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Poison area-control build

ArtifactFarmingCampaign

Use dagger poison waves and Corrupted Seeds to poison and control groups. Unlike the native-poison Venomous Fangs setup, this one centers on applying effects across multiple targets.

Updated

Overview and reasons to try

Put Poison Fog on Twilight Dagger and seek poison waves through combo finishers. Seeds supplies poison and rooting to create openings; use Harp Crossbow for spread-out enemies.

Fighting Fungus supports melee and combo flow, while Chimes supports the approach. More attack speed or poison sources does not mean additive poison damage on one target.

  • The enchantment supplies poison waves instead of requiring native weapon poison.
  • Choose rooting, placed poison or ranged attacks by enemy grouping.
  • Separate melee and artifact support, and poison application from poison damage bonuses.

12-position equipment layout

12 / 12 recommended positions

Additional effects can differ between copies of an item. Choose enchantments to suit the way you play.

  1. Melee weapon

    Recommended equipment

    Twilight Dagger

    A dagger for Poison Fog waves, distinct from native-poison melee, with room to complete combos.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    A dagger for Poison Fog waves, distinct from native-poison melee, with room to complete combos.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Poison Fog III — Recommended

      The build’s poison-wave application tool around combo finishers, separate from native poison or poison-damage bonuses.

      Tier effect: Wave deals 30% of weapon damage and poisons mobs for a time.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Venomancer III

      Poison attacks deal 20% more damage.

    • Sharpness III

      Melee attacks deal 30% more damage.

    Intended synergy
    Give the enchantment a poison-application role and Seeds the group-control role.

    Alternative candidates

    Sculker's Bane

    A dagger alternative for the poison-wave role. Its native soul-damage bonus is separate from poison-damage bonuses.

    Native effects

    • Soulmancer Unique

      Soul attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Poison Fog III — Recommended

      The build’s poison-wave application tool around combo finishers, separate from native poison or poison-damage bonuses.

      Tier effect: Wave deals 30% of weapon damage and poisons mobs for a time.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Venomancer III

      Poison attacks deal 20% more damage.

    • Sharpness III

      Melee attacks deal 30% more damage.

    The Thousand Cuts

    An option with a native melee attack-speed bonus. It supports regular attacks and combo flow without assuming a proportional increase in elemental waves.

    Native effects

    • Swiftness Unique

      Increases melee attack speed by 30%.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Poison Fog III — Recommended

      The build’s poison-wave application tool around combo finishers, separate from native poison or poison-damage bonuses.

      Tier effect: Wave deals 30% of weapon damage and poisons mobs for a time.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Sharpness III

      Melee attacks deal 30% more damage.

  2. Ranged weapon

    Recommended equipment

    Harp Crossbow

    A ranged fallback for scattered targets, avoiding melee chases while returning to a useful control position.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    A ranged fallback for scattered targets, avoiding melee chases while returning to a useful control position.

    Native effects

    • Ranger Unique

      Grants a 60% chance to fire additional projectiles.

    Ammo
    12

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ricochet III — Recommended

      Spreads shots toward separated targets, a role distinct from extra projectiles, piercing or arrow recovery.

      Tier effect: Projectiles can bounce up to 3 times.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Impact III

      Ranged attacks deal 30% more damage.

    Intended synergy
    Keep shots for scattered enemies without assuming every arrow inherits poison.

    Alternative candidates

    Scatter Crossbow

    A crossbow replacement that does not rely on the unique extra-projectile effect. Ricochet retains a role against groups.

    Ammo
    12

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ricochet III — Recommended

      Spreads shots toward separated targets, a role distinct from extra projectiles, piercing or arrow recovery.

      Tier effect: Projectiles can bounce up to 3 times.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Impact III

      Ranged attacks deal 30% more damage.

    The Shackler

    Its hits have a chance to root enemies. Choose it for a control-focused ranged backup that helps create distance.

