Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Fortitude, First to Strike Last to Fall, Master of Metal, and Conqueror. The Disciple of the Slaughter node and the Sword Mastery are great for Frenzy charge generation. The Armour and Evasion Mastery can make you immune to Bleeding if you use an armour based helmet and the Resistance Mastery can make you immune to Corrupted Blood. A Watcher's Eye unique jewel should be used for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, 25% chance to Impale enemies while using Pride, and 60% increased physical damage while using Pride. The Mana Mastery should be taken for mana reservation efficiency so you can use the recommended reservation skills. Try and take as many of the nearby life percent nodes as you can until you are up to around 7,000 life for survival. Note: The skill tree above is updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

The First to Strike, Last to Fall ascendancy makes you automatically recover 25% of your health when you are low on life with a 20 second cooldown. With the Fortitude ascendancy you will have 15 Fortification which reduces your physical damage taken from hits by 15%. Enduring Cry should also be used to generate Endurance charges for a reduction in physical damage taken and elemental damage taken. Flicker Strike Champions have very strong defensive passives from their tree and ascendancies.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Flicker Strike

Awakened Melee Physical Damage Support

Awakened Brutality Support

Awakened Melee Splash Support

Awakened Multistrike Support

Impale Support

 

Armour (6-link)

Vaal Haste

Empower Support

More Duration Support

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

More Duration Support

War Banner

Note: You should put auras here if you have +2 to socketed AoE gems on your helmet.

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Gloves (4-link)

Grace

Pride

Enlighten Support

Dash

Note: You should put auras here if you have +2 to socketed AoE gems on your gloves.

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

More Duration Support

Enhance Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace is the best defensive aura for this build and gives very high evasion. Pride gives more physical damage and is the best offensive aura for this build. Aspect of the Cat is free with Farrul's Fur body armour and alternates between 100% increased critical strike chance/15% chance to evade all attacks/100% Stealth which lowers enemies detection range and 10% increased attack speed. Pride should be used once you have the Mana Mastery for increased mana reservation efficiency and a level 4 Enlighten Support to decrease the mana reservation cost of your skills.

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Gem Notes​​

1. Steelskin is the recommended guard skill for this build because Immortal Call requires you to use potions more often and Molten Shell requires very high armour to be effective.

2. Flicker Strike of Power uses Power charges to bypass the cooldown instead of Frenzy charges and is a little behind this build once fully optimized because it's much easier to gear Flicker Strike for Frenzy charges than Power charges.

3. Vaal Haste can have its Vaal ability used without reservation once you have enough souls from defeating enemies to use it. Vaal Haste gives high increased attack speed and movement speed for a short to medium duration.

4. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and up to 10% life regeneration per second. Endurance charges reduce your physical damage taken and elemental damage taken.

5. Summon Flame Golem gives a 21% damage increase, gives 2% life replenishment on Culling Strike, kills enemies with 10% life remaining with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

6. If you find Flicker Strike which teleports through enemies to be too fast of a playstyle you can also check out the Impale Cyclone Champion Guide which can be found here Impale Cyclone Champion Guide.

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Equipment

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Weapon

Legacy Starforge

You will be hard pressed to find a better weapon than this. Legacy Starforge has up to 30% increased global accuracy, 100 life, 8% attack speed, physical damage can Shock, deal no elemental damage, and extremely high damage.

Rare Sword

A rare two hand sword can be even better than Legacy Starforge for a very expensive price. A sword is highly recommended because of the Sword Masteries which give both an 8% chance to generate a Frenzy charge when you hit a unique enemy and a 20% chance to Impale enemies. You can also use Tempering Orbs on rare weapons until you get increased physical modifiers but be aware that doing this is expensive and it can sometimes reforge the sockets.

Atziri's Disfavour

If you are a league player Atziri's Disfavour is a strong budget unique axe that has close to the same damage as legacy Starforge.

 

Armour

Farrul's Fur

Gives 100 life, Phasing, Frenzy and Power Charge generation, and free Aspect of the Cat. The Frenzy charge generation from this armor makes this armor required for Flicker Strike without using a budget Frenzy charge weapon option like Terminus Est.

 

Helmet

Rare Armour Helmet

Look for high life, strength, resistances, and optionally +2 to level of socketed AoE gems if you don't have it as a modifier on your gloves. Using a helmet with armour as the highest defensive stat makes you immune to Bleeding if you take the Armour and Evasion Mastery which allows you to use an increased damage flask in the place of a Bleeding/Corrupted Blood removal flask. Another optional modifier is 9% increased physical damage against nearby enemies. If you don't use 9% increased physical damage which adds influence you can use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll increased attack damage and increased damage per Power charge.

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Gloves

Rare Extra Strike Gloves

The very high end option has life, strength, optionally strike skills target 1 or 2 additional nearby enemies, +1 to Maximum Frenzy charges, increased attack speed, and increased accuracy.

Rare Gloves

You can also use regular rare gloves with life, increased attack speed, accuracy, resistances, and use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll overwhelms physical damage reduction and non-vaal strike skills target one additional nearby enemy.

Double Corruption Gloves

Another budget option is double corruption gloves with +1 to Maximum Frenzy Charges and +2 to level of socketed AoE gems.

