Glacial Cascade Miner
Shadow/Saboteur
Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.14

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low/medium

Glacial Cascade Spell has received a significant boost with the 3.0 content update. It is a Spell that creates several ice cascades in front of the player that shatters nearly instantly to deal area damage. It has a very similar effect to the Ice Crash melee attack. Glacial Cascade is a Physical Spell with 100% of its damage converted to Cold. With the current upgrades to Saboteur Class and Miner archetype, it's becoming one of the best and most popular Starter builds in the game. At the same time, this build offers solid defenses based on Dodge, Life Regeneration, and Wind Dancer (as of the newest 3.13 version).

For the full list of our Path of Exile builds you can visit the following article: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

The idea behind Remote Miner builds is to plan Mines that cast linked Spells when detonated. Shadow Tree has a lot of major Mine nodes, and the entire Saboteur Ascendancy Class is built towards Mines and Trap damage. This provides extremely fun to play gameplay mechanics while allowing amazing damage with not much currency investments - most of the damage comes from the Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and inexpensive Tremor Rod unique staff. We have also received Skitterbots in Patch 3.8 which detonates your Mines and increases your Mine Damage.

0:08 Tier 16 Cursed Crypt 0:38 Tier 16 Maze 1:09 Tier 16 Maze of the Minotaur 1:43 Tier 16 Mud Geyser 2:14 Tier 16 Forge of the Phoenix This video was recorded on a level 91 Saboteur using Tremor Rod, Carcass Jack, and a set of random Uniques. We had 4,500 maximum Life and the damage the final burst of our Glacial Cascade was at around 550k (sadly, it's extremely hard to calculate the maximum DPS of Miner builds)

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

The leveling phase with a Miner build is rather easy. You can start any Spell available early on (for example Ethereal Knives) and use Fire Traps for some additional damage during your first levels. At level 8 you can get the Remote Mine Support gem and link it to the Spell chosen. This will greatly increase the damage, and you should be able to boost it even further by taking the Saboteur node a couple of levels later. From this point onward getting to level 28 when you can start using Glacial Cascade should be a piece of cake. After you reach level 40, it's advised to get the Tremor Rod. You can start off by using as low as 3 or 4 links on it; it will still be more than enough to carry you to Act 10.

Suggested leveling gem setups:

Levels 1-28 recommended setup
	Ethereal Knives - one of the first Spells available to the Shadow class. It is also a Physical Damage based Spell which will benefit from the suggested Passive Skill nodes
	Blastchain Mine Support - gives you the ability to cast remote Mines that will trigger Ethereal Knives. It provides the Detonate Spell as well
	Minefield Support - increases the maximum number of planted mines, increasing your overall DPS
	Trap and Mine Damage Support - grants additional DPS

Levels 28+
	Glacial Cascade - you can replace the Ethereal Knives gem with Glacial Cascade for some additional DPS
	Increased Area of Effect Support - great for leveling if you are going to use the Glacial Cascade. For the remaining Gems, just use what we have listed above

Utility Gems
	Hatred - the recommended Aura for this build which will greatly increase your Ethereal Knives/Glacial Cascade damage
	Clarity - increases your Mana Regeneration Rate which is very important for this build
	Flame Dash - the recommended Movement Skill for this build
	Summon Stone Golem - I have personally found Stone Golem to be the best addition during leveling. It increases your Life Regeneration Rate

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for increased Mana Regeneration Rate, Crit. Multiplier and Resistances. Killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points is also a valid option

Leveling Skill Trees:

36 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blood Siphon 2) Saboteur 3) Blast Waves 4) Clever Construction -> High Explosives

60 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Volatile Mines 2) Successive Detonations 3) Blood Drinkers 4) Blast Cascade 5) Fang of the Viper

Recommended leveling items:

Belt of the Deceiver - a great Belt for leveling. It grants extra Physical damage, Life, and Resistances
+(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased Physical Damage You take 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes +(30-40) to maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies are Intimidated

Praxis - great leveling Ring which will help you with Mana Management when spamming your Mines
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

