Essence Drain is a traditional league opener setup, and the latest league patch, the Crucible, is no exception. The build may be advanced through the leveling process and into the maps without any unique items. We primarily depend on respectable flat damage from skill gem power-ups and passive points on the tree. A fantastic option if you want to play it safe and are still deciding what to play in the upcoming league.
As an aside, Soulrend is also getting a significant buff. Once you feel that ED + Contagion is becoming too monotonous for you, switching specs and trying out the spell is easy.
So let's start with the most critical aspects of the build and see what we need to incorporate into the build.
Summary of the Occultist Essence Drain Build
If you are a new player and want a good start, you should find the following points good for you if you want to invest in this build.
● Class Focus – Witch with Occultist as Ascendancy choice.
● Cost of the Build – 2/5, so pretty cheap.
● Difficulty – 2/5, so an easy starter.
● Highly starter-viable and exceptionally beginner friendly.
Necessary Gear and Equipment Pieces
The following are some critical components for this build.
Armor – Carcass Jack
This gear is recommended for the armor slot, and you can go for better gear if you find one, but this armor will provide tons of Evasion, mana, Life, and lots of resistance. Furthermore, Carcass Jack will enhance their AoE by up to 50% for your spells and auras.
You can always go for a rare or crafted armor with most of these stats until you can easily find Carcass Jack.
Weapon – Cane of Raveling
The staff is one of the best in slot gear, being a relatively cheap item to build but giving you a chaos multiplier over a set amount of time, increasing up to +55%. Furthermore, this stuff adds flat Chaos DMG and +2 levels to all your Chaos skill gems.
Helmet – The Brine Crown
This is also a budget helmet, but it gives immunity to freeze and +3% Cold Res to your maximum value. The rest of the stats are generic but really good for this price, like 100 Life and 126 for your mana shield.
When you have more currency, you can go for a rare helmet that will give you Life and other stat, but the most essential stat should be reduced Chaos Res for the enemies around you as it will synergize well with other stats in weapon and armor.
Gloves – Rare Gloves
In the start, you can go for stats such as Life, energy shield, and Elemental Res, but when you have more PoE currency, you should look for DoT plus some Chaos DMG, which you should definitely find DoT.
Boots – Atziri Steps
Now the primary purpose of hunting for these boots is over 800 Evasion because we are investing a Mastery in the skill tree, a trait that grants 1 energy shield for every 8 values of Evasion. Furthermore, these boots will give stats such as Life, Movement speed, and suppressing Spell DMG.
You can upgrade to rare boots with all these stats later if you have more PoE Divine Orb with the addition of Elemental Res.
Rings
Go for Life, STR, and Elemental Res for your rings.
Other Gear
Go for Life and other general stats typical in most gear, and look for them in Belt and Amulet.
Recommended Flasks for Essence Drain Occultist Build
Most of the flasks you should include in your build are pretty typical in such builds.
● Divine Life Flask – You need Instant Recovery and Removes Burn for the Divine Life Flask.
● Quicksilver Flask – This flask will increase the speed of your map clears because of adding the Increased Duration of your buffs plus Increased.
● Jade Flask – Typically, this flask is used for added Evasion. Still, we recommend you take and look for Increased Duration as a stat with Increased Evasion During Flask Effect for more potent Evasion during your map clears.
● Granite Flask – For increased armor stats, and must look for Increased Duration and Increased Armor Duration During Flask Effect.
● Silver Flask – This is included in the build to make your runs smoother. Again, you should try to find both Increased Duration and Increased Cast Speed During Flask Effect.
Essence Drain Occultist Build – Enchantments and Anointment
The following are the basics that you should target:
● For the helmet, go for Essence Drain
● For the gloves, we recommend Of Reflection
● The best in the slot will be Cast Speed
● You will need Clear, Amber, and Black Oils
● The stats that you should target are INT 155, STR 155, and DEX 155
● Finally, you should take Exceptional Performance which will give you a +25% Increased Skill Effect Duration
Essence Drain Occultist Build – Gems
The following are the gems you should consider for each gear.
Staff
● Essence Drain
● Void Manipulation
● Swift Affliction
● Lifetap
● Controlled Destruction
● Empower
The staff is the primary source of DMG for this build, and here you can take Efficacy in place of Empower, so don't worry if you straight up don't get a 6-link staff. Take your time with farming currency, and return when you have enough.
Body Armor
Here are the 6 gems for Body Armor.
● Vaal Blight
● Void Manipulation
● Efficacy
● Lifetap
● Controlled Destruction
● Infused Channeling
The first gem, blight, will help your Exile stay strong against bosses and deal tons of damage. Channeling Blight here is for applying DoT from Essence Drain primary damage.
Helmet
Here are the 4 best in-slot gems for your headgear.
● Bane
● Despair
● Enfeeble
● Flame Dash
When your Despair and Enfeeble proc, your Bane will cause more damage and allow you to survive longer. Furthermore, the more Bane damage you do, the more you heal, and finally, the Flame Dash is an incredible movement skill.
Gloves
Here are the 4 best gems that you should input in your gloves.
● Contagion
● Molten Shell
● Defiance Banner
● Intensify
Contagion is a fantastic skill that goes amazingly well with Essence Drain. As soon as you find a grouped-together mob, apply Contagion, and see them melt as soon as you apply Essence Drain. Molten Shell is for defensive purposes, while Defiance Banner will give you more Evasion than Armor.
Boots
The Boots are our final gear piece that will need 4 gems slotted for the best effect.
● Determination
● Malevolence
● Grace
● Summon Chaos Golem
Here Determination grants more armor, whereas Grace will grant you extra Evasion. Furthermore, you will get Dot from Malevolence and Survivability from Chaos Golem.
Essence Drain Occultist Build – Rare Jewels
Following are some of the Rare jewels you should consider in your build.
Watchers Eye
This jewel is recommended to optimize damage by tagging +X% to Damage Over Time Multiplier While Affected By Malevolence. Though optional because it's pretty expensive, you should get it in your build if you can.
Thread of Hope – Largening
Allowing you to pick up Great Nodes in Passives Tree.
Large Cluster
When going for clusters, look for Cruelty and, if you can, Unholy Grace.
Ascendancy and Pantheon
Let's start with the best Ascendancy for this build
Void Beacon
You get this Ascendancy to reduce the enemy's cold, chaos, resistance and reduced Life Regen.
Withering Presence
The purpose for this one is +60% Chaos Res, increased DMG, and proccing Withered every few seconds on the enemies.
Malediction
Applying additional curses and increasing the effectiveness of your curses by up to +15%. Furthermore, each enemy you curse will now have Malediction.
Vile Bastion
Your Exile will regenerate 40 Energy Shield each second and up to 10% per second based on the enemies you have killed recently. The best part is during your shield activity, you cannot be stunned.
Following are the Pantheon Choices for your Exile's build
Major God
You take Brine so you aren't stunned and the following for more potency:
● Capture Glace will give you increased Stun and Block Recovery
● Capture Corruptor will make you immune to freeze
● Capture Nassar will reduce the effect on chill by 50%
Minor God
You take Tukohama for increased PHY DMG Red when stationary and capture Tashin to gain increased Life Regen when stationary.
Conclusion
The Crucible, the most recent league patch, continues the tradition of the league opener setup with Essence Drain. The build may go through leveling and into the maps even without any special items because it mainly relies on acceptable flat damage from skill gem power-ups and passive points on the tree. If you want to be safe and unsure what to play in the forthcoming league, this is a good option.