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A simple self-cast Chaos Damage build with high Crit Chance for an Occultist
Updated for Patch 3.24
The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
Guide notes | |||
July 12, 2024 -build created | |||
Build overview | |||
Tags: [CASTER][CHOAS] [ENERGY SHIELD] [STARTER] | |||
Budget: Defenses: | Boss DPS: AoE: |
Soulrend of Reaping is a transfigured version of Soulrend stripped of any extra Damage over Time and Pierce components, a barebone and simple Skill that is instead indemnified with high base Crit Chance, damage, and damage effectiveness. It's one of the strongest Skills in the game when judging by the numbers alone. The downside is that the Projectile you fire will stop at the first enemy, so this clear speed issue has to be fixed - modify Projectile behaviour by adding extra Pierce, Chain, Fork, Split, or Explosions on Kill from Profane Bloom or Oriath's End. There are multiple ways to reach comfortable clear speed with merely one Projectile (three with Dying Sun), but Gem-swapping for GMP Support is also a choice you can make. The damage of this Skillis worth going the extra mile despitethis flaw.
You can approach gearing from any direction, it can be assembled on a shoestring budget with hastily-acquired items, but it can also host cheap uniques that will help you transition into a fully-flourished version with top-of-the-line mirror-tier items. The build functions well at every stage of the game and it can be played as a starter. Because of this discrepancy, we will prepare two PoBs - one with cheap items and the other, with aspirational ones.
We have made it a self-casting Chaos Inoculation build for the Occultist. Self-casting is straightforward and it unlocks some great perks like ES Leech, and the ability to use Spell Echo or Arcane Surge. With high Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration Rate, you'll be able to Cast the Spell over 7 times a second. Soulrend of Reaping has a high base Crit Chance, and as the Occultist you can grab the Forbidden Power with some extra Maximum Power Charges from the Skill Tree to easily reach 100% Crit Chance, which is empowered with over 600%Crit Multiplier. Occultist also specializes in Chaos Damage with its Void Beacon and Withering Presence. Going for Chaos Inoculation is a sound choice as you will gather a lot of ES from Items and the Passive Skill Tree anyway, Maximum Life is a bit out of your way in this regard so we didn't bother with it at all. You will have great ES Leech and Regeneration with Light Eater, Leech Mastery, Vile Bastion, and Zealot's Oath. The durability of the build is not particularly high. It has basic Resistances and a veryhigh Maximum Energy Shield, but if you don't plan to build up Armour with hybrid Items (which we recommend doing), you will struggle with Physical Damage. That's why shifting it to be taken as Cold with Taste of Hate, or reducing it with Endurance Charges may play a big role.
You can also check our other Path of Exile builds: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List
1. Gameplay
Use Soulrend to kill all sorts of enemies. During boss fights, you will need to apply 15 stacks of Withered on them - 9 from Withering Step and the remaining 6 is continuously supplied by Wither linked to a Spell Totem and Withering Presence passive(or Balance of Terror if you can afford one). Your Curses are applied with Arcanist Brand - it's Despair and Assassin's Mark. You can cast Despair manually or on-hit via Corrupted Gloves or Influcened Ring, although it won't be as good as 20/20 Despair from a Skill Gem. The last thing to do during boss fights is activate Vaal RF for a temporary damage boost. Enduring Cry, Withering Step, and Steelskin are triggered automatically. Your Auras are Zealotry, Discipline, Determination, Clarity, and a low-level Precision to cap Crit Chance. To dash use Flame Dash.
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2. Build's PROS & CONS
PROS |
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CONS |
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3. Leveling tips
As an Occultist you can start with Hit-based Chaos Damage Spells quite early. Soulrend of Reaping is available at level 28, so until then you shall use Chaos DoT Skills like Blight, Essence Drain/Contagion combo. After equipping Soulrend you can focus on Cast Speed and generic Spell Damage - Chaos Damage is hard to acquire from the Skill Tree, but you can get it easily with Large Cluster Jewels right before level 60. Crit Chance will be important after you finish up with Acts. Allocate Maximum Power Charges and generate them with Power Charge on Critical Support Gem. The transition to the fully-fledged version is very smooth.
