Cold Exsanguinate Miner
Trickster Build

Updated for Patch 3.25

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Exsanguinate is a Physical Spell that releases bloody tendrils. They're delivering damage instantaneously, which combined with their number, automatic targeting, and the ability to Chain, could make them one of the best skills for clearing maps. This build combines them with Mines to deal damage via Proxy and ignore their Cast Time completely. With Minefield Support the character will throw more Mines, with Chain - the tendrils will bounce additional times, and after allocating Trick Shot, their Chaining Range is vastly improved resulting in the death of all the enemies within and off-screen after a single use of a skill. Exsanguinate also costs no Mana, only Life. With that in mind, you can Reserve almost all of your Mana. It's a Hybrid build so Reserving Life is not as big of a deal as it may initially appear. The Mines don't reserve a lot of it, and won't last long anyway. To increase damage, you will Convert all Physical Damage to Cold and Freeze enemies. Physical-to-cold builds can make great use of the Taste of Hate and Hatred. Top it off with a Heatshiver Helmet to add tons of Fire Damage to the mix.

Note that Exsanguinate doesn't fire Projectiles, so instead of a Deadeye, we recommend Trickster. A Saboteur can be great too, but Trickster has better defensive utilities. The most important are Polymath for Instant Life, Mana, and ES Recovery on Kill, Escape Artist for Evasion and ES, and Spellbreaker for Spell Suppression. The build is durable against Spells with its improved and capped Suppression, and is very likely to Evade almost every Attack due to its high Evasion Rating. The few Hits that do reach the character are cushioned with Ghost Dance. The Maximum Life and Energy Shield that's almost always full should be enough to comfortably farm t16 maps, but the character may occasionally die from big Physical Hits on account of its lack of Armour.

We had to make some changes due to the removal of Call to Arms, passive bonuses from a Banner, and the change in Rare Items for patch 3.25.

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds right over here Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

Throw Mines ahead and move forward using Shield Charge. Cast Assassin's Mark and Frostblink against tough enemies. Steelskin, Detonate Mines, and Enduring Cry are triggered automatically. Your Mana-reserving Skills are Grace, Hatred, Skitterbots, and Dread Banner.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Start as a Pyroclast Mine ES/Low-Life Saboteur. Pyroclast Mine is one of the best leveling Skills in general. You can easily complete the Atlas and kill the Pinnacle Bosses using it. You can make the switch to Exsanguinate earlier as it is better at clearing maps, and for that, you will need Hrimsorrow and Kikazaru. These items can be expensive during the first two days of a new league, but you should be able to afford them relatively quickly. We also recommend at least 5-link Body Armour. Before being able to acquire The Dark Seer, use Singularity or a Rare weapon with increased Cold or Spell Damage, which can be crafted using Essences.

Bandits:

Kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

107 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique or Cluster Jewels)
122 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Polymath
2. Swift Killer
3. Escape Artist
4. Spellbreaker

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris: 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

Minor God: Soul of Abberath: 60% less Duration of Ignite on You

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Exsanguinate setup
	Exsanguinate - A Physical Spell that deals Cold Damage after you Convert it. It's very good at clearing maps with its instant damage delivery and Chaining.
	High-Impact Mine Support - Turns Exsanguinate into a Mine. It will Reserve no Mana because it has only base Life Cost.
	Charged Mines Support - Generates Power and Frenzy Charges. Increases Critical Strike Chance and Mine Throwing Speed per aforementioned Charges.
	Minefield Support - It makes you Throw additional Mines but lessens Throwing Speed.
	Empower Support - Empower grants more damage by increasing the Gem Level of Exsanguinate.
	Chain Support - Magnifies clear speed substantially. When fighting pinnacle bosses you should swap it for  Trap and Mine Damage Support.

[UTILITY] Mana-reserving setup
	Grace - Adds and increases Evasion Rating, which is very important in this build.
	Hatred - Grants more Cold Damage and Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage, making it very potent in Physical to Cold builds.
	Summon Skitterbots - Skitterbots grant more Mine Damage, detonate your Mines and re-arm them, and Shock enemies.
	Enlighten Support - Mana Reservation is more efficient with this Gem.

[UTILITY] Frostblink setup
	Frostblink - Creates Chilled Ground that causes enemies to take increased damage after linking it with Bonechill. You can use it to teleport too.
	Bonechill Support - While standing on the Chilled Ground created by Frostblink, enemies will take increased damage equal to that of the Effect of Chill caused by it.
	Brutality Support - You don't need to deal any damage with Frostblink to Chill with it. Use Brutality to be immune to Reflected Damage.

