[2.1] Ethereal Knives MF Build. Effectively >90k DPS, >20k EHP, 300 IIR, 43 IIQ, Triple Blasphemy

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habkor wrote:

Thanks!

Pulling off this build in Bloodlines is a bit ambitious, but probably it can be done. However, take my advice with a grain of salt, as I think I've died more than 50 times with this char.

But anyhow, if you want to make this work in hardcore, you have to sacrifice some DPS for defenses. First of all, drop Haste for Grace, as this leads to a substantial increase of your effective life pool. I was dying very rarely when I had Grace on instead of Haste.

Other than that, drop some of the damage nodes on the tree and get as many ES nodes as possible. Here is a build suggestion for lvl 74-ish:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB34rpAkuuGyXZW20ZEVA1uacrHU8tH5UgwfNciqKjf8YRlgcelS7w1UlRj_p719DQRwbb519qDkhd8rb3KwoRL-tjmZq1SG1s53TbGhB7vjoGIx9BAx4Wvw-rUzWbtRmK-wn22hqPHNyTJ--I-TfXz0mxtAxGceGIHarqug18V8k0CjdmLKaQ1ij6gscMfRB_xp6DCewYcLvZEy9vL50W89-wghCPpkSr-egmPP6zVyum6zeD9UvBAA==

Also, obtain a Vaal Discipline gem for emergency situations. This almost works like a life potion.

And finally, farm safe zones like Docks for as long as possible. Avoid Piety until you are very very comfortable running Docks. Probably skip Dominus, as he isn't worth the risk.

Hope this helps you a bit :) Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback, tree looks pretty solid. I start my journey today. Any ideas when should i change low life? I guess its not worth the risk before i reach decent amount of es (like 4k?).

Really enjoying this build, Playing it in Torment and currently level 70 and comfortably clearing 67 maps (2 shot normal mobs), though i do sometimes die (more due to my mistakes really)

This is so much better than dual Flame totem mf builds as i enjoy the more involved gameplay.

Currently i have 8.4k dps, 4.4k es running 2 heralds, lvl10 clarity, haste, hatred and discipline. I have 226% IIR but some of my gear is fairly poor.

For leveling i would suggest going through the mana regen nodes in the witch area and head straight for the shadow area so you can pick up dex so you can level your green gems. Then grab Charisma and Ghost Reaver, then start heading for Sovereignty. Get reduced mana reservation as soon as you can and run the 3 heralds and clarity till the point where you get more damage dropping 1 herald for hatred.

Look for the highest es or es/eva gear to fill the rest of your slots and you should have enough ehp from es + life such that you don't need to take any extra life nodes.

Good Leveling uniques: Crown of Thorns : 100 es from level 1, Pain attunement
Wanderlust : Mana regen, move speed, can't be frozen
Lifesprig : +1 spell gems, spell damage and cast speed
Reverberation Wand : Spell echo before lvl 31!!!


I leveled with lightning tendrils and switched to ek when i started to feel i was doing more damage with it.

@Dommer:

When I started the build, I didn't switch to low life and energy shield defense before lvl 65 or so. So I didn't take any unnecessary ES-nodes before that, but put everything into life. My leveling build looked roughly like this:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMB34rpAv6zVyu9gm0ZCPTAVLzqakN_xt-wghCPpkSrVa4snBzckyfviPk3189JsRGWBx6VLvDVSVEi9GwLDY20DEZxgwlvnvGzS1fA4y1HUEKMNlVLYeImlRa_D6ttbGKsbIydqjY9tUgGIx9BAx4OSF3y

Then when I switched to low life, I used my respec points to respec all life nodes (at least those without additional ES) to ES nodes. Worked pretty well for me.

@grp

See the reply above. 4k ES seems pretty solid for switching to low life, I think my ES pool was similar back then. It's also not that hard to reach that amount with a leveled Discipline, plenty of ES nodes, and a decent shield + helmet.

@crazy

Thanks for the positive feedback, I'm glad that you like the build! Your tips are also very valuable for people who do not want to go the life route first while leveling. Highly appreciated :)

Let me know in case you have any question!

