[3.1] Essence Drain Trickster league starter guide

[@haatchu8403]

Honestly one of the best guides I have watched in my opinion, didn't really leave any questions to ask so that speaks for it. Really good work and thank you waggle. Hope it gets the views it deserves, will be sharing this to anyone I see asking questions regarding ED Trickster anywhere I see, great starter build!

[@longstridebaduk]

The screen where you show the list of affixes desired in each slot in PRIORITY, AS WELL AS a few nice uniques, is very clever - so much info conveyed so quickly & cleanly. Thanks!

[@ImyoCello]

this is the kind of guide we need, progression guides, builds are on the forums, and they all talk about like we play since we are 2 years old, this is clear, this is nice.

[@Estel2121]

loved the format of the guide! trying this in abyss tonight, good luck everyone!

[@bballmoe1996]

My boi came in clutch just when I needed. 3K hours played but never played ED. Saved me a bit of research time.

[@nodnarbregztem8546]

And here I thought i was the only one that could say that! 3.7K hours and just made an ED dude for the first time last week. Hope you enjoy it, I am so far.

[@Demonlord468]

Key word here... SAFE!! Thats what makes ED shine.. it clears fine and where it falls off still has a huge benefit of being safe. A dangerous boss will be alive longer sure but you can also kite everything it does while still doing your thing fully. Ive used this in many variations and this always ends up being the case.

[@Gilly764]

Hey Dsfarblarwaggle, I have been playing POE for about 3 years and follow all the big name guys (ziggy, ziz, ect). Your build and explaining the plus 1 chaos wand at the start plus the details is awesome, this is the exact build I was looking for since I have never done a caster, so thank you and you now have a loyal follower!

[@Jootson1]

Thanks man! I played your ED build as my second character in Harbinger league and enjoyed it quite a bit. I look forward to starting the league off with this one!

[@amund0]

Fantastic guide, very well done, clearly explained

[@sulemanmalik8228]

As an ssf player, I really like this build a lot. Thank you.

[@tie147]

First time playing so im excited to try this for the new League, thanks for the guide bro.

[@forrestwelsh415]

really good guide, getting a breathe of the council is always a struggle

[@lairizzle]

Man you explain stuff so well, thanks!

[@milanhrkalik6660]

I have already decided what I wanted to play and then I've found this... well I'm torn between two builds again. Damn. Nice guide man.

[@OgreFunk]

Really nice guide as usual

[@MrDarkBM]

I don’t even like ED, but I liked the guide. Great presentation of everything!

[@ColorAgent]

Thx so much Waggle this is exactly what i was looking for.

[@joeshmoe1378]

Thank god for essence drain. Dont think I could stand starting all over again as melee. What a fucking chore.

[@Mastervivi10]

Thanks for the video! Really needed it

[@babypharaoh6337]

where should i place despair?

[@chriskarpetas]

I always start leagues with ED, but so far I hadn't used Trickster. Saw it being played a lot during the last league, but I had already moved on to different characters. I guess now's the time to try it out.

[@drj8899]

Actually waggle a +2 dagger/wand/sceptre/shield does substantially more damage than a 4L, slightly less damage than a 5L if you can purchase one for super cheap while leveling in act 6 all the way to endgame. It also costs way less mana

[@Marxone]

Blight Gloves are great. I would consider those as mandatory as they fix all single target issues.

[@vmarm3459]

so maybe im not seeing it but i dont do much builds like this. what i dont understand is if you are to use a cloak of defiance as endgame... do we get rid of mom on tree? or are we just using cloak for the flat mana which gives defence? would help me to clarify this

[@Smoothcarries]

Unique chests: Cherrubim & Skin of the Loyal are better. Cherrubim gives a nice life boost + good chaos damage, so it covers both defense and offense. Recoloring can be a bitch though. Skin of the Loyal is obviously a lot less budget, but gives 100% increased global defenses, which is pretty underrated. My ED Char on Harb got around ~500 ES from equipping Skin of the Loyal as opposed to ~250 Life when equipping a Cherrubim, plus the enormous damage boost it provides over any other chest. Both provide big boosts to ED (Skin is the best BY FAR for ED in terms of DPS, especially +1 Implicit & +1 Explicit). Cloak of Defiance is meh, because even with the nerfs around MoM nodes, the mana nodes by MoM give so much mana I don't like specing out of that but that's really up to the person. I run Enfeeble & Vulnerability as my double curse, so my chests literally don't need defenses at all, but since you're running Temporal Chains I could see why you'd want Belly or Cloak. Though in my opinion (because I use Enfeeble), both Cloak and Belly are trash tier since you already never die. My path of building for my character in Harbinger at endgame if you wanna compare: pastebin.com/pveaGxkR Aside from the GG Essence Drain Helm and Rippling Thoughts, the rest is pretty damn budget. Neither are necessary as well, but I hate Shield Charge with a passion and Rippling gave me around the same DPS as Breath. Again, that was just preference. Please don't make fun of me for taking the 3 mana nodes under deep wisdom. I took it pretty early because I felt I needed more mana, and killed Uber Atziri/Shaper with this setup. Those 3 points can be used for anything else though, they're entirely unnecessary.

