[3.14] Perry's Unleash Exsanguinate (Phys DOT Trickster)

Exsanguinate has quickly become one of my favorite skills in Path of Exile. This character was a dream to play in SSF Ultimatum League, and I want to share it with you.

Many players league-started Ultimatum with a Scion Exsanguinate build, which is also a great choice -- but it is very far from the only choice. Trickster has some excellent tools in his ascendancy. The other differences, like using Unleash, represent a very smooth playstyle, great clearspeed and enough single-target to clear all content shy of deep-delving.

At a glance, the highlights of this build are as follows:

Trickster
Unleash
Cold Iron Point
Mistwall
Atziri's Step
Dodge + Block


Mistwall used to be a Boss-Only drop from Conquerors, which meant it was a bit uncommon, especially in SSF. However, as of 3.14 Ultimatum League, Mistwall is NOT a Boss-Only drop, and can now drop from any monster while you're mapping. Because this build uses a dodge/evasion based defense, we make excellent use of Mistwall as an additional layer of defense while mapping.

This is a 3.14 Ultimatum Build Guide for a Life-based Trickster scaling the Damage Over Time component of Exsanguinate. This guide contains gearing choices, ascendancy explanations, DPS calculations, and SSF information. Enjoy!

I stream at https://www.twitch.tv/perrythepig. Come ask questions.



Videos:

Video Guide + Awakener 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDnorwY28Ms
Wave 20 Simulacrum: https://youtu.be/-oPrkDvOqz8

Offensive Highlights:

I am going to give you a lot of information here, because I don't want to misrepresent the character's DPS.

Because we are using Unleash in our main gems, our clearing setup will always represent all 3 Stacks of Exsanguinate's DOT component. This also means that our Corrupting Fever will mostly always be at 3 Stacks, even though for Single Target, we will calculate all 10 Stacks instead.

Our DPS does NOT rely on flasks
Our DPS does NOT rely on temporary buffs, like Vaal RF
This means that our realistic DPS uptime, especially as a DOT build, is very high.

Clearing Setup (Cold Iron Point + Mistwall + Chain Support)
(POB vs "Not a Boss")
1 Million Exsanguinate DPS (3 Stacks)
250k Corrupting Fever DPS (3 Stacks)

Single Target Setup (2x Cold Iron Point + Swift Affliction Support)
(POB vs "Sirus")
1.8 Million Exsanguinate DPS (3 Stacks)
1 Million Corrupting Fever DPS (10 Stacks)

BUDGET: DPS before Cold Iron Point

Spoiler


"But what if I don't have a Cold Iron Point?"
Let's pretend you have a +1 Wand with some spell damage. Remember, GGG introduced a +1 Gem recipe in 3.14 Ultimatum League.

Clip from Zizaran showing recipe:
https://clips.twitch.tv/MagnificentSavoryOxChocolateRain-zhbKD3VLAWSB8SJu

Reddit Discussion Thread, for clarifications:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/mts3k2/1_to_spell_gems_of_each_type_recipes_found/



Clearing Setup (Wand + Mistwall + Chain Support)
(POB vs "Not a Boss")
950k Exsanguinate DPS (3 Stacks)
200k Corrupting Fever DPS (3 Stacks)

Single Target Setup (2x Wand + Swift Affliction Support)
(POB vs "Sirus")
1.1 Million Exsanguinate DPS (3 Stacks)
500k Corrupting Fever DPS (10 Stacks)



Defensive Highlights // Mapping:

Between 5800 and 6500 life, depending on gearing

190,000 eHP while clearing maps --> Extremely safe map clear
24,000 "Maximum Hit Taken"
Dodge-Based Defense with Mistwall's 75% Attack Block
71% Attack Dodge BEFORE Vaal Grace
75% Spell Dodge BEFORE Vaal Grace
10 Second Vaal Grace
Elusive on Kill
left-click Steelskin lvl 20
Ailment Immune
Trickster's Ghost Shrouds: Stun Immune and 9% Damage Reduction
Trickster's Recovery life/Mana/ES on kill, for easy mapping
Enduring Cry for Endurance Charges
Taste of Hate + 76% Max Res Synergy

Defensive Highlights // Single Target:

Between 5800 and 6500 life, depending on gearing

For most bosses, the scary part is spells, not attacks. Mistwall doesn't help as much, so we can swap to a different shield (+1 Phys Gems and Life), or we can swap to another Cold Iron Point.

