[2.2] Nubcake's Comprehensive Guide to Phys Claw Crit Frost Blades!

Build Guide Video coming Soon™
Gameplay Video coming Soon™

Explanation coming Soon™

There are lots of ways to play Frost Blades, but these 4 setups are the best ways I envision Claw Frost Blades working. First, I'll cover the basics of what you want in the build, then I'll go over the things specific to each variation. Frost Blades to me is about speed and nimbleness. You dash around the battlefield flinging shards of deadly ice at your enemies, destroying them all while avoiding their attacks, and my builds reflect this. I'll break it down into your primary offensive and defensive stats...

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Offensive Stats:
Physical Attack Damage with Claws (or 1H weapons, or just attacks)
Projectile Damage
Projectile Speed
Attack Speed
Crit Chance/Damage
Frenzy Charges

Honestly, these are all pretty straightforward. In the passive tree you want to scale your damage in all the ways you'd expect - direct damage scaling, attack speed, crit, and Frenzy Charges. You use Power Charges as well, but they're less potent and you get none in the tree. The only real oddball stat here is Projectile Speed. You don't get a ton of it, but it's extremely useful. Projectile Speed increases the seek/targeting range of Frost Blades, which allows you to cover a larger area with a single attack. This comes into play even moreso once you add chaining to the mix, and trust me, you want to chain.

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Defensive Stats:
Life
Evasion
Dodge/Spell Dodge
Attack Speed

Again, these are pretty simple choices. Evasion is my defense of choice for this build, though Armour is also a solid choice if you want a more "guaranteed" defense (which I can understand if you want to play this in hardcore). Attack Speed is a pseudo-defense, as it reduces your animation time and allows you to be more nimble in avoiding damage, so I've included it here. There's a reason you get a decent bit in the tree.

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Other Notes:

Most of these specs get Acrobatics/Phase Acrobatics. This is what I prefer using for this build, but it is not a requirement. If you're interested in getting more consistent defense, please feel free to use Iron Reflexes instead. This would have the added benefit of making your block chance more useful.

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And now for the specific variations and their unique attributes (poeurl not working for me... sorry). Please note - these builds are all VERY high point usage (level 97ish). They are meant to show your "perfectly complete" state. Until I complete a leveling section, just prioritize whatever you feel you need.

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Dual-wielding Deadeye Ranger (Highest DPS): http://exilecraft.org/#AAAAAwIAAAYAXgEJA4cEsQUtBbUHHgguDHMM8g2NDkgRLxGWE9oVQxX2Ff0WvxmOG60j9iT9JpUqCy5TMHEwfDY9N9Q6Qj7PQzFF9Ed+SVFKfUscS3hM/02STipRR1VLWhpbr13yYEFh4mJ5YqxjcGSvZU1sjG9XcFJ0rnTtdct1/XgZeu97FH11hG+E2Yd2idOKOIrwjDaNfY1+jYGNv4/BlS6VZpuNnaqjiqXLpn+wq7EBsbO0xbVIuNm9Nr3mvqfBoMLswzPEgs2Yz17Tb9N+1CPUQtYH2sHdSN2o3hjjn+dU6Ubpvepi62PtP+1B7YPuDvC78NX8xf66/94=

This, as stated, is (I think) the highest possible AoE DPS you can achieve with Frost Blades, but I could be wrong on that. The Deadeye Ascendancy class gives you two extremely powerful things: Ricochet (+1 Chain) and Far Shot (30% More damage at range). Chain from Ricochet is nearly a 100% more damage multiplier as all of your blades with now hit twice, drastically increasing clear speed. This won't help as much on bosses since your Far Shot and Chain are not likely to deal any damage to the boss unless there are constant ad spawns. Dual Wielding gives you a ton of offense on its own, but when you add in Heart of Anguish to the mix, you get a truly potent combination - +3 Chain with no damage penalty.

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1H/Shield Deadeye Ranger: http://exilecraft.org/#AAAAAwIAAF4BCQSxBS0FtQceCC4M8g2NDkgRLxGWE9oVQxX9Fr8ZjhutI/Yk/SaVKgsuUzBxMHw2PTfUOkI6rT3iPs9DMUX0R35I7klRSn1LHEt4TP9Nkk4qUUdVS1oaW69d8l5FYeJirGSvZU1noGyMb1dwUnSudO11y3X9eBl4rnrvexR9dYRvhNmHdonTijiK8Iw2jX2Nfo2Bjb+PwZLzlS6bjZ2qo4qly6Z/sKuxAbGztMW1SLjZvTa95r6nwaDC7MMzxILNmM9e02/TftQj1ELWB9rB3UjdqN4Y45/nVOlG6b3qYutj7T/tQe2D7g7wu/DV+uv8xf66/94=

This is how I prefer to level up at Frost Blades when going Deadeye. Getting a single weapon can be pretty tough on its own early on, so trying to get 2 is annoying to say the least. Getting a shield to help me stay alive and round out my defenses is a good choice in my book, and it allows you to spec into dual-wielding later if you would like to with rather few respec points needed. Otherwise, this build is the same as the dual-wielding variant of Deadeye.

