 12 (after entering Merveil's Caverns in Act 1).
You can also use Blight with Infused Channelling and Arcane Surge in a 3L. Add Void Manipulation when its available. I personally used Blight till i got ED.
Then start using ED/Soulrend+Contagion (if you wish) till you get Bane
If you want levelling to be faster you can you use Storm Brand (from level 12) or Winter Orb (from level 28) till maps.
Nothing crazy here. Double Lifesprigs, Wanderlust, Lochtonial Caress




for early game i used Wither Spell Totem setup for bossing boost:
Wither Spell Totem 4L: Wither-Spell.Totem-Faster Casting-Inc.Area.of.Effect
Contagion 4L: Contagion-Arcane Surge-Faster Casting-Inc.Area.of.Effect
Essence Drain 4L: ED-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Efficacy
Soulrend 4L: Soulrend-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Efficacy/Greater.Multiple.Projectiles
Bane 4L (if you have 2 curses then switch Controlled Destruction for Enfeeble): Bane-Despair-Enfeeble/Temp.Chains-Void.Manipulation-Conrolled.Destruction.
Bane is incredibly powerful on it's own for an early game for trash mobs so you can add any ED/Soulrend gems to it if you have 5L or 6L.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall it's up to you to decide if you wanna play as LIFE or just go ES from the very beginning. If you can't find / buy ES gear while levelling, then play life and spec into ES when you reach maps.
Zig has a nice video on how to transition to CI:

https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Embalmer
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Death%27s_Oath
Plenty of decent /cheap ES / uniques can be used while levelling:
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Cherrubim%27s_Maleficence
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Breath_of_the_Council
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Heartbreaker (great!)
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Doedre%27s_Malevolence
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Cane_of_Unravelling (great!)
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Allelopathy (great for CWC!)
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Steppan_Eard
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Rainbowstride
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Beast_Fur_Shawl
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Sin_Trek
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Rathpith_Globe
For helms:
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/List_of_unique_helmets#Energy_Shield_Helmets_.28Intelligence.29
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/List_of_unique_helmets#Energy_Shield.2FEvasion_Helmets_.28Dexterity.2FIntelligence.29
Vertex is my favourite so far. Heretic's Veil can also save you skill slot for Blapshemy and is required for max aura TOP DPS setup. Doedre's Skorn is fantastic for BANE.
Belts: Bated Breath, Stygian Wise with Fossil crafted %Chaos Damage, or Crystal Belt. Also https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Ascent_From_Flesh is a good starter.

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5) My Actual Gear / End-Game Skills
Spoiler

Overall it's very easy to reach 10-11k ES with literally trash gear.

Aegis Aurora is the BEST shield for Occultist (equals to 400 ES shield), unless you find 2500+ Armour shield with resits (equals ti 500 ES shield).


Use Astramentis as a cheap item to reduce your dex/str burden.

Essence Drain 5L: ED-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Swift.Affliction-Efficacy
Essence Drain 6L: ED-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Swift.Affliction-Efficacy-Empower.lvl.4
Essence Drain 6L (no Empower): ED-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Swift.Affliction-Efficacy-Energy.Leech
Blight CwC Soulrend 6L: Blight-Cast.While-Channelling-Soulrend-Controlled.Destruction-Empower lvl.4-Greater.Multiple.Projectiles/Energy.Leech (overall i do not recommend CWC because you have to be in melee range to channel and so, prone to all kind of damage in your face)
Soulrend 6L Bossing/Mapping: Soulrend-Swift.Affliction-Void.Manipulation-Controlled.Destruction-Efficacy-Empower.lvl.4./Greater.Multiple.Projectiles

Few good things to know:
1) Play as CI / Hybrid / Life before you get Shavronne's and then you can switch to Low Life. Check levelling trees in the first link for guidance.
2) Discipline Watcher's Eye is a QoL:

3)
with Discipline + Discipline Aul's Uprising is not a bad combo-wombo.
4) Rori's Lantern is another cool QoL to cheese mapping (enemies hitting you are UNLUCKY):

5) Energy from Within is usable in multiple places.

