Moon's Caustic Arrow Occultist PoB & Gems (PoE Necropolis)

May 1st, 2024, 22:30

Passive Skill Tree

All guides on poe-vault.com are provided with a Path of Building code, for which you can find a guide here and download from the PoB Community Github.

A comprehensive and annotated Path of Building code with item, skill and passive tree progression per act is provided for this build. It also includes different setups for early, midrange, advanced and very advanced progression once in maps.

The Early and Midrange progression setups are focused on being very performant and easy to replicate, while the Advanced and Very Advanced versions of this build are recommended for players with intermediate familiarity with the game’s mechanics and market.

Poisonous Concoction

Because this character levels with Poisonous Concoction, the levelling tree diverges from the final tree. The refund points needed to switch to Caustic Arrow can all be found as guaranteed quest rewards in the acts.

Attribute Requirements

The majority of Intelligence and Dexterity requirements will be met by the passive skill tree, but Strength requirements will require you to find and wear a Heavy Belt and a relevant amulet. Should you have any trouble with meeting these requirements, there are two +30 Strength notable nodes available to allocate while you sort your gear out.

Masteries

The included passive skill tree allocates several conditional masteries:

• “15% increased maximum Life if there are no Life Modifiers on Equipped Body Armor”.

Note that this mastery won’t be active if your body armour has any modifier to do with Life, including “Life Regeneration”, “Life Leech” and “Mind Over Matter”. Adjust your passive tree according to the body Armour you’re wearing.

• “Chance to Suppress Spell Damage is Lucky”.

This mastery causes incoming spells to roll against your chance to suppress damage twice, picking the best outcome. If you have 100% chance to suppress spell damage, it does nothing.

Double check that you really do have 100% chance to suppress spell damage while your life isn’t full, since “Revenge of the Hunted” may add an unreliable 10% which are only available while you’re at full life and not using Blood Rage.

Gem Links

Caustic Arrow

This is the only 6-link gem setup in the build:

• Caustic Arrow
• Swift Affliction Support
• Efficacy Support
• Void Manipulation Support
• Vicious Projectiles Support
• Slower Projectiles Support

Early on, you should carry a Concentrated Effect Support gem to swap with Efficacy Support, to burst down map bosses. Later, swap Slower Projectiles Support for Empower Support.

When you feel your damage is high enough, replace the blue socket for Efficacy Support with a green one. Here, socket Arrow Nova Support for area clear or Slower Projectiles Support for single target.

Vaal Blight

• Vaal Blight
• Infused Channelling Support

The regular Blight skill grants you Infused Channelling and Hinders enemies, slowing them and synergising with conditional effects. Vaal Blight is used for applying another debuff in a huge area around you. Both skills should only be used for a short time to get their bonuses.

Frenzy

Frenzy is used to keep frenzy charges up when there are no monsters around to kill with Blood Rage.

• Frenzy Frenzy
• Greater Multiple Projectiles Support

Later, when you anoint “Disciple of the Slaughter” to replace Blood Rage and gain an empty socket, drop Mark of Submission for a rare unset ring and Culling Strike Support to add:

• Hextouch Support
• Temporal Chains

In Advanced setups, when you acquire a corrupted Rearguard that fires an additional arrow, you can drop Greater Multiple Projectiles Support for Maim Support which provides a little crowd control.

Divine Blessing

Malevolence is used as a blessing to avoid its mana reservation. Keep the Divine Blessing Support gem level low while your total Energy Shield is low.

• Malevolence
• Divine Blessing Support

Utility Skills

• Withering Step
• Temporal Chains (socketed in Mark of Submission, applied with Frenzy Frenzy)
• Blood Rage

• Molten Shell
• Automation Support

• Enduring Cry
• Call to Arms Support

Mobility Skills

Which mobility skill to use is personal preference, pick one of these:

• Flame Dash
• Frostblink
• Dash Dash
• Blink Arrow

Flame Dash and Frostblink have the minor advantage of hitting enemies and cursing them with Temporal Chains through Mark of Submission.

Auras and Blasphemy

Despair is a curse that is permanently active around you using blasphemy.

• Despair Despair
• Blasphemy Support

For auras, we run:

• Summon Skitterbots
• Determination
• Defiance Banner

When you acquire a The Devouring Diadem, drop Defiance Banner and set your auras up inside it like this, instead:

• Grace Grace
• Determination
• Summon Skitterbots
• Enlighten Support (Level 3)

Optionally, in the very late stages of the build a level 4 Enlighten Support, Awakened Blasphemy Support and a 25/3 small cluster jewel can be used to fit Aspect of the Spider in your mana pool.