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Updated for Patch 3.8
The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
Estimated budget: from very low to extremely high
| Guide notes |
| October 9, 2019 -Build created October 18, 2019 -Added gameplay video |
Whispering Ice is one of the most interesting Staves in Path of Exile, which can be used starting at level 33 and it grants the user a level 1 Icestorm Spell. Since the Spell is among the affixes on this item, all Support Gems Socketed will work even without any links. This makes Whispering Ice an excellent leveling weapon that scales its' damage with the Intelligence attribute that you are obviously going to gradually increase. Since you do not need any links, and Whispering Ice is really easy to obtain, this build can be played with literally no items, but scaling Intelligence to several thousand, can be extremely expensive as well, and at the same time very rewarding. This build is based on the Scion Ascendancy, which allows us to reach the highest possible Intelligence level.
You can also find our other Path of Exile builds right over here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List
This build is based on triggering Icestorm by linking Cyclone with Cast while Channelling Support Gems. These two links are the only two that are required, and when they are socketed in Whispering Ice alongside all the other recommended Support Gems, you will get to create many instances of Icestorm in a short time span, with nearly 0 Mana Cost. The damage from each Icestorm's Hit is rather low, but with multiple Icestorms covering up your entire screen, both your single target DPS and AoE are exceptional. This build also utilizes Chaos Inoculation and Energy Shield. Since we aim to reach at least 1,500 Intelligence and it significantly increases our Maximum Energy Shield, it's just natural that we should go that way. Thanks to that, we can only focus on stacking Intelligence and Jewel nodes on the Passive Tree, while our Items and Intelligence attribute will provide a very substantial Energy Shield Pool.
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| CONS |
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This build offers very convenient leveling since you can use a quasi-seven-linked setup starting at level 33. We will assume that you are going to use Whispering Staff for the leveling process, and that's how the following Skill Trees have been optimized. Initially, you should use Freezing Pulse for the first 33 levels, and then switch to Whispering Ice at level 33. Also, it's recommended to play a Life/Hybrid character until level 75-80 when you can equip gear with higher Intelligence attributes and go full Energy Shield. Below you will find the base Skill Gem setups and several useful Uniques for the leveling part.
Suggested leveling Gem setups:
| Freezing Pulse setup | |
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Freezing Pulse - Cold/Projectile Spell which offers decent damage and good clear speed if you get the Threshold Jewel for it |
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Added Cold Damage Support - adds a bunch of additional Cold damage |
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Faster Casting Support - increases your Casting Speed, which is quite important since we don't get any from the Passive Tree |
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Controlled Destruction Support - grants very high bonus Spell Damage at the cost of reduced Crit. Chance |
| Whispering Ice setup | |
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Cyclone - a channeled Attack which will trigger Icestorm |
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Cast while Channelling Support - triggers Icestorm as you channel Cyclone, greatly reducing the Mana Cost |
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Controlled Destruction Support |
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Elemental Focus Support - grants high bonus Elemental Damage but makes Icestorm unable to Freeze |
| Utility Gems | |
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Herald of Ice - grants extra Cold Damage and causes AoE Explosions when you slay Frozen enemies for extra clear speed |
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Frostbite - recommended Curse for this build which greatly increases your effective DPS |
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Zealotry - recommended Aura for the leveling phase which increases your Spell Damage and creates Consecrated Grounds for extra Life Regen. |
Bandits:
We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passives Points which is the only viable option here
Leveling Skill Trees:
32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Arcanist Dominion 2) Heart and Soul 3) Frost Walker 4) Elemental Overload
66 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Cruel Preparation 2) Heart of Ice 3) Utmost Intellect
Passive Skill Tree which is one of the recommended spots to switch to full Energy Shield and the following Tree:
Recommended leveling items:
 Astramentis - one of the best Amulets for this build, and at the same time an Amulet with a very low-level requirement, making it one of the best items you can use during leveling |
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| +(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits |
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 Le Heup of All - provides all the important stats we need during the leveling, and up to 30 bonus Intelligence |
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| 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 |
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 Goldrim - amazing leveling Helmet which covers up all your needs for Elemental Resistances during the early levels |
