[2.0] [Tempest] CI Whispering Ice Tri-Curser
 Hi guys. I'm Tritan, and this is my guide for a very strong hardcore build, the Whispering Ice Tri-Curser. I am currently level 91 in Tempest with my character TritanCM, and I feel almost invincible using this build. I took several ideas for this build from VanguardsTV. His Whispering Ice build had some really great choices in his gearing and passive tree. So I would like to give credit to him here for inspiring me to make my own build. What I felt was missing in his setup, for my personal playstyle, was the insane utility that tri-cursing brings. Both in groups and solo, tri-cursing is just incredible for hardcore leagues. I love to play in groups, so I decided to make my own Whispering Ice build tailored specifically to my playstyle. Pros/Cons
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Pros -
Very tanky Decent damage Insane utility with three curses Can solo most of the content in the game Very strong in group play, you are support AND dps Cons Less damage than some other Icestorm builds Videos 78 Academy, scary mods
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This is a 78 Academy with:
Vulnerability -Max Resist 71% Extra Cold Damage -40% Life/Mana Nemesis Mods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04nLSNRGjV0&feature=youtu.be The map includes monsters such as: Breast Ladies, Puncture Demons, Porcupines, Flicker Dischargers, and Tentacle Whippers Please keep these things in mind before telling me I was playing too scared and slow :) edit: I did accidentally use Ele Weakness instead of Frostbite, and forgot to use Vaal Discipline Gear Needed: obviously, you have to have this weapon Astramentis instantly solves all issues with attribute requirements, and it gives you up to 116 int if you're lucky like me and roll a 100% perfect one. It took 1 divine orb. Auxium prevents you from being frozen, and gives you nice energy shield. A 5-link 650+ es chest with intelligence is ideal here. Obviously a 6-link would be better since you could use GMP or Enhance, but I haven't felt the need for it at all. 5 link is perfectly fine. This enables you to Tri-Curse. The rest of my gear is just rares with ES, Int, and Resists.
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There is significant room for improvement with these pieces, but they should give you a general idea. Links: Staff: RGGBBB Hypothermia, Life Leech, Cold Penetration, Faster Casting, Concentrated Effect, Spell Echo Chest: GBBBB Ball Lightning, Curse On Hit, Temporal Chains, Enfeeble, Frostbite(solo) or Elemental Weakness(group) You can also use Shock Nova for faster gameplay, if the map you're in is not difficult. 4L: RRBB Cast When Stunned, Increased Duration, Immortal Call, Vaal Discipline 4L: RRGB Ground Slam, Fortify, Faster Attacks, Increased AoE 4S: BBBG Discipline, Arctic Armor, Clarity, Flame Dash Layers of Defense: With the Awakening, GGG has mandated that any successful build have multiple layers of defense. We have Six:
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Curses:
Temporal Chains and Enfeeble with a 20% Curse on Hit gem, and 110%/20% curse duration/effectiveness from passives. This, along with our main skill Icestorm, is our bread and butter defense. That brings us to... Icestorm: This skill is offense AND defense. It chills the entire screen, and it also chills bosses. Most bosses are an absolute joke for this build. I've done map Dominus with some of the most insane mods possible. Groups will absolutely love you for your Curses + Icestorm. With you, they can do bosses that they wouldn't have dared to try by themselves. Another thing to mention with Icestorm is that it constantly leeches energy shield by way of Ghost Reaver, which is hugely important. Infinite Flasks: You might have noticed that I take the flask nodes. That is because we use these: It is very important to have these EXACT flasks, 20% quality, all perpetual. Yes, the mods can be switched around, but you get the idea. Energy Shield:  Keep in mind, this is with arguably terrible ES gear. My chest is only 650. My helm is "okay", but gloves and boots could be significantly improved. You could easily get 11k+ es with this build. High HP is certainly a type of defense in and of itself, but its even better with... Fortify (Ground Slam): This is how we get fortify. Sorry, we can't just Whirling Blades everywhere like other support classes. But, surprisingly, Ground Slam feels just fine. You use it when you feel like you might take any significant damage in the near future. Arctic Armor: Its a good skill. Use it and love it. Passive Trees & Leveling:
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Bandits: Kill Kill Kill Use Flame Totem + Firestorm until 33, then switch to Whispering Ice. Level 1-58, before switching to CI: (The top left Jewel socket is for the Brute Force Solution unique gem.) Switch to CI and head towards this tree whenever you feel like you can get enough ES from gear, usually at least around level 59+ Level 74: Grab Whispers of Doom and Hex Master at some point, and head towards the final tree: Level 94 final tree: FAQ:
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What about stun? No Unwavering Stance or Eye of Chayula means you'll be stunned a lot?
