Not really. I do not normally look very far along the skill tree from where I currently have points assigned. You could sit there and look at it for hours if you wanted to plan. I am not interested in doing that. Although, I specifically sought passive skills with my witch that boosted minions. That is the only time I actively looked for a specific thing on the skill tree. Even then, it was not a comprehensive search.

I am pretty successful at making my own good gear though. First, I pick up normal items that have “superior” in the name. Then, I add whetstones (for weapons) or scraps (for armour) to boost the quality to +20%, the max. Lastly, apply an essence to the item. Essences are random drops from named enemies. Most of the time you will end up with a pretty good piece of gear. It may not be as good as the one you currently have equipped though. You may want to save essences for when you really need a new item in a gear slot.

And yeah, boss fights are cheap.