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| +(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) |
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 Coward's Trial - great leveling Belt which grants bonus Damage, Movement Speed, and Attributes |
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| +(9-20) to maximum Energy Shield +(10-15) to all Attributes (20-25)% increased Damage (5-10)% increased Movement Speed Damage from Enemies Hitting you is Unlucky while you are Cursed with Vulnerability You are Cursed with Level 10 Vulnerability |
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 The Whispering Ice - build-defining Item, and at the same time, one of the best Items for the leveling phase if you are scaling Intelligence |
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| +18% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff +1 to Level of Socketed Support Gems Grants Level 1 Icestorm Skill Plays Whispering Ice sound on killing a rare Monster (Hidden) (8-12)% increased Cast Speed 1% increased Spell Damage per 10 Intelligence (14-18)% increased Intelligence |
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Final Skill Tree:
120 Points Skill Tree
120 Points Path of Building (PoB) link
Ascendancy points:
Preferably in that order:
Pantheon:
Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% Physical Damage Reduction if there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits
Minor God: Soul of Garukhan +5% chance to Evade Attacks if you've taken a Savage Hit recently
| [DPS] Icestorm (Whispering Ice - only Cyclone + CwC require links) |
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Cyclone - this is our primary Active Skill Gem which will trigger Icestorm. Link it only to Cast while Channelling Support to minimize its Mana Cost |
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Cast while Channelling Support - will trigger Icestorm when you channel Supported Skills |
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Controlled Destruction Support |
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Elemental Focus Support |
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Concentrated Effect Support - grants very high bonus Area Damage at the cost of reduces skill radius |
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Cold Penetration Support - this Gem will let Icestorm Penetrate through the enemies' Cold Resistance |
| [UTILITY] Flame Dash | |
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Flame Dash - recommended Movement Spell used in this build. It will also trigger Arcane Surge with each cast |
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Faster Casting Support |
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Arcane Surge Support - keep this Gem at level 7 and it will grant Arcane Surge buff with each Flame Dash cast. Arcane Surge increases your Spell Damage, Mana Regen. Rate, and Cast Speed |
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Increased Duration Support |
| [CURSE] Frostbite and Temporal Chains setup | |
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Cast when Damage Taken Support - will trigger Ice Nova which is used to apply both Curses. Use this Gem at level 1 |
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Ice Nova - Area Spell which only applies Curses and Bonechil debuff. You should keep this Gem at level 1 |
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Curse on Hit Support - causes Ice Nova to apply Supported Curses |
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Frostbite - reduces monster's Cold Resistance |
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Temporal Chains - slows down affected enemies making it one of the best defensive Curses in Path of Exile |
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Bonechill Support - will increase the effect of Ice Nova's Chill, and cause it to increase damage taken by enemies |
| [UTILITY] Auras | |
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Herald of Ice - grants additional Cold Damage and causes huge Ice explosions |
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Discipline - increases your maximum Energy Shield making it a mandatory pick for this build |
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Clarity - increases your Mana Regeneration Rate |
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Flesh and Stone - great defensive Aura which allows you to use Sand Stance, blinding nearby enemies and reducing damage from enemies that are further away |
| [UTILITY] Immortal Call and Frost Bomb | |
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Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast Immortal Call after a certain amount of damage is taken |
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Immortal Call - grants a very potent defensive buff, reducing all Elemental and Physical Damage taken by you for a short duration |
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Frost Bomb - applies Cold Exposure to affected enemies, increasing Cold Damage taken by them |
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Increased Duration Support |
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Below you will find all the recommended and required items for this build. This build only requires The Whispering Ice Staff, and all the other gear is optional. Obviously you will want to stack as much Intelligence as possible, but this build will still do fine on lower Tier Maps with just basic gear. One of the best things about this build is that allows you to progress easily simply by increasing bonus Int on your gear.
At this point, we would love to invite you to visit our Path of Exile Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency in case you are unable to complete your build.
