Level 100 CI Crit Flicker Strike Elementalist^3.27

Notes

This is a build guide for a flicker strike elementalist character. Insanely tanky with very high ES to survive juiced content. Uber viable with gem swap (double strike of momentum). 

Suprisingly SSF viable. Hardest item to acquire would be Ashes of the Stars, a level 3+ Enhance, and the correct Light of Meaning. Even then, a Retaliation Charm works as a decent substitute until you are ready to swap. Entry level ES 
gear can be acquired using the tree-crafting league mechanic. High-investment gear must be crafted using the correct essence on a fractured item (woe, torment, spite). Earliest you could swap to flicker would be level ~67 (Act 10) with 
at least Retaliation Charm + Mark Mastery. A generic witch leveling setup is recommended (arma brand, mines, SRS, etc.)

Mandatory uniques:
	Retaliation Charm OR Ashes of the Stars are mandatory to sustain frenzy charges. Retaliation Charm is a T5 unique with very low drop level (30), making it a very easy item to acquire through gambling for amulets or as a global drop.

How does this build sustain Frenzy Charges?
	15% base chance on hit from Flicker Strike
		+10 base chance on hit from 20% gem quality
	+15-20% chance on hit from Ashes of the Stars OR Retaliation Charm
	(Optional) +10% chance vs. marked target from Mark Mastery
	Total: 43~55% chance to gain a frenzy on hit from all sources

How come I sometimes run out of frenzy charges even with X% chance to gain frenzy on hit?
	Either your map rolled "monsters steal frenzy, power, and endurance charges" as a modifier, you are fighting a rare enemy steals charges, or the enemy you are fightning blocks attacks (expedition modifier, monster modifier).

A note for Melee Splash support:
	Having melee splash is virtually mandatory for the build. The annoint for Tribal Fury solves this problem, but it requires some very expensive oils (Opalescent + Silver + Gold).
	Even if expensive, getting the annoint on your Retaliation Charm amulet is a wise investment as it gives you back a 30-40% damage multiplier from swapping to a better support gem.

Recommended support links:
	Maximum Damage + Utility: Flicker Strike -> Multistrike -> Volatility -> Increased Critical Damage -> Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks -> Inspiration
		Zero mana cost flicker strike, ignores no-leech/less recovery, ignores elemental reflect. Spam 3 red sockets in the crafting bench. Expected cost in chromes: ~5.5k chromes
	Good compromise: Flicker Strike -> Multistrike -> Volatility -> Increased Critical Damage -> Awakened Elemental Damage with Attacks -> Increased Critical Strikes
		Ignores elemental reflect, caps critical strike chance more easily. Spam 1 red. Expected Cost in chromes: ~650 chromes
		You can also use an [Omen of Blanching] hoping you get at least 3 white sockets and 1 green OR red socket.
	Cheap socket colors: Flicker Strike -> Multistrike -> Volatility -> Increased Critical Damage -> (Awakened) Lightning Penetration -> Increased Critical Strikes
		Caps critical strike. Spam 1 red, OR 1 green and 1 red sockets in the crafting bench. Expected Cost in chromes: ~90 chromes

Ascendancy Order:
	Liege of the Primordial -> Everything else
		You can leave Farrul's ascendancy for last as it requires both killing Farrul and the points from Uber Lab.
		In an SSF enviroment, you may opt take Bastion of Elements as your 2nd lab for both survival and to avoid elemental reflect damage during map progression.

Mandatory spectre:
	[Perfect] Spirit of Fortune
		Perfect version grants lucky lightning damage, which is a massive damage upgrade.

Recommended spectre (2nd):
	Carnage Chieftain / Stygian Silverback / Aboriginal Chieftain
		Act 2 monkey, very easy to get. Generates frenzy charges every ~6 seconds for the entire party. Good to generate a starting charge to prevent stalling.

Optional spectres (substitutes monkey):
	[Perfect] Forest Tiger
		Perfect version grants frenzy charge on hit and level 1 Haste aura. 
	[Perfect] Guardian Turtle
		Perfect version grants level 1 Determination aura. Could substitute determination for Haste or Flesh and Stone.
	Regular or [Perfect] Warlord
		Generates endurance charges for the entire party.

How often do Spectres die?
	At lower investment (no quality, no enhance, no Ashes) the spectres will not have enough elemental resistances to survive most mapping scenarios. Getting all the extra quality on the gem helps tremendously.

When can I transition to flicker strike?
	I found the best time to make the swap was roughly at level 67, just before killing act 10 Kitava. That said, the later you make the switch the easier it is to fix problems with the build.
	Having high ES gear ready during leveling also makes a massive difference. That said, this build is still perfectly playable from start to finish as a leaguestart, provided you are willing to grind for the gear required.

Aegis Aurora vs. Shaper Shield? Which is better?
	Aegis aurora is better at lower ES pools (<8k ES) since your "gained on block" values scale more easily from granite flasks, determination auras, and gear.
	Otherwise, shaper shield is BiS provided you have more than 8k ES and can craft a really good shield with (crafted) attack speed. 

How important are cluster jewels?
	Cluster jewels are not mandatory to the build. The passive tree solves most problems with the build by just using clever pathing. That said, at higher invesetments more and more jewel sockets are used to pump more damage into the build.

How do you scale so much Energy Shield (ES)?
	The biggest sources for energy shield are, in order: Chestpiece > Armour + ES mastery (100% increased ES from chestpiece) > The Light of Meaning > Ashes of the Stars > Lvl.4 Ehnance > Energy Blade Quality > Stone golem quality