Ethereal Knives

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgABCGcOSBUgFr8W8xg8HNwelCHDJDwmPCepKaUqTSzpLUctqC-dMZ41kjrhPydBh0WWRnFJUUp9SshMMk3jTipQQlfhWlJabVuvXfJh4megapNwUnDVfVt_xoIegwmHdofbiEKMNpDWks2TJ5M6m12iLqZXpzSnXKiarD-sR7GQtAy18rZBtz631r0nwA_BxdJN1e3bC9tZ3FfdDeKA6yzyHfJF8pfz6vll-ej8xf4K_o8=

Dont know if here is the place, im sorry. But this will work?
Im thinking if I get this mind drinker and e.battery ill be in need of Mana leech gem.
In fact I need to know what is more profitable.

"

aminance wrote:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgABCGcOSBUgFr8W8xg8HNwelCHDJDwmPCepKaUqTSzpLUctqC-dMZ41kjrhPydBh0WWRnFJUUp9SshMMk3jTipQQlfhWlJabVuvXfJh4megapNwUnDVfVt_xoIegwmHdofbiEKMNpDWks2TJ5M6m12iLqZXpzSnXKiarD-sR7GQtAy18rZBtz631r0nwA_BxdJN1e3bC9tZ3FfdDeKA6yzyHfJF8pfz6vll-ej8xf4K_o8=

Dont know if here is the place, im sorry. But this will work?
Im thinking if I get this mind drinker and e.battery ill be in need of Mana leech gem.
In fact I need to know what is more profitable.

mana drinker is for attacks, EK is a spell.

Hey guys, Kusqt here. I've been working on an EK EB Arctic Armour build for Nemesis using the Cloak of Defiance Chest. My current build is:

I'm currently level 87, working on getting some endurance charges as my build severely lacks base armor (so % armor nodes are not really beneficial to me). My EK is doing 5.8k DPS 5 linked with faster casting, iron will, faster projectiles, and added fire. (I plan on running empower / life leech as map mods call for on a 6 link) My EK is level 19 atm with 20 quality, my iron will is 10 quality, and the rest are non quality. 5.8k without Ming's Hearts (which I plan on implementing at least 1 if not 2 (and I'll explain my reasoning later)) and anywhere from 7.5-8.5 DPS with another's hatred (depending on their hatred's level and aura effect buffs.

The Auras I'm running are Discipline, Clarity, and Vitality. I can switch in hatred, purity of fire, purity of elements as needed. My biggest problem with this skill and trying to compete with other builds is my single target dps with the changes to bear trap, as well as my multi target with large physical reflect packs / maps with and without vuln on me. I currently have 6.2k HP and 1.6k unreserved mana (so I can safely say I have nearly an 8k life reflect buffer. The way I (somewhat) deal with reflect is through a level 19 (will be able to run 20) arctic armour, and 4 (soon to be 6 endurance charges).

---Problems I see with EK and how we as a community can work towards changing it:
1. Slow base cast speed -- It makes the build hard to play early on without cast speed gem / nodes as you're stuck in a cast animation for quite some time which could spell certain death. Which leads me to my next problem.

2. High base damage -- Doesn't look like a problem on paper right? High damage = good right? Eh.. Let's look into it. The current skill tree really doesn't have enough efficient nodes out there to correctly, and safely, scale EK. My tree provides me with as many efficient cast speed nodes to try and maximize damage while reducing large reflect on me. Let's face it, as far as self casting is concerned, crit nodes are certainly out of the question.

3. 2nd rate reflect mitigation -- The way the current armour reduction forumla is panned out, the higher I scale my EK, the less effective my own personal armour becomes. And with the new implementation of Purity of Ice/Fire/Lightning, it makes self casting elemental builds that much safer and easier to scale.

---Potential ways of making EK a more viable self casting ability:
1. Faster base cast speed, lowered base damage -- A much safer and more reliable way to control it's reflect.
2. Reducing the potency of crit / crit multiplier -- This would put self casting EK on an even playing field with nearly every other caster, wander, split arrower, the list goes on, who CAN scale with crit multi.
3. Better % elemental / non reflect scaling -- I've been thinking about running double ming's heart in my build for 40% physical added as chaos to raise damage while mitigating damage return. Perhaps there can be other uniques / auras added that are more hatred'esque to help balance out the damage.



Just my 2 cents for now, may edit this later, I'm really disappointed going into map groups and seeing guys go "Oh Christ, he's playing EK, useless." I made this build to try out cloak of defiance and see how it may impact the meta, I'm really interested in the chest, but I think I'm taking the wrong route if EK stays the way it is.

"

Kusqt wrote:

---Potential ways of making EK a more viable self casting ability:
1. Faster base cast speed, lowered base damage -- A much safer and more reliable way to control it's reflect.
2. Reducing the potency of crit / crit multiplier -- This would put self casting EK on an even playing field with nearly every other caster, wander, split arrower, the list goes on, who CAN scale with crit multi.
3. Better % elemental / non reflect scaling -- I've been thinking about running double ming's heart in my build for 40% physical added as chaos to raise damage while mitigating damage return. Perhaps there can be other uniques / auras added that are more hatred'esque to help balance out the damage.

1. Will even further lower our dps against mobs for the same reason it would reduce reflect, the armor formula. Considering the high base damage it's not too much of a deal on normal situations but on enfeeble maps damages would be even more garbage. There is no need to reduce damage to compensate, increasing cast speed alone would work. My guess is the skill was nerfed because it was too easy to build decent damage without 5L and 6L, and now at endgame damage potential is awful in comparison of other 6L spells.

2. Then taking crit nodes over cast speed / spell damage ones would have no interest considering the already high gear / nodes investment required for crit build to be viable. No point doing that.

3. Other spells don't need auras or uniques to do decent damages, if they do that they will make the spell even more of a gimmick that it already is.

"

Kusqt wrote:

---Potential ways of making EK a more viable self casting ability:
1. Faster base cast speed, lowered base damage -- A much safer and more reliable way to control it's reflect.
2. Reducing the potency of crit / crit multiplier -- This would put self casting EK on an even playing field with nearly every other caster, wander, split arrower, the list goes on, who CAN scale with crit multi.
3. Better % elemental / non reflect scaling -- I've been thinking about running double ming's heart in my build for 40% physical added as chaos to raise damage while mitigating damage return. Perhaps there can be other uniques / auras added that are more hatred'esque to help balance out the damage.

1. There is much safer way to control reflect. It's called "Immortal call". Elemental builds can only dream of ability that provides total immunity to reflected damage (as well as to other sources of physical damage). And reducing base damage while increasing cast speed will decrease damage output because of armour.

2. Read 1. When you're immune, you dont care how high damage is dealt. You should want more crat chance and multiplier, not less.

3. Read 1. There already is Hatred to add cold damage and Added fire damage gem to add fire damage.

And if you're unable to use Immortal Call properly, you dont deserve to play Nemesis.

Is EK realy effected by both Passiv-Tree-Points "Increased Spell Damage" AND "Increased Projectile Damage"?

ek is boosted by physical damage (that isn't connected to weapon or attack), spell damage, projectile damage (that isn't connected to weapon or attack).
it is only benefiting from elemental damage if connected to added fire or is casted while under effect of hatred.

Dumb and overpowered

Underpowered


6 linked with crit on tree and gear. 4k-6k dps. Meanwhile BoR builds are pushing 6 times that.