[@vwabi]

Would you recommend grand spectrum jewels? Especially with the mana nodes behind MoM nerfed. Also, would you recommend picking up nearby mana nodes on the tree after completing the tree you showed, or are there better choices?

[@quintonspangler6570]

Do you have any idea for end game version of this build? I rocked it to lvl 80 so far without shield charge. Any advice on what jewels to use in passive tree, or any advice on what to class up in for endgame?

[@csmartin3]

Do you have any advice for a scion+contagion build? I kinda followed your tree but just went up using the intellect nodes...

[@Gomywan]

hey just a little question why not use the chérubin chest instead of the cloak does mom from skill tree adds to mom on the cloak ? or any other reason ?

[@kronicplays9664]

Nice build guide thanks!

[@jias333]

Is this still a good build even after the MoM nerfs or would you avoid taking that keystone and go for something else?? Secondly would Occultist just be better for this build both damage and survivability-wise or no? Big thanks in advance if you answer these questions.

[@SaintFranssoix]

trickster is better for a smooth gameplay because it gives absurd amounts of cast speed. Occultist could deal more damage though.

[@db0455]

10:46

[@MrLookatmyhat]

Why did you ignore the chaos damage nods right below your starting point? Also one of the best evasion + life nodes is right beside that. Is there a reason I'm not seeing?

[@bonesssh]

Very good guide, thanks very much

[@WrathEE]

Any act 5 racing Kitava kills you'd recommend with Cont/ED

[@Helldays59]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to take Method to the Madness just under the Shadow starting location ?

[@Chimponaut]

Great guide, one question tho, do you use the blight jewel?

[@Michael_peanut]

What patheon souls would you recommend for this build ? Maybe brine king and ralakesh ?

[@xontrax6610]

How do you think? Scion Dark Pact totem or this build? For a start in the new league?

[@REIwAlexY]

dp totem=more dmg bosser prob and easier to play but probably slower clear

[@ggzet6535]

Hello! Great guide, man. Is it possible to see soon same guide for SRS starters? :)

[@theperson101ful]

Anyone wanting to min/max get either a +3 chaos gem level staff or even better get a Skin of the Loyal with +1 to gem level corrupted on it with a lvl 4 empower this will make your essence drain level 28

[@stras77]

So I'm trying out leveling as ED, but what I got confused about in the guide was what kind of armor type to focus on. You seam to have a bit of everything mashed togeather. What is the logic in the armor types being like that?

[@sirmoke9646]

You just need the right color for the gems. Armor\ES\Evasion is not a priority. Mana and life is. Once you can afford to roll a lot of off color items armor is probably the best to go for in abyss league.

[@robertstufleser7647]

nice video covers everything there is to know

[@AetiusUS]

+dsfarblarwaggle How relevant would this guide still be? Just curious what order of ascendancy you would go now, and if Breath of the Council is still better than a Shaper sceptre/dagger?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

The only difference from a league start/ultra budget perspective I would say is the ascendancy points. Still go trickster, but since the "Walk the Aether" node doesn't exist anymore, you would spend your extra 2 points on prolonged pain. Build ends up basically the same as before but with a nice little damage boost.

[@AetiusUS]

Appreciate the response. What are your thoughts on Swift Killer vs Ghost Dance?

[@sheriffrick6103]

is it not worth going for potency off will with the scion life wheel and shaper?

[@BlackDevilLeague]

How good does this build perform on Merciless lab? What about trap damage?

[@pr13st28]

tight build lovin it

[@VinceGrimpeur]

Wouldn't it be better to pick all those juicy life nodes and the skill effect duration ones ? I'm playing HC

[@theperson101ful]

Path of building?

