[3.26] ShakCentral's Cold DoT Witch For Everyone

Table Of Contents

Introduction
❄️ About the Author
❄️ Content Links

Build Overview
❄️ Path of Building
❄️ Useful Third-Party Links
❄️ Main Build Mechanics
❄️ Passive Masteries
❄️ Keystone Passives
❄️ Class and Ascendancy, Progression, and Playstyle
❄️ Scaling Damage and Defenses

Leveling
❄️ Leveling Preview
❄️ League-Starting vs Mid-League Leveling

Endgame
❄️ Ascendancy Points, Bandit Reward, and Pantheon Choices
❄️ How to Convert to Chaos Inoculation
❄️ Endgame Item Basics
❄️ Skill Gems and Links

F.A.Q. and Hardcore Tips
❄️ Frequently Asked Questions
❄️ Hardcore Tips

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About the Author

I've played PoE since open beta in 2013; I played off-and-on for years, but almost exclusively since 2018. I love helping new players get into the game as smoothly as possible.

I enjoy casters and fondly remember endless Dried Lake farming with pre-nerf Vaal Spark.

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Content Links

This guide has grown beyond the forums into a helpful, welcoming community. Find us here:

❄️ Click here to join the Discord! This is the best place to be. We have a large group of skilled players, and updates usually hit Discord first.

❄️ I stream SSF gameplay on Twitch! Click here to catch me live or see the VODs!

❄️ Mostly outdated videos, but My YouTube has videos on Cold DoT, crafting, SSF progression, and more.

Path of Building (PoB)

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Reminder: this forum guide contains critical build information that the PoB builds upon. Please fully read the forum guide before moving on to Path of Building.

Occultist - https://pobb.in/YQ3P6WcwzQX5
Elementalist - https://pobb.in/dGaWHyHB4QbB

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Useful Third-Party Links

❄️ Path of Building allows you to import the link above and simulate your entire build.

❄️ Craft of Exile is a great tool for looking up item mods and "practice" crafting items.

❄️ PoEDB is a powerful database of everything PoE, from modifiers to league mechanics.

❄️ The PoE Wiki is a great place to gain a broader knowledge about many PoE topics.

❄️ The Trade Site lets you trade almost anything in PoE, whether items or currency.

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Main Build Mechanics

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Cold Damage: PoE has ailments associated with each damage type. Cold Damage can chill and freeze, which are non-damaging Ailments that slow or completely stop enemy action speed respectively.

Damage over Time: DoT builds have high "DPS uptime". They often deal damage while moving, making them especially effective at surviving tough situations.

Energy Shield: Energy Shield provides a regenerating extra health pool on top of our life. Combining this with either Armour or Evasion Rating gives us multiple layers of mitigation as we move around the game.

Curses: We combine two curses that lower enemy resistances (Frostbite and Elemental Weakness) to dramatically increase our single target damage.

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Passive Masteries

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Passive Masteries are a new type of skill point introduced in patch 3.16. Masteries provide niche build benefits in locations across the passive skill tree.

To select a Mastery skill, you must first allocate a Notable skill in the same cluster. Masteries can be visually identified by the bright circles in the center of skill point clusters.

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Keystone Passives

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Keystones are skills on the passive skill tree. Most keystones alter a specific game mechanic and have both a benefit and downside. Past Occultist versions have used as many as 7 keystones, but the 3.26 version uses 0 by default. There are a few Keystones that advanced players could use if they want to min-max the build, but most will be better served without them.

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Class and Ascendancy, Progression, and Playstyle

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Class and Ascendancy: The Witch is an excellent spellcaster.
The Occultist ascendancy provides DPS increases from Void Beacon, Frigid Wake, and Unholy Authority, while boosting Energy Shield through Vile Bastion.
The Elementalist gains additional golem minions and increases their effect and tankiness with Liege of the Primordial, reduces enemy damage dealt with Shaper of Winter, gains tankiness from Shaper of Flames, and gains more damage from Shaper of Storms.

Progression: I strongly recommend following the PoB notes tab and leveling as a Fire caster until after the Piety kill in Act 3. Once you are past her and have a 4-link BBBB item, transition to Cold DoT and zoom from there.


Playstyle: Mapping is simple and smooth. We cast Wintertide Brand, which moves throughout monsters all on it's own, reattaching and causing chain reactions of Cold Damage over Time. Brand Recall will keep your brands nearby while zooming around. For tanky rares and bosses, Vortex and Cold Snap are used in a dual 5-link for extra damage while the brands are ticking on the enemy. Supplementing with the dual curse of Frostbite and Elemental Weakness will bring bosses down in short order.

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Scaling Damage and Defenses

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Below are some simple ways to scale the build's damage and defenses. This is not a complete or thorough list; it's a broad overview to assist in decisions for item crafting/trading.

Damage : Here are some of the simplest ways in which you can scale up the build's damage:

❄️ Skill gem levels (Mainly Cold DoT skills and their support gems)
❄️ Increased Effect of Non-Damaging Ailments
❄️ Spell damage
❄️ Cold Damage
❄️ Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
❄️ Damage over Time
❄️ Damage over Time Multiplier

Defense : Here are some of the simplest ways in which you can scale up the build's defenses:

❄️ Life
❄️ Life Recovery on Block and/or Kill
❄️ Life Regeneration
❄️ +% Maximum Elemental Resistance(s)
❄️ Chaos Resistance
❄️ Elemental Flasks (Ruby / Sapphire / Topaz)
❄️ Chill Effect
❄️ Armour / Energy Shield
❄️ Block Chance
❄️ Ailment Immunity (Ignite, Shock, Poison, Bleed, etc)
❄️ Higher Damage


Mistakes To Avoid : Here are some commonly misunderstood modifiers or skill gem aspects that don't actually scale a Cold DoT build:

❄️ "Adds # to # Cold Damage" (Only works for attacks unless followed by "to Spells")
❄️ Ailment Damage or Increased Effect of Damaging Ailments
❄️ Damage (or Cold Damage) with Hits

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General Leveling

The PoB has 5 leveling trees, listed 2 Acts at a time. The leveling process is extremely simple:
❄️ In Acts 1-3 you'll level as a fire caster. Rolling Magma + Holy Flame Totem just cannot be beaten for speed and smooth leveling early. You WILL have a smooth leveling experience.
❄️ Around the end of A3 or beginning of A4 you'll get a 4-link and transition to Cold DoT, clearing with Wintertide Brand and supplementing with Cold Snap for single target.
❄️ You can make it through the Acts with those 2 skills and some other helpful gems like curses and Frost Bomb. When you have a 5-6 link you'll start adding Vortex for more single target.

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League-Starting vs Mid-League Leveling

There are no mandatory leveling uniques for the build. The build also scales well with gem levels, allowing for a tested and smooth league start.

If you have existing currency or items, there are several uniques that make the leveling process even much quicker. These include (but are not limited to) Lifesprig, Spine of the First Claimant, Tabula Rasa, Wanderlust, Goldrim, Bated Breath, and Lochtonial Caress.

Ascendancy Points, Bandit Reward, and Pantheon Choices

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Endgame Item Basics

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Skill Gems and Links