About This Build Guide

This Cyclone Occultist guide is generated from statistical analysis of 4,226 real Witch (Occultist) builds in Keepers of the Flame league, collected from poe.ninja. Data covers levels 75-100 across three percentile bands (top 10%, median, bottom 10%).

Popular Equipment at Level 90

Core Gem Setup

Key Passive Keystones

Lv
Investment

Investment Score

Ranks builds by overall gear investment using combined DPS + EHP, max gem level, 6-link count, gem quality, and unique item rarity.

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Build Compendium

CYCLONE · Occultist
Analyzing 989 builds · 329 in current percentile
707580859095100
Investment

Investment Score

Ranks builds by overall gear investment using combined DPS + EHP, max gem level, 6-link count, gem quality, and unique item rarity.

Character Stats

Survivability
EHP
58,947
Max Phys Hit
13,406
Max Chaos Hit
12,994
Defense
Life
55
Energy Shield
10,238
Evasion
714
Armour
12,773
Block Chance
58%
Spell Suppress
16%
Phys Reduction
47%
Offense
Total DPS
128,957(PoB)
Crit Chance
91%
Crit Multiplier
335%
Resistances
Fire
75%(capped)
Cold
75%(+3 overcap)
Lightning
75%(+1 overcap)
Chaos
-10%
Recovery
Life Regen
45/s
ES Regen
288/s
Resources
Mana
844
Unreserved Life
21
Unreserved %
98%
Move Speed
92%

Equipment

Weapon
Rare Weapon
Imperial Skean55%·Slaughter Knife9%·Ambusher5%
Popular affixes
P127% increased Attack Speed77%
P236% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier70%
P174% increased Spell Damage47%
S135% increased Critical Strike Chance58%
S1104% increased Spell Critical Strike Chance33%
S21 to Level of all Chaos Spell Skill Gems21%
Popular crafted mods
C-PHits can't be Evaded91%
3L BGB
Q19%
iLvl 81(4-90)
Helmet
L85-95
Crown of the Inward Eye
Transfiguration of Soul/Body/Mind - converts life/mana/ES investment into spell damage
Prophet Crown
333% increased Armour and Energy Shield
20% increased maximum Life, Mana and Global Energy Shield
Transfiguration of Soul
Transfiguration of Body
Transfiguration of Mind
4L BBBB
Q19%
▹Transfiguration of Soul/Body/Mind - life, mana, and ES investment all convert to spell damage, scaling CoC procs
Offhand
L70-80
Aegis Aurora
Replenishes ES on block - near-invulnerable with Glancing Blows and high block chance
Champion Kite Shield
376% increased Armour and Energy Shield
10% to all Elemental Resistances
5% to maximum Cold Resistance
6% Chance to Block
Recover Energy Shield equal to 2% of Armour when you Block
15% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills
3L GGR
Q20%
▹Replenishes ES on block - combined with block chance, creates near-invulnerability through constant ES recovery
▹Armour applies to elemental damage taken - massive EHP boost
Ring
84%
Rare Ring 1
Two-Stone Ring37%·Moonstone Ring20%·Diamond Ring12%
Popular affixes
P343 to maximum Energy Shield67%
P597 to Evasion Rating36%
P522% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier26%
S153 to Dexterity49%
S154 to Intelligence31%
S341% to Cold Resistance29%
Popular crafted mods
C-P316% increased Damage19%
C-P529 to maximum Energy Shield15%
C-S1Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost10%
iLvl 84(73-100)
Body Armour
Rare Body Armour
Twilight Regalia80%·Nightweave Robe8%·Paladin's Hauberk4%
Popular affixes
P1109% increased Energy Shield93%
P193 to maximum Energy Shield87%
P217% increased Stun and Block Recovery68%
S244% to Fire Resistance48%
S246 to Intelligence38%
S341% to Cold Resistance29%
Popular crafted mods
C-P6% increased Attributes16%
C-P167 to maximum Energy Shield15%
6L GGGGBB
Q20%
iLvl 86(75-100)
Ring
78%
Rare Ring 2
Two-Stone Ring34%·Diamond Ring15%·Topaz Ring13%
Popular affixes
P341 to maximum Energy Shield55%
P5120 to Evasion Rating39%
P357 to maximum Mana25%
S154 to Dexterity53%
S245% to Fire Resistance34%
S250 to Strength34%
Popular crafted mods
C-P529 to maximum Energy Shield19%
C-P315% increased Damage15%
C-S1Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost10%
iLvl 84(71-88)
Gloves
Rare Gloves
Warlock Gloves34%·Sage Gloves18%·Paladin Gloves13%
Popular affixes
P297% increased Energy Shield64%
P437 to maximum Energy Shield64%
P284% increased Armour and Energy Shield19%
S243% to Lightning Resistance40%
S244% to Cold Resistance36%
S151 to Intelligence33%
Popular crafted mods
C-P372% increased Energy Shield13%
C-P521 to maximum Energy Shield10%
4L BBBB
Q20%
iLvl 85(63-88)
Belt
Rare Belt
Stygian Vise52%·Crystal Belt29%·Studded Belt5%
Popular affixes
P346 to maximum Energy Shield65%
P1365 to Armour48%
P351 to maximum Mana40%
S242% to Cold Resistance49%
S341% to Fire Resistance46%
S249 to Strength41%
Popular crafted mods
C-P525 to maximum Energy Shield15%
C-P316% increased Damage14%
C-S324 to Strength and Dexterity15%
C-S3251 to Evasion Rating11%
1L A
iLvl 84(71-88)
Boots
Rare Boots
Warlock Boots34%·Sorcerer Boots12%·Paladin Boots12%
Popular affixes
P130% increased Movement Speed85%
P433 to maximum Energy Shield40%
P290% increased Armour and Energy Shield24%
S245% to Fire Resistance48%
S244% to Cold Resistance45%
S243% to Lightning Resistance43%
Popular crafted mods
C-P372% increased Energy Shield19%
C-P320% increased Movement Speed12%
4L BBBB
Q20%
iLvl 84(70-88)
Amulet
88%
Whispers of Infinity
Crit chance and crit multi for channelling skills - near-universal for CoC Cyclone builds
Seaglass Amulet
15% faster start of Energy Shield Recharge
Allocates Force of Darkness
8 to 23 Added Attack Chaos Damage per 8 Maximum Mana
91 to maximum Energy Shield
51% reduced maximum Mana
Skills Cost Energy Shield instead of Mana or Life
▹Cast speed + cold damage - accelerates CoC trigger rate and directly boosts cold spell damage

