Storm(weaver) of Vengeance [Thorns/Retaliation caster] [no button/passive damage]

Updated maxroll link with tweaks and recorded new showcase level 88 T15 5 affix map.

This is my second build showcase of sorts. This time it is the Storm(weaver) of Vengeance, a thorns/retaliation build inspired by Kalltorak's thorns builds. He tends to prefer strength based and rely on the thorns nodes in the passive tree, but I wondered how a caster build might look which focused on passive damage using ES for safety.

I experienced considerable lag during the combat portion of the video due to the recording software. This lag is abnormal for normal play of the build.

POB/maxroll - https://maxroll.gg/poe2/pob/qsnhq0cn
Video - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2580898052

This build leverages 3 uniques to punish any monsters that dare approach you. To start off you will be a sorceress using bonestorm and bone cage and whatever wand and shield you can get to advance through the game. There is no problem with starting on thorns immediately, just make sure you have the ES to live through it. Around level 22, you will want to get the Crown of the Pale King to make thorns affect all hits and try to get extra damage of some element temporarily from the passive tree or wand so you can trigger elemental storm from your ascendancy with bone cage and bonestorm. Once you reach level 60 you will want to get Svalinn (you can wait till 72 when it is cheap, but Svalinn is great here), you will put bone cage into the Cast on Block and give it astral projection. At 65, you will replace your weapon with a "Guiding Palm of the Mind Shrine Sceptre", this item surrounds you in a lightning storm and adds extra lightning damage. At this point your Elemental Storm should have reduced cooldown, increased duration, increased radius, and living lightning II.

Your passive tree will be full of ES nodes, a little spell damage, and physical damage.

Here's how the build works:

1) Thorns effects: Thorns, Arctic Armor, Cast on Block - Astral Projection Bone Cage
2) Passive damage: Ravenous Swarm, Tempest Shrine effect
3) Triggered bonuses: Elemental Storm, Living Lightning
4) Active Damage: bone cage if the pack is too big, bonestorm to speed up single target

Some of the interactions:

Bonestorm, thorns, and bone cage all benefit from physical damage on the tree. When we have extra lightning damage, our bonestorm and bone cage (even block trigger) often trigger elemental storm which creates living lightning which also removes impale from the bonestorm. No single skill does a ton of damage, but they rapidly stack to wipe out enemies. The main weakness is in effects like bleed and poison, but charms can take those out of the equation. I straight tanked every boss after Act 2 even taking the scary attacks like Mighty Silverfist's big slam, due to the high ES and shield for blocking.

How are you making it work? I just keep dying and barely do any damage. Not even juiced T15 map..

here is my pob : https://poe.ninja/poe2/pob/f062

I have made a few tweaks to the build, but nothing dramatic. Your stats are pretty similar to mine, though you have made a few different support gem choices and my rings both have increased lightning damage currently. I have no trouble with T15 juiced maps or T16, occasionally I have to dodge roll until my ES regens, but I rarely feel I am in danger. To note, I am still running only 2 ascendancies with arcane surge and elemental storm nodes, but have changed the target 4th ascendancy state to include the shock branch instead of extra elemental limit.

If I were to guess, I would say the lack of faster start of recharge on the body, rising tempest instead of lightning mastery on elemental storm, energy retention on cast on block, ravenous swarm needs more supports (escalating poison, prolonged duration), brutality on bone cage is probably the biggest problem as it is preventing elemental storm from proccing, and no vitality support to counter the damage bleed through to life.

The build can be played entirely "buttonless" if you move slowly and only draw a pack or two at a time, but I usually run into the packs, drop a bonecage and then run in circles dropping bonecage. When only a mob or 2 remains I charge bonestorm and let them have it. Boss fights are usually standing still and throwing bonestorm till they die or I lose enough ES to have to roll around.

The damage is definitely not godlike instant kill like a lot of the builds on here are designed to be, but it hasn't felt bad except against mobs that regen, which is why I added the bleed regen prevention to the tree.

https://maxroll.gg/poe2/pob/qsnhq0cn