Suggested leveling Gemsetups:
Blight initial setup | |
![]() | Blight- Level-1 Chaos Damage Spell. |
![]() | Infused Channelling Support- Level-4 Support Gem, obligatory in most Channelling Skills. |
![]() | Void Manipulation Support- More Chaos Damage, available at level 8. |
Soulrend of Reaping setup | |
![]() | Soulrend of Reaping- You can start using it at level 28. |
![]() | Void Manipulation Support |
![]() | Withering Touch Support- At this stage it's the easiest way to quickly apply Withered stacks. |
![]() | Arcane Surge Support |
![]() | Fork Support- Projectiles Fork to hit more enemies. It can be replaced with![]() |
Mana Reservation setup | |
![]() | Vitality - Regenerates Life which you will use early on. |
![]() | Haste - Use it to Move and Cast faster, but if you prefer durability, go for![]() |
![]() | Clarity- You can use it to regenerate your Mana faster. |
various Gems | |
![]() | Despair- Curse that lowers Chaos Resistance. |
Bandits:
you should kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points
Leveling Skill Trees:
24 Points Skill Tree
Go for Chaos Damage and Maximum Life
76 Points Skill Tree
Head for more Maximum Life, Reservation Efficiency, ES Leech, Elemental Resistances, Cast Speed, and Mana Regeneration. At this point, you can put on Large Cluster Jewel which is the best idea if you lack damage.
Recommended leveling items:
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Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Damage (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances |
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+(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 |
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+(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) |
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(20-30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +100 to maximum Mana (16-24)% increased maximum Mana (80-100)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate Items and Gems have 25% reduced Attribute Requirements |
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(27-31)% increased Spell Damage Adds (90-130) to (140-190) Chaos Damage to Spells (25-30)% increased Cast Speed +(5-10)% to Chaos Resistance Lose 40 Mana when you use a Skill Poisons you inflict deal Damage (30-50)% faster |
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+25% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff +10% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff (60-80)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells Gain (10-20)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage +1% to Critical Strike Multiplier per 1% Chance to Block Attack Damage +60% to Critical Strike Multiplier if you've dealt a Non-Critical Strike Recently (120-150)% increased Spell Damage if you've dealt a Critical Strike Recently |
Bandits:
We recommend killing all Bandits for two additional Passive Points
4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon
Final Skill Tree:
108 Points Final Skill Tree(does not includeUnique or Cluster Jewels)
114 Points Path of Building (PoB) link(cheap version)
122 Points Path of Building (PoB) link(finished version)
Ascendancy points:
Preferably in that order:
- Void Beacon
- Withering Presence
- Forbidden Power
- Profane Bloom (only if you have Curse-on-Hit)
- Vile Bastion
Pantheon:
Major God: Soul of Lunaris: 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%
Minor God: Soul of Abberath: 60% less Duration of Ignite on You
5. Final Gems links
[DPS] Soulrend of Reaping setup | |
![]() | Soulrend of Reaping- A very plain and powerful Chaos Projectile. It should penetrate a foe or two with Aerodynamic notables from Medium Cluster Jewels. |
![]() | Spell Echo Support- The Spell repeats with higher Cast Speed but lower damage. It's still the best Support Gem for DPS. |
![]() | Void Manipulation Support- More Chaos Damage at the cost of inability to deal Elemental Damage. Use the Awakened version for one additional Gem Level for Soulrend. |
![]() | Increased Critical Damage Support - Your Crit Chance should be at nearly 100%, so increasing Critical Damage is a bright idea. |
![]() | Empower Support- Additional Gem Levels for Soulrend for more damage. |
![]() | Arcane Surge Support - Arcane Surge grants more Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration Rate, both of which are very important. The Gem also grants more Spell Damage. It will activate after a second or two of continuous casting. |
[UTILITY] Aura setup | |
![]() | Zealotry- More Spell Damage and Critical Strike Chance for Spells. It creates a Consecrated Ground when you Hit a Rare or Unique enemy. |
![]() | Determination- Added and Increased Armour that mitigates Physical Hit Damage. |
![]() | Discipline - Additional Maximum Energy Shield and increased ES Recharge Rate. |
![]() | Precision - Keep it at a low level, you only need a bit of extra Crit Chance from it. |
![]() | Clarity- Regenerates Mana. Excellent with Arcane Surge. |
![]() | Enlighten Support- Linked Spells Reserve less Mana. |
[UTILITY] Automation setup | |
![]() | Steelskin- Abosrbs a portion of incoming Hit Damage for some time or until it breaks, and stops Bleeding. |
![]() | Withering Step - Makes you Elusive, grants Phasing, and instantly applies 9 Withered Debuffs on enemies you come close to during its effect. |
![]() | Automation - Triggers linked Skills automatically. |
[UTILITY] Curse setup | |
![]() | Despair - Lowers Chaos Resistance of Cursed enemies. |
![]() | Assassin's Mark- Increases Crit Chance and Crit Multiplier against marked enemy. |
![]() | Arcanist Brand- Linked Spells are all triggered in sequence with a press of one button. |
[UTILITY] Wither setup | |
![]() | Wither - Use it to Hinder and apply Withered Debuffs on an enemy. |