6) Mark of the Shaper + some Elder ES ring are a good cheap DPS option
7) Helm enchant is 40% Essence Drain Damage or some reduced Aura reservation
8) Get Vixen's Entrapment gloves for +1 curse

======================================================================================
Crafting Chaos Damage:
Spoiler
Jun / Aisling can unveil / craft global Chaos Damage on rings:

Helena can craft Chaos Damage on 2H melee weapons and 1H melee/ranged weapons:

Chaos multipliers can be crafted by Jun (no specific Syndicate member required):

Currently there are 4 best ways to play ED :
1) Betrayal +3 bow (harder to get now with lower Betrayal encounters) with Soulstrike quiver.
Spoiler

DoT damage scales dramatically high with +1 levels.
First you need to get a high i.lvl 6L bow, roll +1 with alts. Regal. Praise RNGJESUS, LE TOUCAN AND CHRIST WILSON. Drop Anull. Hope for +1 to stay. Multimod into this:

or this:

+2 mod can be unlocked from Catarina (Betrayal mastermind). Will take a while to get it!
add
. Here. You are done.
+2 also decent


2) Cerberus Limb + high armour Shield.
Spoiler

This is my favourite so far, as you can shield charge as well and have Fortify
It's also the tankeist of all! I reached 12k ES with hybrid gear and no Clarity Watchers eye with 2700 Armour Shield. Damage is also enough to do most content (all maps, shaper, etc).
2500 Armour shield will give you 500 ES (and 2500 armour shield is MUCH cheaper than a 500 ES shield)! The only problem here is 159 strength requirement, but can be mitigated easily with https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Astramentis.
You can use unique shields such as these as well:
(good for levelling as Hybrid)
(overall BEST for end-game)

3) Spell Wand / Dagger + generic ES shield.
The most generic cookie-cutter way to play.
Spoiler

+



4) 2H Staff with +1 gems and +2 to chaos gems. This is another high DPS setup (as high as +3 bow), but also squishiest / slowest setup as you don't have a shield.
To craft staff you need a i.lvl 55 one, a bunch of regals and scourings, as well as several Exalts :)
You can get a cheap 5L staff using Flora's Gift cards (better just buy the staff for 1 alch lol!):
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Flora%27s_Gift
You can get a cheap 6L staff using Dark Mage cards (usually MUCH cheaper than buying 6L staff!):
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/The_Dark_Mage
Demi made a great video on the WHOLE crafting process:

Staff examples:
Spoiler





======================================================================================
6) Flasks
Spoiler

Witchfire Brew (till you get Despair with Bane in helm, then DROP)
The rest are mostly defense/offence
Cinderswallow Urn with regeneration is also great!



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7) Pantheon Gods
Spoiler

Major: Arakaali / Lunaris
Minor: Gruthkul / Shakari

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8) Hardcore Viable or not?
Spoiler

Very HC viable. Actuallt the tankiest build i've played!


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9) FOR THE RICH GUYS
Spoiler

+1 Shavronne, +1 Curse amulet with something useful, like strength and ES.
500+ ES shields, 3000+ Armour Shields, +3 Bows. +2 Chaos Staffs
Aul's Uprising with Discipline:
Spoiler

Clarity + Discipline Watcher's Eyes:
Spoiler

Aspect of the Spider high ES gloves.
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Apep%27s_Supremacy shield.
Absolute GG Watcher's Eyes with Malevolence and Discipline:
Spoiler


======================================================================================
MORE VIDEOS:
Spoiler

T15 Reef (3.5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn76Z4_PkCY
T16 Elder Iceberg (3.5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI55zQCwLnA
Shaper Super Easy Slacker Kill (3.5): https://youtu.be/O9Ar6G6vRRg
Minotaur, Hydra, tanking CHIMERA! (3.5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97DSrjJjhlk
Uber Elder (3.5): https://youtu.be/1q0XFOEu4Qc
Uber Elder (3.6) in 3,5 minutes DEATHLESS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig_ONQEGprg
5 Shaper Kills (3.6) DEATHLESS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GVCJRDVYV8

