[3.0/3.1] TRICK ST "COLD NEST" Build Guide

I hit lv 98 in the SC Mayhem only playing this character, ST is my favorite Attack/Projectile skill and I really enjoy the playstyle. 220k dps while mapping (according to PoB which doesn't calculate swift killer). Can get up to 500k+ with good gear, Mirror tier gear is way past that. Please note that this is with totem and frost bomb up. Whilst solo mapping I do place frost bomb down quite a lot because of how much cast speed you can get as trickster + faster casting its basically instant and have literally no down time in ST spam. Reason it is called "Cold Nest" is because is a cold conversion wasp nest character that can be played with wasp nest until red maps quite comfortably (Deals 20% less damage with Wasp nest in comparison to my 300 dps claw that I crafted). This is because wasp nest's give added chaos after certain poisons and with the 3 hits from slower proj your single target gets a hefty boost in dps after a couple seconds of hitting a boss. This claw also has great base phys for a beginner claw and awesome crit/ attack speed and is relatively common meaning this build is something you COULD play on SSF SC (wouldn't suggest for HC) once you acquire either wasp nest or a nice 300+ PDPS claw.

WHY NOT RAIDER? You can play as raider but I like being hipster trickster :) Only thing raider does better is bosses with zero add's to get charges on. Shaper, guardians, atziri pretty much. Most map bosses die fast enough.

3.1 notes!
Check out my character "golden blades" for a template on how to build this character in 3.1 as well as use the pob links as guides for endgame gear. It will be updated once i get my character on league situated with endgame mapping.
Some tips for frost blades leveling (I used it until lv 70):
1. I used wake of destruction (boots) gives flat ele. I used ondar's (the gloves) gives insane attack speed while on full life.
2. 4 link: Frost blades, Damage on full life, added cold, multistrike while dual wielding claws.
3. curse on hit - herald of ice - poachers mark (reduces enemies evasion and gives u lots of flask charges for leveling/early maps when your accuracy is most likely bad)
4. protector totem with minion/totem resist, life gain on hit from claws will help him stay alive.
Get your 3 labs done and get 2 wasp nests and around lv 70 start STing everything :).
end 3.1 notes


PRO's
- Fast Mapping with budget gear.
- No "need" for vpact until red maps. (I took at lv 92 on Mayhem. Will explain this later)
- You feel the playstyle very early on (lv 60) and after that it only gets better.
- 6 Link NOT REQUIRED only helps with crit consistency when your bossing.
- Most budget friendly build I have done. (literally 1c gear besides uniques/300+ PDPS claw which i made on Mayhem SC)
- Because we are trickster we have a LOT more defensive stats in comparison to Raider.
- Can go dual wield or lycosidae. Lycosidae is better when you are Vpact in red maps.
- Baseline weapon is insanely cheap. (Wasp Nest)
- ELE reflect NP with current 3.0 Vpact. Only reflect maps WITH reflect rares are scary.
- 10s Vaal Grace for defense.
- Freeze/chill (and because of pandemonius blind on hit)
- Can do no regen maps and spam ST even if your not leeching.
- Room for an Inspired learning in ranger section if you wanna get buffs.

CON's
- Low total life pool (5k), pidgeon holed into using Belly of the Beast or a life chest with 140+ life and 50 strength.
- Build leveling up feels very slow/bad. I leveled with frost blades until I got everything setup.
- Need a claw with good APS, Crit AND high phys. 300+ pdps with 8.0 crit is ideal. (check my PoB link for my claw)
- Build is conversion and you are forced to use hrimsorrow so good gloves are off limits.
- POB doesn't properly calculate half of trickster's ascendancy so POB dps is actually higher than shown. You can also figure out the damage by counting onslaught flask off and then turn it on, thats how much damage bonus you get from swift killer. More gear will make that boost even bigger.
- Won't hit 6+ APS like a raider can fully buffed. You'll have to settle for 4.0+ base with 5.0+ fully buffed



POB Link (copy/paste of my trickster from mayhem): https://pastebin.com/imt2ztw8
NOTES: Didn't take uber lab, You can take ghost dance for more dodge or patient reaper if you chose to go a non vpact version as this does affect leech rate and with life gain on hit from claws you will almost feel like you have vpact whilst mapping in big packs and against single target you regenerate life VERY fast with slower proj.

About my build and some of the things I do.