![]() | Spell Totem Support- Casts Wither for you. It can't withstand a lot of damage so you will need to re-summon it if the enemy destroys it. |
[UTILITY] Various Gems | |
![]() | Call to Arms - Triggers Enduring Cry automatically. |
![]() | Enduring Cry - Regenerates Life (ES with Zealot's Oath) and grants Endurance Charges to take less Physical Damage. |
[MOBILITY] Flame Dash | |
![]() | Flame Dash - A simple Mobility Skill to dash forward and dodge attacks. |
[UTILITY] Vaal Righteous Fire | |
![]() | Vaal Righteous Fire - Use Vaal RF to gain 20% more damage for a short while. |
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5. Gear Setup
It's a Chaos Spell Damage Projectile build with capped Crit Chance. It relies on a good weapon for damage, but it must be supplemented with enough Mana Regenerationand reduced Mana Cost of Skills for you to be able to cast it at maximum speed, which is up to 7 casts a second. Because of that, Arcane Surge is important - try to improve it with Kurgal's Gaze. The Gem Level of Soulrend is gained fromvarious itemsand can reach Levels as high as 35. ES Leech is gained from Skill Tree so you don't need that on items. The main layer of defence is Maximum Energy Shield with some Armour to mitigate weak Physical Hits. To reduce Physical Damage taken, try to shift it to be taken as Elemental Damage instead. You have some Block Chance and great ES Regeneration/Leech so getting hit often is not an issue, especially with Vile Bastion and Chaos Inoculation - you cannot be stunned with these Keystones. Some Strength and Dexterity must be gathered from items.
The recommended items from our list will:
- Help you cap your Elemental Resistances
- Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
Stat priorities on items:
- Elemental Resistances
- Maximum Energy Shield
- Gem Level of Soulrend
- Cast Speed
- Mana Regeneration Rate
- Reduced Mana Cost of Skills
- Critical Strike Multiplier
- Critical Strike Chance
- Attributes
- increased Spell Chaos Damage
- Mana Reservation Efficiency
- Spell Damage
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Recommended affixes: Energy Shield 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Armour Attributes #% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Elemental Damage Mana Reservation Efficiency | |
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+(30-50) to Strength (80-120)% increased Armour and Energy Shield Gain (10-15) Rage after Spending a total of 200 Mana Rage grants Cast Speed instead of Attack Speed Rage grants Spell Damage instead of Attack Damage | |
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30% increased Elemental Damage Adds (1-10) to (150-200) Lightning Damage to Spells (14-18)% increased Cast Speed (6-8)% reduced Mana Cost of Skills Nearby Enemies are Hindered, with 25% reduced Movement Speed 100% increased Damage with Hits and Ailments against Hindered Enemies | |
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Min. requirements: +1 to Level of all Chaos Spell Skill Gems 100% increased Spell Damage 20% increased Cast Speed Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems Adds Chaos Damage to Spells Spell Critical Strike modifiers | |
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+20% Chance to Block Attack Damage while wielding a Staff (60-90)% increased Unveiled Modifier magnitudes Veiled Prefix Veiled Suffix <Veiled Prefix or Veiled Suffix> | |
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Min. requirements: +2 to Level of all Chaos Spell Skill Gems 130% increased Spell Damage 35% increased Cast Speed Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems Spell Critical Strike modifiers | |
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(300-400)% 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 (10-20)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills | |
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(5-10)% increased Spell Damage Adds (50-55) to (72-80) Chaos Damage +(130-150) to maximum Energy Shield (30-50)% faster start of Energy Shield Recharge You take Chaos Damage instead of Physical Damage from Bleeding +25% chance to be Poisoned +3% to all maximum Resistances while Poisoned Poisons on you expire 50% slower | |
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Min. requirements: +1 to Level of all Chaos Spell Skill Gems 250 Maximum Energy Shield Optional affixes: Spell Critical Strike modifiers Elemental Resistances all Maximum Resistances increased Mana Regeneration Rate Attributes | |
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Has no Attribute Requirements or Energy Shield (Hidden) Sockets cannot be modified +2 to Level of Socketed Gems 100% increased Global Defences You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item Has 6 Linked Sockets (Hidden) <Random Keystone> | |
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Min. requirements: 600 Maximum Energy Shield +80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Armour | |
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Recommended affixes: 150 Maximum Energy Shield 80% Total Elemental Resistances Dexterity Optional affixes: Armour Intelligence | |
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Can be modified while Corrupted Can have up to 5 Implicit Modifiers while Item has this Modifier (150-200)% increased Armour and Energy Shield (7-12)% increased maximum Life +(20-30)% to Fire and Lightning Resistances | |
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+(30-50) to Dexterity (140-180)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield 30% increased Movement Speed 20% chance to Avoid Projectiles while Phasing You have Phasing if you've Killed Recently Projectiles Pierce 5 additional Targets while you have Phasing Celestial Footprints | |
