Ethereal Knives

I made an EK witch in HC recently. The skill is pretty damn good when supported right but the slow ass cast animation is REALLY annoying. Long delay between casts is OK, that's why it hits hard. But a slow casting animation makes for a really terrible playing experience.

Lvl 72 Hardcore Ranger here using following setup:

- Grace (BM), Haste, Vitality, Determination, Hatred (all with reduced mana gem and reduced reservation passives)
- Ek with fster projectiles, added fire, blood magic gem, iron will
- projectile weakness and enfeeble (with bm)
- quality 20 Decoy Totem
- bear trap (added fire, bm)

- Iron Reflexes passive, passive skill tree:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgIAAdwB5wJxBLMFLQguDq0TWxQgFE0UdRjbGS4Zjhv6IWAkiyXfJ-0ppTWGNZI26DqzOtg9D0CgQ5xGaUd-Sn1OyFBHUFBUSVXWVvpXDVhjWK9fP2BLYSFk52VNZ6BqHnC7dEF07XTxeA1673y7hNmE74d2jM-QCpuNnaqeuZ7NogCkGacwqBirxbnNud2-isHYxBXE9sWKxtjSIdN-2WHdDeLq51Ltg-4O7w7wH_Iv8932SPba_MU=

gear:



Game has been completly faceroll so far. Solo cleared entire content/bosses with self found only gear (just muled gems). Farming lvl 67 and 68 maps with no problem. I am an untalented casual player. Been playing POE since closed Beta, yet this is my first and only char so far that could survive merciless. I think this means the skill is pretty damn good.

@Deathmongoose: What's the IIQ gem for if you're not keeping it connected to an attack. Maintaining level and switching it with one of the gems on EK?

Exactly. In maps where I don't need or don't want to use Added Fire I switch it for IIQ.

"

deathmongoose wrote:

Lvl 72 Hardcore Ranger here using following setup:

- Grace (BM), Haste, Vitality, Determination, Hatred (all with reduced mana gem and reduced reservation passives)
- Ek with fster projectiles, added fire, blood magic gem, iron will
- projectile weakness and enfeeble (with bm)
- quality 20 Decoy Totem
- bear trap (added fire, bm)

- Iron Reflexes passive, passive skill tree:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgIAAdwB5wJxBLMFLQguDq0TWxQgFE0UdRjbGS4Zjhv6IWAkiyXfJ-0ppTWGNZI26DqzOtg9D0CgQ5xGaUd-Sn1OyFBHUFBUSVXWVvpXDVhjWK9fP2BLYSFk52VNZ6BqHnC7dEF07XTxeA1673y7hNmE74d2jM-QCpuNnaqeuZ7NogCkGacwqBirxbnNud2-isHYxBXE9sWKxtjSIdN-2WHdDeLq51Ltg-4O7w7wH_Iv8932SPba_MU=

gear:

Game has been completly faceroll so far. Solo cleared entire content/bosses with self found only gear (just muled gems). Farming lvl 67 and 68 maps with no problem. I am an untalented casual player. Been playing POE since closed Beta, yet this is my first and only char so far that could survive merciless. I think this means the skill is pretty damn good.

This build looks awesome. Coincidentally I'm also a 72 ranger but in softcore. Any changes you'd make for SC? I want to be tanky like you tho so maybe just keep it the same? i hope the DPS is good enough, but you said you were doing 67-68 maps no prob so i guess it's fine.

Well there are a few things to consider about this build:

- it has the lowest dps of all EK builds, since you will not put a single skill point into any damage increasing passive and you run a pures evasion shield. The only dps buff you get is what comes from your wand.

- you will clear more slowly than with many other builds.

+ this is by far the tankiest build I could come up with. Map Brutus can't even two hit me. I can survive desynch-ed Roha's charging at me. Half regen maps are a joke even without the life leech gem.

+ Together with Enfeeble and decent flasks you can facetank 5-6 blue melee monsters in maps.

I wouldn't change anything for softcore. Dying in softcore is not "lethal" if you know what I mean, but I can imagine the loss of xp is a pain in the ass so you don't wanna die there.

I am lvl 74 meanwhile starting to alch those maps and progressing to 68-69 maps.

Once I will reach the early 80's I will make a detailed guide for this build. Again remember I am doing self found mode. I recently read that somebody stated he has a low budget of 4 exalts only to make a char. Well I don't think my gear is worth 4 exalts, yet I am doing fine.

I think this is the perfect build for those players who have other hobbies, family, work, etc. and therefore have less time for POE. A great casual gamer's character, since the awesome survivability allows you to make mistakes that would get other characters killed.

Anymore questions feel free to pm me.

Deathmongoose I think the build is good but imo you'd be better off ignoring the templar tree and getting all the life nodes in the middle with the saved points. You end up with something like 20% more health. Also getting the fire resist in marauder tree makes me sad.


Here is what the build looks like with my alterations. 1 point over what it had but that isn't too big of a deal considering the huge life gain.

Yes one can do that it is a valid approach.

On the other hand I like the 1% life regen in the templar tree. You have +1 skill point for 20% more health, true. However I prefer the life regen + that I can access Body and Soul for 2 skill points! Those 2 nodes are maybe the strongest nodes in the game: on average 1 node grants 14% armor and 5% all res for my build!

About picking up the fire res: it is only one skill point more than doing it the other way through the strength node, but instead of +10 strength you get 30 fire res, which allows you to be more felxible with your gear. This does count a lot for me, since I am self found only.

will a scepter with +% elemental damage affect EKs damage with hatred?