Build Overview

Cast on Critical Strike engine that spins Cyclone to trigger cold spells while converting physical damage through a cold→fire chain via Hrimsorrow and Heatshiver. Occultist provides power charge scaling and energy shield synergies. The build layers block-based ES recovery with high crit rate for relentless spell procs.

Key Requirements
*
Cyclone - Trigger engine - fast-hitting melee skill that procs Cast on Crit multiple times per second
*
Cospri's Malice - Triggers socketed cold spell on melee crit - doubles CoC proc rate by adding weapon-based triggers alongside gem-link triggers
*
Cast on Critical Strike - Core mechanic - links Cyclone crits to cold spell casts for the entire damage output
*
Chaos Inoculation - Sets life to 1, grants immunity to chaos damage - enables full ES investment as sole health pool
*
Hex Master - Hexes apply to bosses at full effect - ensures curses like Frostbite provide maximum damage amplification on endgame targets
*
Glancing Blows - Doubles block chance at 65% damage pass-through - synergises with Aegis Aurora ES recovery on block for near-permanent sustain
*
Zealot's Oath - Life regeneration applies to ES instead - converts regen sources into ES sustain for CI builds
Synergy Groups
Cospri's Malice+Whispers of Infinity+Crown of the Inward Eye

Cospri's Malice triggers socketed cold spells on crit independently of the CoC link. Whispers of Infinity provides crit chance and crit multi for channelling skills, directly boosting Cyclone's crit rate for more CoC procs. Crown of the Inward Eye converts life/mana/ES investment into spell damage via Transfiguration.

