[3.23] Lightning Tendrils of Eccentricity - Frostblink - MoM - Block - Balanced & Robust - Ubers

Last updated for 3.23 (Affliction) and won't be updated for at least 2 leagues (2025 Summer). Unless there happens a huge Passive Tree rework, it should work fine.

This is not an "immortal" and/or a "one shot everything" build. It is a quite balanced build with nice damage, and a decent Health Pool which allows enough time for you to react. Clear speed is OK, but if you want to "zoom around", this is not it. Ailment (Militant Faith node) and Stun (Brine King Pantheon) immune, reduced curse effect on self (always on Consecrated Ground with increased effect, you don't need curse effect flask), and above 30%/40% Block Chances. Full stats and Jewel seeds are in PoB below.

This is not a 1 button build. Generally, it uses Frostblink of Wintery Blast for map clearing and Lightning Tendrils of Eccentricity (LTE) for single target. In depth, it uses Arcane Cloak, Sigil of Power, Arcanist Brand (to apply curses), Purifying Flame (CWDT automated or Petrified Blood instead), Frost Shield, and Siphoning Trap to utilize the damage & survivability against tough targets (Uber Bosses etc.).

Because main skill is a Channelling skill, I don't find this beginner friendly. You will be standing still to deal damage which would require you to read the game well. However, you could still give it a try unless this would be your very first build. You can learn your way around it. Not a league starter, requiring items that could only be found after a couple of weeks into the league. Also a bit expensive (~50Div) and can go way, much above to Mirror Tier items.

I recommend this build mostly for boss killing (Maven/Elder/Shaper/Sirus/Metamorph[RIP] etc.). Harvest/Harbinger/Delve/Ritual are quite nice as well since they don't greatly require you to move fast. It struggles against content that needs super fast clearing, such as Breach, Delirium, Legion etc. In Crucible and Affliction Leagues, I did 40/40 Challenges and killed all Uber Bosses with the current PoB below (~50Div gear). Same gear costs ~100Div in Affliction. All gear info on PoB.

*

3.23 GEM CHANGE

Spoiler
---
TL;DR

BEFORE:
150% more damage multiplier:
Stronger Pulse in every 3rd Pulse
Casts per second: 10.43 (0.1/s)
Stronger Pulse Damage: 51M

NOW:
500% more damage multiplier:
Stronger Pulse in every 6th Pulse
Casts per second: ~15.96 (0.06/s)
Stronger Pulse Damage: +100M
(We have more Cast Speed now to compensate for 6 Pulse difference.)

It has become "quality over quantity". Less number of Stronger Pulses & More Damage.

---

The change lowered the base damage but increased the Stronger Pulse's multiplier from 150% to 500%, along with a massive AoE boost. However, it used to release a Stronger Pulse in every 3 Pulse, and now it does it in every 6 Pulse. This change turned the gem into a "charged" skill as it was already a "channelling" skill. What I mean is that now you need to spend a bit more time to "punch" the enemy than before: You are "charging" your damage while "channelling" the skill. This is a buff and a more rewarding change if builds using this skill can "afford" to stand still that long. The "time" I am talking about is just a few more milliseconds.


With Transfigured Gems, the time for the Stronger Pulse has been doubled, which now deals 500% more damage instead of 150%. Numerically, the time required has been multiplied by 2, and the damage has been multiplied by 3.333333334. Verbally, the time is doubled and the damage is tripled.
Pulse 1, Pulse 2, Pulse 3, Pulse 4, Pulse 5, Pulse 6 is Stronger;
Pulse 1, Pulse 2, Pulse 3, Pulse 4, Pulse 5, Pulse 6 is Stronger; and so on...

So, the more Cast Speed you have, the faster you get to the 6th Pulse and hurt. Since 3.21, Arcane Surge grants increased Cast Speed. As an Hierophant, this build has ~140% increased Effect of Arcane Surge on self, meaning it makes good use of Arcane Surge's Cast Speed buff on top of Mana Regen etc. Normally, it grants 20% increased Cast Speed, but for us, it is 48%.


STRATEGY:
Spoiler

OFFENCE

Spoiler

Firstly, we stack Power Charges for Inner Conviction. Lightning Tendrils is a Spell, so with 10 Power Charges, we get 30% more Spell Damage.


Marylane's Fallacy lessens our chance to Critically Strike in return for a very high amount of Critical Strike Multiplier. Since Lightning Tendrils' Stronger Pulses "Always Critically Strike", we couldn't care less about "40% less Critical Strike Chance" modifier on it. It also grants Critical Strikes have Culling Strike. Because of "Always Critically Strike", this can be easily translated to "You have Culling Strike". It can be raised up to 288% Multi with Unstable Catalyst.


In addition to this huge Critical Strike Multiplier from the amulet, we use Shimmeron. Shimmeron grants us +10% Critical Strike Multiplier per Power Charge. It also provides +2% Chance to Block Spell Damage, which basically turns this wand into a Shield. Though, these bonuses are not free. Shimmeron causes us to take 200 Lightning Damage per Power Charge if our Skills have Critically Struck. Yes, we do "Always Critically Strike". 2000 Lightning Damage Taken per second with 10 Power Charges. This sounds bad, but we turn this into an advantage. DoT means we are never "on Full Life/Mana/Energy Shield". We benefit from this condition with Essence Rush. This is not a completely reliable way to keep Leeching, but it is a small boost.


