[3.4 WIP] Crit Ele Staff Vaal EQ/Cyclone Pathfinder

Hi, this build is a work in progress. I'm leveling up the character as I speak, currently level 84 on delve (Started 2 days ago).

I'm posting this guide up to see if others are interested in the build and to get ideas on how to improve it.

Concept:

The idea behind the build is simple: We use cyclone to collect up vaal souls, and once we have enough we turn on vaal EQ and run through mobs and instantly shatter everything. With the soul catcher flask, you can permanently have vaal EQ up while you are running through maps.

There are a few key items for this build to work perfectly, so it is not very budget (at least on my spreadsheets)

Why pathfinder?
Simple... It's all about the flasks. Vaal EQ has shockwaves which are proportional to the number of steps you take. The faster you run, the more steps you take. More steps = more shockwaves = more damage.

On top of that, the flask effectiveness makes flasks like soul catcher way better and much easier to maintain Vaal EQ.

Pros:
Really great mapper once you get the necessary gear
Most gear is budget friendly (minus the legacy flask)
Really fast movespeed with pathfinder ascendancy + phase run.

Cons:
Really poor accuracy rating without gear, so you have to use items like hinekora's sight.


POB link:
https://pastebin.com/uHAwTmR5

Here's a demo vid showing the concept (I want to note that the character is super incomplete so the damage isn't great ATM, I'm running cyclone on a 4link, no uber lab, etc, but I'm running through yellow maps fine, haven't made it to reds yet):

https://youtu.be/IdWBcndNdsY

Skill tree:
https://www.pathofexile.com/fullscreen-passive-skill-tree/3.4.1/AAAABAIDAQBeAO4D7gQHBLMILg5cE3EVIBeWGY4aOBzcHb4fAiP2Jy8o-ipNLOkwfDD4MtEzhzQxNZI2xTpYOtg64T7xPydBh0QNRUdFfkWdSshMs02STeNTUlXGWK5ZbVnzXqVfmGr6bqpyqXasd-V4-X11ft1_K3-AgpuCx4PbhrONfY25jxqPRpBVkn2TB5hvmuCbUZuNnref36IAo4qmV6cIrKqtja7_tfK3PriTuUO8msBmyNzI8MlnzzLPftAf037YJNi93CPlz-mY6hjr7u2D7g7veu987-vwH_Ft8kX2o_cy-ej7i_1u_gr-j_66_xA=?accountName=ironstove&characterName=KBisDead_LongLiveVaalEQ

Gear:

Soul Catcher/ Soul Ripper - Because this item is now legacy, it is pretty expensive. Either flask should work, soul catcher costs 2ex atm on delve. If you want perma vaal EQ, this flask is mandatory, however I've been alternating between cyclone and EQ just fine. I currently am trying to save up for this.

Besides that flask, other nice to have items which make mapping much better are inpulsa's, but it's not as critical as soul catcher. I am thinking of combining inpulsa's with three dragons to see how much I can get the shatters to proliferate with cold-to-fire support linked in herald of ice.

I completely convert all of my damage to elemental using a new unique:



I like this staff because it has a high base crit chance, which makes shattering and triggering herald of ice very easy.

The 'Blunt Trauma' Node causes your crits to knock back enemies. This got pretty annoying for me, so I happened to have empire's grasp drop and equipped it. The results have been great. I highly recommend using these gloves, or not using 'Blunt Trauma' because the knockback is a pain in the ass for your positioning (However, the node itself gives a ton of damage).



I found the accuracy on the build was pretty bad and I didn't want to force myself into getting accuracy nodes. I also found the ice golem was unreliable, so I compromised and got the amulet hinekora's sight. Still figuring out if there are better options:



I'm also using 2 vaal jewels to add additional souls (Chill of corruption and Sacrificial Harvest), but I may remove them later. Still testing to see how much I like it.

I'll add more to this guide as I develop the character further. So far, I'm having a lot of fun, and enjoying delves a lot.