Leveling Cold DoT

Cold DoT Leveling Act 1

• Reach Lioneye's Watch and choose Freezing Pulse as your reward.
• Complete the quests Mercy Mission and Breaking some Eggs.
  • Talk to Nessa and choose Quicksilver Flask and Summon Phantasm Support. You may link this to Holy Flame Totem if you would like, but I find it uncommon to be able to use this support, so I did not include it in the Gem Planner above.
  • Talk to Nessa and purchase Holy Flame Totem and Flame Wall.
  • Talk to Tarkleigh and grab Frost Bomb and Frostblink.
• Complete the quests Dweller of the Deep and The Caged Brute.
  • Reach Lower Prison and use the Waypoint back to town.
  • Talk to Nessa and grab Added Lightning Damage Support.
  • Talk to Tarkleigh to grab your Passive Skillpoint after Dweller of the Deep.
• Go back to Lower Prison, complete the Trial of Ascendancy, and slay Brutus.
• After killing Brutus, return to town and choose Flame Dash. This replaces Frostblink.
• Complete the quest The Marooned Mariner and grab the waypoint in Merveil's Caverns.
• After killing Fairgraves and reaching the Waypoint in Merveil's Caverns, return to town and talk to Bestel for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Grab Creeping Frost from Nessa, and equip it in any blue socket you have free. You don't use this gem until 16, but you want it to gain EXP until then. then complete The Siren's Cadence.

Act 1 Tips

• Use Frost Bomb on magic and rare packs, and all boss encounters.
• Note that The Way Forward is an Act 1 quest that is only completable in Act 2.
• Since you grab Summon Phantasm Support, if you do not have the space for it by level 10, sell it with an Iron Ring if you find one to a vendor for a Sapphire Ring.
• Equip a Sapphire Ring for Merveil to mitigate her Cold Damage. Kill her and move onto Act 2!

Cold DoT Leveling Act 3

• Waypoint to the City of Sarn, kill the Guard Captain, and talk to Clarissa. Complete Lost in Love.
  • Complete the Trial of Ascendancy and obtain Tolman's Bracelet.
  • Talk to Clarissa to obtain the Sewer Keys.
  • Talk to Maramoa and choose Frostbite.
• Complete the quests Victario's Secrets, The Ribbon Spool and The Gemling Queen.
  • Choose the rare Jade Amulet as a reward.
  • Ensure that you complete the Trial of Ascendancy from The Catacombs at some point during this cycle.
• Complete the quests Sever the Right Hand and Piety's Pets.
• Aim for at least level 27 before killing Piety. After killing her, return to town.
  • Talk to Hargan for a Passive Skillpoint (from the quest Victario's Secrets).
  • Talk to Grigor to get a Passive Skillpoint.
  • Talk to Clarissa and purchase Vortex. Link this to your Creeping Frost setup, and remove Controlled Destruction Support if you only have a 3-L.
  • You should now bind Vortex to your Left Mouse Button.
• Complete the Trial of Ascendancy in The Imperial Gardens.
• While fighting Dominus, avoid getting slammed when he raises his fist. Kill Dominus and move on to Act 4!

Act 3 Tips

• Use Frostbite on magic and rare packs, and all boss encounters.
• Farm in The Docks if you are behind in XP. You can reset a zone by holding down Ctrl and left clicking on either a zone entrance or Waypoint.
• Any of the two-stone ring bases, such as Two-Stone Ring, are the best type of rings you can equip. Despite this, always prioritize stats over basetype. For example, Coral Ring is superior to Two-Stone Ring
• Gems can level up in any socket, including your off-hand!
• Try to get your Fire, Cold, and Lightning resists close to 75%.
• The best crafts are from the Crafting Bench in your hideout. Use the 16-20% of a single resist craft, which only costs an Orb of Transmutation.

Cold DoT Leveling Act 4

• Complete the quest Breaking the Seal, and farm Dried Lake until at least level 30.
• Complete the quest An Indomitable Spirit.
• Reach the Waypoint in the Crystal Veins and complete the normal Labyrinth.
  • Ascend as an Elementalist, and choose Mastermind of Discord.

Ascendancy

• Mastermind of Discord causes monsters that you inflict Exposure on to have even further reduced resistances. Although you should have already been using Frost Bomb on magic and rare packs, and all boss encounters, it is nearly mandatory to do so from now on. This is because Frost Bomb applies exposure when a mob is near the bomb, which will drastically reduce their cold resistance - and give you a small amount of mana regeneration.
• Do not progress past Crystal Veins without being at least level 32. Farm Dried Lake if you need to catch up.
• Complete the quest The Eternal Nightmare by killing Daresso and Kaom.
• Kill Piety, then complete the quest Corpus Malachus.
• Talk to Piety again, go kill Malachai, and move on to Act five!