[@loudnoises1112]

I copied the passive tree to save others some time. pastebin.com/uvCwJg9d

[@philwils7012]

thank you!

[@dariusm.8316]

wow thx!

[@ShadowLycan3]

thanks dude!!!

[@danriehl4244]

I haven't done equipment (which was provided as a guideline anyways), but here's what I'm using. I've filled out the notes as well, and in case the "Export to Pastebin" thing doesn't work for notes you can get them at the second link. pastebin.com/CHRtXjg5 (Build) pastebin.com/Tn0tJ67K (Notes)

[@slindimasq]

Thank you for this awesome guide , any pob links please?

[@maxair95]

What about end game part, can this build at least sustain against Guardians, Shaper & Elder?

[@Gomywan]

hi thx a lot for the build i started the same build but your skill tree is better then mine so 16 orb of regrets later i earn about 1000 hp and sustain mom and mitigate my damage taken so thx you are a smart player :)

[@KIoister]

So I just got a witchfire, you state in the video I could go duel curse with temp chains and despair but isnt that a bit redundant? Does the despair stack?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

What I meant was, grab the dual curse node, run blasphemy + temp chains, and then get despair from the flask. Still need +1 curse to get both up at once since flask curse counts toward your cap.

[@KIoister]

Gotcha, thanks!

[@AtrayLP]

Which node would that be? I think you don't state that in your video. Is it the Whispers of Doom node? I'm running temp chains + blasphemy and got a witchfire brew but seems I'm doing it wrong cause I don't have the dual curse node.

[@voxrex3932]

I was actually struggling with ideas as to how to start the league with ED, thank you, mate. I haven't watched this vid fully yet, sorry, if this is explained in it, but on your gear info image you list "breath of the council" and "brightbeak" as your weapons of choice. What about consuming dark/delirium weapon? Are they still viable?

[@The1337ex1t]

you dont use consuming ever now because poison is bad if you dont invest your entire build into it. delirium scales pretty bad and breath of the council outperforms it nearly at all stages

[@voxrex3932]

Thanks!

[@kid-is3gr]

Would you recommend it for SSF or should I stick to Sunder?

[@mbuzzz13]

so completely brand new PoE player here: started last night and got to about level 12 but I don’t think I grabbed the “perfect” gems. I have contagion and essence drain obviously, but if I didn’t grab Arcane Surge or Void Manipulation should I just basically reset the character? or is it not damning?

[@widmoxik]

you can go back to the towns and buy the gems, they are very cheap

[@SheenaMalfoy]

Question: I'll be playing with my boyfriend through the league, does him killing things break the death explosion chain that this combo creates? Or is it safe to play this build in parties? Sorry not too familiar with how these skills work in particular detail.

[@REIwAlexY]

Yeah, it kinda will interefere with it. If playing duo (or with party) one person should be playing aurabot supp as thats currently the best way to get 2 builds to work well together (except for some very niche cases)

[@valen771]

ED is better for solo play, if u wanna play together all the time its better if both get use of each others auras.

[@SheenaMalfoy]

Last league he was running RF totems and I had Ziggy's SR/RF build and it worked out fairly well together. Neither build hits so we could make full use of EE and we were both fire damage so could borrow each other's auras and flammability worked for us both. In Meyhem last week he ran Frostbolt totems and I had Blade Flurry, so he could clear maps and I could clear bosses. You definitely don't have to have one player as an aurabot to have complementary builds. You just have to pay attention to what the other person is running.

[@SheenaMalfoy]

Thanks. I guess I'll save this for my solo character then and find something else to play with him.

[@quintonspangler6570]

What jewels do you recommend to use on the tree?

[@josefbjork4786]

How would the passive tree look like at 100?

[@savior76gd]

When buying a weapon from the vendor, how much does the phys dmg play a part in the purchase? I'm level 65 but my WIL is 50. Still wrecking things, but I want to upgrade.

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

For spells, the base physical damage on weapons doesn't matter at all.

[@savior76gd]

Thanks for the reply. Was worrying way too much and then I realized that I wasn't a melee build. Just found out that I've had a Brightbeak since like lvl 40. 50% AS and 30 fire and 20 light resi.

[@ResonateGaming]

This is a great guide dude thanks. Now that they have shown the level 20 despair/cascade would you make any changes to the gems?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

If anything I think it just makes witchfire brew that much more desirable, probably the first unique you want to save for.

[@agento_0]

Do you still use despair with blasphemy if you have a witchfire?

