[2.6] LL PF Crit EK Nova (Probably the best EK Nova build out there)

HeyGuys!

I made an EK Nova Pathfinder and i freaking love it, so i thought i'd share my build.
The idea is to have so much Cast speed you are basicly playing manual BV. This speed is also needed for Pathfinder to generate flask charges.

It is Shaper, Guardians & Uber Atziri viable!
(You need to use ~35-38 flask charges from Vinktar.)

Proof


I farmed like 60 fragments with this character.
I died sometimes against nasty vaaled maps.
Also: Fuck Chimera's smoke phase!


I'm sorry i can't make any videos. My laptop sucks balls. :(



Let's start with some Pros and Cons:
Pros:
+One of the best clearspeed in the game. I have no doubt about this.
+Despite the common opinion, it's single target DPS is Insane! (500k FullBuffed)
+Tanky (VP, 9k ES)
+Not THAT expensive...
+Map mods won't slow you much


Cons:
-Mana issues
-Finding the right gear can be difficult & expensive
-Not the best for Guardians, especially Chimera
-Reflect can hurt. (You can run ele reflect map. Even turn off hatred if needed.)


Stats:
Stats:

Offensive unbuffed - Chain

Offensive Flasks - Chain

Offensive Full buffed - Slower proj

Defensuve unbuffed

Misc

I'll need higher reduced charges used for Shaper & reliable Guardian kills. Or a foil Vinktars. Hah'!

VP - Leech from Conversion Vinktars + Atziri flasks

Auras
Haste
Hatred
Discipline (reserved on life)
HoI (reserved on life + Curse on hit + Assassin's mark)


Passive tree:
1st: Bandits!

Normal: Passive
Cruel: Cast speed
Merciless: Power Charge








Gear:
Path of building pastebin
https://pastebin.com/umeXkxSU
It's with Guardian/shaper running tree.
I hope it works. You should be able to chose my brother's items as well.


Possible gear options:

Flasks:

I love Atziri flask!
Onslaught gives me 34% cast speed.
Need Conversion Vinktars for more leech.
Witchfire & Taste of Hate are good options to use. Need as low inc charges used as possible.
Shaper flask is basicly useless for us, but a nicly rolled Ruby helps vs Phoenix!

Helm:

Stun Avoidance is important for me. My current total was 94% (passive, boots, gloves). I don't have Skyforth boots yet and i would rather have it, even with them.
That's only a suffix tho, so not a big deal.
Enchant is important!

Weapon & Shield:

This weapon is not hard to craft.
You roll a good spell damage and that works with crafted Spell Crit.

I switched to wand once i bought Skyforths. Got 65% crit with charges, so rather go for spell dmg. I also swapped shield charge setup for cwdt.

Mine is pretty much BiS unless you have a mirror to spend on a shield.
You need ES Crit Suffix for Cast speed. Spell dmg is optional, Resist is nice.

Body Armour:

What a suprise!
+1 gem one would be awesome!

Gloves:

Vulner on Hit would be nice. Especially if you have a pair of Skyforths.
Note: Witchfire flask can solve that.
Otherwise we need Rare Essenced ones for Stun Avoidance. ES, Int, Res are also available here.
Decided to fix my str issues on the gloves slot once i didn't need stun avoidance on there.

Boots:

Well, the obvious choice is a pair of Skyforths.
Leech Enchant on the boots is the best for this build.
2nd best option is Whalers in my opinion. So much damage!

Amulet:

Yepp, pretty much what you want on an amulet.
ES Crit multi (Spell) Dmg Cast speed Crit Chance or Res.
There might be some cool talismans out there.
Chayula amulet is an option Especially with +1 curse.

Rings:

You need Resist here!
As much as you can, otherwise you spend 3 times the cost on other gear.
Cast speed and ES are also easy to get on this slot.
Valyrium is a viable option.

Belt:

You need STR from somewhere.
ES is nice to have, you can go with a Crystal belt.
Endurance charge has no use for me. One could go Warlord's mark tho.
Atziri belt is an option.

Jewels:

Yepp, we use him. Curse immun ones go for like an ex.
We stil buy em and love em!