We apply "Increased Damage Taken" to our enemies with Consecrated Ground (Inquisitor's Sanctuary Ascendancy & Purifying Flame). Consecrated Ground is only around our feet. Purifying Flame makes sure that enemies are on Consecrated Ground too. It also inflicts Shock.



On top of Consecrated Ground, we create Profane Ground via Rational Doctrine. Combined with Lightning Exposure, we weaken the enemy even more.


We use curses Conductivity & Punishment. Since we remove big life chunks out of our target's health pool, it doesn't take much long to get its HP ≤50% (Low Life) and melt it after that point (I call this part 50% Culling Strike). Punishment is also a great defensive option because it Debilitates the enemy.
Spoiler

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Conductivity
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Punishment


As for map clearing, we use Frostblink. Consecrated Ground and Fungal Ground (Sporeguard) will move along with you to where ever you teleport with it. Once you kill an enemy by using Frostblink, Contaminate will be triggered, and there is going to be a roughly "8-shaped" Fungal Ground. This is how map clear works. Jumping from pack to pack creates these Fungal Grounds, and enemies standing on them explode.




DEFENCE

Spoiler
First of all, our defence strategy revolves around Mind Over Matter (MoM). Total of 50% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life (40% Keystone and 10% Divine Guidance). We have big Life, Mana, and Energy Shield (ES) pools along with Endurance Charges and Block to supplement this strategy.



We use Replica Soul Tether in our belt slot. This belt provides Corrupted Soul. Corrupted Soul causes 50% Non-Chaos Damage taken to bypass Energy Shield. This means when we take any damage except Chaos, the damage is shared between these 3 pools. For example, we take 1000 Fire Damage. 50% of it is taken from Life, which is protected by ES, so first we lose 500 ES. Then, the remaining 50% is again split 50/50 (MoM), so we lose 250 Life and 250 Mana. This strategy allows us to withstand damage for a very long time, especially against DoT. So, by having a decent amount of Life & Mana Regeneration and a bit of Recoup, we compensate the damage taken. This way we can easily neglect the 2K Lightning DoT effect of Shimmeron. On top of that, we allocate Rapid Infusion and use Infused Channelling, which provides "Less Lightning Damage Taken" because of LTE's tags and further reduce Shimmerron's DoT.


We use one aura only, Discipline. Reason for this is Sublime Vision. Aim is to have an extra Power Charge along with more ES. Also, we link this single aura to Eternal Blessing for no Reservation whatsoever. This allows us to tank more damage since we use all 3 of our pools to survive. No Reservation = More survivability.





PoB

Spoiler

Please read the Notes section. It includes Pantheon and Bandits. There are skill tree variations (bottom left). Please take a look at them to see options. Trees are quite flexible, and checking them might give you better ideas.

Links


Militant Faith Seeds:
Spoiler
I set the link to Standart, so link persists. Switch it to the League you are playing. I chose the seeds which land on "Lord of the Dead" node since it is the cheapest path. As I stated in the Notes of PoB, you can prefer Frost Walker as well. If you cannot afford, disable the resistance filter.

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Standard/JqP6MdbIl



VERSIONS

Spoiler
With 3.23 Gem Change, it makes more sense to invest in Cast Speed than pure damage. So, I made a 6-Link, 5-Link, and a Low-Life version of the build to emphasize the difference and efficiency. Low-Life is the peak, the best, and the most expensive among all.

In Affliction League, monsters take Reduced Damage if they are empowered by the wisps, and thus, higher damage is needed, so you may use Void Battery in both Wand slots if you'd like. Depending on the content you are playing, you could switch between Shimmeron. For example, if you like to play a content that is spell-heavy such as Ultimatum, Shimmeron could be better to Block those hits. However, make sure you allocate "Dual Wielding does not inherently grant chance to Block Attack Damage" Mastery if you prefer Void Battery in both slots.

I want more damage: 2x Void Battery
I want to be tankier: Void Battery + Shimmeron

The idea is quite simple with the two skills. Frostblink is for clearing, LTE is single targetting. Nevertheless, Frostblink is a supplementation to LTE. It is supported by Arcane Surge and Innervation, both of which grant global buffs. So, LTE is supported by the two gems without actually being linked to those gems. Optimally, LTE is pseudo 7 link. Try to kill boss spawns with Frostblink so you make use of Innervate.

5-Link version requires more budget, but the build's true potential is unleashed with it. Build works perfectly fine with both versions. These are not low-budget vs. high-budget versions. However, 5-Link costs a lot more because it depends on RNG. You can get your build going with ~50Divs on 6-Link version, but you need ~50Divs just to craft Gloves for 5-Link version. If you want to switch to 5-Link, make sure you have at least 30Divs. Gloves craft might cost you 10Divs or 90Divs. Keep this in mind when you want to switch.

I recommend playing 6-Link first, then switching to 5-Link once you have enough sources and proceeding to Low-Life whenever you can. If you already have enough money, start with Low-Life 5-Link version.


6-Link (Body) Version
Spoiler
This is the straightforward version. In Body version, you have your LTE in Body Armour. You need to link Faster Casting to get higher Cast Speed so that you don't have to wait for the Stronger Pulse to deal damage. Additionally, you need a Shaper Base Helmet with Innervate for your Forstblink setup.

