[3.24] 🗡The Nightblade🗡 Unholy Might : 100% phys converted to chaos

Nerfs and buffs in 3.20

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3323944

* Withering Steps is nerfed :

"

Withering Step could be used to keep up a far stronger Elusive effect on average, especially in combination with the Nightblade Support [...]

Solution:
Withering Step can no longer be used while already Elusive.

* The legendary Bino's Kitchen Butcher Knife is buffed !

"

The Bino's Kitchen Knife Unique Dagger no longer has 30% increased Damage over Time. It now has "Adds 140-155 to 210-235 Physical Damage" (previously 50-60 to 120-140). Existing versions of this Unique can be updated using a Divine Orb.

I hope it won't become too rare, though.

* Marginally :

"

Added a new Totem Mastery that provides "Ancestor Totem Buff Effects Linger for 3 seconds", which replaces the "50% increased Totem Placement range" Mastery.

But this mastery will be too far from the regular tree path to reach.

Here is a beta version of PoB link for 3.20 :
https://pastebin.com/qBd12jsv

Removed Withering Step, which cannot refresh an existing Elusive buff.
Put an average 120% Elusive effect.

*

Note for later, will add these recommended uniques :
* Bino's Kitchen (buffed)
* Devoto's Devotion helmet
* Marylene's Fallacy amulet

OMFG...



How could I miss this :

"

Introduced 8 new Vaal Skill Gems: Vaal Cleave, Vaal Flicker Strike, Vaal Blade Flurry, Vaal Venom Gyre, Vaal Molten Strike, Vaal Caustic Arrow, Vaal Volcanic Fissure, and Vaal Smite.

Damn, the withering step stuff is sad, I truly loved the phasing and the movement speed. But it is what it is, I guess.

Did a 100% phys to cold with Goathide gloves this league, was extremely refreshing and fun, especially the new paths that open up with cold nodes.

Still hyped for Vaal BF, maybe it's going to be interesting.

Cheers. Hope ya'll have a wonderful start this league!!

@Kitsunea : I'm currently getting used to playing without WS. The refresh of Elusive feels like a speed mushroom in Mario Kart.
I hope Vaal BF grants more stages. But that could be more AoE, similar to a General's Cry BF maybe ? I'd prefer a bonus for single target.

I should do a full cold variant one day. I've briefly tested it in Ultimatum league, but after a while, the regular version had more DPS.

Vaal BF preview is out in a vid on twitter. Looks like a bigger and stronger version of full release, but only visual details are known. If it can unleash like 50 stacks that either spready to nearby enemies or more importantly - if it can unleash all those stacks on a single target, I see a big bossing increase for the build.

Looks nice and next week i will leaguestart with BF shadow after a long hiatus.

Thank you for keeping this build alive and I hope next year, our favourite ascendancy gets an update, because as much as I love him, he feels underwhelming and squishy.

"

I should do a full cold variant one day. I've briefly tested it in Ultimatum league, but after a while, the regular version had more DPS.

That would be so nice, considering how much I hate doing poison builds. Either that or a re-visit to insta-leech with bloodseeker claw.

@Impirias : Also, it appears nearby enemies are blinded while you charge.
While Vaal BF explodes everywhere, you can already be moving and using regular BF.
Good for clear.

But clearspeed is not main my main concern either. I sure hope all these AoE can overlap on a single target. Maybe we can improve this with Concentrated Effect.

A cycle could be : Assassin's Mark, wait for max Elusiveness, Vaal Warchief, flasks, Vaal Blade Flurry, Whirling Blades to go behind boss, Blade Flurry.

To get Vaal charges real quick, we could use the Soul Ripper flask
(+ The Overflowing Chalice flask to refill Soul Ripper faster.)

Bloodseeker + cold version ? Why not, can be good.

*

Started to update the first post
* Removed Withering Step
* Removed/corrected outdated infos here and there
* Added unique items in Gearing

EDIT

Ok, so I've just bought these for Vaal BF :

5c


80c for a 20% chance version.

They won't be removed in 3.20, but they may become more expensive, due to the new Vaal skills. May be worth buying them now.
Chill of Corruption for maps, Atziri's Reign for standalone bosses.

2nd beta PoB for 3.20 :
https://pastebin.com/sURwLg6G

* Dread Banner (replacing War Banner) + Physical mastery = 50% chance to Impale.
This compensates a bit the loss of Withering Step.
* A new Brutal Restraint jewel with better mods. NB : 5% phys as extra cold is not enough to reliably freeze/shatter enemies. I need the mod on the amulet.
* 66% chaos res
* The Mana notable of the Duelist, Mana Flows, which grants 20 INT, replaces Mind Drinker.
* A 5th Power charge.

Remaining issue : the Shock effect against bosses is very low (5 or 6%). Probably not worth the Shaper mod on the amulet.

Vaal Blade Flurry

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3324768

It can store only one use and it requires 30 souls (quite a lot actually).

It does not gain dmg with the number of stages and deals a massive hit when channelling ends : 7 times the dmg effectiveness (343%/49%) and twice the speed of normal BF (320%/160%).
It deals area dmg to each enemy in the circle, but I don't know whether these little AoE can overlap. Can you shotgun a boss surrounded by ads ?

Does it take longer to reach the max 90 radius if you have Concentrated Effect ? I think it does.

So it's clearly designed to compensate the weakness of BF, which is clearspeed, and not especially to help against single targets. But who knows, it might work. At least, it can deal a huge hit against a boss.

Also, thx to its 50% less dmg taken while channelling, smart Redditors already think about using it to tank the Sirus death beam or the Shaper slam. I will test that for sure !

i love BF and assassin looks like something fresh i havent played BF with yet .

one question , does this build work in a scenario like :

day 2 ~4500 life , 5link and some 300 pDPS weapons

before you get like low life / petrified blood , legion jewel etc

or will yellow maps crush my soul