[3.4] Tanky Totem SRS + Skelly Mage Occultist

I think I'm just about done playing on this build. It's certainly been interesting and a lot of fun. I did Merciless Labyrinth yesterday at level 79, not great problems there, and did tier four transmutated (thus blue) maps until I hit level 80. Today, Dec. 3, 2018, I did a few tier five blue maps, dying multiple times.

I don't find this witch, love her though I do, to be strong enough to keep investing time in. I don't know how many levels I'd need to get on her for her to be capable of mapping properly. There is no way I would attempt an alched map with her. Too often, she gets done in by a group in an arena that just lands on her and kills her before I can get in a single keypress. Opening a breach or an abyss on any map means a quick death for dear Agnab. It's a good thing she's not real, otherwise this would be tragic!

I hope you will write another excellent forum guide for your eleskelly/phant for your devoted followers to follow in the new expansion.

For some reason, eleskelly/phant conjures images for me of pachyderm skeletons in some museum, perhaps come to life to give the Shaper what for.

If you feel like it, you can always cast an eye over Agnab as she stands now to see if I have missed something in the build other than the expensive unique items. One always wonders when one comes to a crossroads in the passive skill tree which way to go next. I do, anyway. It's possible my path there hasn't been optimal.
binaryreed
Last edited by binaryreed on Dec 3, 2018, 3:27:24 PM
Hey Binaryreed,

Unless they buff SRS or curses, it makes sense to rest this idea. Thanks for testing it though!
This build was never going to be amazing, but there are a lot of things Agnab can do:

Conductivity replaced by elemental weakness or enfeeble

replace wraithlord with a nice elder rare helmet with added minion damage and minion life mods for extra life on all minions, extra damage on all minions and 2 extra links for skellies or zombies. Or try a defensive helm such as hale negator

replace gloves with shaper rare with faster casting, blind and/or slower projectiles. Put the skeletons in there for a psuedo 6 or 7 link.


(note, slower projectiles support is a massive Quality of life drop for mapping. I highly recommend faster projectiles instead)

replace rings with well rolled rares for much better stats

Spectres changed to link with blood magic and minion life for frenzy/power charges (use host and carnage chieftans). This will mean you get more reliable value out of immolate, and give a general 30% buff to damage vs bosses.

or

replace the shield with mon'treguls grasp, then use zombies + minion damage + added fire + empower in helmet. Those zombies will now do AOE fire damage and really help your clears. You'd maybe have to give up spectres though.

1 extra totem from skill tree would give 30% more dps from srs and 30% faster ramp up time, and one more meatshield totem. I'd take that node before the minion damage nodes.

I've also done some testing, and found that the ascendency nodes from necromancer are almost always better than occultist. This league I tested a lot of occultists and they fell short in most areas. The occultist ascendency passives will change soon though...
Last edited by grimlock9999 on Dec 3, 2018, 5:45:53 PM
Well! Thank you for looking in on little Agnab! Sshe sends her regards! There was more than a little I could have done better in her behalf!

I have a couple of days on which to play around a bit more with this build before Betrayal League starts, so with her permission, I'll see if I can't do a little better by Agnab until then. I'll report on any good results we get.

I really wondered which way to go first, toward Ancestral Bond to get a third totem or toward Righteous Army, Spiritual Aid and Redemption for more minion goodness. I have some refund points left, so I can back out of the latter for now and go the rest of the way in the former, where I have only one point at present.

I've never played on a character that had not a single direct damage skill. I guess Flame Dash counts as direct damage, even though it's mainly a movement skill, so the previous sentence will still hold true unless I switch Flame Dash for something else and switch it back in when doing the Labyrinth.

I'll see what I can do about changing out some of the gear and skill gems for ones that will work better. I was trying to get by with just stuff I had on hand, which is a major reason this build has been a good deal less han optimal for mapping. Aside from resistance, maintaining enough dexterity has been a difficulty that getting rid of Atziri's Mirror would obviate. Mon'tregul's Grasp, here I come!

Or maybe not! The dexterity problem seems to have gotten sorted out in the process of changing helmet and gloves.
binaryreed
Last edited by binaryreed on Dec 5, 2018, 8:38:38 AM
I may be (probably am) doing things wrong, but this is working worse for me, rather than better. Enemies run through my totems and three zombies at me so that I have to run away, run around rocks and stuff to keep from getting killed.

Despite all the shortcomings, the build worked better when I could pair my arc attacks with what the skeletons were doing. Between us, we rapidly blew up most everything, and though I couldn't get far in mapping, it was more secure than this. I had to go back to tier three maps after switching to Mon'tregul's grasp.

Nonetheless, this was a really fun experiment, and I'm glad to have played on this Occultist.

It seems the Occultist ascendancy is going to change in Betrayal league. One can hope it wil become more worthwhile.

I have become quite fond of arc. I wonder if some kind of character might not be able to be built around arc as a central skill.
binaryreed
"
I have become quite fond of arc. I wonder if some kind of character might not be able to be built around arc as a central skill.


Arc has been one of the top tier skills for the last two leagues. arc traps, arc totems and arc self cast were cheap, easy ways to get to end game. This league, the skill has been nerfed, so you are a little bit late to the party!

Oh, GGG, you took away my candy just when I discovered I like it!

I won't cry as long as necromancing doesn't get nerfed. Thanks to you, I have acquired quite a taste for that and look forward to exploring it in the new league.
binaryreed

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