Hello exiles.

You might remember me from https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/12sd5n3/ethereal_knives_1_lingering_blade_per_0/

I’ve updated the build with bigger explosions, lowered visibility, and questionable defensive layers to make something truly…

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POB: https://pobb.in/ZstUYuLDh8xK

T16 mapping https://youtu.be/319Yh7GznMc

T16 hydra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-xLoxD7t00

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Cons:

• Very exact gear minimum requirements.
• Forgetting to use a flask means death
• Accidently hitting a flask button on reflex means death
• Poor visibility
• Questionable bossing ability
• Even more questionable defenses
• Every area change requires you to restart the loop

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Pros:

• 178 green explosions / s
• 0 buttons required once the loop gets started
• 9k regen / s
• Fast mapping
• This build might be impossible in the future
• You feel that bosses have too little life

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Basics: The build uses the general skeleton Wardloop setup to trigger CwDT every 0.19 s.

• Rev up the engine with self cast forbidden rite. When your mana stabilizes, activate auras and start running
• Ethereal knives leaves 19 lingering blades when triggered
• Bladefall leaves 15 lingering blades.
• Blade blast causes everything to explode.
• Season monster with Despair and Wither to taste
• Use convocation to keep triggerbots from getting stuck, or to better position them.
• Leading monsters to walls gives the best EK lingering blade/blade blast overlap.
• Run around and squint to try to see and avoid anything that can kill you.
• Look for invisible spell effects on the MTX store.
• Realize there that the invisible spell effect MTX is in fact invisible.
• Take Advil sparingly for headaches.

Pro tips: Unsocket bladefall and turn off sound effects for a more comfortable POE experience

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What you’ll need

CwDT Wardloop:

Trigger level 21 summon skeletons that get cast twice for 8 skeletons, dealing 420*8 = 3,360 physical self damage which is enough to trigger lvl 20 CwDT

• Olroth’s flask with at most 44% increased flask charges used.
• Ward gear that gives at least 420 ward with Olroth’s up. (skin of the loyal is recommended)
• Enough reduced flask charges used, increased flask duration, and increased flask charges gained to keep up Olroth’s permanently
• Brutal restraint with Traitor Keystone (Balbala 4017 is ideal).
• Lvl 20 Anomalous summon skeletons
• +1 all skill gems amulet
• less duration support with 53% less skill duration exactly
• To dust jewels with 58% reduced skeleton duration exactly
• Anomalous minion speed with 20% quality.
• A source for +1 skeletons
• Heartbound loop with 20% quality from noxious catalysts
• A flask with 25% reduced mana cost of skills

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Lingering blade setup:

• Up to 3 crucible mods with “Ethereal Knives requires 1 fewer projectile to leave each lingering blade”
• Anomalous Ethereal Knives (lvl 3) - Greater Volley - Greater Multiple projectiles - CwDT
• Bladefall (lvl 1) - Concentrated Effect - Spell Cascade (lvl 1) - CwDT
• Blade Blast (lvl 20 max) - CwDT (lvl 19 in skin of the loyal, 20 otherwise) - increased area of effect - unbound ailments - empower - void manipulation
• Depending on the colors of your skin of the loyal, other good options are: Cruelty, Awakened added Chaos Damage, Energy leech support (with eldritch battery)
• Also, use chance to poison support if you do not have the forbidden flame/flesh jewels for Noxious

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Other Gear notes:

Last I checked there are only 26 obliterations with the lingering blade crucible passive on trade. You might need to use a different wand (or staff or sceptre) depending on availability.

Other Tips:

Trigger bots have questionable AI with ethereal knives. On an average boss, the trigger bots run up to the boss and fire ethereal knives past it, leaving lingering blades/blade blast too far away to hit it. Kiting monsters works well, but Apex bosses don’t tend to run after you.

To try to fix the blast overlap, we use lots of extra AOE on blade blast and lots of reduced projectile speed for ethereal knives. Unfortunately, outside of Kalandra league, reduced projectile speed is incredibly rare with POE. There are 2 passives on the tree, one support gem (which can also be found on shaper gloves), and one mastery.

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Should I play this build?

Short answer: No

Long answer: nooooooooooooooooooo

But seriously, the build has questionable defenses, average damage, and causes plenty of accidental deaths. Small gear changes can completely brick the build and you will may end up spending more time on trade than actually playing the game. On top of that, getting obliterations with the ethereal knives crucible passive might be literally impossible if 5 people decide to try this build. To top it off, if you don't have enough AOE and reduced projectile speed, you will be doing 1/4 damage to apex bosses.

On the other hand, the most green explosions possible in POE!