Helmet Craft
Spoiler
Just buy a random Helmet with "+1 To Maximum Power Charges" mod (don't buy it if has other influence modifiers). Don't try to roll it with Alteration spam or something as it is super rare. You don't have to elevate it because the build doesn't need it. If you have the budget, you can elevate it, but you wouldn't even notice much difference since the build uses 2x Power Charge on Crit. If you want to focus on bossing, I recommend elevating Power Charge mode too because there is a slight ramp up time to gain Power Charges since there aren't many enemies to Crit and gain charges. Buy a ilvl 84+ Shaper influenced ES (recommended) or ES-Armour (OK too) base Helmet because it's a lot cheaper. Then, use "Lightning More Likely" Harvest Craft. Once you hit "Level 20 Innervate" AND one more random influence modifier (it doesn't matter which), use Orb of Dominance to get "Level 25 Innervate". Before using Awakener's Orb, DOUBLE CHECK THE MODIFIERS! On Power Charge Helmet, the ONLY influence modifier should be "Power Charge" modifier and NO OTHERS. On Innervate Helmet, the ONLY influence modifier should be "Level 25 Innervate" and NO OTHERS. Now, you can use Awakener's Orb. First on the Power Charge Helmet, then on the Innervate Helmet to combine their mods. If Power Charge Helmet is a nice base, then use it on the Innervate Helmet first because first item will be destroyed. In short, use Awakener's Orb on the item which you want to keep. If you are lucky, you can get Crit Multi/Supported by AoE. Both are perfect. I recommend AoE because of QoL. It is a global effect, meaning Contaminate will have a larger AoE too.

1. Buy ANY non-Unique & non-Corrupted Helmet (cheapest) with "+1 To Maximum Power Charges"
2. Buy a ilvl 84+ Shaper influenced ES base Helmet
3. Spam "Lightning More Likely" Harvest Craft
4. Once you hit "Level 20 Innervate" AND one more random influence modifier, use Orb of Dominance to elevate it to "Level 25 Innervate"
5. DOUBLE CHECK THE MODIFIERS!
6. Use Awakener's Orb


Links
Spoiler
Helmet: Frostblink + Power Charge on Crit + Archmage + Concentrated Effect + Level 25 Innervate from Item mods

Body Armour: LTE + Power Charge on Crit + Infused Channelling + Arcane Surge + Faster Casting + (Awakened) Controlled Destruction



5-Link (Gloves) Version
Spoiler
In Gloves version, craft Shaper Base Gloves with Crit Multi, Faster Casting Support, and More Cast Speed. When you get this piece, you can move your Frostblink setup to Body Armour to have a 6 Link clear skill. By doing this, you can also change your Helmet, preferably to a Phys Mitigation one.

Gloves Craft
Spoiler
Buy a Shaper Base Fingerless Silk Gloves. Using Essence of Insanity on Gloves adds "Socketed Gems have 16% more Attack and Cast Speed" modifier. This is a suffix. The aim is to get another suffix influence modifier. It doesn't matter which. MAKE SURE there are only TWO modifiers on suffixes and at least ONE open prefix. First suffix modifier should be Essence modifier and the second one should be any influence modifier. At this point, you can either craft "Suffixes cannot be changed" OR use "Wild Bristle Matron". Beast craft is slightly cheaper. Once you lock your suffixes, use "Reforge Crit" in Harvest bench. If you hit Tier 1, use Orb of Dominance to elevate it to 90% Multi. So, you have Essence modifier and 90% Multi on your suffixes. Again, lock suffixes (Craft bench OR Beast) and use "Reforge Caster" in Harvest bench. Done with suffixes. The Faster Casting gem level does not really matter, as you already have the Essence modifier. Higher the gem level, better it is, of course. You can settle for 16 level, or if you have the currency for it, you can try to get 20. So, now your suffixes are Essence modifier, 90% Multi, and Faster Casting. Again, lock suffixes. Use Veiled Chaos Orb (a lot cheaper but has a chance to fill all your prefixes and brick your item) OR T4 Aisling (a lot more expensive but has no chance to brick your item). Unveil it for "+2 AoE Gems" until you get it. MAKE SURE you lock your suffixes each time you try, or you brick your item.

Once you get to this point, your item should have these modifiers:

Prefix:
+2 to Level of Socketed AoE Gems
(8–10)% increased Area of Effect

Suffix:
Socketed Gems are Supported by Level (16-20) Faster Casting
Socketed Gems have 16% more Attack and Cast Speed
Socketed Spells have +90% to Critical Strike Multiplier

You can craft Life/Mana/ES based on your character's Life/Mana/ES levels (Details in PoB, Notes). Last prefix is optional. Anything that is non-Attack is cool (Mana, Life, ES, etc.).