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Min. requirements: +80% Total Elemental Resistances 100 Maximum Energy Shield 25% Increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Armour Attributes Life Regeneration | |
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Recommended affixes: Strength +80% Total Elemental Resistances 40 Maximum Energy Shield Optional affixes: Flasks applied to your have increased Effect Life Regeneration Armour | |
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Has 1 Abyssal Socket Has 1 Abyssal Socket (50-100)% increased Effect of Socketed Abyss Jewels | |
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+(10-16) to all Attributes +3 to Level of all <Random Skill> Gems +(5-10)% to all Elemental Resistances (5-10)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills Items and Gems have (10-5)% reduced Attribute Requirements | |
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Min. requirements: +1 to Level of All Chaos Skill Gems +40% Total Elemental Resistances +30% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Attributes +1 to Level of All Skill Gems increased Maximum Energy Shield increased Spell Damage | |
Recommended Anointments: Charisma | |
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+(15-25) to maximum Energy Shield +(30-40) to Intelligence (10-15)% increased Cast Speed (10-20)% chance to gain a Power Charge when you Cast a Curse Spell Your Curse Limit is equal to your maximum Power Charges | |
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(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Summon Volatile Anomaly on Kill Adds (13-18) to (50-56) Lightning Damage to Spells (6-10)% increased maximum Energy Shield (6-10)% increased maximum Life (60-80)% increased Spell Damage if your other Ring is an Elder Item Cannot be Stunned by Spells if your other Ring is a Shaper Item | |
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+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance (20-40)% increased Spell Damage (5-10)% increased Cast Speed Left ring slot: Projectiles from Spells cannot Chain Left ring slot: Projectiles from Spells Fork Right ring slot: Projectiles from Spells Chain +1 times Right ring slot: Projectiles from Spells cannot Fork Projectiles from Spells cannot Pierce | |
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(6-15)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-15) to all Attributes Adds (7-10) to (15-18) Chaos Damage to Attacks Adds (9-12) to (19-22) Fire Damage to Spells +(15-20)% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier +(80-100) to Armour +(80-100) to Evasion Rating +(30-35) to maximum Energy Shield +(25-30) to maximum Life +(20-25) to maximum Mana +(8-10)% to all Elemental Resistances (6-8)% increased Attack and Cast Speed Maximum Quality is 200% | |
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Min. requirements: Non-Channelling Skills have -7 to Total Mana Cost (crafted Prefix) +40% Total Elemental Resistances Attributes Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed Maximum Energy Shield Global Crit Multiplier (Elder/Warlord Suffix) Curse on Hit | |
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Recommended affixes: increased Maximum Energy Shield Added Spell Chaos Damage Mana Regeneration Critical Strike Multiplier increased Cast Speed increased Cast Speed if you've dealt a Critical Strike Recently | |
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Recommended Affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Touch of Cruelty 1 Added Passive Skill is Unwaveringly Evil 1 Added Passive Skill is Unholy Grace 1 Added Passive Skill is Wicked Pall 1 Added Passive Skill is Dark Ideation | |
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Recommended Affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Aerodynamics 1 Added Passive Skill is Repeater 1 Added Passive Skill is Eye to Eye 1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain 1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points | |
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Carved to glorify (2000-10000) new faithful converted by High Templar (Avarius-Dominus-Maxarius) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Templars Historic <two random mods of devotion> | |
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+(10-20) to Intelligence 8% increased Effect of Arcane Surge on you per Hypnotic Eye Jewel affecting you, up to a maximum of 40% | |
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+(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances <2 random curse modifiers> | |
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(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> | |
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+40% to Cold Resistance +5% to maximum Cold Resistance (10-15)% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Cold Damage during Effect Gain (10-15)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Effect 30% chance to Avoid being Frozen during Effect | |
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+40% to Fire Resistance +5% to maximum Fire Resistance Requires Level 68 (125-150)% increased Charges per use (60-40)% less Duration (10-20)% increased Area of Effect during Effect Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Effect | |
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40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect | |
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+35% to all Elemental Resistances (20-40)% increased Charge Recovery Enemies you Kill during Effect have a (20-30)% chance to Explode, dealing a tenth of their maximum Life as Damage of a Random Element | |
Suggested Flasks:
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