No ToH because its relatively low damage improvement.
Triple capped res for wise oak (defense).
Weave the arcane up 100% of the time. 40 mana cost x 5 APS = 200 mana spent recently = Zero downtime of weave the arcane while mapping.
Only time I run out of mana is with haste generosity support guardian i have mapped with with vaal haste and protector up but even then weave the arcane will top you off on mana with that much APS.
Bleed, Curse, Freeze immune from flasks (REQUIRED!)
For those that are not aware (used to not work this way) curse immunity on flasks works for map mods, just still shows the curse above your head.
Because of Yugul + wise oak + weave the arcane + fortify + dodge from acro and vgrace reflect is completely tolerable in 3.0 with this build. Highest lvl reflect map i've done was a t13 gorge and ran into 1 reflect rare popped my hp down to 40%. Thats the closest call with reflect i've ever had.
Proj speed because I love it on ST.


GIF/PIC/VIDEOS!

3.0 reflect map no vpact dual wielding wasp nest no charges. Just a really good example of my defenses on this build all coming into play. GIF: https://gyazo.com/1ef04d2d15f088ffe1d242cd182972eb

Day 1 of mayhem playing in Duo with a friend. At this time I had wasp nest,
wise oak with 5l. Trust me the mapping is as almost fast as raider with better defense. Boohoo your not blue.

Maze of Minotaur Boss DPS GIF: https://gyazo.com/01dd942770f418003a7e83c794fb67d1 My character on Mayhem SC, no power charge no frenzy :( (rip boss damage?!) I've killed every guardian deathless. Chimera is actually very easy with this build because of blind he rarely hits me on top of all the dodge/evasion.

Video of map clear!
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdAnkKb8ndo&feature=youtu.be





LEVELING


60 PoB tree/life gear for simulated life https://pastebin.com/H8dT2SmX

Get diamond flask and onslaught flask as quest rewards while leveling.
Kill all bandits, alternatively help alira for little easier leveling/gearing phase.

Note: Protector totem is enabled (huge strength requirement to run it so keep it relatively low lvl)
cwdt setups are important.
won't have mana problems once you get the mana leech from claw nodes. so insert w/e flasks you want.
you will want a strength/int amulet base until you can get enough int/strength from tree/gear which will probably be lv 90ish.
Whilst leveling prioritize Life, generic Phys, generic claw nodes, accuracy and pick up some Int/strength 30 notables to make stat requirements easier.

Pre 60 you have a few ways to level up. Either use ST straight off the bat (not suggested until you get leveling gear). Thief torment (ring, gives hp and mana on hit) helps with mana cost of ST on a tabula. Just throwing flat damage and lmp with some beginner unique weapons. Lots of the starting nodes are generic phys and one of the 3 point clusters is generic phys. Another great option instead of ST is to go frost blades, it feels pretty good for general clear as long as you have enough damage to 2 shot a pack with it. It doesn't have the best single target damage but by the time you finish act 3 you should have a totem to help with single target dps.

Once you finish act 4 (this will be a struggle for some as the build will only have 1kish life at this point even if you rush a lot of life nodes) and pick up normal lab (i suggest swift killer, lets you reserve a lot of mana) you can start using ST. Four link would be ST - GMP - Added Cold - elemental damage with attacks. If you don't have hrimsorrow and your conversion nodes on tree at this point don't worry, can just use damage on full life. Your 5th link then would be elemental damage with attacks, or crit strikes if you just want a boatload of crit for shatters.

Obviously swap in slower proj for gmp when you're bossing and if you're dual wielding claws while leveling up (which is what I would do) then I would highly suggest finding gear with accuracy rolls on them and taking some of the accuracy clusters because life gain on hit claws is really the only thing that this build has going for it for leveling. The damage is mediocre until lv 60 with wasp nests or a good crafted claw.

For auras while leveling I used herald of ash (more dps than herald of ice) and hatred after I got swift killer and tried to get some mana gain on hit through gear to reduce the annoyance of mana cost.

For bandits I chose to kill all for 2 skill points. You can help alira if you want, she will help out a lot while leveling/early mapping but I feel like 2 points to pathing for jewels is so much more important lategame. Up to you.

Also look for high APS base claws (1.5+) while leveling so your whirling blades feels better and in general they are easier to roll, you can use shield charge if thats your preferred way to play though.

