Eye of Winter CoC Mjölner
Inquisitor Build

for Patch 3.17

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

The Inquisitor is one of the best Ascendancy for Elemental Damage with Attacks and Attributes stacking. This build uses Mjölner - a weapon that has very high Attributes Requirements and automatically cast socketed Lightning Spells on Hit - a Hydrosphere in this case; combine it with Cast-on-Crit Eye of Winter as a main source of damage and pick Inevitable Judgement to completely ignore enemies' Elemental Resistances. To trigger your Spells use Cyclone as it's the fastest and very mobile Channeling Attack that will allow you to cast Spells as often as possible. It's a Low-life build and you will use a lot of Auras that reserve your Mana and Life thanks to Prism Guardian Unique Shield. With a properly adjusted Skill Tree, you should be able to fit Petrified Blood, Determination, Precision, Zealotry, Vitality, Hatred, and Defiance Banner.

The build relies on Energy Shield, Life - although half of it is reserved, Armour, Block Chance, and very rapid regeneration and leech for both - Life and Energy Shield. One of your Keystones is Corrupted Soul for even more ES. Petrified Blood enables gradual Life loss instead of instant delivery of damage from hits, you can recover it via leech quite fast. New Iron Will Keystone and Pain Attunement grants you a lot of Damage for Spells, invest in Crit-related mods and passives as this build heavily relies on you consistently dealing Critical Strike, you should reach 90 or even 100% chance for Critical Strike quite easily. The build can get expensive - it requires obtaining a lot of Elemental Damage, Attributes, Crit Chance, Life, and some pricey Unique Items to work.

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1. Gameplay

It plays like a regular Cyclone-triggered CoC, as you spin you will launch projectiles - the Eye of Winter. A Hydrosphere socketed in your weapon will follow you, as it will be triggered with each Hit, every 0.15 seconds, and generate Power Charges and give you Onslaught. Vortex with Bonechill Support is recommended to be cast constantly too, but it can cause faster mana drainage, you should definitely use it in boss fights. Withering Step grants you an Elusive buff and increases your Movement Speed. Flame Dash allows you to instantly dash if it's needed. Your Guard Spell is Molten Shell, triggered automatically via Cast when Damage Taken. For Mana-reserving Spells use Defiance Banner, Hatred, Precision, Zealotry, Vitality, Petrified Blood, and Determination. Your Curse should be applied automatically - as a Ring Affix or Corrupted Gloves Implicit.

This video was recorded on a level 92 Inquisitor using a budget Shadowstich, and approximately 700 Strength/Intelligence each. Overall, it ended up being a very tank with good clear speed. Single-target DPS also wasn't bad but could be potentially boosted - there is a bunch of small tweaks that can get it higher, and we surely did not apply all the buffs consistently against Bosses, which will be working on when making future upgrades here

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

You can Start with any Elemental Spell that Hits, as the Passives you pick aren't specific for any type of Elemental Damage, Arc is a good choice, it can quickly kill multiple enemies. The final version of this build can be played after you can wield Mjölner, you have a high Critical Strike Chance, Shadowstitch for Life and ES regen, and a Prism Guardian with Auras socketed in. It will be late into the game after these conditions are met. Allocate Fire, Lightning, or Frost Walker depending on the type of damage you're dealing, as these are close to your path. You can use essences to upgrade your gear in a specific way that'd suit you.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Arc setup
	Arc - You can use a huge variety of other Spells, Arc is however one of the best ones for leveling if you have enough damage, which you should
	Arcane Surge Support - Arcan Surge grants you more Cast Speed, Spell Damage, and Mana Regeneration
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds Lightning Damage to your Hits
	Elemental Focus Support - you deal more Spell Damage, but you're unable to cause Elemental Ailments with linked Spells

Aura setup
	Wrath - this Aura grants you more Lightning Damage

Curse and Dash setup
	Conductivity - Curse that decreases enemies Lightning Resistance
	Flame Dash - one of the best Movement Spells that there are
	Lifetap Support - to save some Mana you can use Lifetap Support

Bandits:

Kill all three bandits and be rewarded with two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

33 Points Passive Tree
Start with the general Elemental Damage and Maximum Life
 

68 Points Passive Tree
Take Iron Will after you accumulate a decent amount of Strength, look for more Maximum Life and Damage

Recommended leveling items:

Le Heup of All - great for Attributes, Damage, and Resistances

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Damage (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

Goldrim - grants a lot of Elemental Resistances making it one of the best leveling Items in Path of Exile

+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

Axiom Perpetuum - a great leveling Weapon with tons of added Damage to Spells and high Spell Crit. Chance bonus

12% increased Elemental Damage Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Fire Damage to Spells Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Cold Damage to Spells Adds 1 to (10-12) Lightning Damage to Spells (4-6)% increased Cast Speed (100-140)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells

Tabula Rasa - offers cheap six linked white Sockets. All you need to worry about when equipping it is how to get enough Mana Regen to spam skills with increased Mana Cost

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

113 Points Final Passive Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
113 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Righteous Providence
2. Inevitable Judgement
3. Sanctuary
4. Pious Path

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Arakaali: 10% reduced Damage taken from Damage Over Time

Minor God: Soul of Ryslatha: Life Flasks gain 3 Charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a Life Flask Recently

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Eye of Winter setup
	Cyclone - a Channeling Melee Attack that is used as a tool to cast Eye of Winter frequently and reliably
	Eye of Winter - fires a single Projectile, that itself is a source of more Cold Projectiles, as it ends, hits a terrain or Hydrosphere, it releases, even more, deadlier shards
	Cast on Critical Strike Support - Eye of Winter is cast as you land a Critical Strike with Cyclone
	Increased Critical Damage Support - Critical Strikes deal more Damage
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - your Chance for a Critical Strike is increased
	Inspiration Support - Skill cost Less Mana, it deals more Elemental Damage and has higher Critical Strike Chance

[UTILITY] Aura setup 1
	Petrified Blood - Petrified Blood makes a portion of the incoming damage from hits to be taken as Damage over Time, giving you some time to regenerate it - this buff affect only the lower half of Your Life Pool
	Determination - an Aura that increases and grants more Armour

[UTILITY] Vortex setup
	Vortex - leaves a circular Cold Chilling DoT zone on the ground after the initial explosion
	Bonechill Support - Vortex's Chill is enhanced and the enemies Chilled by it receive more damage

[UTILITY] Auras setup 2
	Hatred - increases your Cold Damage, and Chill and Freeze Duration
	Defiance Banner - grants you more Armour, Evasion Rating, Taunts enemies, increases AoE and Aura Effect upon placing, and reduces enemies Critical Strike Chance
	Molten Shell - keep it at level 15 so it will grant you Armour and a defensive Shell after taking damage
	Cast when Damage Taken - at level 10, it will automatically trigger to cast Molten Shell
[UTILITY] Molten Shell
	Molten Shell - keep it at level 15 so it will grant you Armour and a defensive Shell after taking a certain amount of  damage
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - at level 10, it will automatically trigger to cast Molten Shell

[UTILITY] Various gems
	Flame Dash - Movement Spell allowing you to instantly dash. If you prefer, you can also use Dash which can be faster but has lesser charges
	Blood Rage - increases your Attack Speed, Life Leech, and grants you Frenzy Charges while dealing Physical DoT to you
	Withering Step  - applies a powerful Elusive Buff on you, increasing your Movement Speed and chance to avoid damage
	Arcane Surge - keep it at level 5 so that a single Cast of Flame Dash or Withering Step will trigger it granting you Cast Speed, Mana Regen, and Damage

[UTILITY] Hydrosphere setup socketed in Mjölner
	Hydrosphere - with each hit you will create a Sphere Drenching nearby enemies and causing your Eye of Winter to collide with it for more damage
	Power Charge on Critical Support - Hydrosphere will grant you Power Charges on Critical Strike
	Onslaught Support - you will have constantly increased Movement, Cast, and Attack Speed

[UTILITY] Auras setup socketed in Prism Guardian
	Precision - increases your Critical Strike Chance and Accuracy Rating
	Vitality - Aura that regenerates over 200 Life each second. It works exceptionally well with Petrified Blood and its' mitigation
	Zealotry - you have more Spell Damage, Critical Strike Chance, and chance et create Consecrated Ground on hitting Rare or Unique enemy

6. Gear Setup

You will need a lot f Unique Items, some of them are mandatory, others are just heavy recommended. As is the case with CoC build, get a lot of Critical Strike Chance and Crit Multiplier. For defense get Maximum Life, Resistances, Energy Shield, and Armour. Stack Strength and Intelligence for the inherent bonuses and to increase your Critical Strike Chance via Righteous Providence. Elemental, especially Cold Damage end Penetration is valuable too. It all needs to be found on Jewels, Boots, and Rings as your other gear will consist of Unique Items. You won't have to worry about Attributes, there should be more than enough to be able to equip any item and level up any Gem. Remember to have a source of Life Leech, Energ Shield Leech, Life and ES gained on kill, and to lower the Mana Cost of Skills or use a Mana Flask.

Our recommended items will:

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

(Helmet) Crown of the Inward Eye - besides the downside of having no Elemental Resistances, it's still best in slot Helmet granting a lot of defensive and offensive stats

333% increased Armour and Energy Shield (9-21)% increased maximum Life, Mana and Global Energy Shield Transfiguration of Soul Transfiguration of Body Transfiguration of Mind

Helmet enchantments: Eye of Winter enchantment mods

(Weapon) Mjölner - It has high Strength and Intelligence requirements, but you should be able to fulfill them. It's a critical part of the build allowing you to cast Hydrosphere with each hit.

15% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold Trigger a Socketed Lightning Spell on Hit, with a 0.15 second Cooldown Socketed Lightning Spells have no Cost if Triggered +300 Intelligence Requirement +200 Strength Requirement (80-120)% increased Physical Damage Skills Chain +1 times (80-100)% increased Lightning Damage

(Weapon) Prism Guardian - you have to be Low on Life to trigger Pain Attunement and Petrified Blood - use this Shield to reserve a portion of your Life with additional Auras

+12% to all Elemental Resistances +2 to Level of Socketed Aura Gems Socketed Gems Cost and Reserve Life instead of Mana Socketed Gems have 30% increased Reservation Efficiency +(20-30) to Dexterity +25% to all Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) Shadowstitch - Recovering Life and ES on kill is useful, especially while affected by Corrupted Soul. It grants you more Attributes and depending on your other items, more Maximum Life, ES, or lower Resistances. Try to get a copy with useful implicit mods.

<2 Random corrupted implicit modifiers> Has an additional Implicit Mod +(20-30) to all Attributes (250-350)% increased Armour, Evasion and Energy Shield Recover (3-5)% of Life on Kill Recover (3-5)% of Energy Shield on Kill -(6-4)% to all Resistances for each Corrupted Item Equipped 8% increased Maximum Energy Shield for each Corrupted Item Equipped 6% increased Maximum Life for each Corrupted Item Equipped Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

(Boots) Rare Boots - spare no expenses on boots, you have to get Maximum Life, Movement Speed, Resistances, and it is heavily recommended to get Onslaught, Tailwind, and Elusive mods too

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +60% Total Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Strength Intelligence chance to gain Onslaught o Kill You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike

(Gloves) Shaper's Touch - Shaper's Touch scales great with all Attributes, that's why it's one of the best items for this build

(80-120)% increased Armour and Energy Shield +4 Accuracy Rating per 2 Intelligence +1 Life per 4 Dexterity +1 Mana per 4 Strength 1% increased Energy Shield per 10 Strength 2% increased Evasion Rating per 10 Intelligence 2% increased Melee Physical Damage per 10 Dexterity

(Belt) Cyclopean Coil - grants tons of Attributes, some Life, Mana, Damage and additionally an immunity to a specific Elemental Ailment

+(25-40) to maximum Life +(60-80) to maximum Life (5-15)% increased Attributes Cannot be Frozen if Dexterity is higher than Intelligence Cannot be Ignited if Strength is higher than Dexterity Cannot be Shocked if Intelligence is higher than Strength 1% increased Damage per 5 of your lowest Attribute

(Amulet) Astramentis - it gives you a lot of Attributes by around 100, it scales well with the rest of your items, and the build-in general

+(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits

Recommended Anointments: Utmost Might Utmost Intellect Art of the Gladiator

(Ring) Rare Ring - one of the few Rare Items, after capping Elemental Resistances focus on the Curse on Hit - Assassin's Mark is the most preferable; get more Attributes, and Maximum Life

Min. requirements: 70 Maximum Life +70% Total Elemental Resistances Curse on Hit - Assassin's Mark or Frostbite Optional affixes: Mana gained for each Emeny Hit by your Spells Global Critical Strike Chance Intelligence Strength

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Maximum Life, Elemental Resistances, and Critical Strike mods are what you should look for

Recommended affixes: increased Maximum Life Elemental Resistances Critical Strike Multiplier with Cold/Elemental Skills or for Spells Reduced Mana cost of Skills

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Critical Strike Chance while affected by Hatred and the enhanced effect of Consecrated Ground of Zealotry are the best mods, but there are many others as you use many Auras

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

(Jewel) Glorious Vanity - transform your Eternal Youth Keystone into a Corrupted Soul via Doryain's variant of this Jewel for more ES based on your Life

Bathed in the blood of (100-8000) sacrificed in the name of Doryani Passives in radius are Conquered by the Vaal Historic

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - Large Cluster Jwewl should be used to increase your Elemental Damage, Resistances, and Damage leeched as Life via Doryani's Lesson

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Doryani's Lesson 1 Added Passive Skill is Sadist 1 Added Passive Skill is Cold to the Core 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - get Critical Strike Notables - two Pressure Points and Quick Gateway Passive Skills are your best option

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points 1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain 1 Added Passive Skill is Quick Gateway

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - additional Chaos Resistance, damage and additional damage Leeched as life are some of the best stats you can find

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (5-8)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (5-8)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Bottled Faith - it's a Flask that creates Consecrated Ground which is important for the build, it also increases your Crit Chance, and damage

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask of with Freeze immunity/removal Granite Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Quicksilver Flask with random ailment removal or increased Movement Speed

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.