Path of Exile 3.5 Easy Leveling Build

Welcome to my Essence Drain guide!

Hello! Just an update, as of [3.16] Scourge, I believe that the Occultist is better than the Trickster after the nerf. I have edited the guide a lot and created a new forum post over in the witch section :
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3187314, feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!

I have been playing Path of Exile starting in 2013 ever since the first League was released.
There were a few reasons I created this guide. Mainly I just wanted to help others find a great build that can be SUPER easy to follow and can be enjoyed.

I started Essence Drain back in Legion league and I have been playing it every league since then.
I haven't had ANY issues with this build on any bosses and I kill everything that's tried to kill me..
EVERYTHING dies!!

League starting Scourge!!
Check out my stream at launch or if you have any questions!
Twitch.tv/Havoc209

Level 100 Expensive Low Life Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/c7m31mYj

Below is a level Pastebin for anyone who wants to scroll past and check out a rough idea of the leveling:

Leveling to 90 Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/rp7DQxyu - Make sure to look at the "Notes" section.

Table of Contents

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~ The Videos
~ What This Build Can Do
~ Path Of Building
~ How To Easily Level With NO Issues
~ Auras & When To Use Them
~ Budget Gearing Before Low Life
~ Passives, Bandits, Ascendancy, The Pantheon
~ Gems
~ Gear & Flasks
~ Mapping & How To Boss

Video

What This Build Can Do

Path of Building

Leveling Essence Drain Efficiently

Auras & When To Use Them

Budget Gearing Before Low Life

Passives, Bandits, Ascendancy, The Pantheon

Gem Setup:

Gear & Flasks

Mapping & How To Kill Bosses

F.A.Q :

CHECK OUT THE WITCH FORUM POST HERE https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3187314/page/1#p24339661 - Updated from the trickster for the SCOURGE LEAGUE!!!

The Trickster guide is not updated for Scourge, it was last updated with Ritual as of 2/25/2021.

There was a few formats that I was looking at.. none stuck out to me as much as Enki's guide.
After asking for permission to make my layout similar to Enki - Here's a quick shout-out.
Thank you Enki!

Last edited by Havoc209 on Oct 19, 2021, 4:54:25 PM

Last bumped on Oct 19, 2021, 4:29:09 PM

Posted by
Havoc209
on Mar 13, 2020, 2:36:01 PM

first!

Very well written guide. Definitely league starting this for Delirium!

Hopefully ED/CONT is op for the mechanic :D

Posted by
Kajukenbo
on Mar 13, 2020, 2:54:38 PM

POB here is posted for ES variant. How to level this as league starter? just grab random ES gear and hope for the best? Never tried ES build as a starter

Nvm, I found the levelling trees in levelling section :P

Last edited by Deziowy on Mar 13, 2020, 3:27:13 PM

Posted by
Deziowy
on Mar 13, 2020, 3:26:00 PM

Hi, do you think is possible use spellslinger to not cast ED manualy?

Posted by
Kminek666
on Mar 13, 2020, 3:54:32 PM

"

Hi, do you think is possible use spellslinger to not cast ED manualy?

I was actually thinking that exact same thing.. I will need to do some testing this league and update.. but theoretically it SHOULD work!

Posted by
Havoc209
on Mar 13, 2020, 3:57:24 PM

"

"

Hi, do you think is possible use spellslinger to not cast ED manualy?

I was actually thinking that exact same thing.. I will need to do some testing this league and update.. but theoretically it SHOULD work!

What would be the point? Instead of using a skill (ED) you use another skill (wand attack) to achieve the same end result, sending out a projectile. Due to scaling the wand attack should not contribute any meaningful amount of damage, but your ED-projectile is less guided - I personally missed with ED in the past against quick monsters.

On top of that you would have to reserve quite a bit of mana (like 50-65%) for ED to do good damage as you need all the supports as well.

I could see casting Contagion via Spellslinger as it is AoE (therefore does not need to hit) and needs fewer supports, so is cheaper on the reservation side. Even then though, why trade one button for another - especially as you'll probably have the same or even slower wand attack speed than Contagion cast speed.

Posted by
Serdoa
on Mar 13, 2020, 4:09:39 PM

"

What would be the point? Instead of using a skill (ED) you use another skill (wand attack) to achieve the same end result, sending out a projectile. Due to scaling the wand attack should not contribute any meaningful amount of damage, but your ED-projectile is less guided - I personally missed with ED in the past against quick monsters.

