Low Life/ES Based Witch build. It utilizes the powerful Damage over Time of Essence Drain and Contagion Chaos Spells

1 Gem Level Vs Dmg Poe 5
1 Gem Level Vs Dmg Poe Games
1 Gem Level Vs Dmg Poe 4

Updated for Patch 3.8

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Feb 10, 2013 Is it just me or is life leech really bad? Like really bad. As in, you dont do more than 200 damage for a long time, and 1% for example of that is 2 life back? While life gain on hit adds about 12 life each hit as its lvl 1 approx? So to match life gain you would have to be hitting for 1200 dmg to get 12 life back from 1.
Jan 10, 2020 Path Of Exile3.9 Windripper Tornado Shot VS Sirus The Awakener Awake level 8 (the entire vdo is start in begining second phase boss) /ᐠ ᐟ' Hi there,This is my first time to use tornado.
Nov 16, 2013 -The damage output will always be less vs casting the spell manually.-Level 20 skill gems will require a high level and/or high quality of Cast when Damage Taken Examples below-Cast when Damage Taken level 5 (27) will not support Enduring Cry level 5 (31).
Nice guide, but there are some obvious non-senses: 1) For single target you want conc. Effect gem in 2) With the setup you are advocating, you don’t want dmg on full HP gem – for that you would have to take Ghost dance + Escape Artist (and even then I’m unsure for HC use – dmg dip is unpleasant).

The Raider focuses on preserving buffs, gaining Frenzy Charges, Onslaught, or Phasing by way of kills. In this post, we are going to share Path of exile 3.1 Ranger Raider Builds with Barrage, Blade Vortex, Charged Dash, Cyclone, Frost Blades, Molten Strike, Spectral Throw, Sunder Gems Skills for.

Estimated budget: medium

Guide notes

September 11, 2019
-Updated for Patch 3.8

Essence Drain is a projectile-based spell that deals very high Damage over Time. The damaging debuff can be spread further to nearby enemies by the Contagion Spell for an even better area of effect and greatly increased clear speed. There are a lot of variants of this build, which is also very powerful as Life/Hybrid build. Our suggested build revolves around Occultist Ascendancy class which grants terrific bonuses to Chaos Damage and Energy Shield, as well as allows you to use three different Curses, boosting both your DPS and defenses. The damage of Essence Drain has been greatly increased in Patch 3.6 making this build even more powerful. On top of increasing its' damage, the skill no longer applies it's debuff to the first enemy hit, but also to targets around it.

This build carries a lot of potentials as a League starter build. It will allow you to start Mapping with literally no unique item requirements, while most of the end game gear can be still fairly easy to obtain. It is suggested to level up and start mapping with ED Occultist as a hybrid Life/ES character. After you can afford Shavronne's Wrappings, you should switch it to the Low-Life variation. It will allow you to use additional Auras that by using Blood Magic Support Gem will reserve your Life instead.

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds right here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This build has quite unique gameplay mechanics. The Essence Drain is a projectile-based spell, which applies its' debuff to the first enemy hit and other enemies in a small radius around it. You can use your Contagion Spell, which will cause the DoT to spread in a wider area, greatly enhancing clear speed. This combination grants this build very solid AoE damage, which is triggered with only two Spell casts. Your damage can be further amplified by the use of Wither Spell Totem.

0:06 Tier 14 Crimson Temple
0:34 Tier 13 Colosseum
1:03 Tier 14 Palace
1:36 Tier 15 Shaped Belfry
This video was recorded on a level 89 Occultist with Breath of the Council and Heretic's Veil equipped.

It was recorded pre 3.8 - but the gameplay hasn't changed much since

Odealo is a secure trading platform for MMO gamers. It is a gamer-driven marketplace for PoE Currency, Orbs, and Unique items.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS

high Damage over Time with good AoE
good as a League starter build - with no unique items required to start mapping effectively
end-game viable with proper gear adjustments
good clear speed
immunity to reflect mods
provides interesting gameplay mechanicsand avery enjoyable playstyle

CONS

can feel squishy before you transition fully into Energy Shield
requires refunding a bunch of Passives on the Skill Tree when you go Low-Life

3. Leveling tips

Leveling this Essence Drain Occultist is not as smooth as other popular League starter classes. You should start off by using Freezing Pulse (or any other spell of choice - after all the early levels are easy with anything you decide to pick up) and swap it to Essence Drain as you get it at level 12. This is when you reach Merveil's Cavern. At this point, you will have to apply the Essence Drain debuff to enemies and finish them off with Freezing Pulse (or other spells that you feel comfortable with). Since this build requires more links in your main DPS setup than other builds, it is advised to invest in Tabula Rasa.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Essence Drain setup
Essence Drain - your primary DPS Spell Gem
Void Manipulation Support - increases the Chaos Damage dealt with supported skills
Controlled Destruction Support - grants very high Spell Damage at the cost of reduced Crit. Chance

Contagion setup
Contagion - this spell spreads your Essence Drain's DoT, as well as deals additional chaos damage
Increased Area of Effect Support
Faster Casting Support

Utility Gems
Stone Golem - grants extra Life Regeneration
Decoy Totem - another useful defensive Spell Gem. It will spawn a Totem which taunts nearby enemies
Despair - recommended Curse for this build which increases the Damage over Time cursed enemies receive

On Odealo dozens of sellers compete for your attention. Buying PoE Currency here guarantees best prices, prompt delivery and the best quality of service.

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

31 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Occultist's Dominion 2) Deep Wisdom 3) Growth and Decay 4) Entropy

63 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Written in Blood 2) Atrophy 3) Retribution 4) Sanctity 5) Method to the Madness

Level 70s Passive Skill Tree as you switch to Low-Life and Shavronne's Wrappings

Recommended leveling items:

Lifesprig - amazing leveling Wand, may work fairly well for at least 40 levels
(8-12)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Spell Gems (20-28)% increased Spell Damage (5-8)% increased Cast Speed +(15-20) to maximum Life +(15-20) to maximum Mana Regenerate (6-8) Life over 1 second when you Cast a Spell

1 Gem Level Vs Dmg Poe