Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Righteous Providence, Inevitable Judgement, Augury of Penitence, and Instruments of Virtue. An Immutable Force jewel is important for up to 1000% block and stun recovery which makes stuns almost unnoticeable. The Light of Meaning jewel is also important in the blue circle in the image above for 6% increased cold damage for each passive in its radius. The Mana Mastery and Reservation Mastery should be taken for increased mana reservation efficiency which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. A Stormshroud jewel is recommended for elemental ailment immunity with the recommended boots. This is a melee critical strike build so make sure and take plenty of the nearby critical strike related nodes for increased damage and as many of the nearby life percent nodes on the tree as you can for survival. Note: The build ratings and skill tree have been updated for the new season (3.28).

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Defensive Layers

The Augury of Penitence ascendancy gives 16% increased elemental damage and 8% reduced elemental damage taken. Enduring Cry is recommended for Endurance charge generation which lowers your physical damage taken and lowers your elemental damage taken. This build also has the strong defensive advantage of using a one handed weapon with a shield.

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Gems

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Weapon (3-link)

Cold Snap (keep at a low level)

Cast When Damage Taken Support (keep at level 1 to trigger more frequently)

Power Charge On Critical Support

 

Shield (3-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

Sigil of Power​

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Armour (6 Link)

Cyclone

Awakened Cast On Critical Strike Support

Ice Nova

Inspiration Support

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Increased Critical Damage Support

Note: Awakened gems can be replaced with the normal support gems for seasonal play.

 

Helmet (4-link)

Summon Ice Golem

Minion Life Support

Elemental Army Support

Flame Dash

 

Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Summon Skitterbots

Clarity

Enlighten

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Boots (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

Precision

Enlighten Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and give very high evasion. Precision is the best offensive aura for this build and gives increased critical strike chance and increased accuracy. Summon Skitterbots is selected to apply Chill and Shock which greatly increases your damage. Clarity is also important for the high mana cost of this build. Summon Skitterbots can be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery, increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery, and a level 4 Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation cost of your skills.

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Gem Notes​​​​

1. Steelskin is the recommended guard skill for this build because Immortal Call requires you to use potions more often and Molten Shell requires very high armour to be effective.

2. Ice Nova of Frostbolts on this build isn't recommended because it causes Ice Novas to cast away from you on Frostbolts which weakens your single target damage and weakens your damage against nearby enemies which are usually more dangerous. In some areas, however, it can be very beneficial to use.

3. Aim for a 100% critical strike chance and keep your attack speed below the cooldown of Cast On Critical Strike Support.

4. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and life regeneration per second. Endurance charges reduce your physical damage taken and reduce your elemental damage taken.

5. Summon Ice Golem gives increased critical strike chance and accuracy, 2% life recovery on Culling Strike, kills enemies at 10% life remaining with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack. 

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Critical Strike Dagger

Look for a high base critical strike chance dagger with increased critical strike multiplier, increased spell damage, increased critical strike chance for spells, +1 to level of all cold spell skill gems, and roll hits cannot be evaded at the crafting bench once you have unlocked it. You should also add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality at the Horticrafting Station. 

Cospri's Malice (budget)

Gives up to 80-200 cold damage, 60-110 added cold damage to spells, 60% increased critical strike chance against Chilled enemies, 14% increased attack speed, and triggers a socketed cold skill on melee critical strike which makes it a great budget weapon. You can add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality to Cospri's Malice at the Horticrafting Station. 

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Shield

Rare Spell Damage Shield

Look for increased spell damage, increased critical strike chance for spells, life, and +1 to level of all cold spell skill gems.

 

Armour

Rare Armour

Look for an extremely high life roll with modifiers like critical strike chance for attacks and critical strike chance for spells.

Belly of the Beast (budget)

Gives up to 40% increased life, 15% to all elemental resistances, and 50% increased flask life recovery rate. For a little more currency you can also look for a Belly of the Beast with  a +1 to level of socketed gems corruption.

 

Helmet

Rare Blizzard Crown

Blizzard Crowns have a high added cold damage implicit and 10% increased enemy cold resistance which is negated by the Inevitable Judgement ascendancy which treats enemies' resistances as zero. Look for high life, dexterity, resistances, and you can optionally use a Warlord's Exalted Orb for a chance to roll increased elemental damage when you have an open prefix or increased global critical strike multiplier with an open suffix.

 

Gloves

Rare Damage Against Chilled Enemies Gloves

Look for high life, increased damage against chilled enemies, resistances, and increased critical strike chance/elemental damage if you have dealt a critical strike recently. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors on your gloves to roll increased global accuracy rating and increased critical strike chance for attacks.

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Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, strength, resistances, increased cold damage and/or increased damage against Chilled enemies, and an abyssal socket. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look high life, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, and a critical strike chance corruption.