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FAQ
1) Can i do it as Trickster?
Spoiler

Sure you can. Just lower ES (1-2K less) and same damage in most cases, faster for mapping though. Much faster caster for Soulrend

2) What is the best unique shield for the build?
Spoiler

Aegis Aurora

3) How do you feel about SOULREND for bosses?
Spoiler

It works just fine till red maps and late end-game. For fast and deadly bosses like Elder/Uber Elder/Atziri/Hydra i strongly recommend Essence Drain. It will give you necessary mobility while doing damage.

4) How can i craft a high armour shield??
Spoiler

High i.lvl Colossal Tower Shield + Essence of Dread

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https://www.twitch.tv/angry_roleplayer
All builds: http://www.angryroleplayer.com/path-of-exile-builds/
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2143469
Last edited by Angry_Roleplayer on Jan 18, 2021, 4:59:39 AM
Last bumped on Mar 7, 2021, 3:21:46 AM
Why did you post this so early? It's clearly not finished.
Gear is not correct at all, like you said.
Passive Tree is for... Pathfinder?

Spoiler
Path of building: (ED+Contagion): https://pastebin.com/KJGT2t3z


????

Spoiler
8) Hardcore Viable or not?

Very HC viable

======================================================================================
9) FOR THE RICH GUYS

Crazy +1 arrow quivers. Corrupted Gear. GG Steel Rings with Chaos Damage


???

This "guide" is most likely a copy and paste from an irrelevant build, and is clearly far from finish. It is just a giant plug for your youtube and twitch channels.

A link to your Patreon should not be posted on the forums imho.
"
Why did you post this so early? It's clearly not finished.
Gear is not correct at all, like you said.
Passive Tree is for... Pathfinder?

Spoiler
Path of building: (ED+Contagion): https://pastebin.com/KJGT2t3z


????

Spoiler
8) Hardcore Viable or not?

Very HC viable

======================================================================================
9) FOR THE RICH GUYS

Crazy +1 arrow quivers. Corrupted Gear. GG Steel Rings with Chaos Damage


???

This "guide" is most likely a copy and paste from an irrelevant build, and is clearly far from finish. It is just a giant plug for your youtube and twitch channels.

A link to your Patreon should not be posted on the forums imho.

How about a chill pill and give me some time to edit everything from my template. I have 15 builds here.
https://www.twitch.tv/angry_roleplayer
All builds: http://www.angryroleplayer.com/path-of-exile-builds/
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2143469
Notepad is a thing.
Could at least do the basics on notepad before posting a template that has nothing besides your patreon on it.
"Ultimate" TBD
Checked video. Looks very slow to me.
Looking forward to what else you have for this build. I have been thinking of doing a very similar build, and then saw the ES drain in the passive tree, so going to end up changing all of that.

But glad to see an experienced player looking at the build, hopefully I can improve my build with what I see.
"
1) Can i do it as trickster?
Spoiler

Sure you can. Just lower ES and same / lower damage (less curses)


Haha. I was thinking Trickster was faster and did more damage while Occultist was tankier and added more curses.
Create a build without knowing Patchnotes/Skilltree. LeL Clickbait ftw. The only thing i learned here is: i'll never watch ur stream :)
Last edited by Headpipe on Mar 4, 2019, 10:46:48 PM
"
Headpipe wrote:
Create a build without knowing Patchnotes/Skilltree. LeL Clickbait ftw. The only thing i learned here is: i'll never watch ur stream :)

Let me give you very short summary on the patch notes:
1) Spells are buffed
2) Winter Orb and Blade Vortex are nerfed
3) Chaos Skills are buffed
https://www.twitch.tv/angry_roleplayer
All builds: http://www.angryroleplayer.com/path-of-exile-builds/
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2143469

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