Path of Exile Gems PoE Builds, PoE Currency guide and other guides
Intro & build description
I made this Ethereal Knives build back in Perandus challenge league since EK wasn’t meta build and I wanted to try out how far I can push it with with Ascendancy classes and interesting mechanics occultist ascendancy offered. I was amazed how well it performed at the end of cruel and beginning of merciless since I got most of needed nodes and enough critical strike chance to crit reliably. Build is incredibly fast paced since we dash around with whirling blades and cast EK around. Great build to play in groups, you can clear in 6 man parties solo without problems.
Build Pros
- Fun gameplay
- Strong single target damage
- Not expensive to start with
- Adjustable for bladefall or blade vortex with minor skill tree changes
- Works great in groups
- Very mobile build to play
- Spellcaster
- Instant leech
Build Cons
- Build includes lots of uniques
- Low-life build, new players might get overwhelmed
- Not the fastest clear speed out there
Passive tree(s) and Path of Building
Full buildBandits
| Bandits Quest Choice |
| Kill all bandits |
Ascendancy skill points
| Labyrinths | Skill point choice |
|---|---|
| Labyrinth 1 | Forbidden Power |
| Labyrinth 2 | Profane Bloom |
| Labyrinth 3 | Malediction |
| Endgame Labyrinth | Wicked Ward |
Skill gem setup
Helm
Warlord's Mark
Herald of Ice
Blasphemy Support
Assassin's Mark
Body Armor
Ethereal Knives
Spell Echo Support
Controlled Destruction Support
Increased Critical Strikes Support
Pierce Support
Increased Critical Damage Support
Gloves
Clarity
Blood Magic Support
Cast When Damage Taken Support
Immortal Call
Boots
Summon Lightning Golem
Increased Duration Support
Vaal Haste
Vaal Discipline
2h Weapon
None
1h Weapon
Whirling Blades
Fortify Support
Faster Attacks Support
Offhand weapon / shield
Haste
Hatred
Discipline
Build uniques / Example rare gear
Tip: Click on the item to view it on PoE Wiki or to view similar rare items in poe.tradeHelmet
Hubris CircletHubris Circlet with at least 300 ES and maybe some resistances if you are lacking. If resistances are fine, get as much ES as you can.
Body Armour
Shavronne's WrappingsShavronne’s Wrappings is essential in order to get all of our auras going. I played this build as hybrid till I farmed enough currency to afford Shavs. Any ES chest with 400+ ES paired with 70+ life will be just fine.
Gloves
Maligaro's VirtuosityNot necessity to run Maligaro’s, I just picked them up for crit chance and crit multiplier. ES gloves with decent resistances will boost your survivability.
Boots
Brinerot WhalersVery cheap and great boots for us to have. They offer movement speed, 2x damage multipliers for EK and immunity to shocked ground effect which is nice in my opinion.
Any rare boots with ES and life might increase our survivability.
Left Ring
Diamond RingTry to find some rings with resistances and stats you are missing for gems or items.
Amulet
Eye of ChayulaBelt
Doryani's Invitation (Physical Damage)Great alternative belt for this build is Crystal Belt. It skyrockets our ES pool, I chose to go with Doryani’s since Crystal Belt wasn’t released back then and I wanted some damage and leech on belt as well. Its up to you to decide which one you want for the build.
1Hand Weapon
Platinum KrisDagger is needed so we can whirl around quickly. Look for dagger with spell damage, %critical strike chance to spells and some attack speed since it increases attack speed of whirling blades.
Another way is to get Void Battery instead of dagger, but we could no longer whirling blade around. We would need to use Lightning Warp or Flame Dash. Damage would would be worth it though.
Offhand
Prism GuardianPrism guardian allows us to use more auras + built-in blood magic is very nice since gem slots aren’t infinite. Any ES shield is fine till you can find/buy Prism Guardian. If you can drop couple of auras, titanium spirit shield with 400+ ES would give us huge ES gain.
Gameplay
Build in action.