When I swap to double Cold Iron Point, I drop my CWDT+Void Sphere, and instead use Vigilant Strike + Ancestral Call for fortify.

77,000 eHP while Bossing
31,000 "Maximum Hit Taken"
Fortify for 11 Seconds
50% Attack Dodge BEFORE Vaal Grace
55% Spell Dodge BEFORE Vaal Grace
10 Second Vaal Grace
left-click Steelskin lvl 20
Ailment Immune
Trickster's Ghost Shrouds: Stun Immune and 9% Damage Reduction
Enduring Cry for Endurance Charges + Recovery

My advice for bosses like Sirus? Learn the fight:
https://youtu.be/k_PE_n-pQgY

POB Pastebin:

https://pastebin.com/5fYTXaF4

NOTE: Ensure you're using the POB Community Fork:
https://pathofbuilding.community/

Skill Tree - sneak peak:
Spoiler




Bandits:

Spoiler


Kill all Bandits for the extra two skill points.

If this is your first character in a new league, it is always worth considering helping Alira for the extra Elemental Resistance. If you do this, you can always change your bandit choice later using the Vendor Recipe:
https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Deal_with_the_Bandits.



Ascendancy - Trickster:

Spoiler


Choosing Trickster gives us tons of durability while clearing maps, and a big 20% More Damage multiplier for Exsanguinate's DOT component.

Specifically, Trickster grants us the following:
- Recover Life/Mana/ES on Kill
- 9% Reduced Damage Taken
- Stun Mitigation
- 31% Increased Cast Speed
- 20% Skill Effect Duration (Enduring Cry, Steelskin, Corrupting Fever, Exsanguinate, Vaal Grace)

Ascendancy Order

For our first two labs, we prioritize the damage from "Prolonged Pain".

My recommendation is to leave "Escape Artist" for your last 2 Ascendancy points.





Ascendancy Alternatives: Scion

Spoiler


If this is a Trickster Guide, why are we talking about Scion?

One of the hot new builds of 3.14 Ultimatum League was Exsanguinate Scion. Some people were spellslinging, some people were self-casting, and a very small few were even using Unleash Support (like me). Enki has written a guide on this Scion build, which covers what Zizaran league-started with in Ultimatum.
Here's a reference link:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3102014

So which one is better?

There's no clear winner, in my opinion -- these are just two different builds. But as long as we're here, let's talk about the differences.

Unleash vs No Unleash?

Using unleash costs you an entire support gem, which is roughly 40% more damage. On the other hand, Unleash allows us an amazing amount of clearspeed, especially while also using Chain Support. Unleashing Exsanguinate + the three "seals" means we cast 4 spells at once, which lines up very well with Exsanguinate (DOT stacks 3 times) and Corrupting Fever (DOT stacks up to 10 times).

Against Single Target, Unleash gives us very realistic uptime on all of our damage. We can reposition and avoid deadly mechanics without missing out on too much DPS.

While farming Awakener 8, tier 16 conquerors, and wave 20 Simulacrums, I have always felt like I've had enough damage -- which makes me happy to include Unleash for Quality of Life.

Block vs Dodge?

The point of the Scion Ascendancy here is to go Gladiator + Necromancer, which is an amazing foundation for a block-based defense with a "Recover #% of Life When You Block" Shield.

The point of our Trickster build is to use Dodge, Acro, and Phase Acro in order to maintain uptime on our Ghost Shrouds, which give us 9% generic Damage Reduction.

So if you can be 75/75 Block or 75/75 Dodge, what's the difference?

Three Key things:

1. "Block" is an event, which can trigger "Recover #% of life when you block" on a shield

2. Wind Dancer Keystone

2. Mistwall Unique Shield

Because we are a dodge-based build, our defense synergizes incredibly well with Mistwall. This is now a normal item drop as of 3.14 Ultimatum League, and is no longer a Boss-Drop exclusive to Conquerors. As long as we have not blocked recently, we can be at 75/75 Dodge AND 75% chance to block attack damage.

