[3.2] Saboteur Crit Ice Trapper - Shaper Capable!



I made this build because I've always loved the trapper play style. It's a very quick and active play style that never ceases to entertain me. I was very happy with how this turned out and actually downed Shaper for my first time with it! I'm proud of this build especially with all of the hate trappers received when the Ascendancy changes were announced in 3.2. I didn't understand the hate and thought that the 3.2 Ascendancy revamps for Saboteur was the perfect change to make trappers more viable.

This is my first build guide so please let me know if you would like anything added or have any suggestions!

Pros
1. Can do any map mod
2. Capable of completing Shaper. I have not tried Uber Elder or Uber Atziri
3. Very active play style (3 active skills that need cycling)
4. Dual Curse
5. Relatively cheap. Most expensive item is the 6L. Total cost is 10-15ex depending on the market. I bought all my gear below for closer to 10ex.
6. Good balance between map clearer and boss killer.
7. 85% crit & 570% Crit Multi + Assassin's Mark
8. Built in 20% elemental penetration + frost bomb debuff to eliminate boss cold resistance

Cons
1. Low HP/ES pool (Currently at 4600/1125). Plenty to survive maps and bosses but large moves will one shot you. Build runs Blasphemied Enfeeble to give survivability
2. Requires a mana flask & mana management can be annoying during bosses when Vaal Clarity isn't available.
3. Active playstyle. Not for the lazy one-buttoners!

Required Gear
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Provides Frenzy Charges, Phasing, and additional Life/ES Recovery


The build is very mp demanding. The reduced mana reservation is needed to keep a larger mana pool for bosses when Vaal Clarity isn't available. Built is Blasphemy and curse gem levels is icing on the cake.


Allows you to 5L Ice Nova. You will always receive the movement speed bonus from laying traps.


Dual Shimmeron is not required but highly recommended. A good ES shield can help add some HP/ES and resists if needed. Since all skills are trapped based, you never actually kill anything and will not take the lightning damage from them.


My Gear
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Flasks
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Standard life flasks and Quicksilver flasks.

Granite flask is a wildcard. Add what fits your playstyle. I liked the added defense for mapping and running into the middle of mob packs. Between Enfeeble, the flask, and Born in the shadows you have a ton of defense and should feel very safe even in T15 maps.

Sanctified mana flask with reduced recovery rate is mandatory. I actually recommend not putting quality on this flask. The idea is that you will burn mana at the same rate or slightly faster than the flask can replenish. This guarantees you have enough mana when vaal Clarity isn't available (really only bosses that don't allow vaal charges to be gained).


Gem Links
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6L (GGGBBB):

Ice Trap - Trap & Mine Damage - Cluster Traps - Increased Critical Strikes - Concentrated Effect - Added Lightning Damage

Added lightning damage is preferred over Added Cold damage for Shock capabilities. With the amount of crit you have everything will either die in first set of traps thrown or be frozen and shocked. Great for bosses! Elemental focus may be another great substitute if you don't find the freeze/shock beneficial.

4L (GBBB):

Temporal Chains - Enlighten - Assassin's Mark - Enfeeble

Place in Heretic's Veil. Dual curse ran through Blasphemy. Enfeeble adds a ton of eHP and Assassin's Mark is for more damage. Replace Assassin's Mark for Temporal chains on scary maps or when you need more survivability

4L (BGGR):

Frost Bomb - Trap Support - Cluster Trap - Less Duration


4L (BBGG):

Ice Nova - Concentrated Effect - Cluster Traps - Trap & Mine Damage

Place in Deerstalker Boots

3L (BBR):

Lightning Warp - Faster Casting - Less Duration

3L (BBR):

Vaal Clarity - Faster Casting - Increased Duration


Passive Tree
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Final
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAYDAANlBAcFtQZ3Bx4I1Aj0DPIOSA5cD8QRlhhqH1sgbiL0I_Yk_SaVJ6kqCzB8Nxc31DpYO3w9Xz7PQZZCLEV8RX5HBklRSbFMs02SUDBRR1JTUzFVS1XGWAdd8mHiYqxjQ2dOakNq-mwIbAtsjG0ZbTpvd3BRcFJzbXZveC97DXzlfrB_xoPbidOMNo19jb-P-pMnlS6XlZeXl_SYBpuhnaqgeaEvoqOly6yYrrO0OLTFt3W4yrmTvOq95r6KwfPC7MMJ0B_Q0ND118_YVNte2-flGedU6KTr9e0_7hXviO_r8NXw-fGK8h3y4faf99f5N_v1_94=?accountName=Vrocik&characterName=Yentzen

Leveling
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Leveling as a Trapper is perfectly viable. Your main damage is going to be coming from Ice Nova Traps until Ice Trap is available. You will want to get DeerStalker boots ASAP at level 22.
Step 1:https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/3.2.2/AAAABAYDAAZ3Bx4OSBGWH1smlSoLRXxHBklRUzFVS13yYeJkqmo2cFFwUnZvfrCJ04w2j_qVLpeXm4a0OLd10NDYVNvn5RnsGO4V8NX79Q==

Work you way to Hasty Reconstruction ASAP followed by Clever Construction.

