Essence Drain/Contagion and Blight Trickster Passive Tree and Gem Links
Passive Skill Tree
“This is our Level 100 Passive Skill Tree.
(Build Link)https://pobb.in/kDxJD5d_6-kD
Gems
Essence Drain forms the bulk of our damage, and is the gem that we keep in our 6-Link. It is relatively inflexible in what it can be supported by, as Damage over Time (DoT) can only be scaled by a few gems, as can Chaos damage. Contagion has its own 4-Link, as does Vaal Blight, which helps maximize the strengths of these skills, while minimizing any baseline deficiencies they have.
Since we do not have any need to use Mind Over Matter, we can run several auras. Our preference is to use Malevolence to increase our Skill Effect Duration and Damage over Time. Determination and Grace as defensive auras. This adds a huge amount of survivability that is not to be understated. Despair is applied with Bane until we get a Curse on Hit Ring or Wand to increase damage to tanky targets when appropriate.
Flame Dash is or mobility skill of choice, and is a far stronger choice than any other for us, Arcane Surge Support is linked to give us a near-permanent buff when we are clearing properly. Finally, a classic Cast when Damage Taken Support link is incorporated to help us apply a defensive curse (our pick is Temporal Chains) and reduce damage taken via Immortal Call.
Essence Drain 6-Link
Decay Support can be used in place of Empower Support, however, it is only marginally better than a Level 2 Empower and categorically worse than Level 3. Empower Support should be acquired and implemented as soon as possible, and leveling it yourself does not take as long as many might think.
In order of priority:
- Essence Drain
- Efficacy Support
- Swift Affliction Support
- Controlled Destruction Support
- Void Manipulation Support
- Decay Support / Empower Support (Level 3/4)
Contagion 3-Link
With Contagion‘s you will want to use two area increasing supports to maximize spread potential.
Vaal Blight 1-Link
Blight is fine on its own, however, you will want to implement Vaal Blight as soon as you can acquire it. We put it in our Unset ring.