The order of operations in POE for receiving damage is as follows:
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Receiving_damage

Evade -> Dodge -> Avoid -> Block

In terms of maintaining uptime both on Wind Dancer and on Mistwall's "Maximum Block Chance", we have strong investment into evasion and dodge, and even a bit of damage avoidance from our skill tree. Not only that, but because we are a DOT build using Unleash, our playstyle synergizes very well with our defenses.




Skill Gems:

Spoiler


Exsanguinate (socketed in Body Armor):

Exsanguinate
Brutality
Controlled Destruction
Unleash
Efficacy
Chain // Swift Affliction

If you want EVEN MORE single target DPS, you can do a double-gem swap:
Unleash // Controlled Destruction
Chain // Swift Affliction

If you do this, you'll need to use either Cruelty or a level 3/4 Empower as a constant gem. In my experience, gem-swapping off of Unleash for single target has been unnecessary: 3 million DPS has been plenty for me, and Unleash represents excellent quality of life.

Corrupting Fever (socketed in Gloves):

Corrupting Fever
Brutality
Efficacy
Swift Affliction

Socket your Corrupting Fever in your Gloves. Eventually, you will want to craft a pair with an "Essence of Delirium" for "Socketed Gems deal 30% More Damage Over Time". The best base would be the new Apothecary's Gloves for the 18% increased DOT implicit. (Spell Damage, like from Fingerless Silk Gloves, doesn't affect Corrupting Fever.)

Auras (socketed in Helmet):

Pride
Herald of Purity
Maim
War Banner

Note that Enlighten is not needed for this build.

Flame Dash
Arcane Surge level 5
Second Wind

Cast When Damage Taken level 1
Void Sphere level 1

Steelskin level 20
Enduring Cry
Second Wind

Vaal Grace

Extra Defensive Options // Mana Reservation

If you're able to get any sort of Reduced Mana Reservation + Enlighten into this build, my recommendation is to think about including Aspect of the Crab, if possible.

https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Aspect_of_the_Crab

The weakest part of this build's defenses is Physical Spells. Aspect of the Crab, along with out dodge-based defense, is a great way to beef ourselves up. I haven't included this in my own build, because I feel the defenses are already A+, but it is worth mentioning.



Flasks:

Spoiler


We do not use any flasks to inflate our DPS. We could use a Sulphur Flask for 40% increased damage, but the utility & defense granted by our other flasks outweigh that increase, in my opinion.



Bubbling/Seething Life Flask of Staunching
Chemist's Basalt Flask of _____ (open suffix, personal preference)
Alchemist's Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline
Taste of Hate
Chemist's Quartz Flask of Warding, my personal favorite flask

If you can find a jewel with the corrupted implicit "Corrupted Blood Cannot Be Inflicted on You," feel free to replace the "of Staunching" suffix with the suffix of your choice. The "Staunching" suffix does, however, protect us against any actual bleeds, like when a monster uses Puncture.

If you are not yet immune to ailments via your gear, you will need (at least) to have "of Heat" as a suffix on one of your flasks.

Taste of Hate

https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Taste_of_Hate

Taste of Hate is a fantastic defensive flask for our build. Any source of "Phys taken as _____", be it on flask, helmet, body armor, or shield corruption -- Each of these is a great inclusion in our Dodge-based build. This is where the majority of our physical mitigation comes from, other than Endurance Charges and Basalt Flask.

If you don't yet have a Taste of Hate, my recommendation would be a Jade Flask (for extra evasion), which also has synergy with our Ghost Dance ascendancy:






Jewels:

Spoiler


For this build, we have space for only one or two normal jewels.

Here is a Pathofexile.com Trade Query for all the things you might look for in a normal jewel.
Be sure to update this link for whichever League you are playing in:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/KrjXgDLs5

Feel free to play with the link above to find reasonably priced jewels.

Also consider that eventually, every build will want a jewel that has this corruption:
"Corrupted Blood cannot be inflicted on you"

Because we are a caster build, you might consider also searching for a jewel with the corruption:
"You cannot be cursed with silence"

In SSF, I tend to Vaal any jewel that has life and res, looking for the Corrupted Blood corruption.



Abyss Jewels:

Spoiler


For this build, we have space for only one or two abyss jewels. We prioritize the following mod:
"#% chance to gain onslaught for 4 seconds on kill"

Even the Tier 2 version of this mod (3-5% chance) is enough (item level 50+)

Because the "Onslaught" mod only appears on Murderous and Searching Eye jewels, we cannot get too much DPS from this slot. Instead, we use this jewel to get things like Intelligence, Strength, Life, Resistances, etc.