On top of that you would have to reserve quite a bit of mana (like 50-65%) for ED to do good damage as you need all the supports as well.

I could see casting Contagion via Spellslinger as it is AoE (therefore does not need to hit) and needs fewer supports, so is cheaper on the reservation side. Even then though, why trade one button for another - especially as you'll probably have the same or even slower wand attack speed than Contagion cast speed.

Yeah the reserving part makes it not really worth it... but it would still work theoretically.. I still plan on testing it to see how it works.

Last edited by Havoc209 on Mar 17, 2020, 8:44:11 PM

Posted by
Havoc209
on Mar 13, 2020, 4:16:01 PM

Actually interesting.
LL Edtrickster is a build I usually disregard as being strictly inferior to hybrid, but this is pretty good.

You should replace eldritch knowledge with Transcendent mind, it's 12% dotmulti in your setup, and you'd even gain some mana recovery rate.
I don't like the use of skitterbots, a 10% shock on top of spider and wither is just a waste of 35% mana imo. Even a purity would be more value (or maybe a blasphemy... idk about that).

That said, what's the point? With a hybrid version using both ED and blight (exactly same playstyle as this, since you use blight for infusion anyways), you're achieving very similar damage numbers. But the tankyness just goes through the roof. 8.5k ES is alright, especially with ED's massive regen, don't get me wrong. But no phys/ele reduction and 8k es means oneshots are still present. Also, it's hard to do hard delve bosses with this setup.
If you go hybrid, you're less starved for passive points, able to get 75% dodge, same to higher HP pool, wind dancer for a sweet oneshot protection and 20k evasion jsut as a bonus. Damage wise, I'm at 2M dps on ED and 3.5M on blight, so it's exactly the same (I don't use vaal rf).

For lowlife, I'd rather just go occultist tbh. But I get the need for trickster's speed, occultist sure is slower.

Anyways. Thanks for the guide. I'll be sure to redirect people who want to play LL ed-C trickster here instead, as this is the only setup that actually tickles my interest!

Posted by
Darkxellmc
on Mar 13, 2020, 4:53:29 PM

"

Actually interesting.
LL Edtrickster is a build I usually disregard as being strictly inferior to hybrid, but this is pretty good.

You should replace eldritch knowledge with Transcendent mind, it's 12% dotmulti in your setup, and you'd even gain some mana recovery rate.
I don't like the use of skitterbots, a 10% shock on top of spider and wither is just a waste of 35% mana imo. Even a purity would be more value (or maybe a blasphemy... idk about that).

That said, what's the point? With a hybrid version using both ED and blight (exactly same playstyle as this, since you use blight for infusion anyways), you're achieving very similar damage numbers. But the tankyness just goes through the roof. 8.5k ES is alright, especially with ED's massive regen, don't get me wrong. But no phys/ele reduction and 8k es means oneshots are still present. Also, it's hard to do hard delve bosses with this setup.
If you go hybrid, you're less starved for passive points, able to get 75% dodge, same to higher HP pool, wind dancer for a sweet oneshot protection and 20k evasion jsut as a bonus. Damage wise, I'm at 2M dps on ED and 3.5M on blight, so it's exactly the same (I don't use vaal rf).

For lowlife, I'd rather just go occultist tbh. But I get the need for trickster's speed, occultist sure is slower.

Anyways. Thanks for the guide. I'll be sure to redirect people who want to play LL ed-C trickster here instead, as this is the only setup that actually tickles my interest!

I definitely appreciate your feedback! I will try that and see how it works. Yeah this build is more focused on damage as opposed to survival. My goal was to farm Legions at the hardest and highest tier possible. The Skitterbots setup is only for the end game bosses since there is no need for the blind from Flesh and Stone AND you don't really need the mana regen if you don't spam. I actually directed a few hardcore players to your build who were interested in playing Essence Drain. You put out a great guide as well that I was checking out earlier today!

Posted by
Havoc209
on Mar 13, 2020, 5:19:47 PM

Good guide, will play this for 3.10 league start.

Posted by
Lyboc
on Mar 13, 2020, 9:45:26 PM

jewellfaming.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2785198

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