• There are 4-5 possible affixes and only 3 slots available, so something has to give. To maximize the possible affixes for each armor slot you need to consider what can possibly roll on each slot. Specifically the fact that chest & shield slots roll very high flat defenses compared to other item slots and basically the same +hp bonuses.
  • An Abyssal Socket is a special socket found on League-specific unique items and rare Stygian ViseStygian ViseHas 1 Abyssal Socket belt bases. Players can also craft this socket on an item by using a Hollow FossilHollow FossilStack Size: 10Has an Abyssal socketPlace in a Resonator to influence item crafting.Shift click to unstack. The list below shows unique items that are related to abyssal.
  • Welcome to our list of Duelist builds for the Heist league of Path of Exile (3.12). The Duelist is a master of the arena; he loves the close combat playstyle. The Duelist later chooses to become one of three ascendancy classes: the Gladiator is very good at blocking incoming damage, while also bleeding enemies to death.
One of the most cost-effective Spell Caster builds in PoE based on various Cold Damage over Time Spells

The Ethernet Shield V1 has a standard RJ-45 connection, with an integrated line transformer and Power over Ethernet enabled. There is an onboard micro-SD card slot, which can be used to store files for serving over the network. It is compatible with all the Arduino/Genuino boards. The on-board micro SD card reader is accessible through the SD.

Updated for Patch 3.12

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low

Guide notes
September 18, 2020
-Build created
September 19, 2020
-Added gameplay video

Creeping Frost is supposedly the most underrated Spell in the Path of Exile. It's just started getting noticed recently when a few powerful builds emerged based on it, however, still, just a handful of players use it. Creeping Frost fires a projectile, which upon impact creates a chilling area where enemies take high Cold Damage over Time. The damage of this spell comes mainly from Skill Gems, and Passive Skills, which allows you to easily reach a few Million DPS without any expensive equipment while offering a solid defense. This build utilizes several other Cold DOT Spells like Vortex and Cold Snap, which add more punch to your single-target DPS. Overall, this is a very enjoyable build with a smooth playstyle, good clear speed, which costs near to nothing on lower levels, and has the potential to take down most of the Bosses in the game with some investments in gear.

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

Slots

Creeping Frost Occultist is a typical Spell Caster build. You are going to self-cast Creeping Frost mainly, as it's more than enough to take down packs of regular enemies, and you can add Vortex for some extra AoE DPS which is cast underneath you. Vortex is cast instantly, making it a very smooth combination. Other Spells, like Frost Bomb, Cold Snap, and Storm Brand, will be triggered by your crafted Wand. Frost Bomb applies Cold Exposure, reducing monsters' Cold Resistance, Cold Snap deals some extra Cold DoT and occasionally generates Frenzy Charges, while Storm Brand is used solely to proc Elemental Equilibrium by hitting enemies with Lightning damage with high frequency, greatly increasing the damage they take of other Elemental types. For the defenses, this is a casual Hybrid Build, which offers between 6-8k combined Life and Energy Shield depending on your equipment. With Glancing Blows and very high Chance to Block Attacks and Spells, you should be able to easily take some hits even from high-level enemies and Bosses. Combined with extra Regeneration from Occultist's Ascendancy, this build actually feels quite tanky for a budget Starter one.


0:08 Tier 15 Crimson Temple
0:33 Tier 16 Iceberg
0:53 Tier 16 Siege
1:28 Tier 16 Toxic Sewer
1:46 Tier 15 Caldera
This video was recorded on a level 93 Occultist with 8000 Combined Life and Energy Shield and approximately 2.5kk DPS on Creeping Frost's DoT effect. Snakepit and Rime Gaze were the only Unique equipment used


Odealo is a secure trading platform for MMO gamers. Here you can buy, sell, and trade PoE Currency for real cash.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS
  • good clear speed from multiple Icy areas covering your screen
  • solid DoT from multiple sources allows you to take down most Bosses in the game
  • high Life and Energy Shield combined, with decent Regen from Occultist Ascendancy
  • smooth playstyle
  • requires no specific Uniques and costs pretty much nothing
CONS
  • Mana Management can get tricky
  • mediocre single-target DPS against end-game Bosses