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Dual-wielding Gladiator Duelist: http://exilecraft.org/#AAAAAwQAAAYAXgEJA4cEsQUtBbUHHgguDHMM8g2NDkMOSBEvEZYV9hX9Fr8ZjhutI/Yk/SaVKgsuUzBxMHw2PTfUOkI9AD7PQzFF9Ed+SVFKfUscS3hM/02STipRR1VLWhpbr13yXzlgQWHiYnlirGNwZK9lTWyMbNhvV3BSdO11y3X9eBl673sUfXV/2oGbhG+E2Yd2idOKOIrwjDaNfY1+jYGNv4/BlS6VZpstnaqjiqXLpn+wq7GztMW1SLjZvTa95r54vqfBoMLswzPEgs1fzZjTb9N+1CPUQtYH2sHdSN2o45/nVOlG6mLrY+0/7UHtg+4O8NX8xf66/94=

This is a fun variant that I thought of, but admittedly haven't tried myself. Gladiator gets a couple of interesting things: Frenzy/Endurance Charge generation, and Bleed fun. The charge generation is nice in itself as it can reduce/remove your need for Blood Rage and Enduring Cry, but the Bleed mechanics are a little more complex. There are two notable aspects here: increased damage to bleeding enemies, and exploding bleeding enemies. The Bleed itself is rather pointless, but you ultimately get 60% increased damage to bleeding enemies, which is nothing to scoff at. However, you ALSO get a chance to blow up bleeding enemies dealing damage to nearby enemies. Neat, huh? You do lose the +1 Chain from Deadeye as well as Far Shot, but using two Heart of Anguish gives you +2 chain, and that is plenty. I don't necessarily think this is better, but it's an alternate way to play the build that should be fun.

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1H/Shield Champion Duelist (Tankiest): http://exilecraft.org/#AAAAAwQAAF4BCQSxBS0FPAW1Bx4ILg2NDkgRLxGWEuEV/Ra/GY4bRhutIWAj9iT9JpUppSoLMHw2PTfUOq094kCgQzFEnkX0RrdHfkh4SO5JUUp9SxxM/02STipRR1O7VUtbr13yXhNfOWFSYZhh4mKsZK9lTWegbIxvV3BSdO108XXLdf14GXiueu97FHvUfXWEb4SUhNmHdolxidOKOIrwi6aMNo19jX6NgY2/j8GS0JUumy2dqqOKpn+wq7GztMW1SLjZvTa+p7/VwaDC7MSCxVPNmNNv037UQtYH3DLdSOOf51TpRupi62PsXO0/7UHtg+4O707w1fzF/rr/3g==

This build is... very tanky. You sacrifice quite a bit of damage by dropping your extra Frenzy Charges and damage in the tree, but in return you can stretch your build over to Rampart, pick up an Endurance Charge (unless you want another Frenzy Charge instead), and get Iron Reflexes to increase the consistency of and overall maximize your defense. Admittedly I haven't played this spec myself, but I can't imagine it would be very easy to die. The one downside to this spec is that you are essentially forced to use either the Chain Gem (which you don't want to do since it reduces your single-target damage a lot) or Heart of Anguish. You can get by with the gem until you get a Heart of Anguish, though, so it shouldn't be a huge problem. In the end, you should have a build with reasonably high life, quite a bit of armour (especially if you use Grace), reduced damage taken if you kill a taunted enemy (which you pretty much always will except against some bosses), and permanent fortify. Combine this with a Lightning Coil and Taste of Hate and you'll be hard-pressed to die if you pay attention while playing. Even with that much tankiness, you should deal quite a lot of damage overall and should be able to clear mid-high maps with relative ease, albeit a slower than the other specs.

Perhaps someone who tries this spec can suggest ways to better balance defense with offense? I would greatly appreciate it.

Normal: Oak (Life)
Cruel: Kraityn (Attack Speed)
Merciless: Kraityn/Oak (Frenzy/Endurance Charge)

The first two are pretty straightforward. In Merciless, most specs will get the Frenzy Charge, but you can also get the Endurance Charge if you want the extra tankiness it provides.

Coming Soon™

Frost Blades - Multistrike - Added Fire Damage - Weapon Elemental Damage - Increased Critical Damage/Strikes - Faster Attacks
The bread and butter of the build. Frost Blades works best with Multistrike to help overcome the rather tiny annoyance of "targeting" monsters, so you want to prioritize that over all other links, though getting a 3/4 link is pretty trivial nowadays. Your next two links are Added Fire and WED. Added Fire is a nice solid boost to your damage, and WED scales the Phys to Cold from Frost Blades, the Cold from Hatred, and the Fire from Added Fire, so it's a huge bonus once you have Added Fire. Depending on your setup, WED may be higher damage than Added Fire on a 3 link, but it varies, so use what is best if you're limited on links. When you hit your 5th link, you typically have decent crit chance by that point so Crit Damage is your biggest raw DPS boost. However, if your crit chance isn't incredibly high yet, you may want to consider using Increased Critical Strikes. Since it was last reworked it is actually quite powerful, and early on the shattering/freezing can be useful (though this is irrelevant later). As your 6th link, use whatever you like, but Faster Attacks is one of the best choices in my book. It's a solid damage boost like always and gives you pseudo defense by reducing your animation time for Frost Blades (even if only slightly). Cold Pen is another option, but only about half of your damage is Cold.