Gear Progression
L85-95Mid Endgame

14% CDR breakpoint (7.57 APS), 6,000+ ES and 50,000+ armour targets

Helmet
Crown of the Inward Eye

Transfiguration mechanics + ES synergy

Belt
14% CDR Belt

9% CDR belt + 5% boots = 14% breakpoint

Stat Contributions
Aegis Aurora
+376% ES+376% Armour+10% Fire Res+10% Cold Res+5% Cold Res+10% Light Res
Crown of the Inward Eye
+20% Life+333% ES+333% Armour
Rare Gloves
+97% ES+37 ES+43% Light Res
Rare Belt
+46 ES+365 Armour+42% Cold Res
Rare Boots
+45% Fire Res+44% Cold Res+30% Move Speed
Rare Body Armour
+109% ES+93 ES
Whispers of Infinity
+91 ES+15% ES Regen
Rare Ring 1
+43 ES+97 Evasion
Flasks
Quicksilver Flask
89%
40% increased Movement Speed
Movement speed for mapping and dodging mechanics
6s30/60 chargesQ18%
31-35% chance to gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike(11%)
12-14% increased Movement Speed during Effect(17%)
▹Movement speed while cycloning - Cyclone moves at 70% speed, so extra movement speed is critical
Diamond Flask
84%
Critical Strike Chance is Lucky
Lucky crit rolls - effectively doubles low crit chance
6s20/40 chargesQ18%
31-35% chance to gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike(14%)
50-55% increased Critical Strike Chance during Effect(20%)
▹Lucky crit rolls boost Cyclone's consistent crit rate for Occultist's Void Beacon and Frigid Wake procs
Granite Flask
63%
+3000 Armour
Flat armour - layered with other physical mitigation
6s30/60 chargesQ19%
31-35% chance to gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike(13%)
51-55% increased Armour during Effect(12%)
▹Armour layer for physical mitigation - Cyclone keeps you in the thick of packs
Silver Flask
56%
Onslaught (20% increased Speed)
Onslaught (20% attack/cast/move speed) - universal speed boost
6s40/60 chargesQ18%
31-35% chance to gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike(11%)
50-55% increased Critical Strike Chance during Effect(10%)
▹Onslaught gives 20% attack speed for Cyclone hits + 20% movement speed while channeling
Basalt Flask
31%
15% Physical Damage Reduction
Physical damage reduction - stacks with armour
8s40/60 chargesQ19%
31-35% chance to gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike(18%)
60-65% reduced Effect of Curses on you during Effect(12%)
▹Physical damage reduction stacks with Granite - Cyclone Occultist needs layered physical mitigation

Gems & Links

Setup
6-Link · Body Armour
Cyclone
90%
Lv 19Q13
linked gems
Power Charge On Critical
82%
Lv 19Q9
Awakened Cast On Critical Strike
73%
Lv 4Q19
Greater Volley
52%
Lv 19Q13
Awakened Void Manipulation
49%
Lv 4Q16
Cast On Critical Strike
27%
Lv 19Q12
Slot SetupsReal player setup · 3 similar builds
Helmet3G
Zealotry
Lv 21
Discipline
Lv 21
Enlighten
Lv 4
Gloves4G
Precision
Lv 20
Automation
Lv 19trigger
Despair
Lv 21Q23
Withering Step
Lv 19
Boots3G
Summon Flame Golem
Lv 21
Summon Ice Golem
Lv 21
Summon Stone Golem
Lv 21
Main Hand3G
Mark On Hit
Lv 19trigger
Assassin's Mark
Lv 19
1L
Shield Charge
Lv 18
Off Hand3G
Flame Dash
Lv 20
Flesh and Stone
Lv 19
Tempest Shield
Lv 19
Loading passive tree...