I am not the greatest for "leveling" advice as I tend to steamroll through it in about 6-7 hours and then map.


After level 60 this build takes off, please remember that. You do have lower than average life and will have issues with int/strength from skills like frost bomb, protector totem, faster casting (makes flame dash and frost bomb feel fast), herald of ice, herald of ash (whichever u prefer to use), as well as int for claws in general. You need int to be minimum 120, you want strength to be 100+ as well. You do not need to spec into all the crit/crit multi nodes right away. When you can use wasp nest the build should have 40-50% crit chance without much investment as long as your charges are up and you are using wasp nest (high crit chance on the weapon).

86 PoB tree/same shit gear (DPS is basically doubled) https://pastebin.com/UHw9E4F6

This is where you will start to feel weak if you don't have mediocre gear.
Getting a pandemonius increases your damage/survival through blind but is extremely expensive on temp leagues so only min/maxers will get this item as it is the most expensive in the entire build.
Getting a wise oak will greatly improve your damage as well as some defense if you manage to get 2 or all resistances equal for defensive side of this flask.
Picking up merc/ uber lab can improve your defensive stats as well.
Slotting in vaal grace is another wise thing to do at this point.
Your dps should be much higher than the PoB (no flasks, no gear, no 5l, make sure you have the box checked for "full life" when you get damage on full life gem) and you WILL want to look for accuracy on gear (helmet/rings) as that is your sustain.
You should be able to do atziri at this point and pick up an atziri's promise for extra dps and some chaos resist.






Informational fact spam about Leech, enchants, 3.1 etc....
De acceleration enchant for ST is OP for this build as it gives you an additional 2 hits on your slower proj setup. So instead of 3 hits per attack its now 5 hits per attack with 5 aps meaning 20 actual hits per second. With how leech rate works and how life gain on hit works this means you will get about 1k hp per second from life gain on hit whilst dual wielding and with leeching it scales best with multiple instances of leech. There's too much to talk about with leech but basically its safe to play w/o vpact and only reason I took vpact on this build (at lv 92 when I started having some issues) is because of reflect in 3.0 which won't work the same in 3.1. Because of wasp nest poisoning targets whilst mapping means patient reaper WILL be up which does affect leech rate.

Another thing is you can acquire 90%+ chance to avoid freezing if you want to potentially drop immunity to freeze. you will have to take the following nodes on the tree and have a taste of hate:
Crystal skin and the 2 nodes before it, Thick skin which you should already have, and Elemental Focus which is actually a very good damage boost per point efficient (higher than frenzies with this build) and gives even more freeze consistency. And because of that there is a possibility that I will make a phys with added damage effects in 3.1 utilizing the new crit/accuracy gloves, dual wielding, sin's rebirth, atziri's promise, taste of hate, hatred and herald of ash instead of herald of ice. Just not sure how good 90%+ chance to avoid freeze actually is or if there is a way to hit 100+%. That setup will be a work in progress 3.1



This is my first build guide in an extremely long time so feedback is welcome.
I do plan on updating this guide in the future as it will be my 3.1 starter unless something in the build gets extremely nerfed.




Last edited by ExiledVessel on Dec 9, 2017, 11:50:48 AM
Last bumped on Dec 10, 2017, 11:37:31 PM
Hello SloshMoney!

This build is exactly what I was looking for when I had to pick up a new build for 3.1. I really like the written parts of the build, but it would make such a big difference if you could put in those interactable pics of gears&gems, really helps finding the right one when you are browsing multiple builds.

What do you use to level, I don't really get that from reading the leveling section, ST?

GOOD JOB!

This is gonna be my starter on 3.1, I just have to figure out a some of the things.

EDIT: I have not used PathofBuilding before.. Now I am, great guide.

Last edited by ivespoken on Dec 4, 2017, 2:54:28 PM
May I ask why you kill all bandits instead of siding with alira?
"
ivespoken wrote:
Hello SloshMoney!

This build is exactly what I was looking for when I had to pick up a new build for 3.1. I really like the written parts of the build, but it would make such a big difference if you could put in those interactable pics of gears&gems, really helps finding the right one when you are browsing multiple builds.

What do you use to level, I don't really get that from reading the leveling section, ST?

GOOD JOB!

This is gonna be my starter on 3.1, I just have to figure out a some of the things.

EDIT: I have not used PathofBuilding before.. Now I am, great guide.