1. Buy a Shaper Base Fingerless Silk Gloves
-----1.1 (Optional) Use Perfect Fossils to improve Quality
-----You can improve it later on with Hillock bench too.
2. Spam Essence of Insanity until you get an influenced suffix modifier WITH an open suffix and an open prefix.
---If you get 3 Suffixes:
-----2.1 Alternate between Farric Lynx Alpha <> Farric Wolf Alpha
OR
-----2.2 Try using Orb of Annulment
3. Lock Suffixes (Essence Modifier + Random influenced)
4. Use "Reforge Crit" in Harvest
---If you get Tier 2 (50%) Crit:
-----4.1 Use Orb of Dominance to Elevate it to 70%
-----4.2 Lock Suffixes
-----4.3 Use "Reforge Caster" in Harvest
-----4.4 Use Orb of Dominance to Elevate 70% Crit to 90%
---If you remove Crit:
-----4.5 Lock Suffixes
-----4.6 Use "Reforge Crit" in Harvest
-----4.7 Use Orb of Dominance to Elevate 70% Crit to 90%
---If you get Tier 3 (30%) Crit:
-----4.8 Repeat step 2
5. Use Orb of Dominance to Elevate 70% Crit to 90%.
6. Lock Suffixes
7. Use "Reforge Caster" in Harvest
8. Lock Suffixes
9. Use Veiled Chaos Orb OR Aisling
---If all Prefixes are filled:
-----9.1 Try using Orb of Annulment to open a Prefix
10. Craft "(20–25)% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage" in Craft bench
11. Unveil it until you get +2 AoE Gems
---If you don't get +2 AoE Gems:
-----11.1 Lock Suffixes
-----11.2 Use Veiled Chaos Orb OR Aisling
-----11.3 Craft "(20–25)% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage in Craft bench
-----11.4 Unveil it to get +2 AoE Gems
12. (Optional) Craft "Adds (3–5) to (6–8) Physical Damage to Attacks" in Craft bench
13. Use Exalted Orb
14. If you get something useful, keep it.
---If you get an Attack modifier:
-----14.1 Repeat steps 11.1 to 14
15. Craft Life/Mana/Energy Shield based on your character

Congratulations, your item is ready!

If you like gambling, you can try to elevate Faster Casting to 25 as well. If you are willing to try it, do it before +2 AoE Gems. Again, any Faster Casting level is cool. You don't have to do it.
Once you get the 3 suffixes:
Lock Suffixes
Use "Reforge Influence" in Harvest bench
Use Orb of Dominance to elevate Faster Casting

Your chances to hit correct modifiers are really low. That's why I call it gambling.

First, it should remove the correct influence modifier, that is, the prefix one (the one you just added with Reforge Influence).
Second, it should elevate the correct influence modifier, that is, Faster Casting.

There still is a chance for it to elevate the Crit modifier, although it is already elevated. Nothing happens to it when it elevates the Crit one, but you remove one influence modifier (either Faster Casting or Prefix influence). So, you have 33% chance to remove the correct modifier, and 50% chance to elevate the correct modifier, CONSECUTIVELY. If you achieve it, go to step 8.



Helmet Craft
Spoiler
Since you have LTE setup on your Gloves, you can move Frostblink to Body Armour. So, you no longer need Level 25 Innervate in your Helmet. Instead, you can have "X% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Lightning/Cold Damage" via Crusader/Redeemer Base.

Here is a small detail: If you prefer to use Infused Channelling with LTE for its benefits, go with "taken as Lightning" because you take less Lightning damage thanks to it. However, if you use Concentrated Effect instead, I recommend "taken as Cold." This is because if you happen to come across a curse reflecting enemy and have less than 80% Lightning Resistance, you will reduce your Lightning Resistance and take increased damage instead. Unless you invest a bit more, the build has reduced curse effect on self (62.5%) because of Consecrated Ground. I recommend investing more in reduced curse effect via Passive Tree/Rare Jewel above 90% to be worry free about curses. However, if you don't invest in reduce curse effect, which is not a must, you might want to go with taken as Cold. Why not "taken as Fire"? You can, but it is just easier and better to craft "taken as Lightning/Cold." With Awakener's Orb, you can just carry the mod you want. Also, you can elevate it. If you somehow roll "taken as Fire" along with Power Charge on Warlord base, it's ok too but wouldn't be wise to try to elevate it.

If you want to focus on bossing, I recommend elevating Power Charge mode too because there is a slight ramp up time to gain Power Charges since there aren't many enemies to Crit and gain charges.

1. Buy ANY non-Unique & non-Corrupted Helmet (cheapest) with "+1 To Maximum Power Charges"
2. Buy a ilvl 84+ Redeemer/Crusader influenced ES base Helmet
3. Spam "Cold/Lightning More Likely" Harvest Craft according to your item base
4. Once you hit "(7–10)% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Cold/Lightning Damage" AND one more random influence modifier, use Orb of Dominance to elevate it to (11–13)%
5. DOUBLE CHECK THE MODIFIERS!
6. Use Awakener's Orb


Links
Spoiler
Helmet: Arcanist Brand or Sigil of Power setup.

Body Armour: Frostblink + Power Charge on Crit + Archmage + (Awakened) Increased Area of Effect + Arcane Surge + Innervate

Gloves: LTE + Power Charge on Crit + Concentrated Effect + Awakened Controlled Destruction + Level (16-20) Faster Casting from Item mods

Infused Channelling is still a solid option here, but Concentrated Effect will benefit from +2 AoE gems along with LTE itself. If you drop Infused Channelling, you should also change Medium Cluster Jewel which grants "Rapid Infusion". I recommend using "Unwavering Focus", or you could completely drop the Jewel or follow one of the trees in PoB. If you stick with Infused Channelling, you must use "Rapid Infusion" or doesn't make sense and be efficient.

