Frost Blades
Perma-Freeze Raider build

Updated for Patch 3.8

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium

Frost Blades is a Top Tier Melee Attack that can be used as early as level 1. It is a ranged projectile-based Attack with incredible AoE thanks to additional projectiles being released from your initial Hit and covering your entire screen. It is an amazing Skill for leveling, as well as, it allows extremely fast map clearing. At the same time, this build is able to clear all the content on a very reasonable budget.

For the full list of our Path of Exile builds you can visit the following article: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This build should be used mainly for extremely fast map farming but will do just fine against Bosses. The gameplay mechanics are pretty much the same starting from level 1. You use Frost Blades as your main Ranged Attack that deals with incredible AoE damage.  Frost Blades combined with Herald's of Ice explosions will clear entire screens of monsters within seconds. On the other hand, your defenses rely on Dodge and Evasion rolls, which should allow you to use Abyssus Helmet for maximum DPS. This build is also insanely fast with insane Movement Speed bonuses from Raider's Ascendancy.

Full gameplay video: 0:07 Tier 13 Arsenal Map 2:55 Tier 14 Colosseum Map 6:05 Tier 16 Pit of the Chimera This video was recorded in Patch 3.5 - while it looks similar, the current version by far outperforms the previous one. Since then, Frost Blades, Raider, and Melee archetype, in general, have received significant buffs.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

This build uses Frost Blades right from the start. It offers very high farming speed and allows you to quickly progress through the campaign. Also, by using Claws, you get an easy way to recover your Life - by Life gain on Hit implicit modifiers which can be found on them. For your equipment, you should prioritize high Physical DPS Claws, added Physical Damage to Attacks, and Life/Elemental Resistances on your armor parts and jewelry.

Suggested leveling gem setups:

Frost Blades
	Frost Blades - your main DPS Attack which releases additional projectiles from your initial Hit
	Melee Physical Damage Support - increases your Frost Blades damage
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds flat Cold Damage to your Attacks
	Multistrike Support - mandatory support Gem for the Frost Blade setup

Utility gems
	Herald of Ice - grants added Cold Damage and causes AoE explosions on killing Frozen enemies
	Whirling Blades - your primary Mobility Skill
	Ancestral Protector - Totem Spell which increases your Attack Speed
	Summon Ice Golem - the recommended Golem for this build which increases your Crit. Chance and Accuracy Rating

Bandits:

Both killing all the Bandits for two additional Skill Points and helping Alira for Mana Regeneration, Critical Damage Multiplier, and Elemental Resistances are viable options

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Finesse 2) Winter Spirit 3) Command of Elements 4) Herbalism 5) Claws of the Magpie

64 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Primeval Force 2) Blood Drinker 3) Forces of Nature 4) Assassination

Recommended leveling items:

Last Resort - amazing starting weapon, will grant a lot of DPS until you reach a higher level to swap for better DPS weapons
+3 Life gained for each Enemy hit by Attacks 25% increased Attack Speed when on Low Life (80-100)% increased Physical Damage Adds 2 to 10 Physical Damage 100% increased Claw Physical Damage when on Low Life 100% increased Accuracy Rating when on Low Life

Praxis - in order to maintain your Mana this Ring (or even two of them) will be extremely useful. After all, you won't get much Mana/Mana Regeneration from your Passive Skill Tree
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Karui Ward - great Damage and Movement Speed boost granted by this Amulet, make it one of the best leveling items for this build
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Tasalio's Sign - if you can manage your Mana without the Praxis Ring, it's recommended to grab at least one of these. Your DPS will skyrocket after equipping Tasalio's Sign
+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance Adds (7-10) to (15-20) Cold Damage to Spells and Attacks +(200-300) to Evasion Rating 50% chance to Avoid being Chilled 10% chance to Freeze Adds 40 to 60 Cold Damage against Chilled Enemies

Ewar's Mirage - an amazing weapon for leveling a Frost Blades character. This is not a claw though and you might want to postpone the claw nodes in your Skill Tree until you actually start using Claws
+25% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier (40-55)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Adds 1 to (45-55) Lightning Damage (16-22)% increased Attack Speed Attacks Chain an additional time when in Main Hand Attacks have an additional Projectile when in Off Hand