[@ballistic20vt]

Awesome, comprehensive guide mate. Nice one. What do you think about occultist ED? Worthwhile?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

Occultist is still king if you want to farm bosses with ED, otherwise trickster is stronger IMO.

[@diiima5]

what you link with Allelopathy for links?

[@Gihlemoen]

Ok im trying to figure this out... ive followed every step of the build. but how the Fu--- do you get all the frenzy charges?

[@petek2752]

The first Ascendancy gives you the charges when killing creeps. It's toward the end of the video.

[@buyardent4me]

Help me: When i put the wither spell together with the totem support in a item that is bound to each other it doesn't work. It just won't summon totems

[@bryanbuster8394]

lts Draven make sure you have SPELL support totem, you might have the wrong support gem

[@buyardent4me]

ye. Found it out myself 1 day later. I could only afford any other support totem thing as shadow. On my mage account I could afford the right one. ty anyways

[@RaisuunTV]

Waggle, when picking up the Allelopathy gloves, which gem combination do you suggest we use and which combination do we merge/drop from what you showed us? Thanks for the nice guide :)

[@quasarproductions2690]

Derived from ghazzy's 3.0 hc (both sc/hc viable but made for hc) Optional: - Faster Casting, Arcane Surge, Increased Area of Effect, Contagion => On Allelopathy Gloves can help single target boss fights a bit! www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1625254 However, I am looking at another guide that uses this setup, which I did not run so cannot comment on it. Allelopathy The Allelopathy gloves are extremely strong for us when we need that extra punch towards ultra end-game. If you want to have more DPS, you can drop the CWDT and golem link and use this link in the gloves: Efficacy > Controlled Destruction > Void Manipulation > Swift Affliction source of 2nd setup made for 3.1 www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1717015

[@Tripleyou]

The same supports as in the guide. Aoe, Arcane Surge and Faster Casting (and Contagion)

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

I think you have a few options on how to use the gloves. You can wear them all the time, in which case you put your contagion links in the gloves (contagion + aoe + faster casting + arcane surge). The blight you get from this doesnt do a ton of damage, but does enough to help on bosses & kill cannot die auras. Or you can just keep the gloves in your inventory, and swap them in for big time boss DPS while wearing other gloves for the rest of the map. You still keep contagion in your normal gloves, and put controlled destruction + void manipulation + efficacy + arcane surge in your allelopathy. Or combine both of those and run around with 2 pairs of allelopathy, which works really well but we dont know how expensive they will be this league :P

[@agento_0]

Do you still use blasphemy with despair? or replace it with a witchfire brew?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

Use blasphemy for despair until you get witchfire, then when you get one grab dual curse and swap blasphemy to temp chains and you get both curses

[@agento_0]

thanks, dual curse on the tree?

[@winstonlee4609]

do you mind telling me the gem links?

[@petek2752]

Would this work as a SSF character for league starter? This league I wanna try the SSF way.

[@gjermunddahl9163]

Yes

[@betajakob]

GOOD JOB M8

[@gergobarta7498]

why brightbeak? only resist is useful on it

[@gergobarta7498]

oh its because the attack speed gives us an insane movement speed

[@teeesum]

which bandit did you do?

[@baggysweapants]

Can this clear all endgame with investments?

[@TheProdef]

Update on this with the Trickster changes in 3.2? :)

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

Will have an updated trickster setup in a video I'm uploading today :^)

[@azuri6842]

play trickter, have a SC setup, but walk through the whole map... i did play ED trickster too during the 10 days tumoil race and another occultist during 10 day mayhem, and im sure 100% that trickster will win with the speed contest if u shield charge more often. as my opinion, i would play 2 curses due to the fact that trickster is MoM viable even at lower mana pool (heretic veil is really budget friendly at the current patch), stuck in 1~2 fevered mind as mana problem isnt an issue as all, when u so familiar with trickster gameplay u will want to shield charge all day even at a same spot and that will trigger the 10% mana recover really fast and make u safer with fortify and the fact that ure a fast mobile target but not a walking dummy, and more damage equal more clear speed with high shield charge rate.

[@quasarproductions2690]

ED is super strong, i played it in turmoil too. it was very very good, however i kinda wanted to try something else. Stuck on like self cast frostbolt/sunder/rf/gc mines. hc player. so torn

[@ToxDwarf]

played ED Trickster too in both races (Turmoil HC and Mayhem SSF) but also took GC Mines into consideration for Mayhem... now i'm stuck again with the problem what to play in 3.1.. finally a GC Miner? ED again since it really is some smooth levelling? or something else..?!

