Level 15 Chaos Bolt Ranger^0.1

Notes

Checklist for campaign bounties: 
https://maxroll.gg/poe2/getting-started/permanent-stats-from-campaign

Tips for a smoother (campaign) progression:
- Don't use Chaos Bolt until you got extra proj and enough skill points (Lv 48+) -> at this point you'll also need a Snakepit to transition, so keep an eye out asap
- Aim for ~10% additional elemental resistances per act (e.g. 30% in A3), prioritize cold res for A1 act boss and lightning res for A2 act boss
- Constantly upgrade your wand/focus (esp. later on when Chaos Bolt is used for highest skill gem level!), gems and gear
- Check vendors on level up for better gear (wand/focus, MS boots, jewelry)
- Pick up and buy white wands/foci/boots and transmute/augment
- Pick up small blue items for transmutation shards
- Don't waste your exalts/regal on trash low level items (keep them for gambling/buying higher future gear, leveling uniques and Snakepit)
- Don't hesitate to use Armourer's Scraps, Artificer's Orbs and Runes on okayish gear
- If you have some spare currency, you can make use of these cheap leveling uniques: Foxshade, Cloak of Flame, Luminous Pace, Wanderlust, Goldrim, Crown
  of the Victor, Dusk Vigil, Lifesprig, Enezun's Charge, Brynabas, Midnight Braid, Surefoot Sigil, Lochtonial Caress, Doedre's Tenure (only use with ED/Contagion)
- Can also gamble jewelry (wait until ilvl 32+ for Snakepit or later before you spend all of your gold as we have to respec some passive points)
- If you want to gamble for the unique rings, your best bet is doing this in Act 2 (after completion) as you want ilvl 32+ rings. Also, they're quite cheap (5k gold
  each, mind gamble limit) and you also don't need many catalysts because of the low item level

Act 1: 
- Passives: Path to 'Heavy Ammunition' first
- Uncut Skill Gem 1 (Quest): get Flame Wall (after Riverbank)
- Use whatever skill you like until you get an Uncut Skill gem 3. Get Essence Drain
- Use your second Uncut Skill Gem 3 for Ember Fussilade (helps a lot with single target)
- Uncut Support Gem 1 (Quest): get Scattershot (kill Devourer) (can also do few levels later)
- Uncut Spirit Gem (Quest): get and activate Withering Presence (after Freythorn Rituals) (can also do few levels later)
- No need to upgrade Withering Presence until we use Chaos Bolt. If you drop any Spirit Gems, just put them in your stash

==== Act 1 Skill Gem Setup ====
Essence Drain + Scattershot + Controlled Destruction
Ember Fussilade + Unleash
Flame Wall + Spell Cascade
Spirit: Withering Presence

Act 2:
- Do NOT run the trial after Balbala right away (takes too long and doesn't add much at this point)
- At level 23 (or 21 + Keth quest skill points) we have enough points to change the tree/setup to ED/Contagion (need around 5,5-6k gold to respec)
- Get a pair of Doedre's Tenure if possible (can also corrupt for free in Act 3 Jiquani's Sanctum ;))
- Valley of the Titans quest reward: choose increased Mana Flask Recovery

==== Act 2 Skill Gem Setup (Lv 16-22) ====
Essence Drain + Swift Affliction + Controlled Destruction
Ember Fussilade + Unleash + Arcane Tempo
Flame Wall + Spell Cascade + Fortress
Spirit: Withering Presence
==== Act 2 Skill Gem Setup (Lv 23+) ====
Essence Drain + Arcane Tempo + Controlled Destruction
Contagion + Persistence + Swift Affliction
Ember Fussilade + Unleash + Concentrated Effect
Spirit: Withering Presence
FOR BOSSES: replace Arcane Tempo with Swift Affliction

Act 3:
- Get your first 4-Link in Sandswept Marshes (loot Lesser Jeweller's Orb from rare basket) and use it on Essence Drain, add Persistence
- If you get a second Jeweller's Orb, 4-link Contagion
- After Azak Bog (extra spirit quest), replace Persistence with Minion Pact
- Uncut Skill Gem 9: get Despair, Skeletal Warrior and Dark Effigy (in that order) -> don't upgrade Despair and Dark Effigy further!
- Venom Crypts quest reward: choose Mana Regen
- Do NOT run the trial after Chimera right away (takes too long and doesn't add much at this point)
- Try to hit Lv 42 before Viper Napuatzi, this makes the fight much more easier

==== Act 3 Skill Gem Setup ====
Essence Drain + Arcane Tempo + Controlled Destruction + Minion Pact
Contagion + Swift Affliction + Persistence + Hinder
Despair + Decaying Hex + Impending Doom
Dark Effigy + Withering Touch + Inspiration
Spirit: Withering Presence & Skeletal Warrior + Meat Shield (make sure the Minion's Life is higher than yours, otherwise Minion Pact doesn't work)
FOR BOSSES: replace Minion Pact with Swift Affliction

Act 1 Cruel:
- Run both Trials and get Far Shot & Endless Munitions
- If you need gold, a good farm spot is at the Mausoleum of the Praetor (search for Forgotten Riches and reset zone afterwards, repeat)
- At mid-end of Act 1, start looking for Withered Wands granting Chaos Bolt Lv 12+