Here is a Pathofexile.com Trade Query for all the things you might look for in an Abyss jewel.
Be sure to update this link for whichever League you are playing in:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/rR7OpaZHQ

Feel free to play with the poe.trade link above to find reasonably priced jewels.

Also consider that eventually, every build will want a jewel that has this corruption:
"Corrupted Blood cannot be inflicted on you"

Because we are a caster build, you might consider also searching for a jewel with the corruption:
"You cannot be cursed with silence"

In SSF, I tend to Vaal any jewel that has life and res, looking for the Corrupted Blood corruption.



Cluster Jewels:

Spoiler


For this build, we have space for:
One Large Cluster Jewel
Two Medium Cluster Jewels
One or Two Small Cluster Jewels

Large Cluster:

Because Corrupting Fever does not scale with Spell Damage, we greatly prefer our Large Cluster Jewel to be:
"12% Increased Physical Damage"

Like most builds, we prefer our Large Cluster Jewel to have "8 Passives".

Like most builds, we prefer our Large Cluster to have 3 Notables. The "Force Multiplier" Notable is normally excellent on a Physical Large Cluster Jewel, but because our build is DOT, the "chance to deal double damage" text does not scale our damage. Note also that the word "overwhelm" does not scale our DOT damage.

Below is a Pathofexile.com Trade Query for all the things you might look for in a Large Cluster Jewel.
Be sure to update this link for whichever League you are playing in:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/ypG3lVWsR

In an SSF scenario, I would recommend crafting this via Harvest. "Reforge with a Phys Modifier" is a very simple way of hitting three notables on Physical Large Cluster Jewels.

Medium Clusters:

Medium Cluster Jewels are fairly important for our build, and represent a big chunk of our DOT Multiplier.

We prefer our Medium Cluster Jewels to have 4 or 5 Passives, and to be "Physical Damage Over Time".
In SSF, we can settle for "Damage Over Time" Medium Clusters instead.

Below is a Pathofexile.com Trade Query for all the things you might look for in a Medium Cluster Jewel.
Be sure to update this link for whichever League you are playing in:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/mwr9OZRI6

Note that "Flow of Life" and "Student of Decay" are good, but not great. Because these notables offer extra quality of life, I am including them here.

Harvest is still useful with "Reforge with a Physical Mod". I tend to craft my own Medium Cluster Jewels with Alterations.

Small Clusters:

In this build, we have room for one or two Small Cluster Jewels. We are prioritizing either Life ("Fettle") or Chaos Res.

Two and Three passive small cluster jewels are both appropriate here. If you have a Three Passive small cluster, you can consider intentionally not having a Notable, and instead just have a jewel with mods like:
- "Added Small Passive Skills Also Grant #% Chaos Resistance"
- "Added Small Passive Skills Also Grant +# to maximum life"

Below is a Pathofexile.com Trade Query for all the things you might look for in a Small Cluster Jewel.
Be sure to update this link for whichever League you are playing in:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Ultimatum/qRBnGy9fg



Annoint:

Spoiler


Best // Damage

The best annoint for this build is one of the new nodes on the tree, just above Resolute Technique: Vanquisher
https://poedb.tw/us/Vanquisher

The 40% Increased Physical Damage is global, which means that it will scale our hits, our DOT, and even our Corrupting Fever.

In addition, the "Crush" keyword is actually beneficial to our build, unlike "Overwhelm". Overwhelm only cares about hits, which is not the primary source of our damage. Crush, on the other hand, will lower the enemy's Physical Damage Reduction.

Note that Physical Damage Reduction cannot go negative, unlike Elemental Resistances, but the Crush Debuff will still help us against Endurance Charges and the map modifier, "Enemies have +#% increased physical damage reduction."

Alternatives // Defense

If you feel like your build already has sufficient damage and you're instead looking for defense, my recommendation is "Discipline and Training" from the Templar's starting area.
https://poedb.tw/us/Discipline_and_Training



Lab Enchants:

Spoiler


Helmet Enchant:

The lab enchantments for Exsanguinate and Corrupting Fever, in my opinion, are not great. However, because we have other auras in our build, we have some good DPS options elsewhere.