[@danaronsson1979]

Can you please write the links prio and like your ed character so its easier to follow for us new players =) also which pantheons you use? =)

[@dimitrios8292]

after 85 lvl tree suggestions plz?

[@Alastorchaos]

The guy explains stuff well, but beyond the +1 wand and shield charge specifics, he doesn't exactly blatantly say "These gems go together". Kind of a big deal in terms of getting the build off the ground. Wouldn't know how to juggle all these gems together..

[@eternityschildlv]

Bandits?

[@sgtmajfoley]

what about shaper node for more mana regen?

[@HateBrigade10]

Later on, sure. You'll inevitably make your way into the wheel of life. Right?

[@matzcool1]

What to do with the bandits?

[@_JKings_]

Kill all or Alira

[@ILikeGuns1992]

Please make Occultist vs Trickster comparision :) Also, what about Decay? Or after nerf it's bad even for levelling?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

Not so much that decay is bad for leveling, as ED+contagion is actually finally good for leveling. Decay is OK as a 6th link if you get one but don't have an empower gem ready to use

[@ILikeGuns1992]

I see. What about Occultist vs Trickster comparision?

[@Tripleyou]

Occultist suits well with hybrid -> lowlife and handles t16 bosses better than Trickster does. Trickster generally have better map clear, especially early league

[@ILikeGuns1992]

So boss killing - Occultist, mapping - Trickster? Why so hmm

[@horiaciobanu9146]

which bandit d I help?

[@_JKings_]

Either Alira or Kill all

[@fun2iceu]

Hardcore viable?

[@SleapyZzz]

Can you go to Tier 15 maps easily with this build?

[@BlackDevilLeague]

With enough investment yes.

[@SleapyZzz]

Big investment needed?

[@valen771]

i started doing t15 maps when i was lvl92 with no uniques in ssf hc without any problems. its nowhere near the fastest build but one of the safest. i would recommend abyssal cry for breaches to not get overrun by mobs.

[@Surr3alD3sign]

Did dis nigga jist skip a unique strongbox?

[@Dsfarblarwaggle]

:^)

[@CyanPhoenix_]

there was a kaoms heart in that box 100%

[@OgreFunk]

missed six links kaoms

[@m00niee]

You recon its capable of guardians?

[@qikink1]

ED can kill tough bosses, but it's all about your personal skill at the fights. Because you can do a lot of DPS "passively" you get to focus on dodging - then it's all down to how well you dodge.

[@m00niee]

Weeell then im screwed.. thanks tho

[@wolvie90]

Haxxalainen there's another ED trickster guide on the forum, he's got a video of all guardians as hell as shaper in HHC league.

[@rojones4317]

I am really really confused by your guide.. you say get a blue, blue, green wand.. but you then turn around and say to use 3x blue gems?? contagion, blight, arcane surge are all 3 blue gems.. ??? firetrap is the only green gem you have listed.. but you don't mention it at all leveling.. please help me understand. your picture of gems says act1&2 use contagion+blight to clear stuff then on single target blight and essence drain.. so where does this mysterious green gem socket come into play? all gems are blue color. from looks of your guide you dont use firetrap after level 4.. so very very confused on why you want a green socket??

[@rojones4317]

Oh i see now.. at level 8 you use green socket for void manipulation right?

[@morvol13]

bandits?

[@MrLookatmyhat]

He says kill all

[@prat9231]

GLHF

[@lickmysnickers3730]

tier7 mudgeyser, "endgame" , OMEGALUL

[@MrMojooRisin]

ender than act10, so... :D

[@Sarahmint]

With no required items is all new players ask for AND NEVER GET

[@wolvie90]

Sarahmint this doesn't have any requirements, just upgrades.

[@seibar5]

best PoB I can come up without tweaking gear, someone can easily make it better: pastebin.com/h1FcnrAF skill gem links might not be correct as this video (while awesome) ran through the gem links real fast, lol

[@seibar5]

pastebin.com/h1FcnrAF

[@dirtspitter]

this is cooly's build btw, why scam?

[@Paladinpwa]

lmao xD I'm sure he was the first to do ED trickster and nobody had even thought about it before.

[@dirtspitter]

it's a prank

[@kus88]

ED trees look the same

[@PureFuckingMetal6632]

13:40

[@PureFuckingMetal6632]

7:14