Poetrade search options

STR is optional.


My current gear:


Gems:
Gems
<< EK + Inc Crit strikes + Controlled destruction + Spell echo + Empower 4, otherwise Crit multi + Pierce / Chain / Slower projectiles >>
<< Herald of Ice + Curse on Hit + Assassin's mark + Blood magic (lvl 20) >>
<< Discipline + Blood magic (lvl 20) + Enlighten (lvl 2 is enough) >>
<< Enlighten + Hatred + Haste >>
<< Faster attacks + Shield charge + Fortify (optional, could be cwdt + ic + inc dura) >>
<< Vaal Haste + Vaal Clarity + Inc dura (perfect way to end a map) >>
<< Lightning Warp + Less Duration >>
<< Lightning Golem >>


Leveling:
Leveling
It's perfectly fine going hybrid until higher levels.
There are quite a few chaos dmg dealing mobs on maps tho, so yeah...
Tabula will carry you till maps. Manaleech gem is the 6th link.


FAQ
- Why Chain?
Baceuse i like it more than Pierce, it clears nicer. My DPS i high enough i can run T16s with Chain and still 1shot packs. Pierce is still viable.


- How to deal with reflect?
We can't run phys reflect maps with this build.
Ele reflect maps or Reflect mobs should not be an issue if your flasks are up.

- Order to pick up Ascandancy points?
Master herbalist
Master surgeon
Nature's boon

- My DPS is lower than yours, why?
My gear is pretty much maxed out. You won't get similar numbers unless you invest heavily in the character.

- Is there a budget version?
Yes. It'll still cost like 15 ex tho. (6L shavs is mandatory)
Whalers instead of Skyforth | Crit multi gem instead of Empower | Valyrium/Chayula instead of Stun avoidance | No cast speed dagger | ~400 ES + Spell crit shield
It'll still clear T16s if you are high level.


That's it guys!
If you have any questions or suggestions let me know.
See ya!
Last edited by Flutt3r on Apr 23, 2017, 4:24:41 PM
Last bumped on Jan 6, 2018, 6:03:47 PM
Bump
Awesome! I took this as a guideline and took a more poison heavy way, since there were some pretty juicy chaos damage nodes on the way to the witch area. Intuitive leap jewel at melding area so that I can free up gem slots for a wither totem setup. Also nice tips about stun avoidance! I've always hated wearing Chayula or Valyrium
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nommi wrote:
Awesome! I took this as a guideline and took a more poison heavy way, since there were some pretty juicy chaos damage nodes on the way to the witch area. Intuitive leap jewel at melding area so that I can free up gem slots for a wither totem setup. Also nice tips about stun avoidance! I've always hated wearing Chayula or Valyrium


I'm glad you found it informative!
Looks interesting. Would be interested in seeing some videos of mapping/bosses to see overall playstyle (seen some of the others but wouldn't mind seeing how yours plays right now).

Bookmarked. Thank you for guide.
"
justinsroy wrote:
Looks interesting. Would be interested in seeing some videos of mapping/bosses to see overall playstyle (seen some of the others but wouldn't mind seeing how yours plays right now).

Bookmarked. Thank you for guide.


Sadly i can't make any videos on my laptop.
Maybe one day.
Hi!

I took this too as guideline, love it !

However, one question, maybe stupid ... why chain and not pierce ? :S ( or i'm blind and it's on the guide )
"
DimZzi wrote:
Hi!

I took this too as guideline, love it !

However, one question, maybe stupid ... why chain and not pierce ? :S ( or i'm blind and it's on the guide )


Hello!

I'm glad you like it!

I use Chain for faster clear speed.
You want to swap for Slower projectiles versus hard bosses anyways, why not clear the map as fast as possible till you reach them?
(Actually i only use slower proj against Dark forest boss, colosseum boss, extra hard rolled Overgrown ruin bosses and Guardians. My dps is high enough, even with chain i kill anything else in 2-4 seconds.)

If you lack dps you can use pierce, but once your dps is high enough you're faster with chain.
Thanks for the fast reply ! :)

I'll follow the advice then.
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