Pride: 15% Reduced Mana Reservation (allows for Vitality inclusion, especially with Enlighten)
War Banner has 40% Increased Effect (~~ enemies take 5% increased damage)

If you're able to get any sort of Reduced Mana Reservation + Enlighten into this build, my recommendation is to think about including Aspect of the Crab, if possible.

https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Aspect_of_the_Crab

The weakest part of this build's defenses is Physical Spells. Aspect of the Crab, along with out dodge-based defense, is a great way to beef ourselves up. I haven't included this in my own build, because I feel the defenses are already A+, but it is worth mentioning.

Boot Enchant:

We are mostly stun immune already because of Ghost Shrouds and the Crafted Ailment Avoidance hybrid modifier on our chest piece. Of the remaining boot enchants that are relevant to our build, I would choose the following:

#% Damage Leeched as life if you've killed recently
#% life regenerated per second if you've been hit recently



My Gear:

Spoiler


My gear is all self-crafted in SSF SC Ultimatum League.





Leveling:

Spoiler


Although Exsanguinate is a level 12 Skill Gem, I do not recommend self-casting it as soon as possible.

My recommendation for this build is to level with Caustic Arrow from the very beginning of the game. Caustic Arrow is very easy leveling, and the skill tree will be virtually identical when we swap later to using Exsanguinate.

Caustic Arrow
Pierce
Void Manip
+ Mirage Archer
+ Vicious Projectiles

We can swap to Exsanguinate at level 24, when we get Spellslinger. Attacking with Frenzy to generate frenzy charges is a quick way to progress through early leveling.

Exsanguinate
Spellslinger
Controlled Destruction
+ Efficacy

We can scale our damage with Herald of Purity early on in the game as well, or we can set up a second Spellslinger 4link with Reap at level 28.

Swapping to Self-Cast Exsanguinate:

This will happen at level 38, when we have access to our key skill gems: Unleash and Chain. If you're like me and don't want to worry about the Library Quest, you could consider swapping after Act 5 Kitava, when your character has access to Lily Roth and all the skill gems.

Exsanguinate
Brutality
Unleash
Chain // Swift Affliction
+ Controlled Destruction
+ Efficacy

Generic Leveling Gear:

Boots: Wanderlust
Body Armor: Tabula Rasa
Helmet: Goldrim
Amulet: Karui Ward
Rings: Le Heup of All, Praxis
Belt: Rustic Sash with Life + Resistances
Gloves: Lochtonial Caress

Leveling Weapons:

My recommendation is to dual wield wands while leveling. A shield is a great source of additional life and resistances if you need it, but the amount of damage that you get from two weapons is very high.

Stats to Prioritize on Wands:
- +1 to level of All Physical Spell Skill Gems
- +1 to level of All Spell Skill Gems
- #% Increased Physical Damage Over Time Multiplier
- #% Increased Damage Over Time Multiplier
- #% increased Spell Damage

GGG introduced a +1 Gem recipe in 3.14 Ultimatum League.

Clip from Zizaran showing recipe:
https://clips.twitch.tv/MagnificentSavoryOxChocolateRain-zhbKD3VLAWSB8SJu

Reddit Discussion Thread, for clarifications:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/mts3k2/1_to_spell_gems_of_each_type_recipes_found/

Mid-Leveling Upgrades:

Skullhead
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Skullhead

Goldrim's older brother. Always a great starter item.

Lioneye's Remorse
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Lioneye%27s_Remorse

Lioneye's is an exceptionally "thick" shield with upwards of 200 flat life. We need strength on our build anyway, so we will likely have enough to equip this. This shield can hold us over for a long time, until we find something with Life and +1 Phys Gems, or until we find a Mistwall.

Endgame Gear:

Atziri's Step
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Atziri%27s_Step

Cold Iron Point
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Cold_Iron_Point

Mistwall
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Mistwall

Replica Mistwall
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Replica_Mistwall

Given the option, I would prefer to use Replica Mistwall. It is substantially less common, but worth it in a Trade League setting. Spells (and specifically Physical Spells) are harder to mitigate than other kinds of damage, so I would be willing to make this change, given the option.