3. Leveling tips

It's recommended to level up using Creeping Frost, as it's a type of Spells which requires a bit of practice to use properly. It fires a projectile which creates the damaging area upon impact with an enemy, or under your cursor. It has to be targeted correctly to deal sufficient damage to enemies as sometimes it's better to aim at a specific area instead of the enemy directly. When you have the DoT active, you can use other Cold Spells to help you out in taking down enemies and Bosses, life for example Freezin Pulse - after all, most of the Cold DoT multipliers and powerful Gems will be available at higher levels. Focus on increasing your Cold Spell Damage initially, as it will also apply to the Damage over Time effect of Creeping Frost and Vortex.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Freezing Pulse setup
Freezing Pulse - a great leveling Cold Spell which has solid base damage. You can use it (or basically any other Cold Spell) to deal extra damage against enemies already within the radius of your Creeping Frost's DoT
Added Cold Damage Support - adds flat Cold Damage to your Spells
Arcane Surge Support - increases Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration Rate whenever you spend a certain amount of Mana on linked Spell. Make sure to keep this Gem at a low-level so that you gain the benefits every few casts
Faster Casting Support
Creeping Frost setup
Creeping Frost - the primary Spell used in this build. It fires an icy projectile that creates an AoE effect where enemies are health high Cold Damage over Time
Hypothermia Support - increases Cold Damage you deal against chilled enemies
Elemental Focus Support - increases your Elemental Damage
Efficacy Support - increases both Spell Damage and Damage over Time making it a core Support Gem in this build
Vortex setup
Vortex - it's another core Spells in this build which is cast instantly in your current position making it very convenient to use even on lower levels
Bonechill Support - increases the effect of Chill and Cold DoT taken by enemies chilled with Vortex
Efficacy Support
Utility Gems
Frost Bomb - Frost Bomb increases the damage you deal to enemies in its radius and deals a moderate amount of additional Cold Damage
Frostbite - the best Curse for this build which reduces Cold Resistance of affected enemies
Flame Dash - recommended mobility Spell

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

29 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Frost Walker 2) Heart and Soul 3) Cruel Preparation 4) Arcane Guardian 5) Elemental Overload

63 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Breath of Rime 2) Heart of Ice 3) Melding 4) Arcane Swiftness 5) Fingers of Frost

Recommended leveling items:

Shield
Spine of the First Claimant - the best leveling Weapon for this build which will work just fine even on Maps
14% increased Elemental Damage
(100-140)% increased Physical Damage
40% increased Damage with Hits against Frozen Enemies
(30-50)% increased Cold Damage
(5-10)% increased Attack Speed
(4-8)% increased Cast Speed
5% chance to Freeze
+(25-35)% to Cold Damage over Time Multiplier

Poe Shield Slots App

Praxis - amazing Ring for leveling as Spell Caster. Will help you spam your Spells by increasing your Mana and reducing the Mana Cost of Spells
+(20-30) to maximum Mana
+(30-60) to maximum Mana
Regenerate (3-6) Mana per second
-(8-4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills
8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit
Victario's Flight - another great leveling Item, which not only increases your Movement Speed but also grants an additional Mana Recovery mechanic
+15 to Dexterity
+15 to Intelligence
(100-150)% increased Evasion Rating
15% increased Movement Speed
(5-10)% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit
10% increased Movement Speed for you and nearby Allies
Goldrim - the best and the most popular leveling Helmet in Path of Exile which grants very high Elemental Resistances
+(30-50) to Evasion Rating
10% increased Rarity of Items found
+(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances
Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers
Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Shield

Final Skill Tree:

116 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't cover Cluster Jewels and Thread of Hope Passives)
116 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