    Native effects

    • Shackler Unique

      Attacks have a 30% chance to inflict the Chained status on hits.

    Ammo
    15

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ricochet III — Recommended

      Spreads shots toward separated targets, a role distinct from extra projectiles, piercing or arrow recovery.

      Tier effect: Projectiles can bounce up to 3 times.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Impact III

      Ranged attacks deal 30% more damage.

  3. Helmet

    Recommended equipment

    Fly Agaric Cap

    A poison-attack helmet, leaving poison application to Poison Fog and Seeds.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    A poison-attack helmet, leaving poison application to Poison Fog and Seeds.

    Native effects

    • Venomancer Unique

      Poison attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ancient Alchemy III — Recommended

      Adds soul gains to potion use without assuming unlimited supply or ignoring potion availability.

      Tier effect: Potion usage grants 60 souls.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 20%.

    Intended synergy
    Separate poison bonuses from the weapon and artifact tools that apply poison.

    Alternative candidates

    Hivemind Hardhat

    A helmet for extending beneficial effects on you and your allies. This differs from extending burning or poison on enemies.

    Native effects

    • Ally Unique

      Positive statuses you apply to yourself and allies last 70% longer.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ancient Alchemy III — Recommended

      Adds soul gains to potion use without assuming unlimited supply or ignoring potion availability.

      Tier effect: Potion usage grants 60 souls.

    Mushroom Cap

    A replacement without the unique native poison bonus. Its additional effects differ, so it does not inherit that poison bonus automatically.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Ancient Alchemy III — Recommended

      Adds soul gains to potion use without assuming unlimited supply or ignoring potion availability.

      Tier effect: Potion usage grants 60 souls.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 20%.

  4. Chestplate

    Recommended equipment

    Mad Sifter Vest

    A chest for artifact attacks such as Seeds, without assuming the same scaling applies to the weapon’s poison wave.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    A chest for artifact attacks such as Seeds, without assuming the same scaling applies to the weapon’s poison wave.

    Native effects

    • Sorcerer Unique

      Artifact attacks deal 25% more damage.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Bottomless Brew III — Recommended

      Adds potion charges to support healing and soul recovery, distinct from unlimited repeated use.

      Tier effect: Grants 3 additional health potions.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Venomancer III

      Poison attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Intended synergy
    It supports artifact attacks without including the weapon’s poison wave in the same scaling assumption.

    Alternative candidates

    Sage Tunic

    A chest piece for damage against wounded enemies. It favors finishing targets over strengthening only the opening hit.

    Native effects

    • Bounty Hunter Unique

      Deal 40% more damage to wounded enemies.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Bottomless Brew III — Recommended

      Adds potion charges to support healing and soul recovery, distinct from unlimited repeated use.

      Tier effect: Grants 3 additional health potions.

    Alchemist Overcoat

    Another chest option for artifact attack damage. Choose by its additional effects rather than assuming it is a strict upgrade.

    Native effects

    • Sorcerer Unique

      Artifact attacks deal 25% more damage.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Bottomless Brew III — Recommended

      Adds potion charges to support healing and soul recovery, distinct from unlimited repeated use.

      Tier effect: Grants 3 additional health potions.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Venomancer III

      Poison attacks deal 20% more damage.

  5. Leggings

    Recommended equipment

    Monarch Sash

    Soul capacity before Seeds and defensive support, with Spring Loaded for movement after activation.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Soul capacity before Seeds and defensive support, with Spring Loaded for movement after activation.

    Native effects

    • Spiritual Unique

      Increases Soul capacity by 50%.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Springload III — Recommended

      Supports movement after artifact use, helping create distance or the next attack position.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage grants the Hurrying status for 6 seconds, increasing movement speed.

    Intended synergy
    Balance soul storage with movement after using Seeds.

    Alternative candidates

    Rimefrost Longjohns

    Leggings for melee damage to secondary targets. They favor hitting a group in melee without assuming the same bonus applies to elemental damage over time.

