Caster CI / GR Leech Pathetic / Broken Builds

A possible solution would be, to add something additional to GR, that assists in leeching when CI for ES. Otherwise the whole leech aspect needs to be adjusted.

Was going to try a claw CI VP build but will rather wait to see if any changes come around for leech. It seems that everyone is suffering with Leech atm.

"

This is a massive problem, come on GGG you HAVE to fix this. ES characters are unplayable now.

I did create several threads in the beta saying that pure ES (without leech) was total garbage and that it needed a buff.
I was trying out pure ES (without leech) at the time in order to see how well it fares in maps.

Here is a video demonstrating the damage intake in a level 71 map with vulnerability mod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEMqp0ybVQw

Those are white mobs hitting me for 1600. Im not even standing in shocked ground.
Even a small pack of white mobs can instagib you if you take all shots at once.
Blue packs can easily instagib you, as i have experienced several times myself.
A blue pack of ursines dropping from the sky, immediately taking away 9k of my ES.
(that character in the video had 10.8k ES in the end)

Here is a video showing a rare golem (in that same map) roll me over for 4500 damage (probably a lot more):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QV4tqYMlJM

I had several scenarios where my 8k ES pool vanished in less than a fraction of a second.

Now with Leech basically having been removed for ES users, pure ES gameplay is the only option left.
What i have shown in that video is basically what you can expect in maps as a pure ES user: rape.

Even with 11k ES that char was still squishy as fuck, so i dropped him.
Es is dogshit.

"

gh0un wrote:

"

This is a massive problem, come on GGG you HAVE to fix this. ES characters are unplayable now.

I did create several threads in the beta saying that pure ES (without leech) was total garbage and that it needed a buff.
I was trying out pure ES (without leech) at the time in order to see how well it fares in maps.

Here is a video demonstrating the damage intake in a level 71 map with vulnerability mod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEMqp0ybVQw

Those are white mobs hitting me for 1600. Im not even standing in shocked ground.
Even a small pack of white mobs can instagib you if you take all shots at once.
Blue packs can easily instagib you, as i have experienced several times myself.
A blue pack of ursines dropping from the sky, immediately taking away 9k of my ES.
(that character in the video had 10.8k ES in the end)

Here is a video showing a rare golem (in that same map) roll me over for 4500 damage (probably a lot more):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QV4tqYMlJM

I had several scenarios where my 8k ES pool vanished in less than a fraction of a second.

Now with Leech basically having been removed for ES users, pure ES gameplay is the only option left.
What i have shown in that video is basically what you can expect in maps as a pure ES user: rape.

Even with 11k ES that char was still squishy as fuck, so i dropped him.
Es is dogshit.

Clearly this shows that ES leech/regen is messed up, I'm just wondering why no one from GGG has said anything about this? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Or is that just another Steam train rolling our way to destroy all our builds?

I read in another thread somewhere, and had to take note, they said "GGG has taken the FUN out of POE now", its just a technical challenging game now.

I think the general consensuses is, that we are only asking for a playable game again, we don't want it easy but come on!!!!!!! We still want a viable diversified game. Casters are in a terrible state now.

CI builds seem to be a collateral-damage casualty of the War On Eldritch Battery builds.

GGG - you have to give CI characters something back!
(Here's a brief overview and my suggestions.)

-CI had a brief renaissance after the Witch tree changes. It was so good, it was so amazing!

The tree changes opened up exciting new possibility of a new kind of build - hybrid.
-It had been a struggle for me to play Witch/CI/Cold Snap before the Witch Tree change (and spell echo) - but suddenly, life looked easier!
-Exciting too, was the fact that ES nodes were now powerful enough to warrant ES as a main defence from lvl 1 onward. (Before it was only possible after reaching the 60's and re-specing.)
-BUT NOW IT'S ALL GONE!

Awakening Changes are just too much. Disheartening.

-Taking away Blood Rage was a massive blow.

(And the only explanation for this change was "we don't like to see anyone get anything for free" - holy hell.

Gobsmacked - is the only word on the planet that can describe my dismay at hearing that.

-CI characters already had the massive penalty of being frozen by any cold damage, and being stunned by any physical damage. This forced them to go 22 (or so) nodes out of the way to get Unwavering - or wear a crappy necklace to avoid stun. Oh, and Dream Fragments became a mandatory ring. So CI characters never could wear the necklace they wanted to, or two rings of their own choosing...

BLOOD RAGE WASN'T FREE! It was a consolation gift. And now it's gone.

-Reducing ES recharge time - and forcing people to take nodes of lesser ES % (yet containing the all-to-important now Recharge Speed mod) - was another strike against them. It means overall much less ES % in the tree can be taken than before. (You've got to spend too many points to reach for those Recharge Nodes.)
-Case and Point - Scion used to be one of the best choices for CI because she had so many ES % nodes; now she is the absolute worst for the lack of recharge-rate nodes.

-The Reduction to ES recharge time introduced a strange, new complicated mechanic that over-complicates things. (For no good reason.)

-That's cute that now ES starts to regain sooner...but really, that change was not needed. In the tree were enough nodes to reduce ES recharge delay. It was already perfect!