  1. Void Beacon
  2. Frigid Wake
  3. Vile Bastion
  4. Withering Presence

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Creeping Frost
Creeping Frost - your primary Spell used in this build. If you are using Snakepit in your left Ring Socket, you can skip increasing the number of its projectiles via Greater or Lesser Multiple Projectiles, as the Fork and Dying Sun will be more than enough to clear Maps quickly
Elemental Focus Support - greatly increases Elemental Damage dealt by Supported Spells but makes Creeping Frost unable to Chill
Controlled Destruction Support - increases Spell Damage greatly at the cost of reduced Crit. Chance which is negligible in this build
Hypothermia Support - increase Damage you deal to Chilled enemies, and most of them will be by Vortex
Efficacy Support - increases Spell Damage and DoT which both apply to Winterbrand's damage
Swift Affliction Support - increases the Damage over Time from Supported Spells greatly
Notes:
If you can afford it, Elemental Focus, Controlled Destruction, and Swift Affliction all have Awakened Gem variants
[DPS] Vortex setup
(Socketed in Rime Gaze)
Vortex - your secondary DPS Spell, which on top of dealing decent AoE damage grants you Arcane Surge buff and increases your Cold Damage over Time
Efficacy Support
Bonechill Support - increases Vortex's effect of Chill and increases all Cold Damage over Time enemies affected by it take
Arcane Surge Support - grants a strong buff which increases your Spell Damage, Cast Speed, and Mana Regeneration Rate. Just make sure to match the Gems level so that it's triggered every time you cast Vortex (usually the Gem should be at level 9)
Gems granted by the Rime Gaze Helmet:
Concentrated Effect Support - greatly increases Area Damage and the cost of reducing the affected skill's radius
[UTILITY] Auras
Malevolence - increases your Damage over Time greatly and opens up an additional way to gain DoT Multiplier via Watcher's Eye Jewel
Discipline - increases your maximum Energy Shield, making it one of the most important Auras for this build
Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation cost of linked Auras
[UTILITY] Flame Dash
Flame Dash - recommended Mobility Skill for this build
Enduring Cry - generates Endurance Charges and regenerates Life quickly. Even with the current nerfs in Patch 3.12 it's still a good idea to bring this skill along
Second Wind Support - reduces the Cooldown of your Enduring Cry and Flame Dash
Urgent Orders Support - greatly increases your Warcry speed, but increases the cooldown
[UTILITY] Tempest Shield
Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast linked Spells after you take a certain amount of damage. Use this Gem on level 1 for most frequent casts
Tempest Shield - increases your Block Chance. Keep this Gem on level 7 or lower so that it's triggered automatically by CWDT Support Gem
Hextouch Support - will make hits from Tempest Shield apply your linked Curse
Frostbite - the recommended Curse for this build which reduces the monster's Cold Resistance. If you manage to get the Curse as a Ring affix, you can replace it with a low-level Immortal Call
[UTILITY] Spells triggered by your Wand
Frost Bomb - reduces Cold Resistance of enemies in its' radius making it a must-have Utility Spell for Cold/Spell builds
Storm Brand - used to help you trigger Elemental Equilibrium
Cold Snap - deals AoE Cold Damage over Time, and enemies that die in its radius can generate Frenzy Charges for more damage

Poe Shield Slots Game


Odealo supports player-to-player trading for the Path of Exile Currency, Orbs, and Unique items. Buying from regular players on Odealo guarantees the best prices and highest security of every transaction.

5. Gear Setup

Poe

Below you will find the recommended equipment for our Creeping Frost Occultist Hybrid Starter build. This build uses mainly random rares, and only the Rime Gaze helmet is heavily recommended (not only it's very strong, but also very cheap). Most of the Cold Damage over Time multiplier comes from Rare gear anyway, so there is not much diversity in that matter if you want to push your DPS to its maximum.

Using the opportunity, we would like to invite you to visit our PoE Marketplace section. If you are looking for cheap PoE Currency you definitely have to check it out. It's accessible by links on top of the page.

The recommended items from our list will:

  1. Help you cap your Elemental Resistances
  2. Give you enough DPS, Life, and Energy Shield to start mapping successfully

Poe Shield Slam

Stat priorities on items:

  1. Life
  2. Elemental Resistances
  3. Energy Shield
  4. Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
  5. Cold/Spell Damage
  6. Cast Speed