==== Act 1 Cruel Skill Gem Setup ====
Same as before

Act 2 Cruel:
- At level 48 we have enough points to change the tree/setup to non-crit Chaos Bolt (see passive tree and skill gem setups)
NOTE: YOU NEED A SNAKEPIT IN RIGHT RING SLOT (take off Doedre's Tenure if you've used before)
- When you get your first Uncut Support Gem 3, use it to engrave Chaos Mastery and replace it with Considered Casting
- Valley of the Titans quest reward: choose increased Life Flask Recovery 

==== Act 2 Cruel Skill Gem Setup ====
Chaos Bolt + Arcane Tempo + Controlled Destruction + Considered Casting (replaced with Chaos Mastery later)
Contagion + Swift Affliction + Persistence + Hinder (helps a lot clearing bigger mob packs faster --> Curse -> Contagion -> Kill)
Despair + Decaying Hex + Impending Doom (+ Hex Bloom)
Dark Effigy + Withering Touch + Inspiration (+ Ancestral Urgency)
Spirit: Withering Presence + Vitality 

Act 3 Cruel:
- After Azak Bog (extra spirit quest), get and activate Attrition if you can (attributes), this really helps with bosses (put away Vitality)
- Venom Crypts quest reward: choose Chaos Resistance

==== Act 3 Cruel Skill Gem Setup ====
Same as before except for Spirit: Withering Presence & Attrition 
If you can't use Attrition yet, use Withering Presence + Vitality + Cannibalism + Herbalism OR Withering Presence & Blink + Ingenuity 

Early Maps and some progression tips (up to ~Lv 70):
- Skip high monster density mechanics like breach or ritual when you start mapping
- Cap your elemental resistances asap (also try to get some chaos res if possible)
- Most of the time it's better to buy cheap gear instead of wasting currency to 'craft'
- If you want to be more tanky, use a shield with high block chance instead of a focus
- Preferably use Evasion/ES-based gear
- You don't necessarily need the highest possible Chaos Bolt level the weapon grants, sometimes wands with good affixes and lower level are better (check DPS)
- If you run out of high maps, you can use the Reforge Bench to combine 3 of the same tier to get 1 of the next higher tier
- Same goes for Withered Wands: 3 of the same rarity for a new random one. On higher white bases (rec. CB Lv 17+) you can also use Essence of Ruin (Chaos)
**- If you have Lesser Jeweller and Vaal Orbs, you can try to get a 5th link for Despair

==== Early Maps Skill Gem Setup ====
Same as before except for Spirit: Withering Presence + Vitality + Cannibalism + Herbalism
**Despair + Decaying Hex + Impending Doom + Hex Bloom (+ Heightened Curse, Magnified Effect, Expanse, Arcane Surge or Inspiration)

Transition into Crit Chaos Bolt (requires min. Lv 66+):
- You need a small budget for transition. Make sure you have the following before doing so:
  5 Jewels with high crit chance + spell or chaos damage, 2x Withered Wand granting Lv 16 Chaos Bolt for 5-links (Lv 66+)
- Snakepit now goes into the LEFT ring slot
- Get as much crit chance from wands/foci/jewels as possible
- Get a high rolled Seed of Cataclysm asap
- Look out for gear with high evasion (Evasion/ES to start with if Dex requirement is too high)
- A good, cheap early anoint is Mental Perseverance (Ire - Disgust - Greed)
- When you got a high evasion Body Armour, you can replace Lucidity with Beastial Skin (can also use another anoint)
- Don't use Ambush (in Weapon Set 1) until you got at least 35+% base crit chance
- Don't use Spaghettification-Cluster until your clearspeed feels good enough and you can comfortably compensate the life loss
- Don't use Acrobatics until you got very high evasion gear (esp. Body Armour)
- Ascendancy Points 5+6 (get Gathering Winds): To make this as easy as possible, run the the lowest required level Djinn Barya (min. Lv 60 with 3 Trials). 
  Movement Speed and not getting hit is key, so get some Boots with high Movement Speed (20%+).
  Get relics with Honour Resistance (or increased maximum honur). Maybe use Blink + Ingenuity.
  Make sure you have solid gear/damage at this point: high Evasion and a decent Life pool, capped Resistances.
  You can also reskill Endless Munitions and use Gathering Winds for Tailwind just for the Sanctum.
***- When you've got enough Dex, you can replace Scattershot/Blind with Sniper's Mark and use Ferocity instead of Mobility/Overpower (in Weapon Set 2)
      Or if you have any GCPs, you can add quality to Dark Effigy and use Withering Touch in the Cast on Critical Setup instead

==== Crit Chaos Bolt Skill Gem Setup ====
Weapon Set 1 (clear): Chaos Bolt + Wildshards + Minion Pact + Ricochet + Arcane Tempo
Weapon Set 2 (boss): Chaos Bolt + Chaos Mastery + Considered Casting + Inevitable Critical + Mobility/Overpower
FOR BOSSES: replace Mobility/Overpower with Arcane Tempo
Despair (Lv 9) + Decaying Hex + Impending Doom + Hex Bloom (+ Heightened Curse, Magnified Effect, Expanse, Arcane Surge or Inspiration)
Dark Effigy (Lv 9) + Withering Touch + Inspiration + Ancestral Urgency
Withering Presence + Cannibalism + Vitality (+ Clarity) (activate in Weapon Set 1)
Skeletal Warrior + Maim + Culling Strike + Meat Shield (activate in Weapon Set 1)
Soul Offering + Persistence + Ablation (activate in Weapon Set 1)
Cast on Critical + Eye of Winter (Lv 13) + Unleash + Scattershot/Blind*** (activate in Weapon Set 2)

Now work your way up, upgrade everything over time and follow the Endgame PoB later. Good luck & have fun! :)