    Native effects

    • Brawler Unique

      Melee attacks deal 50% more damage to secondary targets.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Springload III — Recommended

      Supports movement after artifact use, helping create distance or the next attack position.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage grants the Hurrying status for 6 seconds, increasing movement speed.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Potion Maker III

      Reduces potion cooldown time by 20%.

    Dauntless Greaves

    Leggings for opening damage against full-health enemies, a different role from sustained attacks on wounded targets.

    Native effects

    • Vanguard Unique

      Deal 60% more damage to enemies who are at full health.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Springload III — Recommended

      Supports movement after artifact use, helping create distance or the next attack position.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage grants the Hurrying status for 6 seconds, increasing movement speed.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Potion Maker III

      Reduces potion cooldown time by 20%.

  6. Boots

    Recommended equipment

    Rimefrost Plodders

    Boots for enemy debuff duration, separate from your buff duration or assumed poison-stacking multipliers.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Boots for enemy debuff duration, separate from your buff duration or assumed poison-stacking multipliers.

    Native effects

    • Tainted Unique

      Increases duration of negative statuses on enemies by 100%.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Health Synergy III — Recommended

      Provides healing on artifact use; avoid exhausting the reserve merely to trigger healing.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage heals 35% of your maximum health.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Protection III

      Take 20% less damage.

    Intended synergy
    Target enemy-effect duration separately from repeated poison applications on one target.

    Alternative candidates

    Monarch Talons

    Boots focused on damage to debuffed enemies. Pair them with a way to apply burning, poison or another negative effect.

    Native effects

    • Bully Unique

      Deal 50% more damage to enemies affected by a negative status.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Health Synergy III — Recommended

      Provides healing on artifact use; avoid exhausting the reserve merely to trigger healing.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage heals 35% of your maximum health.

    Humbler Tarsi

    Boots with melee-dodge support. They favor surviving after an approach or landing rather than adding melee critical damage.

    Native effects

    • Evasion Unique

      Grants a 20% chance to evade melee damage.

    Enchantment candidates

    • Health Synergy III — Recommended

      Provides healing on artifact use; avoid exhausting the reserve merely to trigger healing.

      Tier effect: Artifact usage heals 35% of your maximum health.

    Additional effects to look for

    • Protection III

      Take 20% less damage.

  7. Artifact 1

    Recommended equipment

    Corrupted Seeds

    The poison-and-rooting core, creating openings for dagger combos and waves.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    The poison-and-rooting core, creating openings for dagger combos and waves.

    Cooldown
    5
    Cost
    20

    Additional effects to look for

    • Sorcerer III

      Artifact attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Intended synergy
    Link a rooting opportunity into dagger combos without relying on additive poison stacking.

    Alternative candidates

    Pouch of Poison

    An alternative that places a poison area. It does not inherit the vines’ rooting role and makes placement more important.

    Cooldown
    5
    Cost
    40

    Additional effects to look for

    • Sorcerer III

      Artifact attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Blight Bangle

    An option for adding poison to weapon attacks, shifting emphasis from placed control toward close-range attacks.

    Cooldown
    6
    Cost
    35

    Additional effects to look for

    • Sorcerer III

      Artifact attacks deal 20% more damage.

  8. Artifact 2

    Recommended equipment

    Fighting Fungus

    Speed support for melee and combo flow, without assuming a matching increase in poison-wave frequency.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Speed support for melee and combo flow, without assuming a matching increase in poison-wave frequency.

    Cooldown
    5
    Cost
    20

    Additional effects to look for

    • Spiritual III

      Increases Soul capacity by 35%.

    Intended synergy
    Treat help with combo flow separately from the poison wave’s trigger interval.

    Alternative candidates

    Grindstone

    A weapon-support alternative. Its role differs from attack-speed support, without assuming the same scaling for elemental damage over time.