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

114 Points Final Skill Tree
114 Points Path of Building(PoB) link
Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Rapid Assault
2. Avatar of the Chase
3. Way of the Poacher
4. Avatar of the Slaughter

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%, 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%

Minor God: Soul of Garukhan  +5% chance to Evade Attacks if you've taken a Savage Hit recently

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Frost Blades setup
	Frost Blades - your main DPS attack. It releases additional projectiles from your main Hit, covering nearly the entire screen and obliterating enemies
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - core Support Gem for Elemental Attack Skills
	Multistrike Support - makes your Attack repeat two additional times with greatly increased Attack Speed and Damage
	Melee Physical Damage Support - grants increased Melee/Physical DPS caused by your Frost Blades
	Ruthless Support - makes every third Hit with Supported skills deal much higher damage
	Hypothermia Support - grants insane damage bonus when you Hit enemies that are Chilled

[MOBILITY] Whirling Blades setup
	Whirling Blades - one of the fastest Movement Skills in the game which can be used for this build
	Faster Attack Support
	Reduced Mana Support - reduces the Mana Cost of your Whirling Blades

[UTILITY/CURSE] Herald of Ice/Frost Bomb
	Frost Bomb - applies Cold Exposure to enemies affected, reducing their Cold Resistance
	Curse on Hit Support - will make Frost Bomb and Herald of Ice's explosions apply your supported Curse
	Herald of Ice - adds extra Cold Damage to your Attacks and causes AoE Explosions on killing Frozen enemies
	Assassin's Mark - the recommended Curse. It increases your Chance to Crit. and generates Power Charges (for even more Crit. Chance)

[UTILITY] Immortal Call / Golem
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - keep this Gem at level 14 in order to make it cast supported Gems more frequently
	Immortal Call - will grant damage reduction buff for a short duration. Keep this Gem at level 16
	Summon Ice Golem - increases your Crit. Chance and Accuracy Rating - keep this Gem at level 16 as well
	Increased Duration Support

[UTILITY] Auras (preferable in Shaped Shield)
	Hatred - the best DPS Aura for this build
	Precision - has to be kept at low level depending on your current gear because of the Mana Reservation cost. It increases your Accuracy Rating and Crit. Chance
	Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation cost of linked Spells

[UTILITY] Blood Rage and Ancestral Protector
	Ancestral Protector - allows you to summon a Totem which increases your Attack Speed
	Blood Rage - increases your Attack Speed, Life Leech, and generates Frenzy Charges on Kill

5. Gear Setup

This is the most interesting part of every Odealo's Crafty Guide. You will find all the recommended gear with minimum stat requirements for each item. This build, in total, shouldn't cost more than 10-15 Exalted Orbs (assuming you go for the six-linked Body Armour).

Our recommended gear pieces will always:

1. Cap your resistances
2. Grant sufficient Life pool for mapping
3. Give you more than enough damage to mid/high tier map farming

(Helmet) Abyssus - grants a terrific damage boost. This will also make you vulnerable to high Physical Damage hits, so you should try to avoid any Attacks at all cost

Adds 40 to 60 Physical Damage to Attacks +(20-25) to all Attributes +(100-125)% to Melee Critical Strike Multiplier (100-120)% increased Armour (40-50)% increased Physical Damage taken

Helmet enchantment 40% increased Frost Blades damage

(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - a decent pick which grants insane Life bonus and some extra Elemental Resistances

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (150-200)% increased Armour (30-40)% increased maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Life Recovery rate Extra gore

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - an Elder piece with high Life, Evasion Rating, and added Crit. Chance to your Attacks is the BiS choice

Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life 1200 Evasion Rating Attacks have +1% to Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances

(Weapon Slot) Rare Gemini Claw - grants very high Life and Mana on Hit bonuses. You should try to get over 300 Physical on It to match the Touch of Anguish's DPS

Min. requirements: 350 Physical DPS 1.8 Attacks per Second Optional affixes: Hits can't be Evaded (Crafting Bench)