Because Mistwall tends to be relatively inexpensive in Trade Leagues, I would consider buying & corrupting many of them, looking for a corrupted implicit:
"#% of Physical Damage from hits taken as ____ Damage"



Gear Acquisition:

Spoiler


If you have any specific questions about finding bases or crafting gear, please either leave a comment here or come talk to me on stream, at https://www.twitch.tv/perrythepig .

Rings

Method: Alt/Aug/Regal on a Vermillion Ring

We want to prioritize one thing on our ring: Tier 1 Life.

Other good mods:
- Strength
- Chaos Res
- Ele Resistances

Ring Upgrades

Eventually, you will want a ring with the following mod:
"Curse enemies with vulnerability on hit, with #% increased effect"

We can get this mod in one of two ways:
- Crafted, via a i75+ Warlord Ring
- Drop-only from Delve, from a Delve Node with "Contains Physical Items"

In addition to this, there is a great DPS Unique Ring that we can look for, assuming it has the right modifiers:
Circle of Guilt, Synthesized Iron Ring
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Circle_of_Guilt_(Synthesised)

Because we use Herald of Purity in this build, we can benefit from the following two modifiers:
1. (40-60)% increased Physical Damage while affected by Herald of Purity
2. Herald of Purity has (40-60)% increased Buff Effect

With a max roll ring with these two modifiers, this ring would represent about a 15% total DOT damage increase over a ring with no damage modifiers. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much life on it. If you choose to add this to your build, I would recommend looking for extra life elsewhere in the build, perhaps with a second small Life cluster jewel or a hunter-influenced #% Life Stygian Vise.

Starter Body Armor

I made a video about buying an Incursion Body Armour with a Guatelitzi prefix (life/%life). This is a great item to start with, both in SSF and in Trade League. I recommend this 4 minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Wsyo41RUc

Relying on a non-unique body armour also gives us the option of crafting "#% Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments", which helps us work toward 100% immunity.

Alternatively, a Tabula Rasa with a good corruption ("+2 to level of socketed duration gems", "+1 to level of socketed gems", etc.) is a good choice for DPS.

Endgame Body Armor

My ideal Body Armour would have the following mods:

Prefix: 100 to Maximum Life
Prefix: Physical Damage from hits taken as ____ Damage
Prefix: #% Chance to avoid Elemental Ailments (either crafted or unveiled)
Suffix: #% Chance to gain a Frenzy Charge on hit
Suffix: ---
Suffix: ---

We can create this body armour using the following base:
ilvl 83 Redeemer-influenced, dex/int Base

(Dex/Int for coloring considerations. Other than that, the base is flexible. "Best" is Carnal Armour because of the Ghost Dance & Escape Artist ascendancy points.)

There are a number of ways you can go about crafting this body armour: essences, fossils, alterations, veiled chaos, etc.

You could even Awakener Orb two body armours, one Redeemer-Influenced with "Frenzy on hit" and the other (non-Redeemer) with "Phys taken as Ele", depending on what you have available. If you are unfamiliar with using an Awakener Orb, make sure you double check how it works before using it.

If you are looking for the Highest DPS Body armour, I would recommend a level 4 Empower along with the following:
Prefix: "+1 to level of socketed active skill gems" (Shaper)
Prefix: "+1 to level of socketed support gems" (Redeemer)
Suffix: #% Chance to gain a Frenzy Charge on hit

Belt

Method 1: Fossil Crafting an i84 Stygian Vise

Reference this site and click on the corresponding base at the top menu:
https://poedb.tw/us/mod.php

Fossils:
- Pristine Fossil - (More Life Modifiers, no Armor/Energy Shield/Evasion modifiers)

And maybe also the following:
- Aberrant - (More Chaos Modifiers, No Lightning Modifiers)

Use a one- or two-socket resonator, and craft your own belt.

Method 2: Essences

Essences of Envy can be used to put Chaos Resistance on a belt. Rolling a handful of these until you hit Tier 1 Life is a great way to make a belt as well.

Aim for the following, in order of importance:

- # to Maximum Life
- Chaos Resistance
- Elemental Resistances

The best Influenced Belt for this build, in my opinion, would be a simple Hunter Stygian:
Prefix: "#% Increased Maximum Life"

You can attempt to Hunter Exalt this onto an existing Stygian with an open Prefix and no open suffixes. Before Exalting, you could use Fertile Catalyst on the belt to ensure you have the best chance of Exalting the %Life mod.