The Princess - this item will grant an incredible DPS boost to both Ethereal Knives and Glacial Cascade Spells
40% increased Accuracy Rating (20-50)% increased Physical Damage Adds (3-4) to (5-8) Physical Damage 15% increased Attack Speed Gain (25-30)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage 10% increased Damage taken from Skeletons 10% increased Damage taken from Ghosts

Hrimsorrow - another excellent leveling item that can boost your Spell DPS and convert Physical Damage to Cold. It became less impactful for Glacial Cascade as it currently converts 100% of its base damage to Cold
+(20-30) to Strength Adds (5-7) to (13-15) Cold Damage to Spells and Attacks +(40-50) to Evasion Rating +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage Reflects 10 Cold Damage to Melee Attackers

Le Heup of All - this Ring is extremely well-round for leveling. Provides everything except for added Life. Good rolled ones can be quite expensive though early in a League
Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks (10-30)% increased Damage +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

113 Points Skill Tree
113 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Bomb Specialist
2. Explosives Expert
3. Pyromaniac
4. Born in Shadows

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris 1% 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 Garukhan +5% chance to Evade Attack Hits if you've taken a Savage Hit Recently

5. Final Gem links

[DPS] Glacial Cascade Remote Mines (socketed in Tremor Rod)
	Glacial Cascade - your main DPS Spell which deals massive AoE damage. It has its base Physical Damage fully converted to Cold. Its' damage can be increased by the following affixes: Increased Physical Damage Increased Elemental Damage Increased Area Damage Increased Cold Damage Increased Spell Damage
	Mine and Trap Damage Support - a great DPS Support Gem for Mines and Traps
	Hypothermia Support - greatly increases the damage you deal against chilled enemies
	Charged Mines Support - increases Mine Throwing Speed and Critical Strike Chance
	Controlled Destruction Support - greatly increases Glacial Cascade's DPS
	Inspiration Support - increases Elemental Damage, Critical Strike Chance, and reduces the Mana Cost of your GC Mines
	Blastchain Mine Support - this is the core Support Gem of the entire build. A level 10 of this Gem is granted by the Tremor Rod Unique Staff

[UTILITY] Auras
	Hatred - the best DPS aura for this build. It adds a ton of extra Cold Damage directly from its' bonus and via extra Damage Conversion
	Summon Skitterbots - summons two Minions that Chill and Shock nearby enemies. They also help you detonate Mines and increase your Mine Damage
	Bonechill Support - increases the effect of your Skitterbot's Chilling Aura, and enemies affected by it will take increased Cold Damage
	Enlighten Support - reduces the amount of Mana Reserved by linked Spells, making it easier to manage your Mana with all the Mines planted

[UTILITY] Mobility Skill
	Dash - recommended Movement Skill for this build. You can also use Flame Dash, which's up to your personal preference
	Second Wind Support - adds an extra Dash Charge, and increases its' cooldown recovery speed
	Arcane Surge Support - grants a buff that increases their Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration Rate. Always make sure what is your current Dash's Mana Cost and upgrade Arcane Surge in accordance with it - in our setup, we had Arcane Surge on level 5

[UTILITY] Frost Bomb/Curse setup
	Frost Bomb - is an AoE/Duration Spell that applies Cold Exposure to affected enemies reducing their Cold Resistance
	Arcanist Brand - creates a Brand that will use linked Spell, in this case, Frost Bomb and Frostbite
	Assassin's Mark - the best Curse for this build which increases your Chance to Critically Hit enemies

[UTILITY] Immortal Call/Vaal RF
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will automatically cast Supported Spells when you take a certain amount of damage. Use a level 1 CwDT Gem for most frequent casts
	Immortal Call - the best Guard Skill for this build which grants a brief, but very potent defensive buff
	Vaal Righteous Fire - you should only use the Vaal part of this Spell to increase your Spell Damage, but it's advised to link it here so that it benefits from the Increased Duration as well
	Increased Duration Support

5. Gear Setup

Our Glacial Cascade Miner is a League Starter build which makes it very budget-friendly. Tremor Rod is the only required unique that doesn't cost much if you want to start off with just three or four links on it (when you reach level 40 it is more than enough). This build also has many other variations (both Budget and end-game ones) which include, among others, a Low-Life build and Wand + Shield version. Let us know if you would like to have another version added here as well!