Keystones & Masteries

Keystones
Chaos Inoculation
97%
Maximum Life becomes 1, Immune to Chaos Damage
Max life becomes 1, immune to chaos damage - requires ES-based defenses
• Immune to chaos damage — CI Cyclone Occultist goes full ES, leveraging Occultist's ES nodes
Hex Master
71%
Your Hexes have infinite Duration 20% less Effect of your Curses
Hexes have no doom limit and increased effect - curse-heavy builds
• Enhanced hex effect with no doom limit — amplifies Occultist's curse scaling for damage and defense
Glancing Blows
60%
Chance to Block Attack Damage is doubled Chance to Block Spell Damage is doubled You take 65% of Damage from Blocked Hits
Double block chance but blocks only prevent 65% damage - high block uptime
• Doubled block chance — Cyclone benefits from constant block procs since you're always in melee range
Zealot's Oath
43%
Life Regeneration is applied to Energy Shield instead
Life regeneration applies to ES instead - ES sustain through regen
• Life regen applies to ES — converts regen into ES sustain for CI or hybrid ES builds
Masteries
Shield Mastery
90%
+1% to Critical Strike Multiplier per 10 Maximum Energy Shield on Shield52%
+1% Chance to Block Attack Damage per 5% Chance to Block on Equipped Shield38%
Block chance, shield defences, or shield-specific bonuses
• +1% crit multi per 10 max ES on shield provides significant crit scaling from spirit shields with high ES; +1% attack block per 5% shield block builds block chance passively
Critical Mastery
80%
+3 to Level of all Critical Support Gems66%
Crit chance, crit multiplier, or crit-related bonuses
• +3 to level of all critical support gems is a massive damage multiplier for CoC builds - higher gem levels on Increased Critical Strikes and similar supports boost both crit chance and triggered spell damage
Charge Mastery
71%
3% increased Damage per Endurance, Frenzy or Power Charge36%
100% increased Charge Duration30%
Charge generation, duration, or bonus per charge
• 3% increased damage per power/frenzy/endurance charge scales multiplicatively with CoC's high power charge count; 100% charge duration keeps charges active between packs
Leech Mastery
66%
5% of Leech is Instant65%
Improved life/mana/ES leech rate and maximum leech
• 5% of leech is instant provides immediate ES recovery on each Cyclone hit - with CoC triggering many hits per second, this keeps ES constantly topped off via Ghost Reaver
Energy Shield Mastery
65%
100% increased Energy Shield from Equipped Helmet22%
ES recharge, max ES, or ES recovery mechanics
• 100% increased ES from helmet boosts a key ES slot for CI builds, adding a large flat ES chunk from a single mastery point
Chaos Mastery
58%
Deal 10% more Chaos Damage to enemies which have Energy Shield47%
Chaos damage scaling or chaos resistance improvements
• 10% more chaos damage against enemies with ES - extra damage against ES-shielded enemies, synergizing with Occultist's Void Beacon and Withering Presence chaos scaling
Reservation Mastery
58%
Auras from your Skills have 10% increased Effect on you41%
Reduced mana reservation for auras and heralds
• 10% increased aura effect on you boosts Discipline (more ES), Hatred (more cold damage), and Zealotry (more spell crit) from the same reserved mana
Armour and Energy Shield Mastery
55%
Recover 5% of Energy Shield over 1 second when you take Physical Damage from an Enemy Hit26%
100% increased Armour and Energy Shield from Equipped Body Armour if Equipped Helmet, Gloves and Boots all have Armour and Energy Shield20%
Hybrid armour/ES scaling for strength/intelligence builds
• Recover 5% ES over 1 second on taking physical hit - CI Cyclone is in melee range taking constant phys hits, making this a reliable ES sustain source
Attributes Mastery
48%
+5 to Intelligence per Allocated Mastery Passive Skill29%
Bonus to strength, dexterity, or intelligence scaling
• +5 intelligence per allocated mastery stacks with the many masteries Cyclone Occultist takes, providing both ES scaling (int-based) and gem requirements
Evasion and Energy Shield Mastery
36%
20% increased Maximum Energy Shield if both Equipped Left and Right Rings have an Explicit Evasion Modifier 40% increased Energy Shield Recharge Rate if Equipped Amulet has an Explicit Evasion Modifier29%
Hybrid evasion/ES scaling for dexterity/intelligence builds
• Increased max ES from explicit evasion mods on rings/amulet rewards hybrid gear choices with additional ES scaling for CI defense
Mana Mastery
31%
12% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills29%
Mana recovery, max mana, or mana cost reduction
• 12% mana reservation efficiency fits more auras while leaving enough unreserved mana for Cyclone's constant channeling cost

Pantheon & Bandit

Pantheon
Major God
The Brine King63%
You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds
50% reduced Effect of Chill on you
100% chance to Avoid being Frozen
Minor God
Abberath33%
60% less Duration of Ignite on You
Unaffected by Burning Ground · 10% increased Movement Speed while on Burning Ground
Bandit Quest
EramirRecommended
82%
2 Passive Skill Points
Alira
17%
15% to all Elemental Resistances +20 to maximum Mana 5 Mana Regenerated per second
Kraityn
1%
6% increased Attack and Cast Speed 6% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Global Damage over Time Multiplier
Oak
0%
+40 to maximum Life 2% of Life Regenerated per second 1% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life

Jewels

Regular Jewels
Rare Regular Jewel99%
Viridian Jewel
11% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier(31%)
7% increased maximum Energy Shield(24%)
Corrupted(23%)
11% increased Chaos Damage(21%)
Militant Faith71%
Timeless Jewel
Passives in radius are Conquered by the Templars(100%)
Historic(100%)
Carved to glorify 5975 new faithful converted by High Templar Dominus(99%)
2% to all Elemental Resistances per 10 Devotion(55%)
Watcher's Eye44%
Prismatic Jewel
5% increased maximum Energy Shield(100%)
5% increased maximum Life(100%)
5% increased maximum Mana(100%)
Gain 26 Energy Shield per Enemy Hit while affected by Discipline(70%)
Thread of Hope33%
Crimson Jewel
Passive Skills in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree(100%)
-13% to all Elemental Resistances(100%)
Passage(100%)
Only affects Passives in Large Ring(94%)
Stormshroud14%
Viridian Jewel
13% to Lightning Resistance(100%)
Modifiers to Chance to Avoid being Shocked apply to all Elemental Ailments(100%)
Corrupted(47%)
Cluster Jewels
Rare Cluster Jewel99%
Large Cluster Jewel
Adds 8 Passive Skills(100%)
2 Added Passive Skills are Jewel Sockets(53%)
Added Small Passive Skills grant: 12% increased Chaos Damage(42%)
1 Added Passive Skill is a Jewel Socket(33%)