Frostbolt Totems is the basis of this build. It have great clear speed all the way up to tier 16 maps, easy to level. Importantly it is budget friendly that can works great with just rares, until you can afford the suggested unique items later.

Quick Jump

• Pros & Cons

• Skill Tree 

• Gems Setup

• Gear & Stat Priorities

• Leveling

Pros & Cons

Pros

• + Budget friendly - the build is somewhat simple in design and easy to understand.
• + Great clear speed all the way up to tier 16 maps.
• + Easy to level.
• + Budget friendly. The build works great with just rares, until you can afford the suggested unique items later.

Cons

• - Not recommend this build if you want to farm bosses.

Skill Tree 

Ascendancy

Pursuit of Faith --> Ritual of Awakening --> Conviction of Power --> Divine Guidance

Bandits

Help Alira for some sweet mana regen, crit multiplier and 15% too all elemental resistances

Passive Tree

Gems Setup

Damage setup

- Frostbolt, Spell Totem, Cold Penetration, Increased Critical Strikes, Controlled Destruction (5-link) & Critical Hit Damage (6-link).

Note: In regards to which weapon you should use, it depends. Taryn's Shiver 6-linked is your end goal, however before you get that I suggest you simply use a regular 5-linked staff with the affix "2+ To Level of Socketed Cold Gems".

Defensive Setup

- Cast When Damage Taken (lvl 9), Immortal Call (lvl 11), Lightning Golem (lvl 11) & Increased Duration (lvl 20).

Mobility, Damage & Regen

- Flame Dash, Faster Casting, Culling Strike & Clarity.

Note: Despite Ancestral Bond, Flame Dash is still able to cull the enemy once it reaches <10% HP. This is because it still counts as a "hit". Culling Strike also increases the cast speed of Flame Dash if you get quality on it.

Utility

- Frost Bomb, Increased Duration & Increased Area of Effect.

Curse & Vaal Skills

- 2x Vaal Haste, Projectile Weakness, Arcane Surge (lvl 10) & Increased Duration.

Note: Before you get a 5-linked chest simply leave out one of the Vaal Haste gems.

Arcane Surge procs when a supported active skill-gem (Projectile Weakness in this case) is cast and ONLY if it passes the mana threshold requirement. A level 20 Projectile Weakness, linked with Arcane Surge and Increased Duration has a mana cost of 77. This means you can level Arcane Surge to level 10 and ensure a reliable proc every time you cast your curse. Make sure to keep an eye on the mana threshold of the skill as you level.

Gear & Stat Priorities

Required unique items

• Jewel's: 2x Frozen Trail

Recommended Gear

• Weapon: Taryn's Shiver
• Chest Armor: Belly of the Beast
• Gloves: Wind's of Change

Defensive affixes, in priority

• Life
• Elemental Resistances (75% on Merciless)
• Armor

Offensive affixes, in priority

• Spell/Cold/Elemental Damage
• Critical Strike Multiplier
• Cast Speed
• Critical Strike Chance

Note: depending on your crit chance, "Critical Strike Multiplier" eventually becomes the best way of scaling the damage.

Check my current gear via the PoB Pastebin linked further above.

Jewels

• Inc. Maximum life
• Inc. Spell/Elemental/Cold/Totem Damage
• Inc. Cast Speed
• Inc. Critical Strike Chance
• Inc. Critical Strike Multiplier

Flasks

• 1x Seething Divine Life Flasks of Staunching
• 1x Seething Sanctified Mana Flask of Curing
• 1x Chemist's Basalt Flask of Heat
• 1x Ample Diamond Flask of Warding
• 1x Chemists Silver Flask of Adrenaline.

Note: To be able to use the Basalt and Silver Flask twice per full flask the "Chemist's roll needs to be of 23% or higher. To use the Diamond Flask 3 times per full flask the "Ample" roll must be 20+.

This is not important in the beginning, but it makes a nice difference later on.

Leveling

1. Use Freezing Pulse* + Flame Totem* (but remember to level Frostbolt), until you can socket your first Frozen Trail jewel into the tree, from there start using Frostbolt and pick up Ancestral Bond.

• For leveling link Freezing Pulse with Added Cold and Added Lightning. Swap out Added Lightning for Controlled Destruction later.
• Flame Totem links: Flame Totem, Added Lightning, Added Cold. Swap out Added Cold for Controlled Destruction later.

Note: remember, once you pick up Ancestral Bond you can no longer deal damage with skills directly cast from your character. You will have to rely on your totems from there on.

2. Prioritize getting your 2'nd Frozen Trail jewel socketed (but only if you can afford it or already have it. If not spend points on more damage/life.)

3. Level 28+ Get a 4-link for your Frostbolt setup.

4. Level 40+ try getting yourself a cheap 5-linked staff for your Frostbolt setup. This makes a big difference in damage.

5. level 70+ start saving up for a 6-linked staff. (If you can afford a 6-linked Taryn's Shiver go for that)

6. Try to get someone to boost you in uberlab. The single target simply isn't there, unless you have really good gear and your gems are at least 19+ already.

How to get a 6-linked staff

• Check for cheap 6-linked staves on poe.trade (if you buy a corrupted staff, make sure it has the right socket colors) OR
• Farm or purchase 6 The Dark Mage divination cards.

Optional, but powerful leveling unique's

• 2x Lifesprig
• Wanderlust
• Goldrim

Alternatively, if you cannot afford these, then try the following method

- Crafting a 1+ to cold gems wand/sceptre in the beginner adds some nice damage while leveling. You can do that by getting a blue (magic) wand/scepter, sapphire ring and an orb of alteration. By trading/selling this to the vendor he will in return give you back a weapon with +1 to cold gems. If you want a 1+ for your flame totem you simply need to change out the sapphire ring for a ruby ring.

POB link: https://pastebin.com/9yvB1rU4