[3.13] [SSF] Essence Drain Beastmode || Ultimate Guide to Solo Self Found

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PilotLanguste wrote:

I have a question regarding cast speed when using Blight. I realize cast speed is almost irrelevant for the build but I found two spare Allelopathy's and Vaal'd them. One hit 10%cast Speed and the other Enfeeble on hit. I thought the Enfeeble on hit is Pretty dope but it only triggers on ED and it doesn't seem to be worth it to skill all the way into the additional curse node just to effectively have it on bosses.

Obviously Blight is a channeling skill and should benefit from faster casting as well as stacking up Wither more quickly shouldn't it?

So I guess my question is if more cast speed (like 10%) increases the dps of Blight by a reasonable amount or should I still disregard it?

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ArtCrusade wrote:

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PilotLanguste wrote:

I have a question regarding cast speed when using Blight. I realize cast speed is almost irrelevant for the build but I found two spare Allelopathy's and Vaal'd them. One hit 10%cast Speed and the other Enfeeble on hit. I thought the Enfeeble on hit is Pretty dope but it only triggers on ED and it doesn't seem to be worth it to skill all the way into the additional curse node just to effectively have it on bosses.

Obviously Blight is a channeling skill and should benefit from faster casting as well as stacking up Wither more quickly shouldn't it?

So I guess my question is if more cast speed (like 10%) increases the dps of Blight by a reasonable amount or should I still disregard it?

Cast Speed will affect how fast the stacks of Blight will tick, so it's definitely worth using.

Aren't you using TempChains aura + Witchfire Brew? In that case you already have 1 extra curse from Whispers of Doom

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PilotLanguste wrote:

Nono I am the SSF guy that cannot find a Witchfire Brew and Solstice. The only curse I am using as of right now is Despair.


Do you have any experience with Bane? I thought about switching to Bane for a little change of gameplay. Does it hold up with ED/Con when it comes to dps/clear speed? Is Bane/Soulrend still the most popular combination of clear and single target dps? Would a Change require any fundamental changes to the passive tree/ascendancy and item choices? I feel like it would be pretty much the same, maybe more aoe? Let's say I am a bit tired of channeling Blight a Wither-Spell Totem link would be required Right?

Thanks again for your effort!

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ArtCrusade wrote:

The name did ring a bell. ;-)

I've played a Bane Occultist in Synthesis league (character InsaneBaneByWayne from Standard SSF), so I have experience with that as well. The playstyle is very different. In terms of just clear speed it'll stay roughly the same, but even my character with Shavronne's and LL setup doesn't come close to the DPS you can do with ED/C.

Soulrend is an oddball in that you likely want to run EB to sustain the hefty mana cost.

You have to understand how Soulrend applies its DoT to really understand how a build like that functions (https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Soulrend). It has the AoE tag, because the projectiles reapply the debuff as they pass through. Increased AoE will increase the time of the debuff being reapplied, thus increasing your overall DPS. It's less chill than ED/C and I'm not sure if you'd like it much.

My advice would be to level a Soul Rend gem to 15/16 and try it out with GMP. If you like it, find another guide that'll explain the rest. :)

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PilotLanguste wrote:

You are right, I don't think I'd like Soulrend :)

Something else, maybe a bit of a dumb question but I always wondered:
When applying a debuff onto an enemy, is there a way to tell that they are actually affected by that debuff? I know curses have an icon over the enemies head and bleed and poison have a visual effect but what about the chaos dot's? Blight and Wither stacks? ED dot? There is no indication of when I would need to reapply stuff, especially in longer fights. For ED I always kinda count down in my head or reapply it when my guts tell me but I assume that isn't always the most efficient way to play.

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Grosbool wrote:

Hello ArtCrusade !

First thanks for your guide, it's awesomely well written :)

It's my first time playing an ED build and I must say yours work really well.
I have a question though : how do you sustain mana regen ?

For mapping there isn't any problem of course with the Patient Reaper ascendancy, but for bosses I get out of mana pretty fast, even with Arcane Surge.

Maybe I missed something in the gameplay or the guide (I didn't really find any answer in the PoB, but the boots enchant).

Many thanks for the help !

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ArtCrusade wrote:

Hey there!

Would love to help, but your characters are set to private. I'll take a look when you change the settings. :)

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Grosbool wrote:

Hello ArtCrusade !

First thanks for your guide, it's awesomely well written :)

It's my first time playing an ED build and I must say yours work really well.
I have a question though : how do you sustain mana regen ?

For mapping there isn't any problem of course with the Patient Reaper ascendancy, but for bosses I get out of mana pretty fast, even with Arcane Surge.

Maybe I missed something in the gameplay or the guide (I didn't really find any answer in the PoB, but the boots enchant).

Many thanks for the help !