[UTILITY] Automation setup
	Steelskin - Removes Bleeding and forms a barrier that absorbs a portion of incoming Hit Damage.
	Detonate Mines - Detonates your Mines.
	More Duration Support - Steelskin lasts longer.
	Automation - Triggers linked Skill as soon as it's possible, that is every 0.2 seconds.

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - Your main mobility Skill. Use it to move faster.
	Faster Attacks Support - Shield Charge makes you move faster the higher its Attack Speed is.
	Momentum Support - A small bonus to Attack Speed.

[UTILITY] Assassin's Mark and Frost Bomb setup
	Assassin's Mark - A Curse that increases your Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier against the marked opponent.
	Frost Bomb - Applies Cold Exposure after it explodes and reduces Life Regeneration Rate as it pulsates.
	Arcanist Brand - Casts linked Skills for you.
	Lifetap Support - Linked Skills cost Life and no Mana. You can replace this Gem with  Elemental Weakness if you do have enough Mana and can apply one additional Curse, which you should strive for.

6. Gear Setup

It's a fairly basic Spell Damage Build with just a few quirks. It relies heavily on the Hatred Aura and gaining Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage, to then gain Extra Fire Damage from Cold with Heatshiver. It results in mixed Elemental Damage which is mostly Cold - you have to Convert 100% of Physical Damage to Cold with your Gloves. On the items, you will seek increases to the Gem Level of Exsanguinate (a Physical Spell) with generic Physical and Cold Spell Damage. You should be able to reach a 100% Critical Strike Chance with a high Crit Multiplier. For defenses, seek Maximum Life, Evasion, Energy Shield, and Spell Suppression with Resistances until capped. Additional Life Regeneration won't be necessary with Kikazaru. A bit of Strength however will be needed. Attack Speed will make you faster if you'd like to use Shield Charge instead of moving regularly. For additional durability, find a way to Blind your enemies.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances at 75%
2. Provide you with enough DPS and Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Heatshiver - Provides you with unmatched amounts of damage against Chilled and Frozen enemies.

(80-100)% increased Evasion Rating 60% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +(20-30)% to Fire Resistance +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance Gain 1% of Cold Damage as Extra Fire Damage per 1% Chill Effect on Enemy Gain 30% of Cold Damage as Extra Fire Damage against Frozen Enemies

(Weapon) The Dark Seer (Life ES) - It's an excellent option. Increases the Gem Level of Exsanguinate by 2, Blinds enemies, applies Malediction, grants Life, and Energy Shield. An expensive Rare weapon might be better.

22% increased Elemental Damage +2 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems 10% Global chance to Blind Enemies on hit Unaffected by Blind Enemies Blinded by you have Malediction +(1-2) Maximum Energy Shield per Level +(1-2) Maximum Life per Level

(Weapon) Rare Wand or Sceptre - To outclass The Dark Seer, it has to have a lot of Cold or Spell Damage with Critical Strike modifiers on top of one or two Gem Levels to Physical Spells.

Min. requirements: 80% Increased Cold/Spell Damage +1 to Level of all Physical/Spell Skill Gems Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Physical/Spell Skill Gems Global Critical Strike Multiplier increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells increased Mine Throwing Speed (crafted)

(Off-Hand) Rare Shield - Use a Shield with Energy Shield only - it can roll valuable offensive modifiers like additional gem level to Physical Spells and Spell or Cold Damage.

Min. requirements: +80 to maximum Life +1 to Level of all Physical Skill Gems +40% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Spell Damage increased Cold Damage Chaos Resistance

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Get a Sadist Garb with a lot of Evasion, Energy Shield, and Maximum Life for Prefixes. Evasion is especially important due to the Escape Artist passive. If you don't have the Maximum Life mod it's not a big deal, you can seize this opportunity and allocate a Life mastery for 15% more Life. For Suffixes seek Resistances and Spell Suppression. The Eldritch mods shall improve your Hatred Aura Effect and general Aura Effect.

Min. requirements: 400 Energy Shield 2000 Evasion Rating +100 to maximum Life Optional affixes: Spell Suppression Chance Resistances

(Boots) Rare Boots - Boots should be easy to find, look for the most generic pair with Life, Movement Speed, and Resistances. For the Eldritch mods get increased Action Speed and a bit of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage or chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments. A 50% Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments here would make you immune to them in combination with Ancestral Vision and capped Spell Suppression Chance.