Poe Shield Slots Games

(Helmet) Rare Helmet- a very reasonable option that offers very high defensive Utility, and you can try getting Delve crafted one which will reduce the Cold Resistance of nearby enemies for extra DPS. It should be used on Solo Self-Found mode, as in any other case Rime Gaze will be a better budget option
Min. requirements:
100 Energy Shield
70 Maximum Life
75% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Attributes
Nearby enemies have -#% Cold Resistance
(Helmet) Rime Gaze- our top recommendation for the Helmet slot. It grants very high bonus damage and has a decent Energy Shield. At the same time, it's very cheap even with nearly perfect rolls
Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 20 Concentrated Effect
30% increased Cold Damage
(180-200)% increased Energy Shield
50% reduced Energy Shield Recharge Rate
+(40-60) to maximum Mana
+(16-22)% to Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
Helmet enchantments:
40% increased Creeping Frost Damage
Creeping Frost's Chilling Area has 38% increased Movement Speed
(Weapon) Rare Wand - the best in the slot option. You can easily craft or obtain a basic Wand with just Cold Damage Multiplier and 'Trigger Socketed Spell...' affix to automatically Cast all the important utility Spells
Min. requirements:
20% Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
40% Spell Damage
Trigger Socketed Spell when you use a Skill
Optional affixes:
+1 to Level of All Spell Skill Gems
+1 to Level of All Cold Spell Skill Gems
(Shield) Rare Shield - aim for the highest possible Energy Shield and Life bonuses with some additional Resistances
Min. requirements:
250 Combined Life/Energy Shield
50% Spell Damage
Optional affixes:
increased Cast Speed
Elemental Resistances
(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - preferably an INT Base with high Energy Shield
Min. requirements:
500 Energy Shield
Optional affixes:
Elemental Resistances
Maximum Life
(Amulet) Rare Amulet - aim for Cold DoT Multiplier and extra Life and Energy Shield bonuses
Min. requirements:
20% Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
50 Maximum Life
20% Maximum Energy Shield
Optional affixes:
Attributes (Strength/Dexterity)
Elemental Resistances
Spell Damage
+1 to Level of All Intelligence Gems
Recommended Anointments:
Command of Steel
(Ring) Rare Rings - pick any base you want (Opal for DPS, Moonstone for Energy Shield, or Two-Stone for the highest possible Resistances)
Min. requirements:
40 Energy Shield
75% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Attributes
Cold/Spell Damage
(Ring) Snakepit - a great and inexpensive option for your Left Ring Slot. When socketed there it will make your Creeping Frost's projectiles Fork, greatly increasing your clear speed
+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance
(20-40)% increased Spell Damage
(5-10)% increased Cast Speed
Left ring slot: Projectiles from Spells cannot Chain
Left ring slot: Projectiles from Spells Fork
Right ring slot: Projectiles from Spells Chain +1 times
Right ring slot: Projectiles from Spells cannot Fork
Projectiles from Spells cannot Pierce
(Boots) Rare Boots - it's a good idea to pick a pair of Boots with a chance to gain Elusive (this can get expensive though). Elusive grants a high defensive bonus, by increasing your Chance to Dodge
Min. requirements:
50 Maximum Life
25% increased Movement Speed
Optional affixes:
Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike
Elemental Resistances
Boot enchantment:
16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently
10% Chance to Dodge Attack Hits if you've taken a Critical Strike Recently
(Belt) Rare Belt - aim for the highest Life and Energy Shield combined
Min. requirements:
140 Combined Life/Energy Shield
90% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Abyss Socket
Increased Damage/Elemental/Cold Damage
(Gloves) Rare Gloves - the best would be to get a pair with 100+ combined Life/Energy Shield, Cold Damage Multiplier, and Chance to Unnerve enemies on Hit, or if you can't afford such a pair, just aim for higher defensive bonuses
Min. requirements:
100 Combined Life/Energy Shield
14% Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
Attributes
Optional affixes:
Elemental Resistances
Chance to Unnerve enemies on Hit
(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - we recommend using one Cluster Jewel for additional Cold Damage Multiplier as the options on your Skill Tree get limited the higher the level you have
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Cold-Blooded Killer
1 Added Passive Skill is Deep Chill
1 Added Passive Skill is Disorienting Display
2 Added Passive Skills are Jewel Sockets
(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - you can use up to three Medium Cluster Jewels in this build. It's best to pick ones that increase Cold DoT Multiplier for the highest possible DPS bonuses
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is a Jewel Socket
1 Added Passive Skill is Deep Chill
1 Added Passive Skill is Exposure Therapy
1 Added Passive Skill is Brush with Death
(Jewel) Rare Jewels - simply get extra Life or Energy Shield and DPS bonuses (preferably Cold DoT Multiplier)
Recommended affixes:
Maximum Energy Shield/Maximum Life
Cold Damage over Time Multiplier
Optional affixes:
Spell Damage/Area Damage/Damage over Time
(Jewel) Unnatural Instinct - this is a very expensive Jewel and definitely not fit for a Starter build, but if you decide to continue playing this build it's a great way of improving your character. It will let you refund Melding with adjacent Passives and spend more Points on Cluster Jewels instead
Allocated Small Passive Skills in Radius grant nothing
Grants all bonuses of Unallocated Small Passive Skills in Radius
(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - it's a great pick for this build which grants very high bonus Damage when you are affected by Malevolence
(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield
(4-6)% increased maximum Life
(4-6)% increased maximum Mana
<Two or Three random aura modifiers>
Recommended modifier:
+(18-22)% to Damage over Time Multiplier while affected by Malevolence

(Jewel) Thread of Hope - a mandatory Jewel for this build. You need to get one with a Large Ring modifier, which will allow you to pick up 6 important Passives for this build without having them connected to your Tree. Initially, it may be hard to get this Jewel, so you may need to pick up Breath of Rime and Heart of Ice 'manually' instead of getting extra Passives for additional Cluster Jewels

Only affects Passives in <size> Ring
Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree
-(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances
Passives allocated:
Breath of Rime
Heart of Ice
Utmost Intellect
Snowforged
Arcane Focus
Practical Application
(Flask) Dying Sun - an amazing Utility Flask for this build which increases your clear speed by a ton by increasing the number of your Creeping Frost's projectiles
+50% to Fire Resistance
20% less Fire Damage taken
(-10-10)% increased Charges used
Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect
(15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect
Suggested Rare Flasks:
  1. Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity)
  2. Experimenter's Silver Flask of Adrenaline (Onslaught/mobility)
  3. Experimenter's Sulphur Flask of Warding (Curse immunity)
  4. Experimenter's Quicksilver Flask of Staunching (Bleeding immunity)


Buying PoE Currency with real money is a hassle-free way to get all the items you need for your character.

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.