    Cooldown
    4
    Cost
    30

    Additional effects to look for

    • Spiritual III

      Increases Soul capacity by 35%.

    Blight Bangle

    An option for adding poison to weapon attacks, shifting emphasis from placed control toward close-range attacks.

    Cooldown
    6
    Cost
    35

    Additional effects to look for

    • Spiritual III

      Increases Soul capacity by 35%.

  9. Artifact 3

    Recommended equipment

    Warding Chimes

    Defense for the dagger approach; disengage around its gaps instead of staying after applying poison.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Defense for the dagger approach; disengage around its gaps instead of staying after applying poison.

    Cooldown
    15
    Cost
    40

    Additional effects to look for

    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 20%.

    Intended synergy
    Support the melee approach while leaving time to depart after spreading poison.

    Alternative candidates

    Totem of Regeneration

    A placed recovery option, with a different role from defensive buffs. Use it when you can hold the area while healing.

    Cooldown
    27
    Cost
    65

    Additional effects to look for

    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 20%.

    Turtle Master's Mandolin

    A support option that grants resistance to you and allies, shifting emphasis toward coordinated play.

    Cooldown
    5
    Cost
    20

    Additional effects to look for

    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 20%.

  10. Talisman 1

    Recommended equipment

    Essence of Efficiency

    Reuse support for Seeds and the approach, with enough souls reserved for the next cluster.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Reuse support for Seeds and the approach, with enough souls reserved for the next cluster.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Cooldown I

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 4%.

    Level 2
    • Cooldown II

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 8%.

    Level 3
    • Cooldown III

      Reduces artifact cooldown time by 14%.

    Intended synergy
    Support another Seeds use against the next pack, separately from reducing soul cost.

    Alternative candidates

    Glowstone Flask

    A talisman for potion reuse, supporting recovery and Ancient Alchemy without assuming unlimited back-to-back use.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Potion Maker I

      Reduces potion cooldown time by 10%.

    Level 2
    • Potion Maker II

      Reduces potion cooldown time by 15%.

    Level 3
    • Potion Maker III

      Reduces potion cooldown time by 25%.

    Twisted Tooth

    An option for soul gains when enemies are available, not passive regeneration during periods without enemies.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • SoulGather_TalismanEffect I

      Increases souls gained by 40%.

    Level 2
    • SoulGather_TalismanEffect II

      Increases souls gained by 80%.

    Level 3
    • SoulGather_TalismanEffect III

      Increases souls gained by 140%.

  11. Talisman 2

    Recommended equipment

    Fist of Iron

    Support for regular melee hits between poison applications, separate from directly increasing poison damage over time.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Support for regular melee hits between poison applications, separate from directly increasing poison damage over time.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Sharpness I

      Melee attacks deal 10% more damage.

    Level 2
    • Sharpness II

      Melee attacks deal 20% more damage.

    Level 3
    • Sharpness III

      Melee attacks deal 35% more damage.

    Intended synergy
    Support direct hits between poison waves rather than a multiplier for poison damage over time.

    Alternative candidates

    Sigil of Beeswax

    An option for more maximum health when surviving close-range encounters matters more than damage or reuse support.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Constitution I

      Increases the player's maximum health by 20%.

    Level 2
    • Constitution II

      Increases the player's maximum health by 25%.

    Level 3
    • Constitution III

      Increases the player's maximum health by 35%.

    Tendrils of the Sprout

    A damage option for maintaining high health. Choose it with recovery and disengagement rather than assuming the bonus persists after taking damage.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Healthy Strike I

      Grants a 10% damage increase while health is above 95%.

    Level 2
    • Healthy Strike II

      Grants a 20% damage increase while health is above 85%.

    Level 3
    • Healthy Strike III

      Grants a 40% damage increase while health is above 75%.

  12. Talisman 3

    Recommended equipment

    Sculk Badge

    Support for your offensive and defensive buff windows; enemy poison duration is a separate boot role.