Min. requirements: +40% to Elemental Resistances +60 to Maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Resistances Attributes Spell Suppression Chance Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments (crafted) Life Regeneration

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - These should convert your Physical Damage to Cold, up to 60% of it. It can be achieved with a Crusader's Prefix, Veiled Prefix, Craftable Prefix, and Eater's Eldritch Implicit. For the other Eldritch mod, get increased Mine Throwing Speed.

Min. requirements: +80 to Maximum Life +40% to Elemental Resistances 60% of Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage (in total) Optional affixes: Resistances Spell Suppression Chance

(Gloves) Hrimsorrow - We recommend starting with cheap Hrimsorrow Gloves, they're great. Corrupt them for a valuable Vaal Implicit such as Extra Frenzy Charge or Crit Chance.

+(20-30) to Strength +(40-50) to Evasion Rating +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance 100% of Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage Reflects 100 Cold Damage to Melee Attackers

(Belt) Rare Belt - On the Belt seek Strength, Maximum Life, and Resistances. Other modifiers are far less important. Stygian Vise would be the best base.

Min. requirements: +90 to Maximum Life +90% to Elemental Resistances Strength Optional affixes: increased Damage increased Maximum Life Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration  Flask modifiers

(Amulet) Replica Dragonfang's Flight  - Depending on the popularity of this build, Replica Dragonfang's Flight for Exsanguinate may be expensive, but it is simply the best Amulet here. Grants a lot of damage and utility. Until you get one, use a Rare Amulet with similar stats.

+(10-16) to all Attributes +3 to Level of all <Random Skill> Gems +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances (10-15)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills Items and Gems have (15-10)% reduced Attribute Requirements

Recommended Anointments: Charisma Sovereignty

(Ring) Kikazaru - It is often implemented mainly for its Life Regeneration, so you may be able to replace it later on. Its other stats are definitely useful as well.

+(20-30)% to Lightning Resistance +(10-15) to all Attributes (20-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 60% reduced Effect of Curses on you Regenerate 3 Life per second per Level

(Ring) Polaric Devastation - You can use it to Cover enemies if Frost so that they have a 50% less Critical Strike Chance and take 20% increased Cold Damage.

(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage (15-25)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance +(20-40)% to Fire Resistance +(20-40)% to Cold Resistance (10-20)% increased Duration of Ailments on Enemies Left Ring slot: Cover Enemies in Ash for 5 seconds when you Ignite them Right Ring slot: Cover Enemies in Frost for 5 seconds when you Freeze them

(Ring) Rare Rings - It's a great place to get a lot of Resistances, especially Chaos Resistance. You can pick the Amethyst Ring and improve it with Catalysts. Maximum Life should be here too.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +80% total Resistances Optional affixes: Strength more Maximum Life and Resistances

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - On Jewels look for Maximum Life and Critical Strike Chance or Critical Strike Multiplier. Your other items should be enough to cap your Resistances and get you enough Strength, but you can find these on Jewels too.

Recommended affixes: Chaos Resistance Elemental Resistances Strength Maximum Life Critical Strike modifiers

(Jewel) Ancestral Vision - Combined with a pair of Rare Boots and capped Spell Suppression, you can reach a 100% chance to Avoid all Elemental Ailments.

+(5-10) to Dexterity Modifiers to Chance to Suppress Spell Damage also apply to Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments at 50% of their Value

(Jewel) Forbidden Flesh & Flame - Born in the Shadows, Explosive  Expert, or Demolitions Specialist would be excellent additions to this build.

Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifier on Forbidden Flesh Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifier on Forbidden Flame

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Hatred offers Cold Penetration and Crit Chance - both are excellent. Grace has various defensive modifiers.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - The build uses one Large Cluster Jewel. Cold Damage, Elemental Damage, or Physical Damage all have their merits.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Blanketed Snow 1 Added Passive Skill is Doryani's Lesson 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Battle-Hardened 1 Added Passive Skill is Force Multiplier 1 Added Passive Skill is Iron Breaker

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - Expert Sabotage and Guerilla Tactics are the two best notables in terms of damage and utility.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Expert Sabotage 1 Added Passive Skill is Guerilla Tactics

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Quicksilver Flask with Reduced Effect of Curses on You Silver Flask with increased Critical Strike Chance Diamond Flask with increased Movement Speed Jade Flask with increased Evasion Rating

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.