Act 4 Tips

• Act 4 is when the game strains your resistances, and playing below 75% is extremely dangerous. Start to overcap resists in this Act as you are aiming for at least 105% by the time you kill Act 5 Kitava.
• Keep identifying rare items to find high Life and Resistance gear.

Cold DoT Leveling Act 5

• Complete the quest Return to Oriath and talk to Lani for a ring matching the resists you need the most. A Two-Stone ring is superior to any of the single-resist rings as they are easier to replace later.
• Complete the quests In Service to Science, The Key to Freedom, and reach the Chamber of Innocence.
• Return to town and talk to Lani for a Jade Flask.
• Talk to Vilenta for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Complete the quest Death to Purity.
• Complete the quests The Ravenous God and Kitava's Torments.
• Kill Kitava, and move onto Act six!

Act 5 Tips

• Get at least 75% resists in Fire, Cold, and Lightning - but aim for 105%, as you lose 30% from killing Kitava.
  • Put every armor and jewelry piece you're using into the crafting bench in your hideout to see if it has space for a Fire, Cold, or Lightning resist craft. This is only usable if the item has an Open Suffix (hold Alt on an item to check). 
  • In softcore, it is acceptable if your elemental resistances are around 50%.
• Once you enter the Chamber of Innocence, farm this zone until at least level 40. You can reset a campaign zone by holding down CTRL and clicking on the zone or Waypoint.
• When Kitava closes his fist, he spawns orbs that hone in on your location in an X formation, exploding in the center. Avoid any slams and abilities from the large unique monsters that spawn.

Cold DoT Leveling Act 6

• Go out to The Coast and get the Waypoint, then go to the Mud Flats and complete the quest The Father of War.
• Once at the Ridge Waypoint, take it back to The Coast and complete Bestel's Epic.
• Use a Portal Scroll and complete Fallen From Grace.
  • Talk to Lilly Roth for 2x Passive Respec Points. This vendor gives access to all gems in the game, and can be accessed from your hideout. Purchase Determination from her and replace Herald of Thunder.
  • Talk to Bestel for either a rare Leather Belt or Citrine Amulet, depending on which slot needs a bigger upgrade.
  • Talk to Tarkleigh for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Travel to The Lower Prison and complete the Trial of Ascendancy.
• Finish Essence of Umbra by killing Brutus and Shavronne. Grab the Spell Damage craft after the fight.
• Kill Abberath in Prisoner's Gate for The Cloven One.
• Grab the Waypoint in The Riverways, then go north to The Wetlands and kill Ryslatha for The Puppet Mistress.
• Return to town and talk to Bestel for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Talk to Tarkleigh for a rare Steel Circlet and a Passive Skillpoint.
• Complete the remaining questline to defeat The Brine King, then move onto Act 7.

Act 6 tips

• If you are entering Act 6 at 42, you don't need to farm any XP past this point until Act 9. Remain within 6 levels of your current zone.
• Entering this Act without 75% all resists is perfectly fine (in softcore!). The elemental damage you take here depends on which part of the Act you are in. The Mud Flats and the Tukohama fight requires Fire res, the Shavronne fight Lightning res, and the Brine King Cold and Lightning res. Using this, it’s okay if your resists initially look like 75% Fire, 50% Cold, and 50% Lightning (again, in softcore). In hardcore, ensure that all resists are equal to 75% or more.
• Go to your hideout and throw each piece individually at the crafting bench to see if you can craft a Fire, Cold, or Lightning resist on them for 1x Orb of Transmutation each. Obviously only craft the types of resists you need!
• You may skip Abberath and Ryslatha until late Act 7 if your character is too weak at this point.
• Select the Brine King Pantheon (the Keybind is Y by default) after killing The Brine King.

Cold DoT Leveling Act 7

• Complete the quest The Silver Locket.
• Travel to The Crypt for the Trial of Ascendancy and the map for Essence of the Artist.
• Waypoint back to The Crossroads, travel north to the Chamber of Sins, and complete Web of Secrets.
• Do the Trial of Ascendancy while in the Chambers of Sin 2, and complete The Master of a Million Faces.
• Gather the seven fireflies for the quest Lighting the Way, and kill Greust for the quest The Master of a Million Faces while in The Dread Thicket.
• Exit The Dread Thicket and travel to The Causeway for Kishara's Star.
• Get to the Waypoint in the Vaal City and talk to Yeena there, then return to town.
  • Select the Pantheon Ralakesh, Master of a Million Faces.
  • Talk to Eramir for two Passive Skillpoints.
  • Talk to Weylam Roth to select the Quartz Flask and a Passive Skillpoint.
  • Talk to Helena and select the rare Conjurer Boots.
• After this, complete the Cruel Labyrinth.
• Completing Cruel Lab awards you with Heart of Destruction.
  • Heart of Destruction grants a massive 60% increased Area of Effect, which changes into 30% more Elemental Damage for four seconds when fighting Unique monsters.
• Finally, Waypoint back to The Vaal City, travel to Temple of Decay 2, and kill Arakaali. Avoid the cone of poisonous bolts, as well as the purple orbs that spawn far away and travel towards the boss. After this, move onto Act 8!