Nope. You're either moving a lot, or casting. If you're moving a lot, you'll be fine. With flasks you can tank the damage even if you get hit. If you're casting, Practical Application and Nimbleness take care of you just fine. You do get stunned occasionally, but your multiple layers of defense make it not a problem. Not to mention we have a Cast When Stunned link to take advantage of the situation. Atziri viable? Haven't tried it yet because I'm in Tempest and spending my time in high level mapping groups, but I'm 100% sure I can kill her with this build. I'm just being a pussy right now. It is similar to many other Whispering Ice builds and we've already seen them kill Atziri just fine. Ok you're tanky but what about your damage?
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The tooltip for Icestorm is the average damage PER ICE SHARD.
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 Yes, the tooltip damage for this build is lower than many other Whispering Ice builds. That is because: a.) My gear sucks. b.) We have to sacrifice 7 passive points and a ring slot for tri-curse. c.) Its Tempest league. We prioritize defense. I assure you, the damage with this build is high enough for both solo and party play, especially for being a mix between support and damage. Last edited by TritanV on Aug 14, 2015, 11:08:17 AM
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Very cool hardcore take on the icestorm build! I like it.
Why not take skittering runes for an extra 20% curse effect? You are very close to it on the tree. [Build Guide] - Whispering Ice CI Avatar of Fire
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1386145 |
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can you post a video
ign DominusDontTouchMe
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" I'm just really not sure its worth it. The curses seem strong enough already, and 4 more points is a lot when we've already sacrificed 7 for curses. I really did consider it when making the build, and I still might get them past 94, but pre-94 it seems like giving up too much int/damage because you'd have to sacrifice a notable or jewel socket. " Yep, working on it right now! Last edited by TritanV on Aug 13, 2015, 8:14:57 AM
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Video up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04nLSNRGjV0&feature=youtu.be I play carefully here, because the map mods combined with the monsters in the map are... kinda scary. I also completely forget to use my Vaal Discipline. -_- edit.. and I had Ele Weakness on instead of Frostbite. Oops. Last edited by TritanV on Aug 13, 2015, 10:50:21 AM
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Nice guide!
Have been thinking of making a whispering ice build for a while now as it is so strong. I've been doing some level 76-78 maps with him and have to say his build looks very solid. He can easily solo bosses like the one in volcano while the rest of us was too scared to come even close to it. I do have some questions tho. Unless I completely missed it, with what skill did you level and at what level do you suggest swapping to whispering ice? Is it possible to get the attribute requirements with just getting a good rare necklace instead as the necklace doesn't really offer much apart from its attributes. I'm a pretty avid melee player so I haven't done many ES shield involved builds. How do you keep your shield up during a fight as it doesn't regen in a fight or are the nodes on tree helping with that? You said to kill the bandits in all acts, are the passive points really worth the loss of other things? or are there some bandits you would consider Last edited by FreakerPlay on Aug 13, 2015, 11:41:15 AM
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Very nice guide from a very nice guy =)
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Do you get stunned often?
ign DominusDontTouchMe
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" Hey :P I leveled with Flame Totem + Firestorm until level 33, and then switched to Whispering Ice. Yes, it is possible to use a rare amulet, but for this build you must remember that Intelligence directly contributes to your damage AND energy shield, as well as mana. Int is the cornerstone of pretty much any Whispering Ice build. Energy shield is recharged in three ways: Leech, Time, and Vaal Discipline. The main one is Leech. You constantly leech ES with Icestorm. For the bandits, yes, the passive points are really worth it. Alira's cast speed in cruel is not noticeable with Icestorm. I will add some of this info to the guide, and make it more clear. | |
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Very tanky
 " how exactly did you sustain 120sh manacost on 6s ice? or 100 at 5s. or maybe 90 at 4s? No rest for the wicked Last edited by mezmery on Aug 15, 2015, 2:21:29 PM
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