Using this opportunity, we would like to invite you to visit our PoE Currency Marketplace where you can buy cheap Orbs from other Path of Exile players. Links to the Market section can be found on top of this page.

The recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS/Life/Mana to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - simply aim for high defensive stats and possibly some extra Attributes

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 40 maximum Mana 50% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes Nearby enemies take #% Increased Cold Damage

Helmet enchantment: 40% increased Glacial Cascade Damage Glacial Cascade gains 10% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - just anything with some Life and Elemental Resistances will do just fine here

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 35% Fire Resistance 35% Lightning Resistance 35% Cold Resistance

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - solid armor for this build which greatly increases your AoE and DPS

(120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(50-70) to maximum Life +(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances (40-50)% increased Area of Effect (40-50)% increased Area Damage Extra gore

(Weapon) Tremor Rod - an amazing Staff for this build. It's a perfect leveling weapon and also, grants free the seventh link later on for a massive DPS bonus

+18% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff +2 to Level of Socketed Spell Gems Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 10 Blastchain Mine (40-60)% increased Spell Damage (15-20)% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold Mines can be Detonated an additional time

(Boots) Rare Boots - preferably two Elemental Resistances, Dexterity, Life, and Movement Speed bonuses

Min. requirements: 65 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Cold Resistance 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Dexterity

Boot enchantment: Adds 45 to 68 Cold Damage if you've been Hit Recently Regenerate 2% of Life per second if you were Hit Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt - with the highest bonus Life you can afford

Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life 40 maximum Mana 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - grab one with the highest bonuses out of all selected stats. You can skip Elemental Resistances as they should be capped with the other equipment

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 40 maximum Mana 25% Global Critical Strike Multiplier 45 Strength 45 Dexterity

Recommended Anointments: Counterweight

(Ring) Rare Ring - try to cap your Resistances and get some extra Life

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 50 maximum Mana 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Cold/Elemental Damage

(Ring) Mark of the Shaper - grants very high bonus Spell Damage if you have an Elder Ring in your other slot

(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Summon Volatile Anomaly on Kill Adds (13-18) to (50-56) Lightning Damage to Spells (6-10)% increased maximum Energy Shield (6-10)% increased maximum Life (60-80)% increased Spell Damage if your other Ring is an Elder Item Cannot be Stunned by Spells if your other Ring is a Shaper Item

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - which should cap your Resistances

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Dexterity Spell Damage Increased Critical Strike Chance against Shocked enemies

(Jewel) The Long Winter - Glacial Cascade threshold Jewels. They greatly increase your DPS by creating additional bursts. They are cheap, so they are simply perfect for low-level and low-budget characters. Later on, its advised to replace them with standard Life/Crit. Multiplier Jewels with other bonuses

(10-15)% increased Cold Damage With 40 Intelligence in Radius, Glacial Cascade has an additional Burst With 40 Intelligence in Radius, 20% of Glacial Cascade Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - Life is the most important bonus on all the Jewels and you should try to get at least one damage amplifying mod

Recommended affixes: maximum Life Generic/Spell/Cold/Area Damage Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Critical Strike Chance

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - it's not exactly a budget Item, but if you want to upgrade your build eventually, it's one of the easiest ways. You can find a lot of powerful Hatred-related Aura modifiers on this Jewel that will boost your damage significantly

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifiers: +(1.2-1.8)% to Critical Strike Chance while affected by Hatred Adds (58-70) to (88-104) Cold Damage while affected by Hatred Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Cold Resistance while affected by Hatred (40-60)% increased Cold Damage while affected by Hatred

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - pretty much the best offensive Flask for this build. It adds extra Chaos Damage based on Glacial Cascade's base physical Damage, and then again, based on the converted Cold Damage

2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (Bleeding immunity) Ample Diamond Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity) Experimenter's Quartz Flask of Adrenaline (Movement Speed) Enduring Eternal Mana Flask of Warding (Curse immunity)

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.