[3.16] Dark Pact Totems | The smoothest spell totem skill around, now post-nerf updated

Getting my gallons of coffee and beef jerky ready and wanted to make sure the POB was up to date? Is dark pact really that bad until you get the ring? I just hate respecing. If it is then I will probably go flame as well. Thanks!

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TitsMcGhee wrote:

Getting my gallons of coffee and beef jerky ready and wanted to make sure the POB was up to date? Is dark pact really that bad until you get the ring? I just hate respecing. If it is then I will probably go flame as well. Thanks!

Yes the POB is updated for 3.14, though it doesn't address the leveling process.

You can certainly try Dark Pact without the ring. The main difference will be your totems need to be standing on top of the enemies to hit them, which is actually kind of similar to Holy Flame Totem works. So maybe it's not that bad after all!

How is 3.14 going for the lucky few here? :)

I'm level 87.5, started with Holy Flame Totem (HFT) and still stuck on it for now. The economy has been slower than anticipated, so the Astral Projector ring and its gambling card have been in low supply. This will eventually resolve itself, and the price will plummet appropriately.

Still rocking a Tabula. Avoiding the switch to Freezing Pulse if I can, because the switch to Dark Pact is right around the corner. Boy does HFT makes me miss Dark Pact!!

The league mechanic feels good for totems! Though crazy hectic and rippy. Not sure how I'll find the time for the self-cast Wither setup, and I can't think of a good alternative either.

My character profile is here https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/BlueeGreg/characters?characterName=The_Saskatchewanian

edit: I'm trying the switch to Freezing Pulse... feels better than HFT lol

edit: and now Dark Pact proper! yey :)

So I was planning this..but I am thinking..I started as HFT too, switched to FP totems cause I could see that T2 maps were barelly smooth..

Now FP totems are actually good, but if I switch to Dark Pact then I am loosing survivability from chill and freeze...and thats a fucking big one in these ultimatums.

BTW any idea how to make char stun immune?

Interested to give this build a try since my first league starter didnt really function as I wished and I havent played totems in ages! Do you think Exsanguinate totems could be used pre-Astral projector? I used it to level my first caster char and Exsanguinate damage is honestly pretty good even early on

Freezing Pulse totems feel really good for Ultimatum content, there is no doubt about that. 5-link on a Soul Mantle, and flask spam to keep the curses away. Freezing Pulse slows and freezes everything, and projectiles just keep flying.

For general play, I still prefer Dark Pact, and I feel that the single target DPS is really good for the kind of budget (assuming Astral Projector is cheap).

I am not aware of an easy way for stun immunity. People usually use Brine King pantheon to help with being stun locked. I have died a few times to being stun locked, just randomly in maps. But I attribute that to me being rusty, and needing to 'learn to play' again.

As for Exsanguinate totems, I will assume they are better than Holy Flame Totem. But I can't see it being better than ultra-budget Freezing Pulse, as a transition type of skill/build.

Tips for Ultimatum content

This refers to general totem playstyle:

- Run in a circle, as close to the outside edge as possible. This is how POE works. Never run into the center, and try not to run into your totems.

- You want to run Ultimatums in large, open areas, with very few obstructions. If the Ultimatum in your map is too small, clunky, etc., just skip it.

- I personally always skip the Stone Circle ones, where you have to wait around in the tiny circles. The risk of death is too high.

- I treat the 'Ruin', 'Miasma', and I think the 'Cold' one as easy and should be selected at all times. 'Stormcaller' usually seems safe, though I have died to it. Definitely avoid the Small Arena option...

- Your Totems draw a ton of aggro, which is good. It means they also die fast. You should re-cast a totem every 2 seconds or so, depending on how lethal the mobs are. Never wait longer than 4 seconds, because we use conditional buffs upon casting a totem, including Onslaught from a Cluster Jewel.

- Don't clump all your totems together. They will get nuked faster. It's tough to aim your totem placement while running around like crazy; just don't intentionally put them all together.

- Movement (and phasing) are one of your best defenses. Never stop moving. Use your Quicksilver flask often. Try to have Phasing (and/or Withering Step) up at all times. Minimize use of Flame Dash, because it can get you into trouble.

- There is not time to self-cast things like Wither. Just pretend it doesn't exist. Builds like Freezing Pulse really want to work in an Arcanist Brand setup here.

Hit Level 95, and decided to do some bosses. Elder and Shaper, guardians, all witnessed, did OK but the DPS felt a little low.

Then tried Maven for the first time (skipped Ritual league). Full wipe, though I did make it to the final Memory Game which can't be skipped.

This new Maven content is extremely difficult and beefy! I thought my character from 3.12 was a reasonable boss killer, but Maven makes me question that :( I hope the solution isn't to have to go Soul Mantle like every other totem build out there.

So maybe I am missing something iv'e been searching and it seems that the chaos damage large clusters don't exist? no website or anything has them but your POB does... if they are removed what do you think a good alternative is? My build is far from finished but I have noticed boss damage is pretty weak but the clear is pretty good. Im still pretty low gear though. regular tabi, leather belt no clusters.

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TitsMcGhee wrote:

So maybe I am missing something iv'e been searching and it seems that the chaos damage large clusters don't exist? no website or anything has them but your POB does... if they are removed what do you think a good alternative is? My build is far from finished but I have noticed boss damage is pretty weak but the clear is pretty good. Im still pretty low gear though. regular tabi, leather belt no clusters.

(trade links currently being broken by the forums; can just copy and paste the URL)

Here is a trade link for a Large cluster jewel, with 4 Notables that fit our need.

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/rlK8gl7uQ

Here is a more specific version of the jewel above, with 3 Notables of Unwaveringly Evil, Dark Ideation, and Unholy Grace.

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/byz4YkDhL

If you want to try your luck with crafting the Large cluster jewel yourself, you can buy one of these. But I wouldn't recommend that.

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/9adWadzUK