For Frostblink, I recommed using Increased AoE because it is way better for clear speed. Do NOT use Elemental Focus with Frostblink because you won't be able to inflict Shock and trigger Innervate. Read Q&A for details.


Low Life (LL) Version

Spoiler
In LL version, Petrified Blood is used. Overall, the build losses tankiness but gains more damage with Pain Attunement. It is still tanky, however not as much as 5-Link version, obviously. You are more likely to be one shot with this version. I highly recommend 100 levels for LL because it needs 5 points to allocate Pain attunement. Another reason why I recommend 100 levels is this version sacrifices defensive points for offensive ones. In addition to Petrified Blood, Progenesis is greatly contributes to this version's survival. Thus, this is even more expensive than the 5-Link version. Additionally, now that it is on Low-Life, it needs Chaos Resistance too. Progenesis and Chaos Resistance requirements make this version expensive. During Uber Uber Elder fight, I die because my Chaos Resistance was around 45%, and I relied on Progenesis, which wasn't active the time I died. It doesn't matter if you are using 5- or 6-Link version to be on Low-Life as long as you are 100.

Burden of Truth (BoT) cannot be used in Belt slot for this version. BoT puts a lot of pressure on Energy Shield and causes death. I tried using it, and I was 70% of the time out of ES. By using BoT, it also wastes Life/Mana Recovery because damage is mostly taken from ES, while reducing Petrifed Blood's effectivess. Why is it there when only 33% of the damage taken goes into Life pool? However, Soul Tether shares the damage evenly between pools and makes great use of Life/Mana Recovery and Petrifed Blood. On top of that, Petrified Blood is a STR gem and BoT doesn't provide any. It is already expensive to find Chaos Resistance on gear and not to mention the combination of two. In short, Belt for this version is Replica Soul Tether.

Since we delay the damage with Petrified Blood and Progenesis, we must use Recoup. Unlike other versions, Recoup is irreplaceable in this version. Life and Mana is Recouped, so they are good. Now, ES needs to be sustained, which is done by 10% Instant Leech Mastery. Since ES Recovery is taken care of by Leech, it can allocate "10% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Chaos Damage" Mastery. This enables the Anointment of "Disciple of the Slaughter" instead of "Persistence" to cap Frenzy Charges (given you have +1 on both Rings). Frenzy Charges are incredibly nice for the build because they are like semi-Power Charges (4% More Damage) which grants Cast Speed. Persistence could still be the choice here.

Here, there appears a small "Gem & Socket Pressure". To be able to fit in Petrified Blood setup, it drops Purifying Flame setup. Now, it needs to stay really close to the enemies to keep them on "Consecrated Ground" and risk being hit more often. For STR requirement of Petrified Blood, +30 STR is recommended on one of the Rare items you have. It is OK to have the gem on ≥10 level.

Links
Spoiler
Weapon Link: Eternal Blessing - Discipline - Frost Shield

Weapon Link: Petrified Blood - Arrogance - Enlighten

You can squeeze in Vaal Righteous Fire for a small damage boost, but it is overkill. If you want to see high damage numbers, it works, but you risk to die as it depletes all ES once activated.

Rest links are same as the version you prefer to play with (5-Link is better).




VIDEOS
Spoiler

I am currently out of practice to record few of these encounters deathless.

Uber Bosses, The Feared, Invitations etc. are all in the playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLycQ28jjHtMOybgw9qSX3tHv-bnvjqrTp&feature=shared


Q&A

Spoiler

Charms?
Spoiler

Recommendation is below the list. These are the best ones for this build, decreasing in power:

These two are epic for offensive purposes:
to Critical Strike Multiplier per Power Charge
Consecrated Ground you create applies X% increased Damage taken to Enemies (Stacks with other sources. This effect is really rare.)

These two are epic for defensive purposes:
If you've Cast a Spell Recently, you and nearby Allies have +X% Chance to Block Spell Damage
Chance to Block Attack Damage

This one is really useful to balance ES/Life/Mana ratio:
Gain X% of Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield

The rest is for utilization:
chance to gain 25% of Non-Chaos Damage with Hits as Extra Chaos Damage
chance to deal 50% more Area Damage
Damage Penetrates X% of Enemy Elemental Resistances
Exposure you inflict applies an extra -X% to the affected Resistance
increased Effect of non-Damaging Ailments you inflict with Critical Strikes
increased Area of Effect if you've Killed Recently
increased Area of Effect per Power Charge
of Damage Leeched as Energy Shield (You can drop Essence Rush on Cluster Jewel if you have this. Not really recommended but doable.)
Your Hexes can affect Hexproof Enemies
increased Effect of Onslaught on you
chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill (You can drop Rotgut if you have this, freeing a Flask slot)
to Chaos Resistance per Endurance Charge
Cannot take Reflected Elemental Damage (Can do reflect maps with this)
of Damage is taken from Mana before Life (MAX 6%, do not overdo!)
You and nearby Allies have +X% to Elemental Resistances (If you need Resistances)
Regenerate X% of Energy Shield per second
of Leech is Instant (Not really recommended because you won't be "leeching" if it is instantaneous)

Recover X% of Life on Kill
Recover X% of Mana on Kill
Recover X% of Energy Shield on Kill

+1 to Minimum Endurance Charges
+1 to Minimum Power Charges (This doesn't make much sense but you know... Still a convenience.)

chance to Recover 10% of Mana when you use a Skill
Removes Bleeding when you use a Flask

*

If you have something in your mind, go for it. Most of these are small effects which are play-style dependent. If you have a "That Which Was Taken" at hand with at least two modifiers recommended below and two from utilization above, you can drop AoE Cluster or Impossible Escape (if you are already getting +6% Attack Block).

