[2.6] The Curse Whisperer - Tri-Curse CI Whispering Ice Elementalist - Viable for Everything

Is there a substantial difference between CwC and non-CwC version when it comes to performance? I much prefer the self cast playstyle and was sad to see meta switch to SR.

Is precasting that important? Or is it about reserving more mana? Dmg difference?

Can this be done LOW LIFE?

I'm sure this was discussed, if so, can you point me to the write pages in the post?

Thanks!

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PrincessMaysie wrote:

Can this be done LOW LIFE?

I'm sure this was discussed, if so, can you point me to the write pages in the post?

Thanks!

Following Kelvynn's build, but going LL it would mean a loss of ES, using Shavs over a higher ES chest, not getting the 15% more ES, etc. This build already doesn't get THAT much ES compared to other CI builds.

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4nthraxx wrote:

Is there a substantial difference between CwC and non-CwC version when it comes to performance? I much prefer the self cast playstyle and was sad to see meta switch to SR.

Is precasting that important? Or is it about reserving more mana? Dmg difference?

It's mostly about mobility, getting stuck in the casting animation vs being free to move at any time. This difference is most noticeable when you do Hydra with mods (i.e. a dangerous fast moving target).

Pre-casting on the boss is nice too. And not needing Enlighten. And getting everything 2 levels earlier.

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PrincessMaysie wrote:

Can this be done LOW LIFE?

See Q&A.

LowLife/Shavs is one of the options to trade a lot of safety for some extra damage. Swapping the Life Leech gem for another DPS gem is another similar idea. Swapping Warlord's Mark for Flammability/EW is another one.

The thing is: you don't need that extra DPS to clear trash in any tier. But you'll just die a whole lot more in T16 with it, and it won't go much faster even if you don't die.

The build is so smooth now with the new gems. Good job !

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Docbp87 wrote:

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PrincessMaysie wrote:

Can this be done LOW LIFE?

I'm sure this was discussed, if so, can you point me to the write pages in the post?

Thanks!

Following Kelvynn's build, but going LL it would mean a loss of ES, using Shavs over a higher ES chest, not getting the 15% more ES, etc. This build already doesn't get THAT much ES compared to other CI builds.

to join the discussion:

I played a lowlife version to lvl 95 in prophecy. works fine, but it provides only few advantages over going CI, at the cost of having less power at the topend.

essentially, with CI, you can use black sun crest, so you get 15% inc int & 15% more ES from the node behind CI. on lowlife, you have to use a rare helm, so you get 30% more damage instead. 15% more damage and 15% more ehp vs 30% more damage is a rather even trade. the main difference I see between the builds is that you get one, or possibly two, additional auras on the lowlife version, but will be stuck at 9-10k ES max and will not be immune to chaos damage. on CI, with the same gear level, you will have around 1.5k-2k more ES than on the lowlife version, while reaching roughly the same damage levels. for endgame content, this makes a huge difference. there are tons of stuff you can tank with 11k ES that you cant with 9k.

so overall, I dont think lowlife and CI are too far apart from one another if you do it right, but CI is probably slightly stronger. the chaos immunity (or lack thereof) is my personal "tie-breaker".

anyone who wants can have a look at the char "Avatar_of_Ice" in my profile for an example of a lowlife take on this build. reaches about 9.6k ES and 9.4k tooltip avg damage in the current setup (for mapping, no conc effect, no buffs besides golems).

Can I play this build as an Occultist? And can I use The Beast of Fur Shawl?

A few observations (from memory sadly -- I should have written things down) on using this as a league starter build. I did that for Breach.

1. I levelled up slowly with the recommended Freezing Pulse. I should have invested in Spark/Fire Trap/Firestorm/Flameblast instead (and taken the spell damage nodes from the Witch start -- these are easy to respec later.)

2. My chaos orb income was too low to buy a Whispering Ice staff until I hit level 39 (paid 7 chaos on day two.) I had no idea that The Incantation divination card existed; I probably could have gotten four of these for way less than a staff would have cost.

3. A Clarity gem was very important.

4. Crafting with Essence of Spite will generally be way cheaper than buying chest, belt, and gloves. For boots, you're probably stuck with buying them as it's too hard to get Int and the 30% movement speed. I crafted my chest, belt, and gloves several times each.

5. Buy a crappy Astramentis as early as you can afford it; I picked mine up for ~40c on day 3. Then reroll its stats using Blessed and Divine Orbs.

6. Same thing with Izaro's Turmoil -- they were ~10c each on day 3.

What was your league starter experience? Next league I'll try CWC a lot earlier than level 75.

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apocalyplant wrote:

Can I play this build as an Occultist? And can I use The Beast of Fur Shawl?

Only if you want to gimp yourself heavily. There is zero reason to go occultist that I can think of. Any reason in particular you want to do that? Also, why Beast Fur Shawl? It has shit ES, and the AOE/Damage from it is totally unnecessary. You are faaaar better off with a 750 ES rare with a good Int roll.

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Docbp87 wrote:

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apocalyplant wrote:

Can I play this build as an Occultist? And can I use The Beast of Fur Shawl?

Only if you want to gimp yourself heavily. There is zero reason to go occultist that I can think of. Any reason in particular you want to do that? Also, why Beast Fur Shawl? It has shit ES, and the AOE/Damage from it is totally unnecessary. You are faaaar better off with a 750 ES rare with a good Int roll.

Occultist is always a consideration if you value survivability over damage. I would probably consider going occult for HC.