    Effects, enchantments and alternatives

    Support for your offensive and defensive buff windows; enemy poison duration is a separate boot role.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Boost I

      Increases duration of positive statuses applied to you by 10%.

    Level 2
    • Boost II

      Increases duration of positive statuses applied to you by 15%.

    Level 3
    • Boost III

      Increases duration of positive statuses applied to you by 25%.

    Intended synergy
    This extends personal support; enemy poison and root duration remain separate choices.

    Alternative candidates

    Soul Chip

    An alternative for a larger soul reserve before casting, rather than recovering what a long fight consumes.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Spiritual I

      Increases Soul capacity by 15%.

    Level 2
    • Spiritual II

      Increases Soul capacity by 20%.

    Level 3
    • Spiritual III

      Increases Soul capacity by 35%.

    Sigil of Beeswax

    An option for more maximum health when surviving close-range encounters matters more than damage or reuse support.

    Talisman level effects

    Choose a level that suits the items you own.

    Level 1
    • Constitution I

      Increases the player's maximum health by 20%.

    Level 2
    • Constitution II

      Increases the player's maximum health by 25%.

    Level 3
    • Constitution III

      Increases the player's maximum health by 35%.

Key enchantments and reasons

The equipment details list enchantments for different playstyles. Choose replacements by the role they serve.

  • Poison Fog

    The build’s poison-wave application tool around combo finishers, separate from native poison or poison-damage bonuses.

  • Ricochet

    Spreads shots toward separated targets, a role distinct from extra projectiles, piercing or arrow recovery.

  • Ancient Alchemy

    Adds soul gains to potion use without assuming unlimited supply or ignoring potion availability.

  • Bottomless Brew

    Adds potion charges to support healing and soul recovery, distinct from unlimited repeated use.

  • Springload

    Supports movement after artifact use, helping create distance or the next attack position.

  • Health Synergy

    Provides healing on artifact use; avoid exhausting the reserve merely to trigger healing.

Effects this setup focuses on

  • Poison damage
  • Area attacks

See each position for native effects, additional roll targets and enchantments.

Choosing equipment for the situation

Poison application and coverage

Poison Fog, Seeds, pouches and bangles are different application tools. Favor reaching another target or creating a melee opening rather than assuming repeated application keeps adding poison damage to one enemy.

Speed and combo choice

More attack speed need not produce proportionally more poison waves. Prioritize combos and positions you can complete safely, with ranged attacks or Seeds available when you must interrupt melee.

How to play

  1. Lead enemies toward a useful position and use Seeds to seek poison and rooting.
  2. Approach with Chimes when needed, then complete dagger combos to seek poison waves.
  3. Use Fighting Fungus when there is time to attack. Do not remain in danger just to complete another poison-wave combo.
  4. Switch to ranged attacks or movement as enemies spread. Recover health and souls before applying effects to the next group.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Groups where poison can reach several targets and rooting creates an opening.
  • Routes that allow ranged or placed effects instead of chasing everything in melee.

Limitations

  • Targets poorly suited to poison or rooting, and isolated single enemies.
  • Attacks that interrupt combos or scattered enemies that are hard to line up.
  • Repeatedly activating every artifact without maintaining soul reserves.

Alternative equipment

Thousand Cuts shifts toward melee speed. Sculker’s Bane’s native soul bonus is separate from poison and does not by itself establish stronger poison waves.

Poison Pouch places an area; Blight Bangle adds poison to weapon attacks. Neither inherits Seeds’ rooting or the wave’s trigger conditions.

The published Venomous Fangs setup centers on native poison attacks and weapon support. This one prioritizes dagger waves and Seeds for applying effects across groups.

Alternatives are one-slot replacement options. Some also appear in other positions; there is no need to combine every alternative at once. Additional effects are roll targets, without relying on a summed multiplier from duplicate effects.

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