[3.1][HC] rogueyoshi's Frostbreath Cyclone (All content on a budget, 500k-1m+ Shaper DPS, 10k+ EHP)
Preface
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Hi. You've stumbled upon what might be one of the most effective budget versions of Cyclone (or optionally Sunder) to date.
It sports respectable boss damage, good clear-speed, and thanks to MoM, can actually take a hit (which barely happens thanks to max Dodge, Blind, Spell-Dodge (40%) and optional evasion gear). Cyclone feels especially nice to play thanks to the movement speed of Raider, and nice AoE radius of 27 (29 with optional second AoE cluster!). It can handle all the content in the game.
This is also a non-crit build (Elemental Overload), meaning we don't need any expensive crit-multi equipment. All-in all, with starter gear totaling around half an exalt (1c for Mace, 1c for Chest, 1c for Belt, 4c for Boots, 30c for 5L Prophecy), you will have 150k Shaper DPS, which scales nicely into endgame; exceeding 1m Shaper DPS (2m mob DPS).
The build has never been better with the advent of flat Damage Abyss Jewels. Elder Gloves also boost Ancestral Protector significantly! From some quick estimation in PoB, I can say that the damage has at least doubled. You will want to grab as many jewel sockets as you can and put 100+ Elemental (Cold mostly, if possible) Damage jewels in them. Try to aim for at least 5 sockets with these. Click here for an example of jewels to get.
Lycosidae's rarity has gotten nerfed, but Esh's Mirror is an excellent shield option now. Bring a Vaal Breach (and Inspired Learning) into a Boss fight and watch it melt! If you can't afford Esh's Mirror, then Kaltensoul, Magna Eclipsis, Chernobog's Pillar, or a Rare Evasion Shield are decent options too.
For rings, the new BiS is Elder Opals with WED and Melee Damage. But as far as affordable rings, you will want WED Opals with Cold Damage.
Concept
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The key is in this unique weapon (Lv50):
The last mod is most important.
Attacks with this Weapon deal double Damage to Chilled Enemies
With the new changes to Chill (and Arctic Armour for bosses we can't meet the new Chill threshold), all we have to do for respectable DPS is stack flat damage from sources such as:
And when we have a little currency to go even farther:
Path of Building (with stats)
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NOTE: Bossing screenshots have Shaper damage set. Clearing does not.
Note: When importing this character into PoB, confirm that the Horror ring mod is functioning by adding "Adds " before the damage range.
Been refining the build in HSC, but it's built for the next HC temp league. My gear is not quite there yet, and I'm still leveling but I've facerolled all content I've done so far. Will hit 5.5k+ Life & 2.2k+ Mana (9.5k+ EHP), with 500k Shaper DPS after proper gear/jewels and leveling.
Leveling
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I will be adding a non-twink leveling guide soon, but
TL;DR: Level this build as Claw Conversion Ancestral Call Molten Strike, using the Blue/Yellow Rustic Sash + Blacksmith's Whetstone + Weapon recipe every time you reach a new act. With a high life-on-hit claw you will have great survivability. Transition into Cyclone when you feel your damage is falling off. Alternatively you can buy low level Abyss Jewels for cheap and go Elemental.
Here are various tips and tricks for when you start using Cyclone:
• For auras, run Arctic Armour and Blasphemy + Frostbite until you get Mind Over Matter
• Get your Cast When Damage Taken setups immediately, as they will grant you valuable DPS and sustain via Cold Penetration, Blinding, and Immortal Call
Gems
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Cyclone: Ice Bite > Elemental Damage with Attacks > Added Cold > Increased Area of Effect / Concentrated Effect > Hypothermia
Cast when Damage Taken (Level 1) + Frost Bomb (Level 10) + Increased Duration
Cast when Damage Taken (Level 1) + Immortal Call (Level 3) + Blade Vortex (Level 8) + Blind
Arctic Armour + Enlighten
Ascendancy
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Credit to SirozhArtem for the image
Misc.
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• Bandit: Kraityn
• Pantheon: Lunaris + Yugul (Arakaali for 3.1, see "3.1 notes" below)
• You can take Inspired Learning near Fervour for fun clearing/breaching (Survivalist + Acquity or Heartseeker)
Gloves: Gripped Gloves = Elemental Weakness On Hit > of Spite
Boots: +1 Frenzy Charge > Penetration > Dodge
Amulet: +1 Frenzy Charge > Mana Gained When Hit
3.1 notes
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With the Vaal Pact nerf, we will have to make a few changes. For starters, instead of Soul of Lunaris, we run Soul of Arakaali and use the Blood Rage trick (run it with Cast when Damage Taken + Immortal Call) to vastly increase the amount of Life Leeched during face-tanking/reflect situations. We also now pick up Taste of Hate late game to counteract reflect + -max resistance maps (reflect maps alone are generally not a problem) but a Sapphire Flask can be used until you get one.
As far as 3.1-specific items we can use, it remains to be seen, but I speculate (barring uniques) that Spiked Gloves with Ancestral Warchief supports will be our best-in-slot for gloves.
This looks like quite the fun build! Thanks for sharing it.
Going to give it a run before the league's over on SC to see how it plays, but it definitely looks a lot more fun than the typical Slayer/Cyclone build.
