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 recommended in the blue circle in the image above for 6% increased cold damage for each passive in its radius. A Stormshroud jewel is important for 100% elemental ailment immunity with the recommended boots. The Mana Mastery is also important because it gives increased mana reservation efficiency which allows you to use the recommended reservation skills. A Replica Conquerors Efficiency jewel should be used in the Standard to lower the mana costs of your non-channeled skills which helps with the very high mana cost of the build. Take all of the nearby critical strike related nodes and jewel nodes for more critical strike modifiers and as many of the nearby life percent nodes 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

Enduring Cry generates Endurance charges which lower your physical damage taken and lower your elemental damage taken. The Augury of Penitence ascendancy gives 16% increased elemental damage and lowers your elemental damage taken by 8%. 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 to trigger Arcane Surge on every cast)

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

Power Charge On Critical Support

 

Shield (3-link)

Steelskin

Sigil of Power

Empower Support

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Armour (6 Link)

Cyclone

Awakened Cast on Critical Strike Support

Ice Spear of Splitting

Inspiration Support

Increased Critical Strike 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

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Summon Skitterbots

Clarity

Enlighten Support

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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 auras for this build and give very high evasion. Precision is the best offensive aura and gives increased critical strike chance and increased accuracy. Summon Skitterbots should be used to give Chill and Shock which also greatly increases your damage. Clarity is also important for the very high mana cost of the build. Summon Skitterbots can be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery, the 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. CoC Ice Spear Cyclone received a major buff with the addition of Ice Spear of Splitting when they removed the 600% critical strike chance, balancing it by greatly increasing the damage, and it now splits to up to seven enemies on hit.

3. Aim for a 100% critical strike chance with Power charges and an attack speed that is lower than the cooldown of Cast on Critical Strike Support which makes you attack faster.

4. Cold Snap is used to give a 25% chance to generate a Frenzy charge when an enemy dies in its skill area and Power Charge On Critical Support is used to generate Power charges on critical strikes.

5. 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.

6. 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 of a high base critical strike chance dagger with critical strike multiplier, high 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. You should add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality at the Horticrafting station which should be added to your hideout. 

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. You should add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality at the Horticrafting station which should be added to your hideout. 

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Shield

Rare Critical Strike Shield

Look for high increased spell damage, increased critical strike chance for spells, high life, high energy shield, and optionally +1 to level of all cold spell skill gems if you can afford it.

 

Armour

Rare Critical Strike Chance Armor

Look for high life, increased critical strike chance to attacks, increased critical strike chance to spells, physical damage taken as an elemental damage, and add life percent and mana percent at the crafting bench.

 

Helmet

Rare Blizzard Crown

Blizzard Crowns have a high added cold damage implicit modifier and 10% increased enemy cold resistance which is negated by the Inquisitor ascendancy which gives enemies an elemental resistances of zero. Look for life, energy shield, resistances, and you can use a Warlord's Exalted Orb for a chance to roll increased elemental damage or global critical strike multiplier.

 

Gloves

Rare Chill Damage Gloves

Look for high life, increased damage against Chilled enemies, resistances, and increased critical strike chance/elemental damage if you've dealt a critical strike recently. You should avoid attack speed if it takes you over the cooldown on Cast On Critical Strike Support. 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, increased life percent, strength, resistances, increased damage (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 for high life, increased critical strike chance, global critical strike multiplier, and a critical strike chance corruption.

 

Boots

Rare Elemental Ailment Immunity 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

Look for increased critical strike chance, high life, increased critical strike chance multiplier (an influenced modifier), resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use Unstable Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their critical strike modifiers or Fertile Catalysts on both rings to increase their life bonuses and reduced mana costs.

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Tattoo (Standard Only)

Honoured Tattoo of the Wise

This tattoo can replace a 30 intelligence node on the tree to give +1 to Level of All Intelligence Skill Gems.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gain 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 this flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Diamond Flask (use this flask if you lack critical strike chance)

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

Rumi's Concoction (use this flask if you've reached a 100% critical strike chance without a Diamond Flask)

When you no longer need an increased critical strike chance 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 this 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 this 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 Spear 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 excellent 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 and gives level 10 Purity of Elements, up to 20 to all attributes, 30 intelligence, 40 to life, and 10 to all resistances. Purity of Elements is optional to increase all 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.

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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 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.

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 as your damage skill at level one. Ice Nova of Frostbolts can optionally be added in at level 12 to cast Ice Novas off your Frostbolts. You won't have enough increased critical strike chance to make a CoC Ice Spear Cyclone build work while leveling until you have a high critical strike chance. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and 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 once are level four and have at least 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level four and should be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

The Carnage Heart amulet can be equipped at level 20 and has 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 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. The above leveling items can be used 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!