"Throw off the chains of fear and embrace that which was forbidden."

Occultists are suited for Witches with a focus on chaos damage or curses. Occultists are well-served by builds that rely on & maximize energy shield.

This build can handle EVERY map mod in the game, easy to maintain fortify, strong recovery via LGoH. This build is good league starter. The base gear is dirt cheap and no six links are required.

Quick Jump

• Pros & Cons
• Gameplay
• Skill Tree 
• Gems Setup
• Gear Setup
• Leveling
• Expectations & POB

Pros & Cons

Pros

+ 180%+ peak increased move speed.
+ Super curses. Mobs barely dent you with the super enfeeble and temporal chains.
+ 7k+ life.
+ Easy to maintain fortify.
+ Strong recovery via LGoH.
+ Agony Crawer does all the work.
+ Can handle EVERY map mod in the game
+ Good clear speed via minion augmented profane bloom explosions. 
+ Good league starter. The base gear is dirt cheap and no six links are required.

Cons

- Something not for all players

Gameplay

Here’s the core gameplay loop

• Hit enemies with static strike to get poison stacks going.
• Hit quicksilver and phase run or shield charge to run through packs.
• The agony crawler kills as you run around.
• If the crawler falls behind, re-up your static strike and/or use convocation.
• If you encounter a tough target like a boss, use molten strike and dodge any attacks you can’t tank until the crawler takes it down.

Skill Tree

Ascendancy

Profane Bloom, Malediction, Void Beacon (In that order. Don't worry about Uber Lab, it doesn't matter much).

Bandits

This quest is given to you by Eramir in the Forest Encampment after you complete Through Sacred Ground or talk with any of the bandit leaders. There are three different bandit leaders. You can either side with one of them (and kill the other two) to get the respective reward or you can kill all of them to get the reward from Erami - from Gamepedia

Kill All or help Alira for resists.

Pantheon

The Pantheon List

Crab dude and whatever minor node you like.

Passive Tree

Gems Setup

Herald of Agony + Pierce + Minion Damage + Vile Toxins + Damage on Full Life or Minion Speed

Enfeeble + Blasphemy

Static Strike + Ancestral Call + Chain + Fortify (+ Poison)

Molten Strike + Multistrike + Greater Multiple Projectiles (+ Poison) + Withering Touch + Ancestral Call (if you can get it)

Convocation

Shield Charge + Faster Attacks (+ Fortify + Poison)

NOTE: You could also fit in desecrate/spirit offering instead of fortify/poison on shield charge, but I don't think it's worth it.

NOTE: for Static and Molten Strike, if you don't use Mortem Morsu you need to add poison support through Elder pseudo 5 links.

Gear

Weapon

Fright Claw: This gives you chance to poison without elder poison supports so you can run molten strike and static strike on regular four links.

Shield

War Buckler: Whatever rare shield gives you the life and res you need.

Helmet

Lacquered Helmet: This lets you get a 5 link for your herald of agony. Alternatively, you could use a regular rare helm and the embalmer gloves.

Belt

Leather Belt: Poacher's mark gives you mana sustain and your crawler better accuracy and frenzy charges. Alternatively, you could get poacher's mark in that new curse on hit ring. It's pretty cheap.

Gloves

Silk Gloves: Temp chains on hit is good.

For all other items, just use rares that give you high life and resists. Get four links in the boots/helm/gloves and use them for molten strike, static strike, and herald of agony. Put shield charge in your shield(you don't need a 4L on it) and blasphemy enfeeble + convocation in your weapon.

This sort of set up should easily work up through yellow tier maps with any combination of mods. You may need to get gear upgrades to handle red maps.

Quick Leveling Guide

Expectations & POB

POB Link

• Early mapping: https://pastebin.com/hUzn8gRQ
• Endgame: https://pastebin.com/asAUQDB0

(If you do not know how to use it, see the instructions below, otherwise please ignore)

• Download Path of Building (link: https://github.com/Openarl/PathOfBuilding)
• Copy pastebin URL.
• Launch path of building.
• Click on Import/Export.
• Click Import from Pastebin
• Paste the URL copied in step 2.
• Done!

Endgame