Level 13 Shield Charge Occultist^3.28

Notes

Statements highlighted in yellow, like this, are all experience players need to pay attention to. Read more if you need to

SSF or VERY FAST SOFTCORE PLAYERS LOOK AT THIS > you probably will not be able to obtain a Cane of Unraveling when you get to maps so look for WARSTAFFS with chaos damage over time multiplier. Craft on highest tier spell damage when you get to maps. Works great until you can get a Cane of Unraveling
SSF players if you can't get a mark of submission then selfcast despair + hexbloom support when you do your last Labyrinth and spec Profane Bloom

------ Act 1 -------
Copy paste the line below into vendor's search bar to highlight 3 link items, movement speed boots, chaos gem levels, and chaos DoT multi
-\w-|Runn|rint|Lord|Wani

- Don't level Arcane Surge Support!! Lock it at level 1
Why? Because it will make it so you don't have to spend as much mana to get the arcane surge buff

- Don't level shield charge past level 4
Why? It will make the strength requirement too high to use unless you get more strength on gear, which is just a hassle.


------ Act 2 -------
Copy paste in vendor's search bar to highlight warstaffs, DoT multi, + chaos spell skills, corrupted blood flasks, and 4 links
"warstaff|chaos dam|ed bloo|-\w-.-|Wani"

- Warning! Don't spend anymore gold until you are level 26 - see Act 3 for why

- Kill Oak and Kraityn
- Help Alira
Why? Helping her will give you 15% to all elemental resistances, which is invaluable

- Use the Corruption Alter inside The Vaal Ruins on your Blight skill gem. 25% chance to turn into Vaal Blight.
Why? The Vaal Blight skill gem gives you a new skill in addition to the normal Blight skill gem we have been using. Keep using normal blight the same way we have been, but now you can charge up Vaal Blight by killing enemies or damaging bosses and then use it for more damage!
- Using Vaal Blight applies 3 strong stacks of blight and makes enemies take increased chaos damage. Use it on rare and unique enemies frequently
- If you dont get vaal blight from the corruption alter, buy new Blight skill gems from Nessa in Act 1 and use vaal orbs (as you get them) on the Blight skill gems until you get vaal blight.

- At the end of Act 2 you fight the Vaal Oversoul, in the boss room is a Recipe for a 'crafted spell damage mod' and outside the boss room is one for movement speed. Use these on your weapons and boots respectively if they dont have these mods on them. 
- Your crafting bench is in your hideout. You can also craft fire, cold, and lightning resistances and life on your gear to become tankier and die less.
- You can find your resistances on the defence tab on the character screen. You want to have those at 75% as soon as possible and make sure they stay there. Don't worry about chaos resistance for now.


------ Act 3 -------
- Once you hit level 26, In town, go to Maramoa (if you are still in act 2 talk to Silk) and Gamble for a "Random Energy Shield helmet, gloves, or boots." All you care about is getting one with 4 sockets linked together.
Why? the more Support Gems linked to your Skill gems the better they will be. For you this will give you more damage on essence drain. You can also do this on another gear piece for (Vaal) Blight also.

- At The Ebony Barracks kill General Gravicius and then talk to Maramoa in town to get the Soulrend Skill gem and equip it to start leveling it.
Why? We will start using soulrend at the end of act 4. 
- You should put Soulrend in any wand in your Second Weapon Set so it isn't taking up any sockets in the gear you are using. Yes Soulrend will level up in your Second Weapon Set while you are using your First Weapon Set. You can use this strategy to level 5 additional gems also.

- In the imperial gardens you will find the last Trial of Ascendancy, complete it and then go to the Ascendancy Plaque in town to do your first Labyrinth (Lab) so you can ascend.
- If you haven't completed all the Trials of Ascendancy the Plaque will tell you where the ones your missed were.

- At the end of the Labyrinth in the Treasure Room you will find the Divine Font. Normally you will have the option to add quality to a gem. Use the Divine Font or any Gemcutter Prisms to add Quality to Soulrend
Why? Soulrends quality increases its very short duration, which will make clearing enemies smoother.


------ Act 4 -------
- At the end of Act 4, after you kill Malachai, remove Essence Drain and Contagion Skill gems and Swap to the new Soulrend links. This is what is use to clear mobs now. 
- Use Vaal Blight and Blight on bosses and rares. If they are beating your ass, just use soulrend to keep distance.

- Don't level Greater Multiple Projectiles Support

------ Act 5 -------
Nothing really changes from here on till the end of the campaign. Keep getting life and elemental resistances on your gear. Each time you kill Kitava in Act 5 and Act 10 he permanently applies -30% elemental resistances to you, so make sure you gear back up to 75% resists.


------ Start of maps and/or level 66 -------
- Buy a Cane of Unraveling warstaff and follow the "Swap to Warstaff" loadout. There are Skill Gem and Passive Tree changes
The loadout dropdown is in the top right of this program

- Use soulrend to clear and essence drain, vaal blight, and blight on single target. If the enemy is too strong use soulrend instead of blight to keep distance.

- For quest bosses you can use void manipulation support instead of greater projectiles for some more damage on soulrend.

------ After 4th Labyrinth (4th ascension) -------
Buy a Mark of Submission ring to make screen go boom