Incinerate Low-Life
Occultist/Witch
Patch 3.3 Build

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

Incinerate has been completely reworked in Patch 3.3 and is currently one of the best Channelled/Fire Spell in Path of Exile. It deals an astounding 500% increased damage while at the final stage and always Ignites. 

Our Low-Life Incinerate build utilizes the Occultist class which grants the highest Energy Shield bonuses, making it perfect choice for Low-Life builds. By using Shavronne's Wrappings, you can use two additional Auras with Blood Magic Support Gem, and also benefit from the Pain Attunement Passive. 

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

1. Gameplay

This build is based on Incinerate Spell and high Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier for maximum DPS. Incinerate is a channeled spell that deals increased damage with every wave, by up to 500%. However, because of high Crit. Chance and the Additional Chaos Damage from Malediction, most enemies will not get to that point. Most of the enemies die instantly and such tremendous damage, makes this build perfect for dealing with end-game Bosses and the highest tier content. For defenses, this build relies on high Energy Shield, which is regenerated at an astounding rate thanks to Vile Bastion and Ghost Reaver Passives.  

0:06 Tier 10 Wasteland 0:23 Tier 12 Defiled Cathedral 0:41 Tier 13 Shaped Laboratory 1:31 Tier 15 Carcass This video was recorded on a level 82 Occultist with Doryani's Catalyst, The Vertex helmet, and Sin Trek boots. Gems weren't fully leveled yet

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

While leveling your character to build this Low-Life Occultist, it's recommended to play as full Life or eventually a Hybrid character. This will require choosing slightly different Passives for the leveling phase, and refunding them later on. On the other hand, the core Spell - Incinerate is available early on, and with Praxis rings it is very easy to continuously channel it without worrying about Mana issues even on a low level and 6-linked Tabula Rasa equipped. 

Suggested leveling gem setups:

Fireball setup (until level 12)
	Fireball - the first Spell available to Witches. Just use it until level 12 when you get Incinerate Gem
	Faster Casting Support - increases the Cast Speed of supported Spells
	Arcane Surge Support - grants increased Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration rate. You can find this Gem in a chest in Twilight Strand

Incinerate setup
	Incinerate - the primary Spell Gem for this build
	Increased Area of Effect Support
	Faster Casting Support
	Combustion Support - grants increased Fire Spell Damage and chance to Ignite, also,  lowers enemies resistance to Fire

Utility gems
	Lightning Golem - increases Attack and Cast Speed
	Herald of Ash - grants increased Burning Damage and Fiery AoE explosions when killing enemies
	Clarity - and Aura that grants increased Mana Regeneration rate. It is mandatory if you can't afford/obtain Praxis rings
	Shield Charge - recommended movement skill for this build

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira, mainly for the increased Critical Strike Multiplier

Leveling Skill Trees:

29 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Occultist's Dominion 2) Blast Radius 3) Heart of Flames 4) Breath of Flames

58 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Written in Blood 2) Coordination 3) Doomcast 4) Snowforged

You should refund Life nodes and follow up the Final Skill Tree after you manage to obtain Shavronne's Wrappings at level 60 or above

Recommended leveling items:

Axiom Perpetuum - the best weapon you can get for early levels
12% increased Elemental Damage (4-6)% increased Cast Speed (100-140)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells 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

Praxis - the best leveling ring for this build. It reduces the Mana Cost of Incinerate and allows you to spam it
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Wanderlust - great leveling pair of boots. Both freeze immunity and increased Mana Regeneration rate are very useful
+5 to Dexterity (20-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +(10-20) to maximum Energy Shield 20% increased Movement Speed Cannot be Frozen

Goldrim - the best leveling helmet in Path of Exile which grants very high All Elemental Resistances bonus
+(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)

Tabula Rasa - if you manage to get Praxis rings, you can easily set up your Incinerate in Tabula Rasa. Channeling it continously drains your Mana real quick otherwise
3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) 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:

114 Points Final Skill Tree
114 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Wicked Ward
2. Vile Bastion
3. Profane Bloom
4. Malediction

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 Gruthkul - 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Incinerate
	Incinerate - your primary spell and the core skill of this entire build
	Faster Casting Support
	Combustion Support
	Immolate Support - increases Fire Damage against burning enemies
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - increases the chance to Critically Hit with supported skills
Optional gems:
	Concentrated Effect Support - should be used against Bosses
	Increased Area of Effect Support - should be used while leveling and farming

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - recommended movement skill for this build
	Faster Attacks Support
	Fortify Support - grants the Fortify buff for a brief duration

[AURAS] Herald of Ash and Discipline (Blood Magic setup)
	Herald of Ash
	Discipline - significantly increases your maximum Energy Shield
	Blood Magic Support - makes the supported Auras reserve Life instead. By socketing this Gem, you are always considered as "low-life" character and the

[CURSE/AURA] Flammability and Assassin's Mark
	Assassin's Mark - increases the chance to Critically Hit cursed enemies, as well as the Critical Strike damage they take
	Flammability - reduces Fire Resistance of affected enemies
	Blasphemy Support - makes supported Curses work as an Aura around you

[AURA] Clarity
	Clarity - increases your Mana Regeneration rate

[UTILITY] Orb of Storms
	Orb of Storms - used for the quick Power Charge generation and Arcane Surge buff
	Power Charge on Critical Support - causes Critical Hits with Orb of Storms to generate Power Charges
	Arcane Surge Support - keep this Gem at level 7, which will make it grant the buff with every cast of Orb of Storms
	Faster Casting Support

[UTILITY] Lightning Golem
	Lightning Golem

[UTILITY] Vaal Righteous Fire
	Vaal Righteous Fire - grants increased Spell Damage for the duration. Also deals a percentage of your maximum Energy Shield per second as Damage

[UTILITY] Immortal Call setup
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will cast supported spells after you take a certain amount of damage. Do not upgrade this Gem above level 1
	Immortal Call - grants short immunity to Physical Damage

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the required items for this build. As usual, we try to include mainly moderately expensive gear, which should be obtainable by everyone. If you would like to see end-game upgrades, including Shaped and Elder items worth tons of Exalted Orbs, let us know in the comments. We may start adding them in our guides.