Step 2:https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/3.2.2/AAAABAYDAAQHBbUGdwceCPQOSA5cEZYfWyL0I_YmlSepKgswfDpYPV9FfEV-RwZJUUmxTLNNklFHUlNTMVVLVcZd8mHiYqxkqmo2akNq-mwLbIxtGW06cFFwUnZvew1-sH_Gg9uJ04w2jX2Nv4_6kyeVLpeVl5eX9JuGnaq0OLTFt3W86sLs0NDXz9hU2-flGeik7BjuFe-I8NX5N_v1

Get the remaining life nodes in the tree

Step 3:https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/3.2.2/AAAABAYDAAQHBbUGdwceCNQI9A5IDlwRlh9bIG4i9CP2JpUnqSoLMHw31DpYPV9FfEV-RwZJUUmxTLNNklAwUUdSU1MxVUtVxl3yYeJirGNDZKpqNmpDavpsCGwLbIxtGW06cFFwUnNtdm97DX6wf8aD24nTjDaNfY2_j_qTJ5Uul5WXl5f0m4adqqEvoqO0OLTFt3W86r6KwfPC7NAf0NDXz9hU217b5-UZ6KTsGO0_7hXviO_r8NXw-fGK8uH5N_v1

Get Blast Cascade for Power Charge generation & the 2 power charge nodes. Get the 4 jewel nodes on the tree and populate with life % and resists as needed. Focus on damage properties (crit multi > trap or spell damage).

Step 4: Populate towards the final build. Recommended to get the dual curse nodes first. Once you get Tinkerskin, respec Hasty construction and get the extra Frenzy charges and their associated duration leading up to the Charge node.



Fully Buffed Damage
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Damage is per trap. Each skill is linked to cluster traps and the AOE from each will stack on overlapping areas. You will be throwing 4-6 sets of traps per second on average. I've no idea how to accurately calculate the DPS.

Ice Trap


Ice Nova


Frost Bomb



Jewels
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Priority on Jewel Stats:
1.) Any uncapped resists
2.) % Life
3.) Crit Multi
4.) Spell or Trap Damage


Bandits

Alira, no question

Ascendancies

Saboteur is the intended class for this build. The recommended progression is as follows:
1.) Perfect Crime
2.) Chain Reaction
3.) Pyromaniac or Born in The Shadows. Pyromaniac is recommended if you want to be more of a boss killer. Born in the Shadows if you intend to Map more.
4.) Explosive Expert

Enchants

Helm: Ice trap damage is preferred. Aoe is second

Boots: Anything that relies on not critting/hitting/killing recently. Recommended enchants are crit chance if you have not crit recently or elemental penetration. Since your trap kills do not count as kills for you, these enchants are PERMANENT and extremely OP for trappers

Gloves: Anything. Spell damage implicit is probably the best.

Playstyle Guide & Tips

Traps get a lot of hate, and rightfully so, for their long cooldown. This is actually why this build requires 3 active skills so you are never throttled. The idea behind is that you will be rotating your traps to get the most out of everything. Ideally, for running through maps and killing mobs, you can swap between ice trap and ice nova and be fine. When it comes to single target dps you need to incorporate Frost Bomb in the below way

Frost Bomb > Ice Trap
Ice Nova > Ice Trap
Rinse & Repeat. Ice trap actually recovers ~2x as quick as skills linked to the trap support gem which is why it is used after each of the other skills.

This guarantees two things:

1.) You will never run out of trap charges. If you do, you are cycling too fast to the point that your traps aren't actually activating. Make sure that you give the time needed for the trap to land and activate. Playstyle should be Frost Bomb> Ice Trap > wait ~0.5s > Ice Nova > Ice Trap > wait ~0.5s, repeat. You will get the hang of it and timing as you play the build

2.) Frost Bomb debuff is always active. The build has 20% elemental penetration build in. Frost bomb gives the extra 20% to get past boss resistances. The frost bomb debuff makes it arguable if added cold damage is better than added lightning damage.


Videos (More to Come)

Shaper
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Full Fight (Very Sloppy & Lots of Derps)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGvvYSM_SME

General Game Play
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8 Mod T11 Pit with Shaper Influence
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o66Pg6I-0w&feature=youtu.be

Area Contains Many Totems
Players are Cursed with Enfeeble
Monsters Reflect 18% Elemental Damage
Monsters Deal 95% Extra Cold Damage
Slaying Enemies Close Together can Attract Monsters from Beyond
Monsters Gain a Frenzy Charge on Hit
Monsters Gain a Power Charge on Hit
Players have 25% Less Area of Effect

Last edited by Vrocik#3090 on Apr 28, 2018, 8:28:05 AM
Last bumped on Jul 3, 2018, 12:31:19 AM
On a 5L for Tinkerskin, should we drop the added lightning?
Oh damn! good to see someone else is using ice trap too! I pretty much have the same build but without ice nova. I'm currently using pandemonius unique amulet. I'm gonna check out your build later
"
On a 5L for Tinkerskin, should we drop the added lightning?


Yep! If you only have a 4L you will want to drop Inc. Crit too. You will want to upgrade to a 5L ASAP though. The phasing alone makes Tinkerskin so good.
"
zelativ26 wrote:
Oh damn! good to see someone else is using ice trap too! I pretty much have the same build but without ice nova. I'm currently using pandemonius unique amulet. I'm gonna check out your build later


Glad to hear there is another! I haven't tried Pandemonius, do you know if the cluster traps procing simultaneously can benefit from it?
Why not use something like that instead of boots?
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roguegoha wrote:
Why not use something like that instead of boots?


Simple answer... I forgot these existed (D:). They would be a much better replacement for deerstalker.

that's good enough for ice trap too. so, you can have 6L+6L+5L, the damage should be fine enough
3.3 Update?
Wow! Got buffed and have no longer its cooldown !

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