[3.20] L1uke's Bane/ED LL Occultist | Leaguestart to Endgame (now with new versions)

Hello, this is my first build that I ever created and it worked so well I wanted to upload it. This is perfect if you want to try something fun, but you don't want to spend too much on it. In case you want to take it to the endgame, there is the option as well.

Changes in 3.19
The build was barely touched in 3.17... Our main mapping Bane setup was untouched, while Essence Drain got a pretty good buff, so the bossing experience has improved. This build has no flat additive supports, so the nerfs didn't apply to us.
Nothing has been changed in 3.18, however due to the new pool of mods as well as possible difficulty spikes from sentinels, this build could probably use a tankier version, thus the full block version was introduced.
In 3.19 we were introduced with another challenge and that is mana management. The removal of Mana reservation efficiency mastery has made it a bit more costly to fit in all the auras we want. However, not necessary for the build, resulting only in some damage reduction. The End game version can produce almost 15m dot dps while still having 9k effective health. Everything you need to know is in notes of the PoB.

Changes in 3.20
Curse Ascendencies reworked, this might cause some changes, will update it later.
Archnemesis monsters reworked, which even though wasn't a huge problem for this build, might make it nicer to play.
Will spare you the details, but curses have been made stronger against strong enemies and weaker against weaker enemies, should not influence our mapping experience though.
New curse clusters, will experiment with it.
Soul of Ryslatha pantheon buffed.
Life regen reduction of enemiest mastery added.
Easier defenses acquired from jewels, will experiment on that, maybe make this build even more resistant.

I will be considering a different leveling strategy, since some of you playing it in 3.20 claim the leveling could be smoother. Before I do so, try leveling with Poisonous concoction. It doesn't require almost anything, but flasks and 2 basic links (GMP and chance to poison, since we can scale dots somehow easily, together with herald of agony we should have 100% chance to poison). I will come up with an actual guide a bit later. (find the links in skills->skill set->leveling)

Versions


--Pros--
Very budget friendly until late game (I killed Sirus 8 on about 2ex investment, but to be fair it was rough)
Can do a vast majority of map mods
Great mapper (large clear)
Large energy shield and good recharge rate makes it pretty safe, combined with vaal discipline, it is quite hard to die if you play safe
"Custom defensive layer" from curses. Enemies are slower, deal less damage.
No overly specific equipment required, mostly generic mods suffice
--Cons--
Lacks other defensive layers such as evasion or armor (low evasion, no armor)
Large, sudden chaos damage (chayula for example) is pretty dangerous to do
Not a zoom zoom build
Actual endgame could use some more investment (Around 50+ex)

(This was written in 3.16)

Everything you need to know you can be found in the note section of the PoB

Gems


Leveling


POB

Very happy to See you put So a lot of work in it. Congratz and respect. Keeper it on bro❤👍

This will be my main league starter, thank you for the time and effort of creating a guide for us lesser knowledgeable, factually-challenged individuals!

What is the viability of this build in SSF? Specifically with an eye towards Endless Delve ;)

Any lootfilter you can share?

Doedre skin is good item,to this build?

So sorry for ignoring the messages, I have been a bit busy with life so to say so I'll address them now.

Lootfilter used: I'm using a default from neversink, semi-strict or strict, but I can create a custom one if someone actually want's for this build

Very viable for SSF, like surprisingly okay. As I mentioned, I basically went off nothing for most of the time, only while approaching endgame I bought some stuff so I don't need to spend ages crafting. However I wouldn't go HC SSF with this as you might die while leveling.

Doedre's skin would need some major changes within the build, which I don't think are worth. Our cursing is done through bane (scaling it's efficiency as well) and also it lowers the curse effectiveness which is not what we want. I might create a more supportive version with doedre's skin later, but this build is suited for solo play mostly.

And again, thanks to everyone that have tried this build and posted any feedback, it really means the world to me :) I will definitely post more build (some are already on the way).

Why we used punishment? I mean punishment deals increased damage when enemy on low life not you. Or I mistake something?

Before I switched to punishment, I believe I had enfeeble in the bane setup, according to PoB, the damage didn't change when I changed it, but I'm pretty sure I gained some damage. I assumed it worked from me being LL, but now that you say it, it might have just sped up the damage ramp once the enemy was below 50% hp. Either way, the change felt good, so I kept it.

What concern the curse setup in bane, you can chose whatever you like, bane just needs 'a' curse to scale. If you put 3 defensive curses, also fine, but the way I set it up (2 bane curses and 1 aura) should produce the most damage. I'm opened to be proven wrong though :), so let me know if you thought of something better.

Any recommendation for what to use as the 6th gem before we get an empower gem?

I've started with bane and got to mid 40s and having a blast so far, thanks for having a good looking build to optimize the skill