(Weapon Slot) Touch of Anguish - budget-friendly and very solid weapon for this build. It offers high DPS and increases your clear speed via extra Chain

+46 Life gained for each Enemy hit by Attacks Adds (40-50) to (130-150) Physical Damage 30% increased Cold Damage (30-40)% increased Critical Strike Chance 20% chance to gain a Frenzy Charge on Killing a Frozen Enemy Skills Chain an additional time while at maximum Frenzy Charges 10% chance to Freeze Critical Strikes do not always Freeze

(Weapon Slot) Rare Shield - mainly for defensive stats (Life/Evasion) but a Shaper Shield can also reduced the amount of Mana Reserved by Socketed Spells, allowing us to increase Precision's level

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 800 Evasion Rating Optional affixes: Socketed Gems have #% Reduced Mana Reservation

(Belt) Rare Belt - we recommend picking a high Life/Resistances Rare Belt. You can use almost any base, but preferably Leather Belt, Rustic Sash, or Stygian Vise

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 35% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 32% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Optional affixes: increased Physical Damage (Rustic Sash) Abyssal Socket (Stygian Vise)

(Boots) Rare Boots - aim for the highest defensive stats and high Movement Speed bonus

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 60% Total Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance

(Boots) Darkray Vectors - massive Raider's bonuses for each Frenzy Charge active, make Darkray Vectors one of the best picks for this build

(40-70)% increased Armour and Evasion +(20-40)% to Lightning Resistance 5% increased Movement Speed per Frenzy Charge +1 to Maximum Frenzy Charges 40% reduced Frenzy Charge Duration 25% reduced Light Radius 2% chance to Dodge Attack Hits per Frenzy Charge

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently

(Gloves) Rare Gloves -  very solid choice which will help you Cap your Resistances. Also, Gripped Gloves and Spiked Gloves will both provide a decent DPS increase

Min. requirements: 65 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Added Physical Damage to Attacks Accuracy Rating

(Gloves) Tombfist -  a corrupted pair with +1 to maximum Frenzy Charges and two Abyssal Sockets is the best in the slot. Make sure to socket two different Jewel Types for maximum bonuses acquired from it

Has 2 Abyssal Sockets (4-6)% increased maximum Life With a Murderous Eye Jewel Socketed, Intimidate Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit with Attacks With a Searching Eye Jewel Socketed, Maim Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit with Attacks

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - required to get all the Attributes for Item Requirements. Some extra offense stats will be also useful here

Min. requirements: 40 Strength 40 Intelligence 60 maximum Life 30% increased Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Added Physical Damage to Attacks Elemental Resistances

(Rings) Rare Rings - with added flat Physical Damage bonus are the best options here if you can afford them

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life Added 7 Physical Damage to Attacks 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating

(Jewel) Fight for Survival - use two of those for the insane Cold Damage Penetration Bonuses. They can be used on the right part of the Skill Tree, anywhere in the Shadow/Ranger section

(10-15)% increased Cold Damage With at least 40 Dexterity in Radius, Melee Damage dealt by Frost Blades Penetrates 15% Cold Resistance With at least 40 Dexterity in Radius, Frost Blades has 25% increased Projectile Speed

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - with flat Added Physical Damage and Life

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Physical Damage to Attacks/Claw Attacks Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Chance to grant Unholy Might on Kill

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - have the maximum Life bonus on each Jewel equipped, as well as any combination of the recommended stats found below

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Elemental/Cold/Projectile/Melee Damage Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Global Accuracy Rating

(Flask) Taste of Hate - grants both amazing DPS and defensive bonuses making it one of the best Utility Flasks in the game

+50% to Cold Resistance +6% to maximum Cold Resistance 20% of Physical Damage taken as Cold Damage during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Flask effect

(Flask) Atziri's promise - a great inexpensive flask. It's one of the most popular flasks in Path of Exile - grants additional chaos damage and life leech

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Lion's Roar - grants a very high Melee Damage bonus

+35% to all Elemental Resistances During Flask Effect, 10% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity)

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Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.