[3.12 Video Guide] Vortex Cold Snap DoT [HC/SC/Uber Elder/Shaper viable]

IMPORTANT NOTE:

THIS GUIDE IS NOW AVAILABLE WITH A MUCH BETTER QUALITY OVER AT: https://www.poe-vault.com/guides/cold-snap-vortex-occultist-build-guide

I will be answering ALL questions on that forum thread and keep all guides on icy-veins website (poe-vault.com) updated consistently every league as per usual.

All my build guides as well as other written guides can be found here: https://www.poe-vault.com/guides/ghazzy-guide-hub


__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________


Check out the video guide: Occultist Vortex Cold Snap DoT Build Guide

If you have any questions you can always come to my twitch stream to get them answered or just to enjoy some rock / metal music:
Ghazzy's Livestreaming Channel


Path of Building Link for the guide: https://pastebin.com/A6NRTeRb
Simply go to "Import/Export Build" > Click the "Import from Pastebin" paste the link in there, and then click "Import"

Low Life PoB: https://pastebin.com/sSYbwsj7

__________________________________________________________________________



Is this build for you?

1. If you are looking for a build that makes end-game bosses a joke.

2. If you are just that cool that you have to play a cold oriented build.

3. If the build you seek can start with a very low budget with possible upgrades with more currency.

4. If you like to play a CI build for the first time.

5. If you prefer a build guide that has a video linked to it.

__________________________________________________________________________


Defence & Utility

The build utilizes Chaos Inoculation which makes you 100% immune to all sources of chaos damage including poison. However, you'll have 1 HP and therefor need to cover yourself with Energy Shield alone. This is not suggested for early levels and this guide will cover the transition and workarounds to get yourself to CI.

Besides this the build slows enemies down and utilizes a massive eHP pool to be as tanky as possible. For higher budget builds you can also throw in Temporal Chains allowing for even more slow effects on enemies.

__________________________________________________________________________

Pantheon Choices:

Pantheon List

Major God:

- Soul of Lunaris
Basically just helps with avoiding some projectile damage

Minor God:

- Soul of Abberath
Since the builds defensive design requires you to not take damage for about 1 second to start your energy shield recharge, this allows you to be immune to burning ground effects.

__________________________________________________________________________


Skill-gems & Setups:

Vortex:

- Vortex, Controlled Destruction, Elemental Focus, Efficacy, Hypothermia, Swift Affliction

Vaal Cold Snap:

- Vaal Cold Snap, Hypothermia, Bonechill, Efficacy

Note:
This setup is designed to increase cold damage taken by bosses and to use the Vaal version to speed up the map clearing speed.

3L TRIGGER weapon:

- Storm Brand, Frost Bomb, Orb of Storms

Note:
It is VERY important that they are linked in the order described above, the craft "Trigger socketed spell when you use a skill" puts the ability on a 4 second CD and will be cast in the order of the links. This is used to provide cold resistance exposure (-25% cold res) debuff on enemies via Frost Bomb whilst the Storm Brand & Orb of Storms are consistently hitting enemies with Lightning damage making sure the enemies have lower Cold resistances via Elemental Equilibrium this makes it very important that you do NOT, EVER, get any sort of FLAT added cold damage on your tree or gear (%increased is fine, just not # added cold) as that will ruin this setup.

Cast When Damage Taken:

- Cast When Damage Taken, Immortal Call

Note:
The lvl of CWDT is suppose to be low, this comes down to a matter of taste, I prefer to keep it at lvl 3 with the Immortal Call at lvl 5, if it's higher it won't work. It also does not require Endurance Charges to function though the duration will be rather low without which is still enough to keep you from getting instantly killed by Porcupine packs that dies!

Mobility:

- Flame Dash, Second Wind
- Phase Run,, Increased Duration

Auras:

- Malevolence, Discipline


Extra:
If you play a high budget version you can run Blasphemy + Temporal Chains if you have a Solstice Vigil equipped!

__________________________________________________________________________


Skill-tree & Ascendancy Nodes:

Ascendancy Nodes:
As this build is a CI build and an Occultist is it important to always start with Vile Bastion.
When this node picked up you're able to reach comfortable energy shield numbers for your CI switch explained in the lvling trees below.
The other 2 ascendancy nodes you're gonna want to take are pure damage increasers in the form of: Void Beacon then Frigid Wake!

Lastly you'll pick up Forbidden Power for some extra damage.

Do note that if you are using a Solstice Vigil you should prioritize Profane Bloom first and simply skip taking Forbidden Power.


Leveling skill-tree, 52 points

Leveling skill-tree, 74 points

Finished skill-tree

A few notes:

* As this is a CI build it is very important to understand that you're gonna have to level the build up as either pure life based or hybrid utilizing both Life & Energy Shield as your sources for effective HP. To follow the leveling trees blindly is not always ideal as the video describes: it all depends on how comfortable you are with your character based of the gear you've found / have equipped. The leveling trees are generically designed to fit most situations though. Always keep your elemental resistances at 75%+ after act 6 (preferably before if possible).

* You will need to spend some regret orbs when you do the "transition"

* Never pick up Elemental Equilibrium unless you have a weapon with the craft "Trigger socketed spell when you use a skill" or you'll do next to 0 damage.

* You're most likely going to need assistance with attributes from a rare amulet and/or the +30 Dexterity & Strength nodes left of the witch area. This usually doesn't become an issue unless you go with high budget items such as the Solstice Vigil.