 

Boots

Rare Boots

Look for life, optionally dexterity (for Cospri's Malice's high dexterity requirement), chance to avoid being Shocked, resistances, and increased movement speed. You can also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors on your boots to roll Shock avoidance and optionally a chance to avoid elemental ailments. The Shock avoidance on these boots with the Stromshroud jewel socketed in your skill tree gives 100% elemental ailment immunity.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high attributes, life, resistances, increased critical strike chance, and increased critical strike multiplier. You should also use Unstable Catalysts on the amulet to increase its critical strike modifiers.

 

Rings

Rare Diamond Rings

You won't need a Frostbite on hit curse ring because your ascendancy treats enemy resistances as zero. Look for high critical strike chance, life, energy shield, resistances, and craft reduced mana cost of skills. If you don't have a 100% critical strike chance you should use Unstable Catalysts on your rings to increase their critical strike modifiers but if you have a 100% critical strike chance you should use Fertile Catalysts instead to increase their life bonuses and reduced mana costs.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, consecrated ground has triple radius, up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Diamond Flask (if you haven't reached crit cap use this flask)

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance and increased critical strike chance as a second modifier. The legacy version can have a higher critical strike chance. You should use Instilling Orbs until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Rumi's Concoction (you should use this flask once you are crit capped without a Diamond Flask)

When you no longer need a Diamond Flask you can use this flask to improve your survivability. This flask gives 1500 armour, increased block chance, and increased spell block. The legacy version is better and gives much higher block chances. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Jade Flask

Gives 1500 evasion. Try and roll immunity to Bleeding and Corrupted Blood during effect and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you're Bleeding.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Arcane Potency for 30% increased spell critical strike chance and 30% increased critical strike multiplier for spells at Cassia using an Azure Oil, Black Oil, and Silver Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 40% Increased Ice Nova Damage

Gloves: Commandment of Fury

Feet: 35% Increased Mana Regeneration Rate If You've Cast A Spell Recently

Belt: Enemies Blinded By You Have 30% Reduced Critical Strike Chance

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Bandits

The best bandit to help in Act 2 is Alira because she gives 15% to all elemental resistances which allows you to focus more on damage from your equipment. If you don't need the resistances you can switch to Oak for 40 life which helps with survival.

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Pantheon

Soul of Solaris is the best major Pantheon power and gives 6% reduced physical damage taken when only one enemy is present, a 20% chance to take 50% less area damage, 8% reduced elemental damage taken if you haven't been hit recently, take no extra damage from critical strikes if you've been hit with a critical strike recently, and a 50% chance to avoid elemental ailments from critical strikes. Soul of Ryslatha is the best minor power and gives 60% increased life recovery from flasks at low life, life flask charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a life flask recently, and enemies you hit have 50% reduced life regeneration.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

Lifesprigs

You can use two level one Lifesprigs which each give 40% increased spell damage, +1 to level of socketed spell gems, increased cast speed, life, mana, and life regeneration.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great level one offensive chest armour that has six linked white sockets. Any combination of gems can be linked together inside of it which allows you to deal much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for a Tabula Rasa with a high increased damage corruption which also requires level one for fairly cheap from the trade site.

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Helmet

Goldrim

A great level one resistance helmet that has up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

These strong level one gloves give up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate a Frenzy, Power, or Endurance charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap boots require level 9 and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

This amulet requires level 5 for level 10 Purity of Elements, up to 20 to all attributes, 30 intelligence, 40 to life, and 10% to all elemental resistances. Purity of Elements can optionally increase your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two Perandus Signet rings at level one for mana regeneration which each give up to 65% mana regeneration, 65 mana, 2% increased intelligence for each unique item equipped, and 2% increased experience gained.

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Flasks

Quicksilver Flask

This flask can be used at level four for 40% increased movement speed and can have increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which increases your attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27. It can also have increased attack speed or movement speed as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Bottled Faith (use a Sulphur Flask for 40% increased damage if you can't afford a Bottled Faith)

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Frostbolt can be used for damage at level one. Ice Nova of Frostbolts can be used at level 12 to cast Frostbolts from your Ice Novas. CoC Ice Nova Cyclone requires a high critical strike chance before you can switch to it. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and it can be used at level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and it can be used as early as level 10. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem at level four once you have 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level four and can be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

You can upgrade your wands to two Ashcallers at level 12 for increased spell damage, high added fire damage to spells, a 10% chance to cover enemies in Ash on hit, and a chance to summon Level 10 Raging Spirits. Carnage Heart is a great budget amulet that can be equipped at level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also upgrade to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. The items in the section above can be used all the way until the midgame where better items will become available.

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That's all for this PoE guide! You can view more Path of Exile guides in the menu at the top of this page. Best of luck!​