Helmet

Method: Fossil Crafting an Elder i85 Helmet

Reference this site and click on the corresponding base at the top menu:
https://poedb.tw/us/mod.php

Fossils:
- Pristine Fossil - (More Life Modifiers, no Armor/Energy Shield/Evasion modifiers)
- Jagged Fossil - (More Physical Modifiers, no Fire Modifiers)

Use a two-socket resonator with the above two fossils, and craft your own helmet.

Aim for the following modifiers:

- Prefix: # to Maximum Life
- Suffix: Nearby enemies take 9% increased Physical Damage

If you have a helmet with an empty Prefix, I recommend crafting:
"#% of Physical Damage from Hits Taken as Fire Damage"

If you have a helmet with an empty Suffix, I recommend crafting:
"#% Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments"

Gloves

Method: Essnce Crafting any high item level "Apothecary's Gloves"

Reference this site and click on the corresponding base at the top menu:
https://poedb.tw/us/mod.php

Essence of Delirium:
"Socketed Gems deal 30% More Damage Over Time"

The purpose of this is to create a pseudo 5 Link for our Corrupting Fever. Because "Spell Damage" doesn't apply to Corrupting Fever's damage, it's hard to scale the gem's damage too well. This Essence is perfect for us, so as long as we can get 50+ Life on the gloves, we'll settle in the short term.

If you have gloves with an empty Prefix, I recommend crafting:
"#% Increased Damage during any Flask Effect"

If you have gloves with an empty Suffix, I recommend crafting:
"#% Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments"

Boots

Atziri's Step is simple, easy to farm, and fantastic for our build. While it's not the only option, I highly recommend it. If I wanted an upgrade, I would consider a corrupted pair of Atziri's Step before looking elsewhere for an upgrade.

Corruptions to look for:

#% Chance to Dodge Attacks
#% Chance to Dodge Spells
#% increased Movement Speed
#% increased Maximum Life
+1 Maximum Endurance Charges

Amulet

Good: i82 Warlord Amulet (+1 Physical Gems)

Better: i82 Hunter Amulet (+1 Strength Gems, Physical DOT Multi)

Best: Awakener Orb +1 Phys // +1 Strength

In this build, we will always be looking for Strength and Intelligence. If you find a Jade Amulet (Dex Implicit) in SSF, my recommendation is to use the Onyx Amulet Recipe first to ensure you have a relevant implicit on your amulet. This small step will get you 16 Strength and Intelligence, which can make gearing easier down the line.
https://pathofexile.fandom.com/wiki/Vendor_recipe_system



Pantheon:

Spoiler


Great question. If you're not already using & upgrading pantheons, take a look at this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOYrx98913U



Thanks for reading, and enjoy the build!

Last edited by CatOfGreatness on May 2, 2021, 4:29:44 PM
Last bumped on Oct 15, 2021, 9:18:48 AM
Reserved.
Seems like a solid build I want to try this league, also maybe add 3.14 to the front so that poebuilds.cc picks it up too, at least thats how I assume it gets builds from forums
IGN: hyrenfreak
Last edited by hyrenfreak on May 2, 2021, 12:59:07 PM
Can vouch for the build as being strong and fun. I follow along with Perry's stream in the background picking up tidbits as he works his way through mapping and knocking off conquerors and other endgame content.

I just hit lvl 92 last night in softcore trade and have one more conqueror to go for my 2nd round of watchstones, so I am into roughly T13 maps and the build has been a joy to pilot with a good mix of single target and clear speed with satisfying chaining to blow up packs quickly. And since this is a DOT build you get to ignore proximity shields (hallelujah!)

I did have one death while leveling during a Delirium in Blood Aqueduct because my cat jumped on my desk to demand pets right as I needed to do something mechanical to dodge an explosion (I failed), but otherwise it has been smooth sailing to 92.

I am probably about 3EX (chest, lg cluster, COP, incidentals) into the build because I'm not as patient as an SSF player, but everything I've bought is something that I could have found or crafted with more patience.

I know enough about making currency these days and have done enough builds that I realize that 3EX is not a bad investment for feeling good into red maps.