Is this build possible as a Low Life Blood Magic + Mortal Conviction ?

My concern is that EK is a really expensive skill and Life Regeneration will not cover the cost of the skill.

This way we could run 6 auras for more deeps like this.

Is it worth getting BM/MC?

I don't think it's worth it, but maybe I'm missing something. The question is: what would you really gain?

To make this viable, you'd need a ton of life regeneration, something in the league of 10%. This requires massive point investment (not even counting the points going down to Blood Magic).

Currently I can easily run Discipline, Hatred, Haste, Herald of Ash and Herald of Thunder (plus lvl 20+ Clarity for massive mana regeneration). The first three and Clarity are further pushed with +75% effectiveness (HoA and HoT also get +21% from Inner Force). With a slightly larger mana pool (or -8 skill cost Elreon rings), I could also run Herald of Ice.

So basically, you don't gain anything, but you'd have to waste 25+ points to make it happen.

In any case, I'd be happy to see your suggested tree. Maybe it has some other advantages that I haven't thought of.

Im currently level 65 and im working my way to merc a3. 3.6k es max res and 4.5k dps. I should buy higher es helm if i want to get it over 4k. Im running discipline on hp and grace/clarity/hoa on mana. I planned to go grace/hatred/clarity on mana when i level up my reduced mana gems.

Hey, grats for making this work in Bloodlines!

However, i would highly recommend you to get around 4.5k ES or more before you tackle A3M. 3.6k ES seems way too squishy imo.

By the way, ultimately you should aim to run Clarity + one 60% aura (say Grace) on life, and 2 other 60% auras (Discipline and Hatred) + 2 Heralds (HoA, HoT) on mana. This only works once you have taken all aura nodes, though.

Currently playing this build with the noted items and this tree: https://www.poebuilder.com/character/AAAAAgMAVa5Eq4-mghDfsCycGyVLrukC34ptGdlbpys1uRFQLR8dT8HzlSBcin_GoqMnqSY8FvMvnRGWSVHw1ZUuBx5714_6L2_ZE3C77BhHBtDQX2rb513yDkgRLysKtveZmutjtUjndG1svjoQe9saAx4fQQYjFr_IFPVvaowPq5u1UzXEopcGLYMZihqP9tr7CbQMkycc3IMJRnEdquGIDXzqulfJxp4Qfwx9gsco-vnopwi4k-vuFVAdFI9GgKRV1mTnFy_60kKjJLA=

20k tooltip dps on EK with added fire damage, 29k with vaal haste/atziri flask (5l shavs only unfortunatly) 6 auras (can push it up to 6 if I get 2 more lvl 21 reduced mana possibly) 6K es (can be pushed up to 7-8k if I swap to my wanders helm) 382%iir, 87% fire 77% cold 125% lightning res. Also running a level 8 artic armour just in case xD. This build is pretty darn amazing and recommended to everyone who wants to have a IIR char and doesnt want to play boring summoners/totem specs!

Is this build viable as a first character at the start of a new league?
The only expensive items here are the 5L/6L 4-5 offcolor Solaris Lorica and the high ES shield and helm.

What's the DPS of EK in a 4L with lvl 17-18 gems?
Is this still doable in the first week or two of a new league with no currency?

Thanks Cewwo for the feedback, it's greatly appreciated. I'm glad that you enjoy the build!

I'm currently saving to obtain a 6l Shavs (still missing 20 Exas though ;)), and with that the build should really take off. With Added Fire Damage, around 30k DPS should certainly be possible.

@nebunelux: I think the build is more than viable at the start of a new league (maybe a bit less for hardcore). Since I'm using IIR and IIQ supports as 5th and 6th link, a 4L is definitely enough to start. Much of the ES comes from the massive amounts of Int, ES nodes, and Discipline pushed by several aura nodes, so reaching a decent ES pool (4.5k or so) with mediocre ES items is not that hard either.

I would estimate the damage with a 4 link, lvl 17-18 gems (including auras), and lvl 75, to be around 12-15k easily.

I've promised a few people to include a small leveling guide, so I will try to add this soon.