Recommended Prefixes:
to Critical Strike Multiplier per Power Charge (Use 2x or 3x)
Consecrated Ground you create applies X% increased Damage taken to Enemies (Use 1x or non)

Recommended Suffixes:
If you've Cast a Spell Recently, you and nearby Allies have +X% Chance to Block Spell Damage (Use 2x)
Chance to Block Attack Damage (Use 1x)



Why not Elemental Focus or Concentrated Effect instead of Arcane Surge?
Spoiler

Contaminate is affected by socketed gems. If you use Concentrated Effect with LTE, you reduce Contaminate's AoE along with your clear speed because enemies won't be exploding. It is not "wrong" to use it. You can still use Concentrated Effect instead of Arcane Surge if you prefer it in 6-Link version (Use Concentrated Effect for 5-Link). With reduced LTE AoE, it could force you to stay close to your target while Channelling, which would guarantee that you keep the enemy on Fungal Ground for its benefits.

On the other hand, Elemental Focus prevents us from inflicting Shock. After 3.23 Gem Change, 500% More damage enables us to inflict Shock with ridiculously high effect. The Effect of Shock is much stronger since its effectiveness is based on the amount of the Lightning Damage, which is from a 500% more damaging Critical Strike in our case. Pay attention to the Effect of Shock during Uber boss fight videos. Even against targets with such high Ailment Thresholds, it is 23.5% on average. That much Shock Effect beats Elemental Focus. It is a bit inconsistent because to be able to have it around ~20% effect, which is the point where Elemental Focus gets better, you have to make sure the target is on Consecrated Ground. If the target is not on it, then the Shock Effect is ~10%, and Elemental Focus beats Concentrated Effect. If you'd like to have consistency, use Elemental Focus.

Arcane Surge is great for us because we have increased effect of it for ourselves. It increases our Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration which are basically what we rely on both killing and surviving.

Concentrated Effect is better on average but inconsistent,
Elemental Focus isn't as good but consistent.

Do NOT use Elemental Focus with Frostblink because you won't be able to inflict Shock and trigger Innervate. Innervate is a global effect, just as Arcane Surge. If you use Elemental Focus with Frostblink, you reduce Frostblink's links from 6 to 5, and LTE's from 7 to 6.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Concentrated_Effect_Support
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Elemental_Focus_Support
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Contaminate
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Fungal_ground


Why Archmage? Why Archmage is on Frostblink? Why not CWDT + Purifying Flame + Archmage?

Spoiler

Because of Sanctuary of Thought Ascendancy node, our skills are almost free, given we have Regen & Recoup. It is there to help you gain stages for Sigil of Power.

Linking Archmage to CWDT setup automates the Sigil of Power stage gain process but not controllable. It will have a very high Mana Cost, and Mana is our secondary Life. It will be triggered as you take Damage, so it is a bit contradictory.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Archmage_Support
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Sanctuary_of_Thought


How to use Sigil of Power?
Spoiler
Use Sigil of Power, and blink 3-4 times. Number of blinks required depends on how long you have used LTE, and/or how many times Purifying Flame has been triggered between the blinks. Arcane Cloak is more important at this point. Do NOT spam them back to back. Read Sigil of Power's caption. Wait 1 second between Frostblink and Arcane Cloak.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Sigil_of_Power


How to use Arcane Cloak?

Spoiler

Arcane Cloak is a guard skill. However, Arcane Cloak is not to "tank the damage". On the contrary, it is mainly for offensive purposes. When you get your target below 50%, use Arcane Cloak to melt it in seconds. Do NOT use it when you know you are going to take a big hit in the next second. It spends our Mana which is our indirect Life. PoB adds ~15K EHP when it is activated. Well, PoB still assumes Mana is on maximum, which is not because we just spent it to have the buff. You need at least 2 seconds to get your Mana back to a decent level, even with a flask. It is not a "panic button"; use it only when you know the big hit is about happen at least after 2 seconds (which is a rare case scenario). If you want a panic button, Vaal Arctic Armour is an epic option (instead of Siphoning Trap/Frost Shield) because you can still move around with normal version of Frostblink while it's active.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Arcane_Cloak
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Vaal_Arctic_Armour


Why not non-aura skills (e.g., Arctic Armour/Temporal Rift) and/or Life Reservation for defensive purposes?

Spoiler
Because it is contradicting with itself. Reserving Life to be more tanky is against this build's defence mechanism. In defense, this build uses all 3 pools: Health, Mana, and Energy Shield. Reserving any of them does not make sense.


Why not tie up STR and INT to make the most out of Rational Doctrine? Then, use different Forbidden Flesh & Flame to allocate another Ascendancy node?

