Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Crave the Slaughter, Flawless Savagery, Rite of Ruin, and Blitz. A Watcher's Eye jewel should be used for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, 60% increased cold damage while affected by Hatred, and damage penetrates 15% cold resistance while affected by Hatred. You can also use the legacy Fight for Survival jewel in the blue circle above in standard to make your cold damage with Frost Blades penetrate 15% cold resistances. The Fortify Mastery should be taken for 23% reduced damage taken from hits without needing Fortify Support so that you can use a better support gem. The Mana Mastery is also recommended for 12% increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. This is a melee build so make sure and take as many of the nearby life percent nodes as you can for survival. Note: The skill tree above has been updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

Enduring Cry is used for a large heal and generates Endurance charges which reduce your physical damage taken and elemental damage taken. The Fortify Mastery gives a 23% damage taken reduction from hits. Marauders also have a large number of life nodes in their tree which help with survival. This build also has the defensive advantage of using a staff which blocks attacks.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Vaal Haste

Empower Support (Assassin's Mark if you have an extra curse on your body armour)

More Duration Support (Mark On Hit if you have an extra curse on your body armour)

Summon Ice Golem

Minion Life Support

Culling Strike Support

 

Armour (6-link)

Frost Blades

Awakened Multistrike Support

Awakened Added Cold Damage Support

Awakened Cold Penetration Support

Awakened Elemental Damage With Attacks Support

Faster Attacks Support

 

Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Hatred

War Banner

Enlighten Support

 

Gloves (4-link)

Enduring Cry

Urgent Orders Support

More Duration Support

Flame Dash

 

Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower

More Duration Support

Enhance Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace is almost always the best defensive aura and gives very high evasion. Hatred is the best offensive aura for this build and significantly increases your cold damage. Hatred can be used once you have the 12% mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery 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. 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.

3. 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.

4. Summon Ice Golem gives an accuracy and critical strike chance increase, 2% life recovery on Culling Strike, kills enemies at 10% life with Culling Strike Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

5. If you would like another capable build that teleports through enemies and still does great damage you can also check out the Impale Flicker Strike Champion Guide here Impale Flicker Strike Champion Guide.

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Equipment

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Weapon

Rare Maelstrom Staff

Look for the highest damage per second Maelstrom Staff you can find. A Maelstrom Staff is the preferred base for its high damage for a staff and high block chance.

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How Do You Craft A Great Starter Frost Blades Staff?

To craft a starter staff you can purchase an ilvl 85+ Maelstrom Staff with a tier one attack speed fracture and roll Deafening Essences of Contempt which give high added physical damage until you get a high combined increased damage and accuracy modifier ideally with an open prefix. If needed you can also use an Annulment Orb to remove a prefix. You should then roll up to 129% increased physical damage at the crafting bench. You can use an Exalted Orb for another modifier if needed. If the weapon rolls high enough the next step is to use Tempering Orbs for a chance at an increased physical damage enchantment. Be aware that Tempering Orbs also sometimes reforge the sockets and it can take several tries to get the enchantment. Finally you should fix the sockets if needed and the end result is a very strong starter Frost Blades weapon.

 

Armour

Rare Critical Strike Chance Armour

Look for up to attacks have 1.5% to critical strike chance, high life, high strength, and optionally a 10% chance to gain a Frenzy charge on hit or an additional curse (which allows you to use Assassin's Mark and Mark on Hit Support).

Belly of the Beast

This budget chest armour has up to 40% increased life, 15% to all elemental resistances, and 50% increased flask life recovery rate. You can also look for an increased damage corruption for a little more currency.

 

Helmet

Rare Armour Helmet (recommended)

Look for high life, high resistances, accuracy, and +2 to level of socketed AoE gems. Using a rare armour based helmet allows you to get Bleeding immunity from the Armour and Evasion Mastery. You should also roll increased attack damage and increased damage per Power charge using Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors. 

Heatshiver (clearing option)

Gives 1% of cold damage as extra fire damage per 1% chill effect on the enemy, 30% of cold damage as extra fire damage when an enemy is frozen, 30% fire resistance, and 30% cold resistance. You can also look for a +2 to level of socketed AoE gems or +2 to level of socketed aura gems corruption once you can afford it.

Note: Many difficult bosses in this game won't have a high enough chill effect to benefit from Heatshiver. This build also lacks single target more than clearing damage. You will also lose Bleeding immunity when using Heatshiver because it's not an armour based helmet. If you still want to use a Heatshiver you should replace the recommended Diamond Flask that has 17% increased attack speed and 35% chance to gain a flask charge on critical strikes with a Bleeding immunity Diamond Flask.

 

Gloves

Rare Cold Damage Conversion Gloves

Look for high life, strength and/or dexterity, increased attack speed, physical damage converted to cold damage, and resistances and add increased damage during any flask effect at the crafting bench. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll physical damage converted to cold damage and non-vaal strike skills target 1 additional nearby enemy.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise

Look for high life, increased elemental damage with attack skills, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus or Turbulent Catalysts to increases its elemental damage with attack skills.

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, attack speed, and accuracy.

 

Boots

Rare Two-Toned Boots

Look for life, resistances, Onslaught, Tailwind, Elusive, and movement speed.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, high attributes, increased critical strike chance, and physical damage as extra fire damage. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus.

Carnage Heart

The budget amulet gives up to 56 to all attributes, 20% increased elemental resistances, 2% of physical damage leeched as life, 50% increased recovery from life leech, and 40% increased damage while leeching. You can also use Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attribute bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Frostbite Ring

One ring should have Frostbite on hit, life, strength, increased cold damage, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Reduced Mana Cost Ring

Look for life, strength, increased cold damage, resistances, and reduced total mana cost.

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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, 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.

Taste of Hate (legacy is better)

Gives 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage, 15% of physical damage taken as cold damage (legacy modifier), 30% of fire and lightning damage taken as cold damage (new modifier), 5% to maximum cold resistance, 50% cold resistances, 30% reduced chance to be Frozen, and 30% less chance to be Chilled. The legacy version has higher cold damage and better damage reduction. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever 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: You will be immune to Bleeding from your ascendancies and immune to Corrupted Blood from the Resistance Mastery so there's no need for a Bleeding/Corrupted Blood removal flask.

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Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Counterweight for 60% increased critical strike chance and 30% critical strike multiplier while wielding a staff at Cassia using a Clear Oil, Amber Oil, and Silver Oil.

 

Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 40% Increased Frost Blades Damage

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 two hand level one weapon with a 30% block chance that curses enemies with Vulnerability when you block.

Limbsplit

Requires level 13 and 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 chest armour that has 6 white linked sockets. Any color skill gems and support gems can be linked together inside of it which allows you to deal much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for 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 gloves can be used at level one and give 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy Charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

These boots require level nine and give as much as 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

Tear of Purity

This amulet requires level five and gives level 10 Purity of Elements, up to 20 to all attributes, 40 to life, 30 intelligence, and 10 to all elemental resistances. Purity of Elements increases your elemental resistances for a 50% mana reservation cost.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two Perandus Signets at level one that each give up to 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 increased 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 increased 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 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground.

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Leveling Gems

Frost Blades can be used as early as 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 to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four for a defensive guard skill. Dash also requires level four and should be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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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 43, to Terminus Est at level 51, and finally to your endgame weapon. Carnage Heart can be equipped at level 20 and is the budget amulet for this build. You can also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis ring at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of all skills by up to 16. The items in the leveling section above last all the way until the midgame where better items will become available.

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And that's all for the Frost Blades Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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