I do virtually all ultimatums except stone circles that are in confined areas and rarely see my health bar drop more than 10%, though I'd definitely recommend getting a corrupted jewel with Corrupted Blood cannot be inflicted on you for the content (covered in the guide).

One gem swap for single target Chain > Swift Affliction is not too annoying and is a common tactic for many builds.

Elusive + Onslaught makes the build fast, chaining takes care of packs quickly, single target is not too shabby, you rarely get hit, recover quickly when you do get hit, did I mention ignoring proximity shields?, and it is really just a fun to play, all arounder build that I would recommend anyone give a try.

First of all, thanks for the construction, I'm enjoying it a lot. Since I don't have a lot of time to play I want to focus on this build throughout the league.
I wanted to ask you how you can push this build to the limit of its potential in dps, items etc.
I appreciate very much that you can answer me.
@devildesire,

The build has felt good for all content I've done, and I rerolled at level 99.5 because I didn't have any intention of hitting 100.

Comfy mapping, about 3 million dps with my gear for single target. It's definitely not a "bossing build", and probably only tops out with 5 million DPS will full-gear. However, compare that to Vortex DOT builds, and it makes sense that 2-3 million consistent DOT DPS is plenty for a smooth all-round character.
Hit lvl 95 63% and downed Awakener 5 with one death. Sirus was acting really wonky and popped up into the sky while his ?being? was still on the ground with me in-between so I didn't know what I should dodge and I picked the wrong thing.

I am missing:

>Essence of Delirium crafted Apothecary's Gloves (I just have Apothecary's Gloves with a T2 health roll)
>+1 Strength Skill Gems Amulet
>minimum Frenzy charges
>Phys taken as Ele

T16 Maps at A5. I still nuke white mobs. Certain yellow mobs can take a few hits. Ultimatums still feel good, though I occasionally run into one that feels a bit sketchy depending on the map mods, though usually it is more a problem of the size of the arena being two small to dodge the mechanics you've picked.

I've been rolling my maps pretty conservatively since the game is throwing chaos at me and I think I'd like to try to hit lvl 100.

I'm re-rolling
>Chance to Dodge is Unlucky
>Minus Max Player Resistances
>No regen
>Phys reflect
>Physical damage reduction
>Trying to limit damage mods to one, or perhaps two if they don't syngerize (e.g crit + attack and cast speed would be a re-roll)
>Inc AoE generally since I don't always know which bosses it really matters on

Map bosses in the map rather than in an arena can take a while with Chain Support in. With Swift Affliction in and if I switch to a 2nd Cold Iron Point they tend to go down quickly including the A5 Conquerors and A5 Sirus when he gives you a DPS window.

Example of a Map I did find sketchy as I was taking some fairly large hits in the Ultimatum and a Syndicate member was tanky enough to escape for I believe the first time this league.

Corrupted T16 Necropolis

Area is Inhabited by 2 additional rogue exiles
Players are Cursed with Vulnerability, with 60% Incrased Effect
Monsters Fire 2 Additional Projectiles
Monsters Cannot be Stunned
Area Can Contain Additional Essences
Monsters Gain an Endurance Charge on Hit
Monsters Gain a Power Charge on Hit
Monsters Have a 50% Chance to Avoid Poison, Blind, and Bleeding
Players Gain 50% Reduced Flask Charges
130% Increased Quantity of Items Found in This Area
63% Increased Rarity of Items Found in This Area
40% Increased Pack Size
Last edited by cirerrek on May 10, 2021, 10:45:18 PM
Currently, level 95 and this build has allowed me to kill sirus solo with no deaths for the first time. I also killed Shaper and Elder and I am progressing towards uber. I am in tier14+ red maps and doing well. I tried The Formed invitation the other day but was unable to complete it. Unsure if it is just not good for this kind of fight or if I am missing something. Here is my current POB. https://pastebin.com/f0LqqiH3
Last edited by AstroCraft2000 on May 12, 2021, 2:29:37 PM
Took this character to level 90, having a blast with it. I love the play style, and erasing entire screens is super-satisfying. Why aren't more people playing this build?
Going to give this build a shot. Haven't played shadow since the original arc traps. In the leveling section you said to level with caustic arrow from the very beginning but then recommend dual wielding wands..since wands can't shoot caustic arrow - can you offer some clarification on that? Thanks!

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