One other gem worth mentioning is Chain. Chain is very nice at certain stages in the game, but ultimately is not a gem you'll use indefinitely because it is replaced either by your second Deadeye Ascendancy or by Heart of Anguish (which I'll cover in the Gearing section).

Spectral Throw - Culling Strike - Added Fire Damage
Spectral throw is intended to deal with dangerous packs where you want to deal damage without standing as close and for culling when playing solo (or in non-MF groups). You won't end up using this all too often, but it's useful to have.

Whirling Blades - Faster Attacks - Fortify - Blood Magic
Again, straightforward.

Summon Ice Golem - Minion Life - Minion & Totem Elemental Resistance - Fortify/Minion Speed
Ice Brolem gives us four important things: crit chance, accuracy, a second target for enemies, and chilled ground. I prefer not having to summon him often, so I give mine a 4 link by default to make him tanky. Minion speed can be amusing, though, if you get 3 blue sockets on your (ideally) pure EV gear by chance.

Herald of Ice - Curse On Hit - Assassin's Mark
This is how you get your power charges. Before your crit chance is high enough to merit scaling crit, feel free to use Herald of Ash instead, but later on you'll want to use this for sure as Power Charges are quite nice for smoothing out your damage consistency with high crit chance.

Hatred or Grace
Hatred is a very high damage boost once you get WED and is one of the few things worth reserving your mana for. In Hardcore or if you want higher evasion, you can optionally use Grace instead. If your damage is plenty high without Hatred, there's no real downside to using Grace. You'll probably want to "link" this with Herald of Ice so neither part of your reserved mana is on a weapon (in case of accidental weapon swaps).

Vaal Haste - Blood Rage - Increased Duration/Enduring Cry
Vaal Haste is pretty obviously good - attack/cast speed and movement speed for everyone, woo! You'll deal plenty of damage without using it all of the time, but it's nice to have for bosses or tough packs. Blood Rage is your initial way of generating Frenzy Charges, which are a rather large portion of your damage in the end. Beyond that, attack speed and life leech are both useful stats to have, and your life regen from the passive tree nearly negates the degen. There are ways to completely negate it with gear or alternate pathing, and you can do so if you wish, but you likely won't feel the need to. If you're going with an offensive variant, Increased Duration is useful for the first two links. If you want to maximize Defense, Enduring Cry is the way to go.

Basically, you want to make sure your resists are capped (preferably overcapped for ele weakness, but can be expensive with certain uniques being used), then get attack speed, phys damage, crit chance/multi, evasion, and life wherever you can (defense comes first - you'll thank me later). You can use Maligaro's if you want, but while their damage boost is great, they lack any noticeable defense and aren't really worth using (in my opinion) if you can get a good pair of high life, attack speed, phys damage gloves. Use what you want, though.

For your claw, you want high pDPS and high crit chance. Don't worry too much about the attack speed as long as you have solid DPS. Crit multi is nice if you can get it as well, but it can be EXTREMELY expensive or time-consuming to obtain a "perfect" claw.

For flasks, a lot of it is going to be personal taste. I like to run two Instant Divine Flasks - one for bleed and one for freeze. After that, you'll probably want to run a Stibnite (or Jade depending on your Evasion) with %Evasion and charge on crit. Your last two flasks are really whatever you have or what you want. Atziri's Promise is pretty cheap generally speaking (a few days into a league at least) and is generally a solid choice. There is also the new Silver Flask that grants Onslaught during Flask Effect (Onslaught grants 20% attack/cast/move speed), and this is generally much better than using something like a quicksilver as you will generally be moving around with whirling blades instead of running around directly, though the Silver Flask helps with both of these options.

To get into low-mid maps, you can legitimately spend 10-15 chaos total and you should be good to go. Obviously there are some nice boosts you can get eventually, and those make your other gear more expensive too, but this is a pretty cheap build to get rolling with and can be done entirely self-found relatively easily (weapon being the only tricky bit).

As for your stretch goals for gear, there are 4:

1. Lightning Coil
2. Taste of Hate
3. Rat's Nest
4. Heart of Anguish

Lightning Coil and Taste of Hate are pretty popular nowadays for their semi-unique defensive capability of converting physical damage taken to elemental damage (which is then resisted). This is invaluable for an Evasion-based character because your one major defensive flaw is a lack of physical mitigation, which these two items address. Rat's Nest is a nice boost to crit chance and damage overall as well as a bit of rarity. However, it doesn't give any life, so make sure you have enough elsewhere before you try to use one.

Lastly, you have Heart of Anguish. I won't give too many details on this one just yet because it has not been finalized, but I will say that it is my own Unique Item Design and it may very well be a claw that provides chain... ;)

- Finish updating gear section
- Leveling section
- Gameplay video
- Build video
- Mechanics explanation
- Add art (banner, pictures, item links, etc)

March 21, 2016: Nearly finish the guide. Hooray!
March 13, 2016: Initial Post