Home / Build / [3.0] EK (Ethereal Knives) Nova Ranger (Raider)

[3.0] EK (Ethereal Knives) Nova Ranger (Raider)

Intro & build description

This is one of the builds that were extremely popular in 2.6 adapted 3.0 patch and Fall of Oriath Expansion. This build is based on Ring of Blades unique jewel that turns Ethereal Knives into a nova you shoot around yourself – that way it covers way more area and can clear maps very fast.

Build Pros

  • Great combination of survivability and damage
  • Fast clear
  • Very cheap, so it's great as a league starter (but scales very well with investment)
  • Versatile in gear choices (doesn't require lot of uniques to work but can be made stronger with them)

Build Cons

  • Physical reflect will kill you

Passive tree(s) and Path of Building

Passive Skill Tree

Bandits

Bandits Quest Choice
Help Kraityn

Ascendancy skill points

LabyrinthsSkill point choice
Labyrinth 1Way of The Poacher
Labyrinth 2Avatar of The Slaughter
Labyrinth 3Quartz Infusion
Endgame LabyrinthAvatar of The Veil

Skill gem setup

Helm


Enduring Cry

Hatred

Arctic Armour

Enlighten (as high level as you can get)


Body Armor


Ethereal Knives

Increased Critical Damage Support

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Spell Echo Support

Controlled Destruction Support

Power Charge on Critical Support / Added Fire Damage Support


Gloves


Vaal Haste

Vaal Grace

Increased Duration Support

Summon Lightning Golem


Boots


Cast When Damage Taken Support

Immortal Call

Increased Duration

Molten Shell


2h Weapon


None


1h Weapon


Whirling Blades

Faster Attacks Support

Fortify Support


Offhand weapon / shield


Curse on Hit Support

Herald of Thunder Support

Assassin's Mark



Build uniques / Example rare gear


Tip: Click on the item to view it on PoE Wiki or to view similar rare items in poe.trade

Helmet

Alpha's Howl

Great evasion helm which guarantees that we will never die due to being frozen. It helps us by reducing mana reserved do we can use multiple auras and boosts their level by 2.


Body Armour

Belly of The Beast

Great defensive chest that gives a lot of life and good elemental resistances and flask life recovery.


Gloves

Slink Gloves

Look for evasion gloves with at least 65 to maximum life and as high resistances as you can find.


Boots

Slink Boots

Look for boots with at least 25% increased movement speed, 70 maximum life and some resistances.


Left Ring

Diamond Ring

Look for Diamond / Resistance base rings with high life, resistances and cast speed.


Right Ring

Two-Stone Ring

Same as previously mentioned ring.


Amulet

Onyx Amulet

Go full offense on amulet – look for spell damage, global critical strike multiplier (at least 25), increased cast speed and life. Resistances and attributes are nice bonuses.


Belt

Doryani's Invitation

Doryani’s Invitation (Physical version) lets us get life leech from Ethereal Knives.


1Hand Weapon

Platinum Kris

Look for dagger with high spell critical chance, spell damage and critical strike multiplier. Elemental damage to spells / attack speed is a nice bonus.


Offhand

Titanium Spirit Shield

Look for shield with spell critical chance, spell damage and as high life as you can find. Resistances are nice bonuses.


Jewel

Ring of Blades

Basically the only mandatory item without which build cannot work. Get it as soon as you can.


Jewel

Jewel Setup

On jewels look for:

1.) Increased maximum life
2.) Increased Spell Damage while holding a shield
3.) Increased Cast speed / Cast speed while holding as hield
4.) Increased Spell Damage
5.) Increased Damage
6.) Increased physical damage etc


Flask

Flask Setup

1.) Divine Life flask with instant recovery and bleed removal
2.) Divine Life flask with instant recovery and shock removal
3.) Vessel of Vinktar (Physical to lightning conversion version)
4.) Quicksilver Flask of adrenaline
5.) Basalt Flask of iron skin



Feel free to share your thoughts/experiences/tips about the build in comments section below.

About gems

Always tries to keep up with the game, its ever-changing mechanisms and explain them in understandable manner.

25 comments

  1. passive skill tree is broken

  2. What better?
    “Power Charge on Critical Support / Added Fire Damage Support”

  3. Hello!

    I can’t understand why you take vaal pact. Ethereal Knives doesn’t apply the life leech right?

    • Hi. Life leech applies to Ethereal knives.

      • https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Ethereal_Knives

        That’s why i said that.
        But, where’s in the tree will we get life leech ? Blood Drinker nodes?

        • The Blood drinker nodes do not work in our situation, the tree has been adjusted. We are using Doryani’s Invitation belt that gives us leech from physical damage and we also get life & mana recovery from Assassin’s Mark.

          • thanks for postin this. add to the build because its tough without it. ive been rockin a mana leech gem in my 5L which kinda sucks wish there was a better way to leech but before you get power charges you cant sustain off damage. build is pretty dope but i think you NEED belly of the beast b/c this shit is squishy af

  4. In Helm you have enduring cry as blue gem buts it’s red ^^

  5. The single target for this build on bosses i’ve noticed isnt the best is their anyway to improve this?

    • Yeah, this build isn’t known as the fastest boss killer – you could try using Slower Projectiles Support for the boss kills.

      • The only problem with that is with my belly of the beast at the moment i have 5 link the colour are 1G (ethereal knives) 2B (Spell echo, Increased critical damage) 2R (Added fire, Empower) so i cant swap it out

  6. 5 blues and a green on the chest? need some unreal luck 😀

  7. Where i put my Legend gem?

    • Sorry, I don’t really understand your question because there is no such thing as Legend gem. Maube you meant Ring of Blades unique jewel? If yes – you put it in jewel sockets that are unlocked in Passive Skill tree.

  8. Why do u choose raider and not berserker?

  9. Why raider elemental perk? doesnt scale up knives right, and is raider the best? Cause i already have 2 raiders i kinda want something else XD

    • Raider helps us to move and clear faster, gives lots of extra damage from Frenzy Charges. Raider is better choice than other ascendancies because the priority is to clear and move fast as possible and no other ascendancy is better for that.

  10. my mana reg is terrible… all time potions

  11. finnaly at lvl 90 the life leech is so so so so low maybe de build was 1 week losed

  12. I made a few change to make this build better, but it’s kinda expensive :

    Playing Dual Curse (Better option is an amulet with 1 additional curse)
    Warlord’s Mark with Blasphemy and Assassin mark with curse on hit.
    I’m not playing Artic Armour.
    I changed some useless points in the tree (like attack damage leech as life, it doesn’t work with EK).

    And the build is just fine.

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