2.4 Frostblades Pathfinder. (2.6 projection+raider option.)

Don't run HC too much.
I tend to make my builds around the idea of not dying though.

Most standard HC rules of life, leech etc. stacking def for enfeeble, fortify, end cry, ar/ev.
The knockback on flask is very important. Volitiles will not touch you. they die out of melee range.

you may wish to sacrifice some of the damage to go scion life.

needed to amend 6l gems.
dps estimates were for trash. Should have considered bosses as priority.

With ToA build and passives, Cold pen is highest 6l dps option vs bosses. While meleephys is best vs trash, with FA a step behind each.
With Elem Foils, Inc crit is top dps for 6l. Although cold pen does come close vs bosses.

Also interested in this build. Won't be my league starter as I'm going zombies but will definitely give it a whirl as my second.

May I ask why you don't go Acrobatics or Vaal Pact?

Also, why Pathfinder instead of Raider?

I can't help but feel like skipping out on Vaal Pact just because you're Pathfinder isn't worth it when you could just go Raider + Vaal Pact. Am I wrong here?

With Pathfinder, you should be running Granite/jade flasks. Rumi's was nerfed a bit. Acrobatics totally kills it though. 30% of your Dualwield, rumis block lost. As well as 50% of your armor.
The armor from hybrid gear imho when stacked with layered defense, (fortify/endcry/enfeeble) offers higher survival.

Pathfinder was nerfed a bit, as well. This was originally created for 2.4 Essance league. Pre Master surgeon nerf. and pre-raider buff. It is still slightly better defensively then raider, while raider slightly better raw dps.

Both have immune to status effects. however, pathfinders is onflask use. meaning 100% uptime, even out of combat. having immunity BEFORE you engage, or when popping open a chest.

Pathfinder 20% flask effect. applied to quicksilver adren... rumis, granite, jade, etc.. life flask.. so good.
8% elem DR taken. The newly added 10% less elem damage reflect taken, lessens this a bit. But, also stacks, making reflect even LESS of an issue... as if it was before with a sapphire flask.
40% elem damage while using a flask. equal to raider, now raider was buffed with that.
20% chance to freeze, shock and ignite while using a flask.
Immune to status effects while using a flask.
30% inc life recovery, gain a charge when you deal a crit. (1 charge effected by charge gain now. definitely nerfed.)
Remove bleed on flask use.

Bubbling life flask vs vaal pact.
Surgeons, seething and bubbling are prefixes. You can only have one.
ONLY pathfinder can have charge gain on crit, for an instant life flask. Seething or bubbling.
Again, I will admit the nerf to master surgeon has hurt this.


Raider
Must use silver flask for on call phasing. (pathfinder any flask, although a silver flask is highly desired as well.)
Frenzy on kill/hit. lets you swap out frenzy+pcoc with Dualstrike or other single target dps if you want.
+1 frenzy, and raw damage of slaughter.

If using claws with soulraker, I am really doubtful on vaalpact.
New 2.6 lets you path very close to vaal pact with little effort, thanks to buffed revenge of the hunted.
I definitely would not stop you from doing it. Playstyle difference mostly.
Vaalpact raider.
www.poeurl.com/5NS

New Frostblades Threshold jewel.
https://p7p4m6s5.ssl.hwcdn.net/public/bex/FightForSurvival.jpg

I do not recommend it.
The 15% cold pen, and 11% inc cold damage is a substantial dps value. only matched by a perfect roll, crit, crit multi, etc jewel. The price is 7% life jewels.

The Fight for Survival jewel will be 2-3% more dps vs BOSSES, then a 7% life+damage jewel. While, 7% life jewel is.. 7% life.

Perhaps an inquis would make use of it, I would suggest life is too valuable to rangers to give up. raw dps gains, do not justify the loss of 7-14% max life.

