Winter Orb non-crit
Elementalist Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.8

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: mediocre

Winter Orb, in its current form, is one of the most overpowered spells in Path of Exile. It is a channeled spell that creates an Orb above your head, which shoots icy projectiles on nearby enemies. Those projectiles explode on impact and deal damage in a small radius. Thanks to damage from several projectiles overlapping, Winter Orb has insane DPS which caused this to be the most commonly used Spell in the Betrayal League. Even with the slight nerfs in 3.6, this is still going to be an awfully powerful skill with close to none contenders. Elementalist class, which is recommended for this build, grants the highest possible DPS and makes this build fully viable for a League Starter build. 

Channeling Winter Orb builds up stages, which increase the rate of fire of your Ice projectiles, which makes Cast Speed one of the primary attributes in this build and allow much smoother gameplay.

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

1. Gameplay

This is a very fast-paced build with insane clear speed and decent mobility. You don't need to build up a lot of stages to deal with most of the enemies, while the newly added Passives related to Channelled Spells, and Infused Channelling Support Gem, should grant you more than enough survivability stats to allow dealing with Bosses. Depending on your current gear and level, you may find yourself avoiding only the highest damaging Spells and Attacks, ignoring most of the other threat. This build is based on high Life and Dodge Chance that should make it considerably easier for beginners as well. 

0:06 Tier 16 Maze of the Minotaur 0:39 Tier 15 Shaped Bog 1:09 Tier 13 Shaped Orchard 1:31 Tier 14 Basilica 1:55 Tier 16 Forge of the Phoenix This video was recorded pre 3.7 - please wait for a new one

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling shouldn't be a problem for this Witch character. You can use Freezing Pulse on earlier levels, which is an amazing cold-based Spell with wide AoE and high base damage. When you reach level 28 you can start using Winter Orb which will allow you to clear everything on your path relatively easy. The only issue you may find is Mana Management. Praxis Ring is highly recommended, and just one of the will let you spam Winter Orb efficiently, allowing you to focus on progressing through the campaign. Below you will find the basic skills that can be used during leveling (obviously, as you level up, find items with more sockets, and new Support Gems become available, use them in accordance with the final Gem setups) and several recommended unique items.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Freezing Pulse setup
	Freezing Pulse - great leveling spell which is available right after starting the game. It provides high base damage and has high clearing potential
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds flat Cold Damage to supported skills
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of your Freezing Pulse's projectiles

Winter Orb setup
	Winter Orb - the core skill used in this build. It can be used starting at level 28
	Added Cold Damage Support
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support
	Hypothermia Support - increases the damage of supported skills against chilled enemies

Utility Gems
	Lightning Golem - the recommended Golem for this build. Lightning Golem increases your Cast Speed and the rate of fire of your Winter's Orb projectiles
	Herald of Thunder - grants added Lightning Damage to your spells
	Herald of Ice - grants additional Cold Damage to spells  and causes AoE explosions when you kill Frozen enemies
	Frostbite - if you need some extra damage on the lower levels you may also use this Curse

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

31 Points Skill Tree 
Priorities: 1) Heart and Soul 2) Frost Walker 3) Discipline and Training 4) Devotion 5) Light of Divinity

65 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Elemental Overload 2) Blast Radius 3) Coldhearted Calculation 4) Coordination 5) Singular Focus

Recommended leveling items:

Goldrim - one of the best leveling helmets in Path of Exile. It grants a lot of Elemental Resistances which should cover up all your needs for those for the entire leveling process
+(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)

Lochtonial Caress - a very cheap pair of leveling gloves. They grant very high Cast Speed bonus and generate all three types of Charges
(10-15)% increased Attack Speed (10-15)% increased Cast Speed +(20-30) to maximum Life (15-10)% reduced maximum Mana 10% chance to gain a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge on Kill Conduit

Karui Ward - grants amazing DPS boost to this build by increasing the damage of both Freezing Pulse and Winter Orb's projectiles. It also grants extremely valuable Movement Speed
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Praxis - extremely useful leveling Ring for all spell-caster builds. It reduces the Mana cost of Spells eliminating Mana issues

+(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

Axiom Perpetuum - a very solid leveling weapon for spellcasters
(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

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. Pendulum of Destruction
2. Mastermind of Discord
3. Shaper of Desolation
4. Beacon of Ruin

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] Winter Orb
	Winter Orb - your primary source of DPS. A channeled spell which shots multiple icy projectiles in quick succession
	Infused Channelling Support - newly added Support Gem in Patch 3.6 which grants high bonus damage to Channeled Spells and damage reduction bonuses while channeling
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of Winter Orb's projectiles
	Hypothermia Support
	Cold Penetration Support - supported skills ignore some portion of the target's Cold Resistance
	Controlled Destruction Support - greatly increases Spell Damage at the cost of reduces Chance to Critically Strike

[UTILITY] Herald of Ice
	Herald of Ice - grants added Cold Damage to your Spells and causes AoE explosions greatly increasing your clear speed
	Onslaught Support - Herald of Ice will have a chance to grant you the Onslaught buff which increases your Attack and Cast Speed
	Curse on Hit Support - Herald of Ice explosions will apply supported Curse
	Projectile Weakness - increases the damage with Projectiles against Cursed enemies

[UTILITY] Herald of Thunder
	Herald of Thunder - adds additional Lightning Damage to spells

[UTILITY] Immortal Call and Vaal Righteous Fire
	Vaal Righteous Fire - Vaal skill which greatly increases your Spell Damage for a short duration
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast supported spells after a certain amount of damage is taken. Do not upgrade this Gem above level 11
	Steelskin - grants a protective buff which absorbs some of the incoming damage. Keep this Gem at level 16
	Increased Duration Support - extends the duration of supported Spells

[MOBILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - your primary mobility skill. Helps you progress through maps much faster
	Faster Attacks Support  - faster movement with Shield Charge
	Fortify Support  - grants the Fortify buff

[UTILITY] Cold Snap setup
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - use at level 1 in this setup
	Cold Snap - chills enemies and increases your Cold Damage against them thanks to Bonechill Support Gem. Do not upgrade Cold Snap above level 7
	Bonechill Support  - increases the effectiveness of your Chill and Cold Damage based on the Chill effect

[UTILITY] Lightning Golem
	Cast when Damage Taken Support
	Summon Lightning Golem - grants increased Attack and Cast Speed

[UTILITY] Frost Bomb
	Frost Bomb - area Spell which debuffs enemies with Cold Exposure, reducing their Cold Resistance

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for this Winter Orb Elementalist build. Several gear options are usually included for each slot with the exception of awfully expensive end-game gear as this is usually accessible to less than 1% of players. 

If you are looking for cheap PoE Currency, we would love to invite you to visit our PoE Market section that can be accessed via the main bar on top of the page.

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Help you cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - we recommend grabbing a Rare Helmet regardless of your budget. If you need a better one, just try getting similar stats on a Shaper Helmet with added Cold Damage to Spells or with Delve affixes that reduce nearby enemies' Cold Resistance

Min. requirements: 70 to maximum Life 35% to Fire Resistance 35% to Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Nearby enemies have # reduces Cold Resistance Added Cold Damage to Spells

Helmet enchantments: Winter Orb has +2 Maximum Stages Winter Orb deals 40% increased Damage

(Weapon) Doryani's Catalyst - a very solid and our preferred choice for the weapon slot. It grants all the important stats and extra Leech while being relatively cheap

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) Rare Shaper Sceptre - this will be the best in the slot option, however, you have to be ready to spend a bunch of Exalted Orbs on that piece. There are a lot of very powerful Master crafts that make this weapon exceptionally powerful

Min. requirements: 60% Spell Damage Added min. 26 Cold Damage to Spells Damage Penetrates Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Cast Speed Chance to gain Arcane Surge when you kill enemy/Cast Speed Chance to deal double damage

(Shield) Rare Shield - we recommend getting Spiked Shield for the extra Dodge. It shouldn't be also hard to find a piece with Life, Spell Damage, and at least one or two extra affixes

Min. requirements: 90 to maximum Life 50% Spell Damage 40% Mana Regeneration Rate Optional affixes: Dexterity Cast Speed Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) Inpulsa's Broken Heart - simply the best in the slot. Grants insane DPS buff and extra AoE explosions when killing Shocked enemies

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(60-80) to maximum Life (20-50)% increased Damage if you have Shocked an Enemy Recently (25-40)% increased Effect of Shock Shocked Enemies you Kill Explode, dealing 5% of their Maximum Life as Lightning Damage which cannot Shock Unaffected by Shock

(Body Armour) Carcass Jack - another solid option which should be a little cheaper when compared to Inpulsa's

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(50-70) to maximum Life +(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances (40-50)% increased Area of Effect (40-50)% increased Area Damage Extra gore

(Amulet) Pandemonius - the best amulet option for this Winter Orb build. It grants amazing defensive utility, on top of increasing your Cold Damage and Cold Penetration

+(20-30) to Dexterity (20-30)% increased Cold Damage +(35-40)% to Cold Resistance Chill Enemy for 1 second when Hit, reducing their Action Speed by 30% Blind Chilled Enemies on Hit Damage Penetrates 20% Cold Resistance against Chilled Enemies

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - will be always a good pick for the leveling phase. Just aim to get additional Spell Damage and high defensive stats

Min. requirements: 75 maximum Life 25% increased Spell Damage Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Ring) Rare Rings - preferably Opal Ring which is the best base for this build

Min. requirements: 60 to maximum Life 6% Cast Speed 60% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Elemental Damage Maximum Mana

(Ring) Dream Fragments - as of Patch 3.8 we can no longer Leech Mana, so this Ring's extra Mana and Mana Regeneration will be extremely useful. It also grants Freeze Immunity

+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance 20% increased maximum Mana 50% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +(30-40)% to Cold Resistance Cannot be Chilled Cannot be Frozen

(Boots) Rare Boots - get a pair with the highest possible Life, Elemental Resistances, and Movement Speed bonuses

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% increased Movement Speed 29% Fire Resistance 29% Lightning Resistance 29% Cold Resistance

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently Adds 45 to 68 Cold Damage if you've been Hit Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt - preferably Stygian Vise base

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 40% Fire Resistance 40% Lightning Resistance 35 Strength

(Gloves) Command of the Pit - this pair of gloves provide high damage bonus and Arcane Surge buff

Has 2 Abyssal Sockets (6-10)% increased Cast Speed (4-6)% increased maximum Life With a Ghastly Eye Jewel Socketed, Minions have +1000 to Accuracy Rating With a Hypnotic Eye Jewel Socketed, gain Arcane Surge on Hit with Spells

(Jewels) Rare Jewels

Recommended affixes: increased Maximum Life increased Spell Damage/Spell Damage while holding a Shield increased Cold/Area Damage Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - at least of those is required if you are using Command of the Pit Gloves

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Cold Damage to Spells Optional affixes: increased Damage if you have killed recently chance to Hinder enemies on Spell Hit

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - one of the best Flask in Path of Exile which is also very cheap

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) Dying Sun - grants additional Winter Orb's projectiles and increases their explosion radius increasing your single target DPS

(-10-10)% increased Charges used (15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (immunity to Freeze and Chill) Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline (increased Movement Speed)

If you have any other build requests, or suggestions regarding this Winter Orb Elementalist build, please let us know in the comments below.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.