Act 7 Tips

• A faster way to complete the cycle in late Act 7 after killing Greust is to place a portal outside of the Dread Thicket, go through The Causeway for Kishara's Star, get to the waypoint in Vaal City, then take the waypoint back to town and go through your portal. This is not included up above as portals expire if you are too slow.

Cold DoT Leveling Act 8

• Kill Doedre for the quest Essence of the Hag, then go to the right towards The Quay.
• Complete the quest Love is Dead, then travel to the Grain Gate to complete The Gemling Legion.
• Continue to the Solaris Temple and get the waypoint in Solaris Temple 1.
• Complete the quest Solar Eclipse and return to town.
  • Talk to Clarissa for a Passive Skillpoint.
  • Talk to Hargan for whichever Two-Stone ring reward you need the most.
  • Talk to Maramoa for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Go back to Solaris Temple 1, travel to the Solaris Concourse, through Harbour Bridge, then Lunaris Concourse.
• Go to the Lunaris Temple 2 and complete Lunar Eclipse.
• Travel to the Lunaris Concourse and kill the Twins Solaris the Eternal Sun and Lunaris the Eternal Eternal Moon.
  Stand behind Solaris when she throws her Fire Spear and move away when Lunaris fires Cold Rain from the Sky.
  Afterwards, continue onwards to Act 9 and the best zone in the campaign for farming - the Blood Aqueducts!

Cold DoT Leveling Act 9

• Farm the Blood Aqueducts until character level 64 for gear, gem levels, and currency.
  • Get your elemental resists to be close to 105% when killing Act 10 Kitava as you receive another 30% penalty to resistances. Mapping with ~60% resists is fine for softcore, but is a definite no-go in hardcore.
  • While farming Blood Aqueduct you might find Humility cards, which sell for approximately 2 Chaos Orb at the start of a league.
• Go back to Lunaris Concourse in Act 8 to get the Trail of Ascendancy in the Bath House and complete the Reflection of Terror in the High Gardens. Return to town and talk to Hargan for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Complete the quest The Storm Blade. Return to town then talk to Petarus and Vanja for an Imbued Wand.
• Talk to Sin for the next quest item, then Petarus and Vanja again. Return back to the Vastiri Desert waypoint and complete the quest Queen of the Sands. Return to town and talk to Irasha for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Kill The Basilisk in the Boiling Lake.
• Complete the quest Fastis Fortuna.
• Complete the Trial of Ascendancy in The Tunnel.
• Complete the Ruler of Highgate, then return to town and talk to Irasha for a Passive Skillpoint.
• Finish the quest Recurring Nightmare by killing Act 9 boss The Depraved Trinity. Avoid the boss' slam, and avoid getting hit by the scorpion ads that spawn. Next, move onto Act 10!

Cold DoT Leveling Act 10

• Kill Plaguewing and complete the quest Safe Passage.
• Place a portal in the middle of the Ruined Square, and go to the waypoint in the Control Blocks (left).
• Take the waypoint back to town and talk to Lani in town for a Silver Flask.
  • This flask gives a buff called Onslaught, which grants 20% increased attack, cast, and movement speed.
• Don't complete the quest Vilenta's Vengeance in the Control Blocks at this time if your character feels weak. Instead, go through your portal that you placed earlier and go to the right this time towards the Ossuary.
• Complete the quest No Love for Old Ghosts and the Trial of Ascendancy in the Ossuary.
• Complete the Merciless Labyrinth and choose Bastion of Elements.
  • Go a bit slower than normal in Merciless Labyrinth as there is a difficulty spike. Stop for dark shrines, and try to get extra keys if they are along your path. Merciless lab can provide a lot of currency and gear at this stage.
  • Bastion of Elements gives you a shield called Primal Aegis that prevents Elemental Damage until the shield runs out. The shield will recharge if you have either not taken Elemental Damage recently, or after a delay once the shield is depleted.
• Kill Avarius to complete the quest Death and Rebirth, then return to town.
  • Talk to Bannon with the The Staff of Purity in your inventory.
  • Talk to Lani for a Widowsilk Robe.
  • Talk to Weylam Roth for 2x Passive Respec Points.
• Travel back to the Ravaged Square, talk to Innocence, and complete the quest An End to Hunger.
• Kill Kitava, and move onto the mapping section below - congratulations on completing the campaign!
  • Note that killing Kitava reduces your overall resistances by 30% again. Prepare for this by obtaining gear with as high resists as possible. Aim for 75% Fire, Cold, and Lightning Resists for mapping.