[3.6] The Blizz Sorc - Icestorm/Winter Orb CI Occultist - Viable For Everything

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ShadowSorcerer wrote:

What do you guys think of using a Loreweave? Would the higher max resistances be worth losing some ES and Int?

Also, advantages/disadvantages to using Malediction instead of Frigid Wake? Malediction seems like it would give more DPS, especially if using Frostbite to make up for the loss of Void Beacon, while also reducing enemy damage with the Malediction debuff (10%) and increasing the effect of Enfeeble. Profane Bloom is nice too.

The Malediction route is a totally viable option in my book. I really like the freeze immunity myself and I love being a lazy player. But nothing wrong with the Malediction route.

As for Loreweave, I wouldn't recommend it. The ES hit is WAY too high for the benefit. You would lose way more ES than the 20% effective hit points that Loreweave gives you.

If you wanted to look at taking a massive hit to your ES, for unique chestpieces, there are two better options than Loreweave.

Incandescent Heart gives you almost three times the ES as Loreweave, 20% More damage, and 25% less elemental damage taken.

With a similar amount of ES you could put on Shavronne's Wrappings, that would allow you to go Low Life, and run another aura, as well as gain 30% more damage through Pain Attunement.

To give you an idea of how much of an ES hit these options are over a well rolled rare, in my build either of these would take my 12300 ES, to around 9000. So around 25% less ES. While doable, leech speed would be affected. and the defensive traits would at best be a wash. It's up to you if it's worth it.

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ShadowSorcerer wrote:

Also, advantages/disadvantages to using Malediction instead of Frigid Wake? Malediction seems like it would give more DPS, especially if using Frostbite to make up for the loss of Void Beacon, while also reducing enemy damage with the Malediction debuff (10%) and increasing the effect of Enfeeble. Profane Bloom is nice too.

I suppose it depends what exactly you decide to do with Malediction...

If you can reliably apply your curses, Malediction's debuff (the 10% increased damage taken part) should actually almost balance the DPS lost from Void Beacon, while also adding some chaos damage for clearing, and negating Hexproof is great if you want to, for example, rely largely on Warlord's Mark for leech.

Utilizing a Curse on Hit setup (I'm using a Warlord's Mark ring), I found Profane Bloom's explosions more impressive actually - much like an Impulsa build, it provides some great explosive results - not quite full on autobomber level proliferating explosions, but it's pretty satisfying imo. However if you were relying on CWDT curses it would be far less reliable.

I'm not really sold on the idea of CWDT Frostbite personally, but then I'm not a big fan of offensive CDWT curses in general. I feel like they're not active often enough against trash, and enormously reduced in effectiveness against targets that will reliably proc them. Curse on Hit Ele Weakness gloves might be another way to get good performance out of Profane Bloom?


But really I've taken a liking the Malediction route because in addition to clearing rapidly, it simplifies my gameplay:
- No need to muck about with my auras, swap gems, etc, or consider whether to lose Herald of Ice or Arctic Armor, because I don't need Vitality.
- I was able to run 6S DPS setups long before I got my Watcher's Eye or properly enchanted boots, and I had more options on that front as well.
- I keep a pair of spare staves around to run a the regular DPS and LL setups when I need them, but I don't really switch to them all that often (pre-charging WO for free, Ele Reflect maps, and some bosses mostly).


As for disadvantages... losing Chill immunity and the screen Freeze proc from Frigid Wake, which can both save you, albeit randomly, as well as help spread Herald of Ice explosions (hence my lengthy commentary on making up for that, and then some, with Profane Bloom).

Also for especially hard hitting bosses, Warlord's Mark isn't always enough (though I haven't had too much trouble since getting a Watcher's Eye), which means having to fall back to the options in the build for sufficient levels of survival (LL gem or Vitality + Watcher's Eye).

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Breken wrote:

The Malediction route is a totally viable option in my book. I really like the freeze immunity myself and I love being a lazy player. But nothing wrong with the Malediction route.

There's a boot enchant for that - just missing out on Chill immunity and up to ~100 base ES (because it's a prefix).
(could trade 10% movement speed for Chill immunity enchant too, I suppose?)

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Huh, so basically if winter orb is in the exact same slot in weapon swap staff, you don't lose stacks. That's so useful! Thanks a lot.

I did a bit of testing and I think it's a bit more nuanced than that.

It seems to me like the Winter's Orb gems need to be in the same slots, and all links above each gem need to be intact (but not below, meaning 1-2-3 need to be linked if it's in slot 3, 1-2-3-4-5 if it's in slot 5).

Meaning, for example, that I don't think a bottom linked 5L staff (2-3-4-5-6) can be used for this gimmick (unless maybe it's matching intact links above, not just all intact links above? but I don't have any staves to test that with).

Also, for example, if you want free casts from a -6 Mana ring to work with this gimmick, Winter's Orb has to be in slots 1,2, or 3.

Hi there,
great guide, helped me alot crafting my own WO cwc WI build.
Some additions i came up with:
- the socketed gems are supported with Blind/Global chance to blind on hit Mod for shaped gloves is pretty usefull. Permablind bosses and rares for 50% chance to evade for the cost of a single Mod.

- I don't think Vaal Pact is worth it...without VP there's so much more QoL if you're using Blood Rage. Just pop a Sorrow of the Divine and youre good. There have been many times I died because I got hit hard on the very end of a tough boss fight and couldnt manage to tp back to town fast enough.

- Incandescend heart is a nice and cheap option for the chest. You sacrifice some ES but get reduced elemental damage taken from hits and a big damage boost. On top of that, the chaos damage leech from Atziris Promise becomes enough to cap the leech rate quick enough.

- Increased duration corruption on cyclopean coil are pretty cheap and add a lot more damage than %int (ofc after a few seconds).

Edit:
- Elemental Focus is better damage than cold pen. The chilling ground still works and if you dont link it with WO you can still freeze and shatter with WO.

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Powerlenny wrote:

There have been many times I died because I got hit hard on the very end of a tough boss fight and couldnt manage to tp back to town fast enough.

Don't tp back to town, take off the gem/gear with the gem. Blood Rage only stays active for as long as you have it equipped.

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vector84 wrote:

Also, for example, if you want free casts from a -6 Mana ring to work with this gimmick, Winter's Orb has to be in slots 1,2, or 3.

Mana cost reduction from ring seems to work fine for me in 4th slots. Weird.

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Mana cost reduction from ring seems to work fine for me in 4th slots. Weird.

I mean if you want it to work with retaining stacks.

I retain stacks as well.

Bit disappointed not to see an updated OP with end-game bosses in betrayal, primarily uber-elder. Anyone take on the big boss himself and come out on top with this build?

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I retain stacks as well.

But do your casts stay under 6 base mana to remain free? That was my point, WO+CWC+Hypo is still 6 mana / cast, but if you have to have it in slot 4, and link 1-2-3-4, you can't stay under 6 mana.

And if you do... I'd love to see your whole gem setup. Are you not using a linked WO, and just sharing stacks on unlinked ones? Or are we talking about this for a 5L or 6L WO to keep stacks when swapping to a single target?

I just don't know, but I do know that I tried just having it in the same slot with a 6L in one hand and any link combo other that didn't link slots above the WO gem wouldn't let me retain stacks. /shrug

I'm guessing someone that knows more about how the snapshotting rules worked, and how they were applied to WO when they disabled snapshotting could tell you more.