Level 95 Crit Frost Blades Warden^3.25

Notes

Link to a CRAFTING GUIDE playlist where you can find videos on how to craft the following: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv1T0NIWubWIuXdSgw_vuJvGr-qwAEry6&si=c66-g8V0MsyvCh5V
+2 Strike Gloves
GG Chest
Cluster Jewels
Shield
Claws - Multimod and 6-mod versions


3.25 LEAGUE WILDCARD/UNKNOWNS:
ENCHANTMENT NOTES:
IF CURSE ON HIT IS BiS Enchantment for Weapons - then Ele Weakness will be mandatory (Higher Int Requirement than Frostbite, but better)
Use Frostbite if you somehow cannot get the Int for Ele Weakness
Ele Weakness / Frostbite can be used with Arcanist Brand with Frost Bomb to turn 2 buttons into 1 for QoL. Can use seperately if yuo want to press 2 buttons instead of 1 button
RETURNING PROJ COULD BE A OPTION - FOR MORE DAMAGE, AND ALSO FOR MORE RAMPING SHOCK STACKS


WARDEN 
ASCENDANCY ORDER:
The Warden Ascendency points are inter-changeable - they are all very strong and have their own pros. Take them in any order you prefer - probably Scorch or Freeze first, Shock Last

OATH OF SPRING:
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT: You MUST have a Lightning Damage roll SOMEWHERE on your character, or you will NEVER shock at all. (or yoke)
Defiled Forces Anoint can be used to (potentially) Forever Ramp your stacks to 50 - IF you are cursing, either with a Brand up OR with a Curse On Hit (From Ring)
Shock ramp: may require additional skills to add more hits to ramp Shock stacks up
Vaal Lightning Strike CAN be used for ONLY this purpose - to ramp Shock Stacks up
Other options to ramp up Shock Stacks:
Defiled Forces anoint (probably best, requires curse)
(with Returning Projectiles):
VLS
Eye of Winter
Blazing Salvo


TATTOOS:
You MUST Tattoo Blind on Hit if you can't/don't get it elsewhere (claw/Blind wheel) - Blind is needed for Accuracy and more evasion, too strong not to have - 5% blind is a MINIMUM - if you have the Dex, go for 2x tattoos for 10% chance to blind.
You can Tattoo Suppression to help you cap if necessary
You can Tattoo Mark Effect OR Cold Damage - both are strong - Mark effect has some breakpoints with Crit/Multi, Check YOUR POB to see which is better


MASTERIES / PASSIVES:
Critical Strike Mastery: Take +50% Effect of Ailments until you have enough Damage to max Scorch without it - if you are NOT reaching Max Scorch (30+30%), do NOT switch that Mastery to 25% Multi Yet. If you can, then take 25% multi.
Suppression Mastery: Take Lucky Suppression until you reach 100% cap, and then change this mastery to Prevent +3% of suppressed damage.
Elusive Nodes: If you do NOT have a 5-Link and do NOT have Nightblade in your links, do NOT take any of the Elusive wheels/masteries, until you do
"From The Shadows" Dagger Wheel: TAKE THIS WHEEL + The Elusive Crit Multi Mastery - Nightblade gives you Elusive, which gives LOTS of Crit Multi, which is scaled by this wheel.
LIIFE on Day 1 Tree - If you want more life, take Thick Skin + Revenge of the Hunted Earlier  (We will take both of these things later anyway - definitely swap to Revenge of the Hunted and UNSPEC Survivaliist once you are comfortably resist-capped without it)
Accuracy Mastery - the "close range" mastery is the strongest one by far, and you will want to be close anyway for Brittle + Frostblink positioning. Make sure you Hitcap, but do not get TOO MUCH accuracy either.

MISC. NOTES
DAMAGE TYPES: Added Cold damage is best for raw damage. Added Fire Damage is good for getting better Scorches. Added Lightning Damage is REQUIRED (at least 1 roll somewhere) to proc Shocks - without any Lightning Damage, you will not be Shocking.
DAY 1 TREE LIFE - If you want more life, take Thick Skin + Revenge of the Hunted Earlier  (We will take both of these things later anyway - definitely swap to Revenge of the Hunted and UNSPEC Survivaliist once you are comfortably resist-capped without it.


