First Occultist while new to this game

hey guys,

as the topic indicates i'm quite new to this game and i would love to discuss my current build which i created my self (you're seeing me standing proud :D).
So after leveling my char to 91 i started searching the internet for oppertunities to further max out my occultist. i realized that there are so many possible combinations, especially with many skills and uniques i haven't used at all yet or don't even know about, that i wish for professional help. :)

my character is all crafted around the cane of unrevelling which was one of my early self founds.


GEAR AND GEMS:

WEAPON:
Cane of Unreveling 6-link
Essence drain - controlled destruction - swift affliction - void manipulation - efficacy - empower

CHEST:
rare 6-link with life (nothing speacial -.-)
bane - despair - temporal chains - controlled destruction - efficacy - void manipulation

GLOVES:
Malachai's Mark -> i felt the need for ES on kill
contagious - void manipulation - efficacy - controlled destruction

BOOTS:
rares with life, movement speed and res
flame golem - chaos golem - life leech support and the discipline aura

BELT:
rare with ES, life, and res

RINGS AND AMULET:
rares with life, es and res
one of them is an unset ring and i use the socket for leap slam

HELMET:
the broken crowm for the chaos res
spell totem - multiple totem - blight - efficacy

FLASKS:
health - instant heal and anti poison
health - instant heal and anti freeze
the sorrow of the divine
quicksilver - increased charge recovery and faster movement
mana flask - instant heal and anti burning

SKILLTREE:
https://www.poeplanner.com/ABQAAQkAExMAAIHfsIIQj6ZEq1WuLJy86mpDCPRtGZf0l5VMs9Af7-stH5UgwfOCHohCHdlDVPRxoqN_xhGWBx6VLvDVSVGP-lxAh8unm3WezxWTJ--I-TfXz0mxYeIWvw-rtUgki8M6ieDmWJMfSROci8F-pfUe7qf4J4MRUKcr_rNqG3aCyAy00Q5ItzAUCRNtXfIG55hTH0EmiKQFK3gfxyBuUDDbXhEPrJj317tN3V-tSmf8MlhCOjHvJC2boY9GFVYcxP75hEhca8NtOlhVxnRVXyoYajlSWAe-iqEvJpVdjqcI6-6FMhVQ2t1VS4w2Oz9hKIbKOZnKWdFFJ6l88JEHfqFp2HpUYt0AAAAAAA==



My Thoughts:

GEMS:
- Movement: Don's know waht to think about flame dash. is is the better one?
- Aura: i know about "malevolence" but i dont have the mana right know to sustain it. especially in combination with Mind over Matter. The devouring diadem is a possible solution. but that would mean some serious work on my other gear because of the loss in chaos res.

GOLEMS:
I'm using the Golem setup because next to their direct buffs they are quite good tanks. especially when combindes with life leech. but im not so sure if this is really necessary. so a good advice would be welcomed here. in boss fights they die rather quickly and i rarely cast new ones.

TOTEMS:
also a good distraction when in need and everything blight does. 3 totems do some good damage in narrow spaces. furthermore one of my juwels is spreading rot which adds wither to blight. Does this work with totems?

EQUIPMENT IN GENERAL:
i know aout some interesting but mostly very expensive gear. Especially for the chest (like atziri's). but for know i'm missing the currency for this kind of luxury

SKILLTREE:
I tried to be indepentend from attribute stats on equipment. therefore i placed some points in attribute skillnodes like strength and dextirity.


Over all it is quite fun to play this character. there are a lot of buttons to hit and for most of the enemies bane is absolutely sufficient to kill them. depending on the situation im switching between bane and the essence drain/contagious combination. but most of the time i only use bane. in boss fights it takes some time to place everything but afterwards i have time to concentrate on my movement. unfortunately i cant compare the damage to other chars because...well it is my first one xD


QUESTIONS:
- Golems or no Golems. and if not: what else?
- does the spreading rot juwel work with a blight/totem support combination
- good defence advice
- possible optimization to the skill tree. if possible please with explanation for further into deep understanding of the game
- i'm not satisfied with my flask setup. i always feeld the need of a mana flask because of mind over matter and a second life flask. am i deluding myself? is it better to have a granite flask to reduce the damage? should i trust in my mana reg?
- should i find gear with the needed attributes and respec the nodes in my skilltree?


So if anybody was willing to read through this unformated post please leave your comments and advice. i appreciate it.

regards
chaoticy