The ranger/shadow/duelist tree is cover with damage. you can get the sword nodes, crit nodes, claw nodes, attack speed nodes, etc. all point for point are comparable. 1 jewel=2-3 passive points.
Life isn't however. Since the threshold jewel does not add new function, avoid it.

Using the jewels allows you to take out cold penetration from your 6L which will can net you 20-30% MORE damage. The 50% proj speed is a big QoL too.

no it wont.

Cold pen is of course additive with other cold pen. so will devalue other.
But, you won't suddenly "no longer need to run it as a 6l."

Like, if I run 2 7% life, 16% cold damage, then 15%elem crit mult/15%melee crit
with 5l vs bosses. with my elefoils.
164k.
6l coldpen. 202k.
6l inc crit. 207k.

with thresholds.
172k 5l.
207k coldpen
214k inc crit.

yes, with higher pen, the inc crit becomes more valueable. but, not 20-30% more. 7k out of 207k is 3%.


ToA
5l with gg life jewels
195k
6l coldpen250k
6l fa/mphys/inc crit 241k

/w thresholds
5l 205k
6l coldpen 252k
6l mphys 255k


again, the variance does not remotely justify the loss of max life, imho.
250k 6l with life jewels vs 255k 6l with threshold. 2% more dps for 14% max life. no.
Shaper/guardians do have slightly more resist, which would increase the value of that pen a bit more. but, yeah. so is that life more valuable.

What do you think of this tree for CI?

http://poeplanner.com/AAYAAPkyAAB6Y6fdRpXMjbndSP1ukycRL2Sv62PBoNaK0NCNv746N9QRgY2BexSJ04o4bAv_3kmxFf2nK3gZePltbOkCXfLI8KOKAQlWY8LsJJ2btUX0FfYOSBmKmhfWB6EvAAaBrOdUuNk1ue4OlWZRRxutjDZLrrVILL8wfIauwzrBxflj7BjXz9lbj_ro1psmGyViWm0Zft3tP8EAqXkDhyLqDHMrCrGzX2pxsCo4tMWUuH8r5-pwUhGW-TNieZOQb1cRUH_GFde-ivk3034k_ed0koAFtZcGKgvviK_rhMUi9ORqDY31S_zFnrd_gMed8W33Pf8QjZI3TAAAAAAA

Using Path of Building, I get around 350K dps using dual Touch of Anguish with all flasks up (diamond, taste of hate, vinktars, kiaras, chalice) and around 8K es dual wield/10k with shield (700 regalia, 500 shield, 200 gloves+boots, 300 helm, 15% es rings+amulet. Kinda tempted to do this as my league starter, starting as life then transitioning to ci, but it's a bit costly to reach endgame potential.

I tried coming up with a CI version on reddit, after discussing it. For assassin, it not working well.

sounds good, if you came up with those figures.
does sound a bit higher then what I would expect from 155% es, and 1 frenzy, etc. Ill trust the settings though. nice. (probably vinktars/taste of hate)

Kiara's is not good for pathfinder. already immune to freeze/chill. yes, a the curse immunity is great, and you should have a backup for that. esp vs izaro during the curse phase. but the general reduced duration. no thanks. a regular silver flask. with curse immune+1 other thing is better.
overflowing chalice. you know, I think I was underestimating that. the 100% charges gained for the natures boon. nice.

I do see a couple things.
44 str in tree. going to need alot on gear.
www.poeurl.com/6PO I freed up a few damage nodes. You can grab the obvious ones again, if you think you need them, or hit level 98.

155 anc protector.
155 decoy totem.
111 fortify
155 end cry

Second issue. pathfinder 2 points from Alchemist, and you didnt grab it. haha. 30% flask effect man. (grabbed another 2p jewel while there as well.)
written in blood and melding are both 25% es. written in blood is also 10str, and paths you from inner to outer, saving 1 point.
Ranger start. 5 points to vaal pact. 16% proj, 30 dex, 10 int vs 32% eva, 12life/5%life, 20%phys damage with attacks, 4% attackspeed, OR, just 4 points via dex below.