* I usually don't transition to CI until I'm around lvl 70+ and I usually lvl the build utilizing Ball Lightning as mines using Blastchain mines, Minefield support & Slower Projectiles

__________________________________________________________________________

Blighted Oils

Cheaper version would be to oil: Prodigal Perfection which requires the following oils: Clear & 2x Azure.

Most efficient but also expensive oiled node would be Tranquility which requires the following oils: Azure Oil & 2x Golden Oils.

__________________________________________________________________________


Leveling Tips:

1. Use w/e floats your boat I strongly recommend lvling with Ball Lightning as mines using Blastchain mines, Minefield support & Slower Projectiles and simply level vortex gems in your off-slot weapons to change when you change into CI around level 70+ Do keep in mind that from Act 2 you are able to utilize both Herald of Thunder as well as Herald of Ice for extra damage as you are leveling through the acts!

2. Items such as Goldrim, Lifesprig, Wanderlust helps a lot to speed up the leveling process.

3. Farm Blood A. in Act 9 for the Humility cards to get an early Tabula

Bandits:

- Kill them all

__________________________________________________________________________


Gearing & Stat Priorities

What items to use:

Low Budget:

Before we talk about items it is VERY important to repeat what was stated in the gem section:
The craft "Trigger socketed spell when you use a skill" puts the ability on a 4 second CD and will be cast in the order of the links. This is used to provide cold resistance exposure (-25% cold res) debuff on enemies via Frost Bomb whilst the Storm Brand & Orb of Storms are consistently hitting enemies with Lightning damage making sure the enemies have lower Cold resistances via Elemental Equilibrium this makes it very important that you do NOT, EVER, get any sort of FLAT added cold damage on your tree or gear (%increased is fine, just not # added cold) as that will ruin this setup.

The build can use the Fenumus unique set items or simply use rare items in all slots. It has a tonne of possibilities allowing you to approach the build in an extremely cheap manner.

I would strongly suggest to use the Aegis Aurora shield due to the defensive layers it applies vs the harder end-game bosses such as deeper delve lvl Aul as well as Shaper & Uber Elder.

Besides this it is important to note that the build doesn't need more than ~300-350k Shaper DPS to handle Uber Elder smoothly which makes the weapon the only real important piece which will allow for Elemental Equilibrium to be used which significantly increases your damage output. With that "threshold" reached you only need to focus on getting as tanky as your budget allows which can be anything from a couple of chaos to hundreds of exalted orbs. There really is no direct roof to what you can do with this build!

Higher Budget Examples:

The use of Solstice Vigil allows you to use a Blasphemy + Temporal Chains setup!

Other styles of higher budget would include the bestiary Spider craft allowing that to be used which will require mana reservation tricks from the tree and/or specific items crafted or unique or even higher lvl Enlighten to allow for that approach, this not only increases the defensive layers a bit but also increases your damage dealt significantly.

Stat Priority:

Defensive Stats:

1. Energy Shield
2. Resistances
3. Intelligence

Offensive Stats:

1. Spell Damage
1. Damage over Time
1. Cold Damage
1. Elemental Damage

Jewels:

1. Energy Shield
2. Spell Damage
2. Cold Damage
3. Cold damage over time multiplier

Flasks:

1x Sorrow of the Divine or a normal Sulphur Flask
1x w/e Stibnite Flask of Dousing
1x w/e Basalt Flask of Staunching
1x w/e Jade Flask of Warding
1x Ample Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline

__________________________________________________________________________


Recommended Unique Items:


Recommended LvLing Uniques:


__________________________________________________________________________


Outro:

This build thread is merely a rough guide to lead you in to the builds basics. If you wish to see more details about this beautiful build check out the video guide: Occultist Vortex Cold Snap DoT Build Guide

Before you start posting questions I would recommend checking the video. I am as always available in my stream!


Hope you guys will enjoy the build! Below you can access my other build guides:

Build Guides




//Ghazzy

* Reserved

BUILD IS NOW LIVE!


OBS OBS OBS OBS
Please note that since I'm not a fulltime streamer, it has become impossible for me to keep up with responding to ALL my forum threads. However, I am ALWAYS answering questions posted in the YouTube video, my discord, twitter, instagram & twitch!


If you find any issues with the build guide let me know asap and I will make sure it's fixed equally fast :)

Fuck yeah Bosskilling time .-)

Thank you Ghazzy!!!

As always, thanks for your awesome builds and guides, Ghazzy :D

You are great to utilize MoM and EB in this build ;-)) Really new approach... :-))

Recommended uniques are also very original to the build :-]

But seriously now, good advice with the order of the gems in the weapon. It doesn't matter if storm brand or orb of storms will be first right ?

"

Hiob83 написал:

You are great to utilize MoM and EB in this build ;-)) Really new approach... :-))

Awwww sheeeet!
Fixing it asap!

Pretty awesome build guide, Vortex/CS is a real smooth skill and plenty of bossing potential. This is my gear thus far, always looking to min-max little things though. Any idea what equipment I can get to push this build further? Atm I'm always on the look out for a really good new wand/sceptre. Also plan to improve my Regalia but comfortably sitting at 10.5k ES.

Level 95 following this build. Only issue- the build is damn hard to put down, even with medicore gear I can't find another build to catch my attention

Love this build so much too! I have one question, I'm not using any curse (don't have amulet) - but if I would have one, is there something wrong with frostbite over temporal chains?
Or is it simply because we don't need more damage...?
Thanks in advance and keep up that amazing builds!