ANOINT:
For budget - go Divine Judgment - VERY solid option,, especially early
Defiled Forces will DEFINITELY be the best IF it is the only tech to reach 50 shock stacks
OTHERWISE - Veteran's Wrath for Rage is another strong option
If there's an even better weapon enchantmant than Additional Curse (somehow), then Whispers of Doom could also be an option here


+2 STRIKES / PIERCE: 
Strikes: Whether or not you are ok with having +1 Strike (glove only) is up to you - I typically wait until I have +2 Strikes on gloves to drop the +1 Strike on Tree, but you can drop it sooner if you are OK with only +1 strike
(You will probably want to drop the +1 Strike wheel to get points to fit on a Cluster Jewel - level ~95+ish)
Pierce:  Having Pierce on the build makes clearspeed feel MUCH better, because it will enable your Herald of Ice explosions to clear FAR better - Herald of Ice does not self-proliferate because HoI explosions have low Crit(freeze), and only go off if the enemy shatters (killed while frozen)

RAGE
Rage is very strong as a multiplicative damage multipier now - but not strictly required for the build, its a luxury bonus.
The options to get Rage (30% more damage) are:
Anointing Veteran's Wrath for 2 Rage on Hit
OR
Lethal Pride with Rage on Hit (Replaced Phys Taken As Fire on LP)
IF You get Rage on Hit from a Lethal Pride, 1 Rage Per Hit will take 15 Seconds to ramp to 30 rage - very unlikely to ever actually happen.
If you get 2x Rage nodes, it will take 7.5 seconds to ramp, which is still a bit unlikely 
BUT - Rage is a MORE damage multilpier, and even having 10-15 Rage is still VERY strong
Berserk - is now Rage Effect (60% rage effect = 18% more damage) - Not worth the Gem slot for how little uptime it will grant.


FLASKS:
Types:  Diamond + Silver + Stibnite as a minimum - the 4th Flask (Jade, maybe Sulphur) will be dependent on if you use a Tincture or not, AND if you use Vaal Pact or not(Vaal Pact = no life flask, add 4th Flask)
Suffixes: Flask Suffixes do NOT stack - make sure you get one with Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance, and Evasion. The 4th Suffix can be Reduced Curse Effect or Reduced Effect of Shock (if you don't have Ailment immunity yet)
Upgrading:  Over time, you want to roll better flask suffixes - i.e., up to 17% Attack Speed 55% Crit, and 60% Evasion.  You can roll NEW flasks until you hit better mods, then replace your current ones.
Other Options: Taste of Hate is bad now, don't use it.  Bottled Faith is good for crit-capping and damage if you can afford it, but not required.


ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS, SITUATIONALLY:
The Light of Meaning aka Perandus Pact aka That Which Was Taken
Impossible Escapes - many different Keystones
Thread of Hope - Massive one near Charisma could be incredibly valuable
Headhunter - Excellent item for mapping - if you can afford it and do lots of mapping, definitely go for it.
Mageblood - I don't believe Mageblood provides enough value to justify using it - probably skip
Fury Valve - EXCELLENT mapping choice, takes your clear speed to the next level with off-screening splitting projectiles. Make sure you account for your Attributes and Resists with it. 
Replica Badge of the Brotherhood - Tanky option, if you prefer - requires Endurance Charge generation OR paired with Ralakesh boots
Ralakesh's Impatience - Provides max charges constantly - ONLY use these in combination with Replica Badge for tankiness
Lightning Coil - If you REALLY want a tankier version, this could be an option. Make sure you know what you're doing if you're going to use this item.
Southbound - Use for damage (with caution) as a BOSS SWAP ONLY - I would NEVER use this for mapping, EVER
Inspired Learning - situationally useful for Simulacrum apparently, who tf does Simulacrums (meme) (kinda)


LUXURY/ HIGH-BUDGET ITEMS: (None of these items are required at all)
Bottled Faith (This is better than a regular Diamond Flask w/ Crit suffix)
Progenesis - VERY strong tanky option if you want to afford it
Darkness Enthroned - this is VERY tight to fit in while keeping capped Chaos Res and Spell Suppression. Equip with Caution..
Giga-Perfect Lethal Prides (Lethal Pride is Primarily used to fix Strength - any damage from it is just a bonus)
Awakened Multistrike (This is about ~8% more damage, you decide if that is worth the price)
4-mod Large Clusters (Meaning 35% effect + Damage + 3% Speed PLUS a FOURTH mod)
Yoke of Suffering - Shock mod doesn't do much with Shock-stacking on Warden - but the Increased Damage Taken is still very strong.
2 and 3-mod Watcher's Eyes (Flat Cold Hatred is the best single mod for Damage - Grace Evade is the ideal 2nd Mod)
Corruptions on Tamings/Other items (besides Heatshiver)
Squire + 12L Claw - Extremely High Budget, use with extreme caution


BAIT ITEMS, AVOID AT ALL COSTS LEST YOU EARN INSTANT 9 BINGO SQUARES:
Legacy of Fury - Warden gets Scorch already - these boots are useless
Tecrod's Gaze - This jewel gives you OFF-HAND Crit Multi only - if you are using a Shield, it is USELESS.
Expedition's End - This item will be useless on Warden - it only helps you freeze easier, which won't be a problem, and it wouldn't be worth using even if it was.
Farrul's Fur - Gives you Crit and Charges that you don't need, and the rare Chest is far too powerful with Fortify, Evasion, Suppression, Resists, etc.
Nimis  - FB Projectiles do not Shotgun, and the Ring slots are far too powerful to give up just for random returning proj. Don't recommend.
Touch of Anguish - Makes you unable to Freeze - I would never recommend using this, not even before Heatshiver. 
Circle of Fear - Even with Synth Implicits out the wuhzoo, it's still not even as good as The Taming - DO NOT USE.
Forbidden Flame/Flesh - The options are NOT GOOD ENOUGH to use 2 jewels for. Use good Rare jewels or Watcher's Eye instead. 
Grand Spectrum - BAD, DO NOT USE
Kalandra's Touch - Your rare ring is 99.9% chance NOT better than a The Taming. Don't bother trying to Mirror it unless somehow Perfect Tamings are more expensive than Kalandra's Touch(unlikely).