-The leech changes - the final nail in the coffin.

-Zealot's Oath is just too far out of the way for many characters to reach it - and life regen doesn't do much anymore.
-Ghost Reaver is a mandatory node - but is really far out of the way for Witch/Templar/Scion...well, anyone but the Shadow/Ranger. (And nobody makes an ES Ranger.)

The best suggestion I can make towards fixing CI:

-Consider making the CI node include Ghost Reaver trait inside it. (Life Leech applies to ES instead of Life.)
-Freeing up some points will allow CI people to travel to leech-effectiveness nodes.

-Do not delete the actual Ghost Reaver node.
-Change Ghost Reaver to read "leech applies to BOTH life and ES - (instead of converting it over to just ES.)
-This would make Ghost Reaver valuable for Hybrid builds.
-But pure ES CI builds can save some valuable points - and be stronger.

Also Consider:

-Put Zealot's Oath inside the CI node.
-Change the Zealot's Oath node - to say "Life Regen applies to both ES and Life."
-If it's too strong, have it not apply when Eldritch Battery is taken, so people don't use it for "mana."
-This will make up for the Templar's lack of ES Recharge Rate nodes, and make Hybrid builds stronger.

-Change the mechanic; so that when a character goes CI, stuns/status ailment duration are based on ES pool and not life. (Or create a new Notable Passive that grants this, or some Unique item, or a Unique Jewel.)
-This will make CI characters stronger, by not only freeing up points spent towards unwavering - it would allow people the opportunity to wear a strong necklace and a different ring than Dream Fragments.
-This would also allow for many other fun and exciting builds never seen before - because now you could wear some new unique rings.

-Reduce the mana cost of skills -because CI people can't use EB. This penalizes CI characters way too much. And for the rest of characters - Mana costs are just insane.


You promised, long ago, that the skill tree would help people with mana problems, and mana problems would be much less of an issue. It felt so good when mana problems were fixed. So, so good. Please re-keep that promise!

We literally screamed at GGG on the forums during the beta about the current meta and lack of caster survivability (ES builds).

Everyone pretty much made their caster a life or hybrid build with 7 endurance charges and fortify. Because that makes sense according to GGG.

Pretty much just waiting till they patch the game. I'd say the beta was an alpha test and the awakening release is actually the beta.

Hopefully the devs listen to the community now. They didn't do a very good job of it during "beta".

CI is dead. Than you GGG. You just killed 4of my characters. Ako year around i just see nerfing of something. Nice job. :(

I'm more than curious now, has anyone made a successful CI build. And I don't mean with OP gear, just the average player gear.

I have two CI characters, but am too scared to spec the second, as it really looks like a dead build. Was hoping this thread would shed some light on possible work a rounds but it seems as if there is none. With blood rage now only working with health, it looks like CI / ES builds are a dead bread.

Bump

"

Diphal wrote:

Yup, this change is rly huge for CI users. Personally I don't see much advantages in CI anymore. We can't use Bood Rage anymore (it prevents ES recharge). We can't run Blood Magic map mod, we can't use low life mechanics, we can't have more than 3 auras like other ppl. There are basically no full life mechanics. You HAVE to solve freeze and stun immunity somehow, since its duration is based on your 1 hp and therefore you can be stun/freeze locked forever.


But yaaay, we have max light radius all the time, we don't care about chaos damage and we have huuuuuuge ES nodes behind CI - 31% to max ES!!! Divided by 3 invested points. It is like 10.3% per point. I say its OP as fuck. GGG need to nerf CI asap... What a joke.

Actually, freeze and stun duration are not based on "1 hp", but on hp you'd have, if you weren't CI. It is still terrible, and Eye and Dream frag are pretty much mandatory for CI.

Why would they make Blood Rage so bad for CI? The explanation given in form of "we don't want people to get something for free" is straight up stupid. It is opportunity cost, and gain.

Look at Blood Rage change, and then look at Vaal Pact change. If you are not investing in life regen, you pretty much want to take Vaal Pact. BECAUSE AT THAT POINT IT DOESN'T COST YOU ANYTHING.
Yes, you cannot go regen with Vaal Pact, but you already made that decision to ignore hp regen.

Same goes with CI and Blood Rage. Yes, sure, you are not losing anything when using Blood Rage, but you already went CI and you CANNOT USE HP, YOU ARE EASILY STUNNED, FROZEN AND SHOCKED.

I honestly hope that GGG reverts that stupid change. Not to mention the % nerf to the frenzy charge gain.

Ughhh so my CI character is boned so i thought i would give my low life based charcters a try. With 1000ex + builds doing low life spectal throw, low life shatter chuck, low life kb wander and low life rainbow nuke the result is the damn same i cant leech enough life to do high level maps or defeat bosses.

I am honestly speechless that the gear i worked so god damn hard for is instantly turned to crap.

I have been browsing twitch since release of the expansion looking to see if any steamers have solved the mystery of ES sustain... here is the thing.... not one of them is even using ES that is how fucked things are. Everyone is using a life based build.