The Occultist gets a lot from a big Energy Shield. A large ES pool raises your survivability and lets you scale other parts of the build. If you want a chest that really holds up, start with the right base and plan each step PoE 1 Currency.
Pick a Vile Robe as your base. Vile Robes come with good base ES and a useful implicit. The robe needs to be high item level so the top ES tiers can roll. Get an ilvl that supports the modifiers you want. Then make the item rare with an Orb of Alchemy or by buying an already rare base. A solid base saves time and currency later.
Use Dense Fossils to push the ES rolls. Dense Fossils bias spawn weights toward defence and Energy Shield tags, so spamming Dense Fossils in resonators greatly raises the chance of flat and percent ES prefixes. Put Dense Fossils into one-socket resonators or mix Dense with a Pristine if you want more targeted results. Keep trying until you hit strong Flat ES and Percent ES rolls, ideally T1 or T2. Expect to do many attempts; this method is widely used and proven by the player base.
Finish the prefix side with bench crafts if you need a third good prefix. If you already have two great ES prefixes but lack a third useful prefix, benchcraft a slot like +Maximum Mana, +Maximum Life, or an armour/evasion number depending on your build. These bench additions fill gaps so the piece becomes more useful for the Occultist, especially for hybrids that use Mind Over Matter or some life scaling. Work in small moves so you do not lose the big ES rolls.
Sort the suffixes next. Prioritize elemental resistances so you can cap easily. Add Chaos Resistance if your content needs it. Consider small utility suffixes like attributes only if you must meet requirements. You can use fossils that bias suffixes toward resistances or use benchcrafting to lock certain rolls while you work on prefixes. Be careful when modifying suffixes after you secure strong prefixes—random rerolls can break what you already have.
For the highest tier work, use advanced methods and expect a high cost. Memory Imbued Orbs, beastcrafting splits, or multimodding can push a chest into the absolute top ranks. These moves can let you keep or isolate specific mods and then combine or finish the item. Those paths demand a lot of Poe 1 Divine Orb, so plan whether you will farm time or spend currency to reach the peak. Using other players’ crafting services or buying high-value pieces can sometimes be cheaper than risking rare drops.
After crafting, test the chest in real play. Put on the item and run maps or a boss trial to check recharge, recovery, and how the item handles hits. Keep spare materials and a backup base so you can repeat the process when needed. Track which steps cost the most and adjust your plan next time.