JANKY AURA SETUP:
Dark Marionette Spectres (auto-revive)
Use Guardian's Blessing with these to get another Aura, Options:
Determination (If you have Armour flask + Arm/EV bases only)
Haste
Anger
Wrath
Purity of Elements (scuffed)


VAAL PACT:
If you go Vaal Pact, the Life On Hit on Imperial Claws Implicit will NOT WORK. Going Gemini Claw instead could be a solid choice to counter-act the higher FB Mana costs in 3.25
Also if you go Vaal Pact, make sure you have Ailment Immunity and also drop the Clever Thief wheel
If you go Vaal Pact, you will be more vulnerable when not attacking, especially against DEGENS - Make sure you have Blood Rage socketed in your weapon or shield, so you can weapon swap to turn it off when you know you won't be leeching soon (i.e. boss phases)
Also Corrupted Blood immunity will be VERY important with Vaal Pact - Go without at your own risk.


TINCTURE -
 for last Flask slot - look for Elemental Damage / Attack Speed
(Need to see Tincture mod list still, could be more powerful options here)


LEVELING:
The early Acts (1-3) can be a frustrating struggle, especially if you are a newer player. Bear this in mind if you choose to play Frost Blades AND you want to LEVEL with Frost Blades.
You don't HAVE to level with Frost Blades, you can level with ANY skill you want until around Act 2-3.
I like to level with Frost Blades personally because I enjoy the skill and it helps minimize socket pressure NOT to change skills/build at all.
(A1)Brutus is the hardest boss in the campaign by far.  It will suck - just grit your teeth through it. (Decoy Totem can help a lot)
Blade Trap is VERY powerful and helpful in killing Merveil, especially - get it before and use it on her.
(A2) Adding in Bloodrage + Herald of Ice + Whirling Blades + Looking out for ELE DMG Claws will make leveling feel much better quickly

(A3-A4) By the time you get to Act 3-4, get Wrath+Trinity on, Blood Rage on, Herald of Ice on, and get some Claw Attack Speed scaling (on tree), the build will start to feel GREAT.
To Swap to Trinity, you will need Wrath to have enough damage to Proc it - you may also need some Lightning Damage on your Claw And/Or Crafts on Rings/Gloves. This is also when you want to start using Elemental Weakness (on bosses)
(A4) Once you Ascend and (IF) you go Oath of Summer first, you can swap to Cold to Fire and then go for full Cold (and Phys conversion) damage with Trinity.  Using Hatred will be dependent on if you have a decent PHYS damage Claw. If not, don't bother.


LIBRARY GEMS (optional, none of these are MUST-HAVE in Act3):
Frost Bomb (For Exposure (damage))
Elemental Weakness (Curse to use before you swap to Crit and change to Assassin's Mark)
Cold to Fire support (This is to get Fire Damage to enable Scorching once you do Lab, IF you take Oath of Summer you will REALLY want to use this gem, otherwise you'll have to get Fire Damage elsewhere (on gear)


F.A.Q.s 
Is this HCSSF Viable?  NO - DONT PLAY IT
What's the Budget?  League Starter to the Moon - The more you invest, the more damage you will get. Maybe 100-150 Divines will get you ~100mil damage (approximately)
What content can it do?  All regular mapping content
What content can it NOT do?  Deep Delve / 100% Deli T17s / 
Can it do Uber Bosses?  Yes - with high enough damage/investment - don't expect to walk into Ubers with Day 1 Gear and have fun
Trickster or Slayer or Warden?  Slayer for tankiness, Warden for Damage, Trickster for a bit of both
How does Trinity work?  Get 2 types of damage
Where do the Charges come from? Frenzies from Blood Rage while mapping, the Mark Mastery for Bosses. Power from Assassin's Mark Quality - TOP QUALITY PRIORITY.
How does FB compare to LS?  LS will have better single target almost automatically because it's a stronger mechanical skill (it hits twice), AND it has a Vaal Version that can add to damage too. FB is better Map Clear (imo).
What about FB of Katabasis?  Katabasis has longer range but no projectiles - you cannot rely on the close range accuracy mastery if you use this, and it requires Melee Splash to have good clear.  Do not recommend on this setup.




















GL :)