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

Finally hit Level 98 myself, and the it was Twilight Zone the entire time. I think I died *13* times from 97 to 98, and these are real deaths with full XP loss. I died in ways I've never died before, and in ways I didn't know were possible. Only 1 of the deaths was from Ultimatum itself.

It was so many maps that I had FIVE sequences of Sirus, and two full Mastermind fights. And countless Incursion temples, because Alva + Temple is surprisingly good XP.

Here is a POB of my Level 98 character
https://pastebin.com/BaLrZxrd

As a budget-focused character who doesn't use Soul Mantle, this character is complete. My biggest regret is that the Skin of the Loyal chest never truly became affordable. A +2 Tabula goes a long way though. If you look at the items on this character, none of the items are insane. They're just good and focused rares. Even the +2 weapon isn't much better than a well-rolled +1 weapon.

And at Level 98, I finally hit 8500 Life+Mana EHP, with positive Chaos res of 32. Elemental Ailment Immune. 1400 regen. Deathless A9 Sirus, Cortex, Mastermind, etc., 4.5 mil Shaper DPS with Conc Effect gem swap. I call that a success!

My next project eventually will be tweaking a Soul Mantle version of this build. I already have a +2 Soul Mantle ready, a self-found Bottled Faith, and an Awakened Added Chaos Damage gem that is near level 5. I will maintain the Elemental Ailment Immunity, via Shaper boots. I will have to lose some EHP and Chaos res, no way around that.



@Bobirobsan1, I'll save your POB for future research. My brain is definitely fried when it comes to thinking beyond just the basic version of this build!

https://pastebin.com/dKi83Bii

Hey guys.. absolutely loving this build so far.. been a long time since i played totems but enjoying the playstyle again.

I'm currently lvl86, up to about tier 7-8 in maps and have very unoptomised gear but still managing most content easily unless i do something stupid.

Just not sure what prioritisation i should be giving upgrades to my gear now so looking for some advice. Dont have access to a huge amount of funds at the moment as i just bought the cluster jewels..

"

@Targwyn https://pastebin.com/dKi83Bii

I looked at your POB/char. Here are my thoughts:

Everything is on the right track, so that's good to see.

The passive tree, I recommend trying some of the changes I'm doing in 3.14. You can see what I mean if you look at my char.

Get that Sleepless Sentries cluster jewel as soon as you can, though I know its 1EX or so now. Also you'll want to spend the points to grab Unholy Grace on your large cluster jewel. It's juicy DPS.

Your amulet and ring should be basic, good rares. Preferably with Frenzy craft :)

Get that +1 totem shield ASAP, you can grab a totally decent one for around 40 chaos.

Those boots are interesting (DPS and placement speed), but they have zero EHP and zero res. Keep looking for solid rare boots.

Nice flasks! Good to see that!

Your current two regular jewels aren't worth the passive points. Save those points for later, for a higher budget jewel like from here https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/E9YgkXKF5

On your Dark Pact, I recommend Conc Effect instead of Added Chaos Damage. At this point of the game, you really need every ounce of DPS you can get, to get past chunky rares and bosses. Losing radius hurts general mapping, which is the trade-off.

A surprising boost for DPS is buying a level 21 Spell Totem Support, which costs 5C. This increases the life of your totem, and makes the Less Multiplier smaller. https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/gqqWKTQ

Good work @Targwyn!

i was wondering why you wouldnt go for a silver flask/cinderswallow as mandatory? also, is skin of the loyal much better than a rare with life ?
thanks

"

slatejupiter42 wrote:

i was wondering why you wouldnt go for a silver flask/cinderswallow as mandatory? also, is skin of the loyal much better than a rare with life ?
thanks

We get the general Silver flask buff from a cluster jewel. As for the specific Cinderswallow buff, we don't ignite enemies and I'm not sure how that buff would work with totems anyway.

It's hard to make a rare chest give lots of DPS. That's where Skin of the Loyal or Soul Mantle comes in. When Harvest crafting was good, some people did go for rare chests that had + crit and stuff like that.

"

BlueeGreg wrote:

@Bobirobsan1, I'll save your POB for future research. My brain is definitely fried when it comes to thinking beyond just the basic version of this build!

Congrats on 98 and on the +2 Mantle

I actually bought my own +2 today, 10 Ex which was most of my currency, so upgrades will slow down for now. There are things I can sell like a Xoph's heart but will take some time. Also have 3 exams incoming haha :D!

https://pastebin.com/6WLasNq2

^ This is the updated tree I came up with. 'Unnerved' is ticked to simulate the Void Sphere enchant (10% debuff). But its additive with Wither, so I do need to get a Dark pact enchant on Viridi (just havent found one). This one would require the clarity watchers Eye or else I think the EHP will not be enough to survive. So far I'm 10% towards 98 and haven't died yet, but I'm sure its coming lol.

This below is a double curse version, which can be made triple curse with an Awakened Hextouch that I will aim to buy later. (I'm poor now XD)

https://pastebin.com/VhYVaGG6

^ I believe this is the most efficient because it takes the mana cluster jewel nodes, so those 2 small nodes are not wasted on the left side for elemental dmg.

With the extra curse, the top end shaper DPS per totem passes the 4 mil mark. However the extra curse can be flexed to enfeeble for Ultimatums.

For this to work I have to rework some gear and gem links, I need to fit in storm brand / orb of Storms, and at this point culling becomes nice as well. Gem slots are becoming very competitive but I can somewhat see where it is going.

There are quite a few ideas flying about in my head, I feel like I have to use the +2 gems on Viridi for a high Enlighten reservation setup, just not sure what (Artic Armour? Skitterbots? Shock is again additive with wither so that sux)

But I have to start focusing more on Uni, so i must force myself to chill a bit, there is no rush!

My friend always likes Aspect of the Spider, for general DPS and defensive buffs. It does require you to be close to the enemy, and the DPS buff is still additive with Wither, Shock, etc., so it isn't amazing.

Really no need for lackluster auras! Just enjoy having that EHP :)

I noticed in ultimatum a good way to do them. Place all your totems in 1 spot at the end of the map. Then go up/down a bit and almost mirror match placing it.

That way the mobs all run from 1 side to the other. And you can dodge them by going above or below them.

Hey,

i am actually looking for a new wand sind i play now with an Apep's Rage, but a new one, like the example below, only gives me 15k more dmg. Not sure if its worth it for 1.5 ex. Maybe i should wait for a +2 wand and invest in sth. else?

--------
35% increased Spell Damage (implicit)
--------
Adds 19 to 34 Cold Damage to Spells
22% increased Cast Speed
80% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells
+28% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier
+150 to maximum Mana
+1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems




By the way i am very happy with Glancing Blows and 75/54 Block.

A good +2 wand is going to be more expensive than that. The +1 wand you listed is actually decent, because of that mega +mana roll on it! That's a huge chunk of EHP, and the other rolls for DPS are not bad.

I would offer 1EX, and see what happens :)