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Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, life percent, strength, resistances, increased damage, and an abyssal socket. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look for an abyss jewel with high life, energy shield, attack speed, and accuracy.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for life, resistances, Onslaught on kill, Tailwind, Elusive, movement speed, and optionally Aspect of the Cat.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high attributes, high life, increased critical strike chance, and increased critical strike multiplier. You should also use Unstable Catalysts on the amulet to increase its critical strike modifiers.

Carnage Heart

The budget option gives up to 56 to all attributes, 20% to all elemental resistances, 2% life leech, 50% increased recovery from life leech, and 40% increased damage while leeching. You can use Intrinsic Catalysts to increase its attributes bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Vulnerability Ring

Look for Vulnerability on hit, strength, dexterity, high life, increased critical strike chance, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Aspect of the Cat Ring

Look for Aspect of the Cat if you don't have it on your boots, high life, strength, resistances, and accuracy.

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Tattoo (Standard Only)

Honoured Tattoo of the Berserker

This tattoo can replace a 30 dexterity node to give You Gain Onslaught For 4 Seconds on Hit which replaces the 12% chance to gain Onslaught on kill modifier on your boots slot.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, up to 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, 12% chance to block attacks, and 6% chance to block spells. Legacy Rumi's Concoction has much higher block chances. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you can automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Diamond Flask

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance and can have up to a 35% chance to gain a flask charge on critical strike and 17% increased attack speed. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Note: Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity aren't needed on a flask on this build because you can pick up Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity from the tree from the Armour and Evasion Mastery and the Resistance Mastery.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Fervour to gain +1 to Maximum Frenzy Charges at Cassia using an Amber Oil, Black Oil, and Silver Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 9% Increased Flicker Strike Damage per Frenzy Charge

Gloves: Commandment of Fury

Feet: 16% Increased Attack Speed if You've Killed Recently

Belt: 300 to Armour While Fortified

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Bandits

The best bandit to help in Act 2 is Alira because she gives 15% to all elemental resistances which allows you to focus more on damage from your equipment. If you don't need the resistances you can switch to Oak for 40 life which helps with survival.

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Pantheon

Soul of Solaris is the best major Pantheon power and gives 6% reduced physical damage taken when only one enemy is present, a 20% chance to take 50% less area damage, 8% reduced elemental damage taken if you haven't been hit recently, take no extra damage from critical strikes if you've been hit with a critical strike recently, and a 50% chance to avoid elemental ailments from critical strikes. Soul of Ryslatha is the best minor power and gives 60% increased life recovery from flasks at low life, life flask charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a life flask recently, and enemies you hit have 50% reduced life regeneration.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

The Blood Thorn

A great level one staff that gives a 30% block chance and curses enemies with Vulnerability when you block.

Limbsplit

Gives high physical damage for its level, level one Gore Shockwave if you have over 150 strength, +1 to socketed strength gems, and Culling Strike which kills enemies at 10% life.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great level one body armour that has 6 white linked sockets. This armour lets you link any color gems together inside of it which allows you to deal much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also get a Tabula Rasa with a high increased damage corruption which also requires level one for fairly cheap from the trade site.

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Helmet

Goldrim

An excellent level one resistance helmet with up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

These level one gloves are great for Flicker Strike and have up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate a Frenzy, Power, or Endurance charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap can be equipped at level nine and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

Tear of Purity requires level 5 and gives level 10 Purity of Elements which increases your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost. It also has up to 20 to all attributes, 40 to life, 10 to all resistances, and 30 intelligence.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can equip one or two Perandus Signets at level one until you get reduced mana cost. Perandus Signets give 65% mana regeneration, 65 mana, 2% increased intelligence for each unique item equipped, and 2% increased experience.

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Flasks

Quicksilver Flask

This flask can be used at level four and gives 40% increased movement speed which helps speed up the leveling process. This flask can also have increased attack speed or movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Taste of Hate (legacy option)

This flask only requires level 18 and gives 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage, 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage (legacy modifier), 5% to maximum cold resistance, 50% cold resistances, 30% reduced chance to be Frozen, and 30% less chance to be Chilled. You can optionally use this flask instead of a Quicksilver Flask for leveling. The older legacy versions are much better and have higher physical damage as extra cold damage and physical damage taken as cold damage. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which gives increased attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27 and can have increased attack speed or movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Bottled Faith (use a Sulphur Flask for 40% increased damage if you can't afford Bottled Faith)

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, creates consecrated ground, increases enemies damage taken by 10% on consecrated ground, and gives 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground.

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Leveling Gems

Ground Slam is the best starting melee skill to use at level one. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and can be used once you reach level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and can be used as early as level 10. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four and have 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level four and should be used as your travel skill at early levels. You can switch to Flicker Strike once you can equip a Terminus Est which is a budget Frenzy charge generation weapon that requires level 51.

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Upgrades

You can upgrade your weapon to Quecholli at level 22, to Stormheart at level 28, to Jorrhast's Blacksteel at level 44, to Terminus Est at level 51 (which allows you to switch to Flicker Strike), and finally to your endgame weapon. You can also use Carnage Heart which is the recommended amulet as early as level 20. This build also greatly benefits from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of your skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. Many of the items listed above last all the way to the midgame where better items will become available.

 

That's all for the Flicker Strike Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can also view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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