Our recommended items will:
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Stat priorities on items:
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 (Helmet) Rare Helmet - the best option for this build, since it offers high defensive utility and Intelligence bonus |
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| Min. requirements: 150 Energy Shield 70% Total Elemental Resistances 35 Intelligence Optional affixes: Nearby enemies have -% to Cold Resistance |
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 (Helmet) Black Sun Crest - grants very high bonus Intelligence, but it will require you to adjust Resistances and Energy Shield bonuses on other parts |
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| +1 to Level of Socketed Gems (100-150)% increased Armour 40% reduced Light Radius (5-15)% increased Dexterity (5-15)% increased Strength (5-15)% increased Intelligence |
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| Helmet enchantments: 30% increased Frostbite Curse Effect |
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| (Weapon) The Whispering Ice - build-defining Weapon. There is simply no way to play it without this Staff which luckily is easy to obtain thanks to very common Divination Cards |
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| +18% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff +1 to Level of Socketed Support Gems Grants Level 1 Icestorm Skill Plays Whispering Ice sound on killing a rare Monster (Hidden) (8-12)% increased Cast Speed 1% increased Spell Damage per 10 Intelligence (14-18)% increased Intelligence |
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 (Body Armour) Rare Armour - Shaper Armour with increased Intelligence is the BiS option |
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| Min. requirements: 450 Energy Shield 35 Intelligence Optional affixes: % increased Intelligence Elemental Resistances |
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 (Boots) Rare Boots - you should aim to get a Strength/Intelligence base to make it easier to acquire the right Socket colors |
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| Min. requirements: 120 Energy Shield 35 Intelligence 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: maximum Mana Elemental Resistances |
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| Boot enchantment: Adds 45 to 68 Cold Damage if you've been Hit Recently |
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 (Belt) Cyclopean Coil - the only viable option for the Belt slot which grants insane bonus Intelligence and Ailments immunities |
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| +(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 |
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| (Amulet) Astramentis - a very solid choice which grants very high bonus Intelligence. Rare Amulets can be significantly better, but they will cost at least several Exalted Orbs |
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| +(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits |
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 (Amulet) Rare Amulet - possibly the BiS option, but also an extremely expensive one |
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| Min. requirements: 60 Intelligence Optional affixes: #% increased Damage per 15 Intelligence #% increased Attributes Elemental Resistances maximum Energy Shield |
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 (Ring) Rare Rings - you can either use Opal Rings for extra Damage, Moonstone Rings for extra Energy Shield, or Two-Stone Rings to make it easy to cap Resistances |
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| Min. requirements: 40 Intelligence 75% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Elemental/Cold Damage maximum Energy Shield maximum Mana |
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 (Gloves) Rare Gloves - preferably Fingerless Silk Gloves but most other types are also viable |
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| Min. requirements: 100 Energy Shield 100% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Maximum Mana Intelligence |
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| Glove enchantment: Commandment of Frost |
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 (Jewels) Brute Force Solution - grants high Intelligence bonuses. For exact locations where you can put them please check the PoB link |
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| +(16-24) to Intelligence Strength from Passives in Radius is Transformed to Intelligence |
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 (Jewels) Fertile Mind - similar to Brute Force Solution, but this one converts Dexterity in radius. Put it close to the two +30 Dexterity Nodes and bottom-right beneath the Scion's starting Point |
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| +(16-24) to Intelligence Dexterity from Passives in Radius is Transformed to Intelligence |
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 (Jewels) Watcher's Eye - this Jewel will be very expensive, but it should grant nearly 400 base Energy Shield and additional bonuses |
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| (4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana Gain (12-18)% of Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield while affected by Clarity |
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 (Jewels) Abyss Jewels - priority is maximum Energy Shield, Intelligence, and bonus Damage after you have killed recently. Flat Cold Damage is still ok but will be less effective |
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| Recommended affixes: maximum Energy Shield Intelligence Damage if you have killed recently Optional affixes: Flat added Cold Damage to Spells |
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 (Flask) Atziri's Promise - grants very high bonus DPS and Life Leech which comes in handy during Boss fights |
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| +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 |
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 (Flask) The Wise Oak - grants high Cold Damage Penetration if you manage to make it your highest uncapped Resistance |
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| +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 |
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Other suggested Flasks:
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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.