You can also visit our PoE Currency marketplace where you can get cheap Orbs, Unique Items and Power Leveling for your character. All offers on our website are posted by other users, who are regular Path of Exile players.

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS, Energy Shield and Life to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Vertex - is characterized by high Energy Shield and increased level of socketed gems. It is also cheap compared to high Energy Shield rare helmets

+1 to Level of Socketed Gems (245-280)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(30-40) to maximum Energy Shield +(24-30)% to Chaos Resistance Enemies Cannot Leech Mana From you Socketed Gems have 50% reduced Mana Cost

(Helmet) Rare ES/Res. helmet - can provide extra Resistances, however, high Energy Shield and Res. helmet can get very expensive

Min. requirements: 220 Energy Shield 20% Fire Resistance 20% Cold Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance

Helmet enchantment: 10% increased Incinerate Damage for each stage 40% increased Incinerate Damage

(Doryani's Catalyst) Doryani's Catalyst - is one of the best weapons for this build. It also grants the extremely important Life Leech

32% increased Elemental Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 20 Elemental Proliferation Adds (65-85) to (100-160) Physical Damage (11-15)% increased Attack Speed (6-10)% increased Cast Speed (30-40)% increased Global Critical Strike Chance 0.2% of Elemental Damage Leeched as Life (80-100)% increased Elemental Damage

(Weapon Slot) Rare Sceptre - should be used on lower levels while leveling and farming. It should grant the highest affordable Fire/Burning/Elemental Damage and Cast Speed bonuses on your current level

Min. requirements: 60% Fire/Burning/Elemental Damage 18% Cast Speed Optional affixes: Attack Speed

(Shield) Rare Spell Damage/Crit. Shield - preferably with high increases maximum Energy Shield

Min. requirements: 160 maximum Energy Shield 60% Fire/Spell Damage 50% Critical Strike Chance for Spells 12% All Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) Shavronne's Wrappings - mandatory body armour for this build. It allows the entire Low-Life playstyle

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (3-10)% increased Spell Damage (100-150)% increased Energy Shield 10% faster start of Energy Shield Recharge +(30-40)% to Lightning Resistance Reflects 1 to 250 Lightning Damage to Melee Attackers Chaos Damage does not bypass Energy Shield

(Boots) Rare ES/Res. boots - get a pair with the highest maximum defensive stats you can afford

Min. requirements: 70 Energy Shield 30 Dexterity 25% increased Movement Speed 36% Fire Resistance 21% Cold Resistance

Boot enchantment: 0.6% of Damage Leeched as Life and Mana if you've Killed Recently Adds 45 to 68 Fire Damage if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare ES/Res. belt - again, we try to grab one with the highest stats affordable

Min. requirements: 45 Strength 45 maximum Energy Shield 36% Fire Resistance 36% Lightning Resistance

(Amulet) Rare ES/Res. amulet - it's important to get the required Strength and Dexterity attributes with this piece

Min. requirements: 20 maximum Energy Shield 40 maximum Mana 30% Global Critical Strike Multiplier 50 Strength 50 Dexterity

(Ring) Mark of the Shaper - which provides amazing DPS bonus if your order Ring is an Elder item

(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage 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 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Summon Volatile Anomaly on Kill

(Ring) Elder Rare ES/Res. ring

Min. requirements: 40 maximum Energy Shield 40 maximum Mana 35% Fire Resistance 42% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier

(Gloves) Rare ES/Res. gloves

Min. requirements: 120 Energy Shield 43% Cold Resistance 39% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: increased Spell Damage

(Jewels) Watcher's Eye - it is a necessity to use Watcher's Eye with reduced Mana Cost of skill while affected by Clarity

Min. requirements: -(10-5) to Total Mana Cost of Skills while affected by Clarity Optional affixes: Gain (12-18)% of Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield while affected by Clarity +(20-30) Energy Shield gained for each Enemy Hit while affected by Discipline

(Jewels) Rare Hypnotik Eye jewel - used mainly for the Hinder on Spell Hit effect, and at least one such jewel is recommended. Other jewels can have Global Critical Strike Multiplier instead

Recommended affixes: maximum Energy Shield added Fire Damage to Spells chance to Hinder enemies on Spell Hit Optional affixes: Global Critical Strike Multiplier maximum Mana

(Jewels) Rare jewels - this should provide extra ES and damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Energy Shield increased Fire/Elemental/Spell Damage Optional affixes: Attributes increased Cast Speed increased Cast Speed while holding a Shield

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - one of the best Flasks for this build. Not only increases your DPS, Life Leech and Chaos Resistance, but it is also very cheap

+35% to Chaos Resistance 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

(Flask) The Wise Oak - assuming your Fire Resistance is the highest (and it should be), your Fire Damage will penetrate an additional 6% of enemy Fire Resistance for the duration

+35% to all Elemental Resistances During Flask Effect, 10% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest

Other suggested flasks: Ample Diamond Flask of Warding (increased Crit. and Curse immunity) Ample Silver Flask of Staunching (Onslaught buff and Bleeding immunity) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat (Movement Speed and immunity to Freeze and Chill effects)

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.