I cannot link the gear as the character that I originally made this build on is in a void league (mayhem). Will have to settle on using the PoB link until I can remake this character in 3.1 :).


I updated the leveling section but either use frost blades or st, I personally used frost blades until i got GMP and even then frost blades generally felt better. Make sure you pick up a totem on the library quest and get frost bomb as one of the quest rewards at start as this helps your damage out on bosses.


"
ivespoken wrote:
May I ask why you kill all bandits instead of siding with alira?


I just feel like 2 points is so important for pathing to jewels. How i get some int is above claw nodes pathing for jewels and pathing for crit multi/ possibly crit chance and cold damage near it in witch area. Or picking up proj speed if you like to throw ST on the edge of your screen for safety as this build is fairly low in total life.
Last edited by ExiledVessel on Dec 4, 2017, 6:56:37 PM
Thanks a bunch for that reply!
Any node in particular which I have to pick up early? I can see the level 98 and the level 60 skill trees, but im wondering if there is anything I should pick up ASAP.

Already made lists of where to pick up gems and which optional quests to do, going for a speed run to maps on the upcoming league.
Last edited by ivespoken on Dec 5, 2017, 5:14:16 AM
In what order do you ascend and does this build have damage over time to proc the patient reaper or what would the uber lab ascendancy points be spent on?

and what's most important aspect to the trickster ascendancy compared to the others?
Last edited by ivespoken on Dec 5, 2017, 12:08:47 PM
Can someone please explain to me how I see the build? what do I do with those pastebin links?
"
ivespoken wrote:
Thanks a bunch for that reply!
Any node in particular which I have to pick up early? I can see the level 98 and the level 60 skill trees, but im wondering if there is anything I should pick up ASAP.

Already made lists of where to pick up gems and which optional quests to do, going for a speed run to maps on the upcoming league.


just prioritize life and damage early on, no need to get all the crit nodes right away. You will want the conversion nodes by level 50 or 60 so that you can get a hrimsorrow. Watch out for Ilvl so you can 4l them :).



"
ivespoken wrote:
In what order do you ascend and does this build have damage over time to proc the patient reaper or what would the uber lab ascendancy points be spent on?

and what's most important aspect to the trickster ascendancy compared to the others?



I personally prefer swift killer so you can have most of mana reserved early on through hatred/ herald and not have a problem with mobility. Then pick up your frenzy/power generation on cruel, this combined with the wasp nest will start making the build feel good. I go for weave the arcane as the 3rd cause it makes you tankier ( 8% reduced damage taken, should be up 90% of the time and when you get a 6l will be up 100% of the time )


In regards to patient reaper, tldr, yes thats very easy to build around.
Wasp nest poison on hit and are the staple starting unique to get this character working in maps. Wasp nest (unless changed in 3.1 patch notes) have poison on hit and will proc patient reaper, alternatively getting some fire damage to attacks on accessories will cause you to burn on crit when you have no poison from crafted claws.
"
Taverna422 wrote:
Can someone please explain to me how I see the build? what do I do with those pastebin links?



This youtube video does a very good job on explaining PoB, I will have a character link in 3.1 after the first few days that you can look at because I will be playing this in 3.1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLpKZVNTOo8
"
I personally prefer swift killer so you can have most of mana reserved early on through hatred/ herald and not have a problem with mobility. Then pick up your frenzy/power generation on cruel, this combined with the wasp nest will start making the build feel good. I go for weave the arcane as the 3rd cause it makes you tankier ( 8% reduced damage taken, should be up 90% of the time and when you get a 6l will be up 100% of the time )


When you say swift killer and then mention the movement spells im confused.. Do you mean "Walk the aether" instead of "swift killer"? The frezy+power charge generation comes from swift killer. Weave the arcane as third, understood.


"
In regards to patient reaper, tldr, yes thats very easy to build around.
Wasp nest poison on hit and are the staple starting unique to get this character working in maps. Wasp nest (unless changed in 3.1 patch notes) have poison on hit and will proc patient reaper, alternatively getting some fire damage to attacks on accessories will cause you to burn on crit when you have no poison from crafted claws.


So that makes it:
Normal: Walk the Aether
Cruel: Swift Killer
Merciless: Weave the arcane
Uber: Patient Reaper

Is this correct?

Report Forum Post

Report Account:

Report Type

Additional Info