Spoiler
This adds extra layer of difficulty to the build, and result isn't optimal. INT means more Mana and ES. Also, other Ascendancy nodes aren't as powerful. At this point, we have invested in Consecrated Ground so much that not benefiting from it wouldn't be efficient. You can still have them equal and use 2x Rare Critical Strike Multiplier Jewels if you want. Alternatively, you can allocate Pious Path by sacrificing damage for defensive purposes.


Is Energy Shield Mastery really that important?

Spoiler
Enemies somehow deal Physical Damage. Having it greatly contributes to survival. We have ES Gain On Hit from Watcher's Eye and ES Leech from passives, yet these two sources aren't enough sometimes. This is because ES is the pool which suffers the most in our defence mechanism (Fire Damage example above). Life & Mana regenerate automatically, but we cannot Recharge ES for 4 seconds after Critical Strike because of Shimmeron. ES Leech & Gain require a target to hit. This Mastery backs up ES recovery tremendously.


Why Recoup, even while it is so little?

Spoiler
Combined with Regeneration, it helps mitigating Shimmeron's DoT. Of course, Damage from DoT cannot be Recouped. However, if Regeneration is busy mending Shimmeron's DoT, then what will get us back on our feet when the Bone Archer hits us? Yes, you're right. Recoup. All jokes aside, it is quite a boost to survival. You can see the difference in a map with "Less Recovery Rate of Life, Mana, and Energy Shield" modifier. The build wouldn't collapse without it. It is not a must for the build; you can drop it if you don't want it and/or need points.

Tattoo of the Tawhoa Shaman (2% of Damage taken Recouped as Life) might be useful if you prefer.


How about Critical Strike Multiplier on Helmet/Ring? What kind of a Mirror Tier Ring?

Spoiler
I don't think the build needs it, but you can have Multiplier on other gears if you can afford. It is not cheap, especially on ring. The build doesn't depend on +%40-50 Critical Strike Multiplier. I find other modifiers you can have, such as cast speed, stat etc., a bit more useful and affordable. Frenzy Charges are extremely powerful as well. They grant More Damage and Cast Speed. They free a flask slot by allowing Rotgut into the belt. You can drop Silver Flask if you have Frenzy Charges and a Rotgut.

Mirror Tier Rings have three-implicits one of which is +1 to Maximum Power Charges. Damage wise, Power Charges are the backbone of the build. The more you have, the harder you hit. 10 is quite enough, but if you can afford more, why not? Other two implicits could be Onslaught on Hit/Increased Spell Damage per Power Charge/Global Critical Strike Multiplier/Life/Mana/ES/Cast Speed etc.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Rotgut


The Burden of Truth VS Replica Soul Tether

Spoiler

The build works perfectly fine with either. If you cannot afford Chaos Resistance but can afford Strength on your gear, The Burden of Truth is to go. The Burden of Truth puts more pressure on Life & Energy Shield, which is already under more stress compared to the other two pools. Replica Soul Tether, on the other hand, has STR and provides more ES. It is up to you. Replica Soul Tether is recommended.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/The_Burden_of_Truth
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Replica_Soul_Tether


Why Siphoning Trap & Frost Shield? How to use them?
Spoiler

Siphoning Trap increases our Regeneration ridiculously, even against a single target. It also inflicts Chill which we need in order to benefit from Snowstorm. Basically use this with Arcanist Brand where your target stands.

Frost Shield is a boost to our survival as well. Also inflicts Chill. Use this right before fight starts so you can Recharge the ES it "borrows". The buffer it makes is really sweet. You don't have to leave the enemy out of the dome. In fact, keep them in, both for Chill and efficiency. If you leave the enemy outside, Frost Shield will collapse much faster, resulting in a short up-time. Also it might cause you to use it more than once, which is considered a bit annoying in this game.

https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Frost_Shield
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Siphoning_Trap
https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Passive_Skill:Affliction~notable~snowstorm


Which to upgrade first?

Spoiler

Here's the list I recommend, decreasing in importance:

a. Forbidden Flesh & Forbidden Flame + Militant Faith
b. The Burden of Truth/Replica Soul Tether + Rumi's Concoction
c. Rare Cluster Jewels
d. Amulet with Additional Curse
e. +1 Power Charges (Sublime Vision, Void Battery, Helmet)
f. Watcher's Eye
g. Impossible Escape

a, b, c, and d are the most important. Rest of the list doesn't really matter. Just make sure you have enough Jewel Sockets for other Jewels. Don't hesitate using 10 Chaos worth Rare Jewels to meet your requirements (stats, Resistances, etc.).


Tattoos?

Spoiler
1-7 Lightning Damage isn't worth it. The Damage it grants doesn't seem to worth the Mana+ES it takes away. If you want to hit harder, go for it, but I doubt you would feel any difference. As for +1 to Level Level of All Intelligence Skill Gems", it doesn't seem possible. We are already on the Witch side of the tree, and as you know, there aren't any "+30 to Intelligence" passives in that area. Nearest one is 5 points away... You can use it if you want it; there are many tree variations on PoB.

Update after enough data:
Tattoos aren't generally mixing well with the build. For example, to get the +1 Power Charge Tattoo on +30 INT, the points we give up don't worth it. Same applies to 7 point requirement tattoos. They come down to the same thing.

Here are some of them I find useful:

This can free a flask slot:
- Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker (You gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Hit) Use it on "Agility" node, which is just above MoM Keystone.

