Splitting Steel Trickster goes Smite

I somewhat hastily changed my Spltting Steel Trickster to max Block Smite.

It feels tankier, but since my ES has melted from 26k to 17k, so have my max hit values in PoB.
I suspect its since I don't block 100%, the big boss attacks are probably being calculated as hits.
Is there anything I can enter in the configs to get “comparable” values?
Or am i really just tankier against small hits and more vulnerable against the big ones?

Unfortunately, also my damage has been halved. (no Doriany Merc, so expected)
I'm probably just missing a good Lethal Pride and one or two mods on my gear. But basically, I'm wondering why this has to be a Smite build? Wouldn't LS or SS max Block have worked just as well?

And what's the deal with this Generals Cry/Desecrate/Blade Flurry combo?
The Mirage Warriors do almost nothing against bosses.
They sometimes even struggle against small stuff and just block the view on ground effects.
I don't understand the point behind it.

Can someone enlighten lvl 3 me?

Not sure. I saw the meta has changed, what where the changes exactly?

Notthing i guess.
I just play Standard.
Standing in my hideout. Alone.
Wondering myself.

Seems like something change.

Trickster

Settlers Merc

SDJ .3% 32%
SS 11% .1%

Ah, probably this.

Splitting Steel: Projectiles can no longer return. Now has 120-387% Effectiveness of Base and Added Damage at gem levels 1-20 (previously 120-330%), and now has a base Radius of 0.8-1.2 metres at gem levels 1-20 (previously 0.6-1).

I don't know about the build, can't help there sorry. GC might be for clear? Doesn't look like everyone is using it.

That is a bummer.
Could explains why i didnt felt a difference between Nimiz or not.
Or does Nimiz overwrite the SS Nerf?

Damage was still much better though.

Nevertheless, this nerf alone cant be the reason to go Smite bc it has no returning Procs anyway.

I think it includes nimis, no return proj for the skill.

Might be that the main reason SS was strong was the return proj and without it, it falls behind other skills. There could be other changes as well, that was just one I that I found. Possibly some Merc interactions, not familiar with the build.

Yeah if you go block and cut ES to do it your going to lose damage and max hit. However max hit rarely maters once your past 15k ES as there is only a few monsters that do that much max hit damage in the game. I think the bigger issue is losing damage as it makes t17 bosses harder but it's not like you lose all your damage just some. I'v try'd both setups and I kind of perfer block as you can tank a lot more sustained damage but I don't really farm t17s and I feel non block would perform better in t17 just because more damage.

So in short I think they are both viable one might just be better than the other in different situations.

As to why people use generals cry it's mostly because you have lots of socket space on the build so might as well throw something in that helps with clear a tiny bit. Reason it does almost no damage is mostly because it's just 4 linked and two of those links are general cry and autoexert.

Splitting steal got nerfed this league too I think if I remember right so that might be a bit of the reason why people went ham on smite. I think the transfigured version of smite has better clear too idk about that for sure.

I will say this also lightning strike is still viable imo if you like that play style as long as your not bossing a lot. Yeah it lost 50% of it's damage but the clear is just so nice on it and vaal lightning strike is still a lot of single target dmg when it's up.