Not really recommended but can be helpful:
- Honoured Tattoo of the Tuatara (+4 to all Attributes)
- Honoured Tattoo of the Dove (+4% to Chaos Resistance)
- Honoured Tattoo of the Sky (+3% to all Elemental Resistances)
- Tattoo of the Tawhoa Shaman (2% of Damage taken Recouped as Life)
- Tattoo of the Valako Shieldbearer (+1% Chance to Block Attack Damage)

Could be really useful based on your gear (to maintain Life/ES/Mana levels):
- Honoured Tattoo of the Oak (2% increased maximum Life)

Only "Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker" seems good because it is reachable. Tattoos are completely up to you; use them as you like, but I recommend INT for most of the cases.



Thank you for reading and for your time.
Thank you GGG for such a cool game.
Last edited by eminay#3158 on Oct 13, 2024, 11:59:01 PM
Last bumped on Oct 23, 2024, 1:38:09 PM
Res
Guess not so starter-friendly without some base knowledge? 😅
No, it's not much of a beginner friendly build :D It is not that complicated either. I recommend around a few leagues of experience. Alternatively, you can just dive right into it as well, nothing is stopping you hahaha I don't think there would be huge problems as long as you stick to the guide. Diving into it with no experience might cause big confusions which could be tiring. Also, there could be problems about "money making" for a beginner. Build works fine on ~30 Divine budget. However, a newbie could still struggle and require more currency in order to feel more comfortable with the build. In a nutshell, if you can make ~50Divs (just to be sure) and have played a few leagues, you are more than OK to go 👌
Last edited by eminay#3158 on Aug 21, 2023, 1:54:29 PM
how much could it cost for a level 92?
92 Level means 8 points less. To save 8 points, you could drop Impossible Escape (currently 70c) and a rare Medium Cluster Jewel (currently 70c). As of now, 1 Divine is 140 Chaos. As the economy and supply-demand progress, I'm guessing those two items would save you tops 5 Divines, which seems like a very optimistic assumption. So, I say it would still cost the same, ~25Divs :D
Last edited by eminay#3158 on Aug 23, 2023, 11:27:54 PM
Hey man, dunno if you are still updating this, i have been playing this build for a while now and was wondering how would you feel getting some other rare chest? Would still be good or nah?
Hey, I'm not currently playing because of my studies, but I'm keeping an eye on here and following the game in case for changes on build.

I haven't tried a Rare Chest myself and can't be quite sure how those kind of Chests would work on the build. Sporeguard is not a "must-have" for the build, but as I said, I can't tell whether a Rare one would be as efficient.

I'll list why I suggest Sporeguard, so you can make up your mind and evaluate:

1. It is both offensive and defensive (Fungal Ground)
2. It is for clear speed (explode) and synergises nicely with Frost Blink (because it is an "Instant" skill, you do not lose Sporeguard's stationary effects on blink)
3. It, most importantly, allows an additional Anoint (Power Charge node can be Anointed on Amulet by dropping Persistence, but Persistence is one of those things which you realize its importance when you don't have it)
4. It offers nice amount of defenses (Base is Armour & ES and #% increased Life and Chaos Resistance on explicit. Together with this Armour and Persistence, it is a sweet-to-have mitigation for those small Hits if Block fails.)
5. Except for the Anoint (maybe for Corruption implicit which is totally optional), these are all built-in, no sweat breaking to get any of these bonuses. (decent ones are ~6Divs currently)

The closest rare Chest that offers same bonuses would be a Crusader base with:

1. Enemies you Kill have a #% chance to Explode, dealing a tenth of their maximum Life as Physical Damage (explode equivalent)
2. Physical Damage from Hits taken as Lightning Damage (Physical mitigation equivalent of Persistence/Armour)
3. More Flat Life/Mana/ES and/or #% increased Mana and Chaos Resistance
4. Except for Chaos Resistance, all these are Prefixes and would be hard to craft or expensive to buy (such Chests are around 5-25Divs currently)

Sporeguard is a lot cheaper and extremely convenient. Overall numeric values (Life/Mana/ES) and the game play feeling with Sporeguard is very likely to be smoother. You would have more Chaos Resistance surely, but I don't think it would worth just for Chaos and/or other Resistances. However, if you have sources to craft and wish to give it a try, feel free to go for it :D Build wouldn't fail without a Sporeguard.

Thanks for your interest and feel free to ask any other questions you might have. I reply as soon as I can.
Last edited by eminay#3158 on Oct 27, 2023, 1:33:50 PM
Greetings i feel like this build might be my style and want to try it out but i would love if u show a video that shows the clear gameplay and bossing gameplay if its possible please , also what would be your recommendations on charms for 3.23 ? i was thinking area of effect per power charge as an option but i dk about others.


anyways thank you for the guide you are awesome .
Hey, thank you for your interest ♥

Actually, I have a video but it is recorded right after Crucible league, so it is a bit old. I didn't want to upload it because it is outdated, and the quality of the video is poor. But because of my studies, earlies I can record a current state of the build would be in around February which is kinda too far ahead :D I'll check out the video and try to upload it (I have to find it first since it is in my old drive :D). I know that there should be at least a video, or a proof of concept, at this point :D

As for charms, I added them to the guide in Q&A. Thanks for pointing it out!
Last edited by eminay#3158 on Dec 24, 2023, 2:44:06 PM

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