Blade Flurry
Pathfinder Build

Created for Patch 3.20

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Blade Flurry is a very interesting Melee Skill that requires Channeling to deal Damage. While doing so you will repeatedly Hit enemies in front of you, improving your Damage with every stage you gain. When you stop channeling you will deal a massive finishing Hit to all enemies in the Area. It is one of the best Melee Skills when it comes to single-target Damage, but the clear speed is a bit lacking, as during the Channel you will hit only one enemy and its surroundings, as opposed to other Skills to tend to Hit everything in their radius at once. There are 2 main ways to help with that: the first one is to simply get more Attack Speed, which is also beneficial for your overall gameplay anyway, or to get some sort of Explosions. The second option requires a specific style of scaling to actually matter, so we decided to target the Attack Speed route more. 

Anarchic Spiritblade is a specific Heist-only base for a one-handed Sword. It comes with a special Implicit that converts 100% of your Physical Damage to a random Element. Thanks to this, you will be able to make use of all Elemental Ailments and easily accumulate Resonance, which is used by the Trinity Support Gem to increase your Elemental Damage and Penetration. With the Interrogation Jewel, you will inflict Alternative Ailment effects, which increase your Critical Strike Chance, lower all Elemental Resistances, and reduce the Damage dealt by affected Enemies. 

Pathfinder is Ranger's Ascendency known for its Flask improvements. With this Ascendency and some investments in your Gear and Passive Tree, you will be able to sustain all your Flask even without killing any enemy, and they will have significantly improved effectiveness. Elemental Flasks such as Ruby or Topaz will not only easily cap your Resistances allowing you to get more Damage Affixes on your Gear, but they also significantly lower the Elemental Damage you take on top of that. Entrusting your Resistances for Flask may be concerning for some, but ever since the removal of Archnemesis modifiers on monsters, you can easily avoid Flask Reduction modifiers on your Map mods or Eldritch Altars if you pay enough attention. 

This Build requires some foundation before it gets comfortable to play - we recommend saving at least 20 Divine Orbs before committing to this Build. 

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds right over here Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

You will be jumping around with your Leap Slam and Channel Blade Flurry to kill packs of monsters. It is best to release the Channel as soon as you obtain the maximum stage to maximize the DPS output. For larger packs, you can use the newly added Vaal version which will Hit everything around your Character in a vastly increased radius. You should also use the Ancestral Totems which grant you a massive boost to your Damage and Attack Speed when you fight tough opponents. 

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with this build is fairly simple, as you can use any Elemental Attack to your liking. Blade Flurry is not really suitable as it needs lots of Attack Speed to comfortably kill packs of monsters. Good leveling gear can make your progress lightning-fast for a small price. The best way is to use the One with Nothing Unique Jewel and stack a bit of Dexterity which will grant you enough Damage to trivialize the early game completely. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Smite setup
	Smite - solid AoE Attack, hitting an enemy grants you an aura that adds plenty of Lightning Damage to your Attacks.
	Ancestral Call Support - your Smite will hit additional targets, allowing you to overlap the AoE.
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds a lot of Cold Damage, which has added benefit of Chilling your Enemies.
	Physical to Lightning Support - converts your remaining Physical Damage to Lightning, which allows you to benefit from Elemental Damage modifiers better.
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - boosts all Elemental Damage you deal with your Attacks.
	Melee Physical Damage Support - your attacks are inherently a Physical Damage type, so this Support will greatly improve their Damage even if you convert it all to Lightning.

Aura setup
	Determination - this Aura grants you a lot of base Armour Rating which will help you survive the early game.
	Herald of Purity - increases the Physical Damage you deal with your Attacks.

Utility setup
	Frostblink - it is an instant Skill that teleports you and leaves a Chilled Ground in both locations.
	Elemental Weakness - lowers the Elemental Resistances of affected foes.
	Steelskin - grants you an absorbing shield and stops Bleeding effects.

Bandits:

Kill all Bandits to get additional 2 Passive Tree Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

35 Points Passive Tree
We recommend this order:
1) Finesse 2) Herbalism 3) Large Jewel Socket if using One with Nothing Jewel 4) Force of Nature 5) Primeval Force 6) Quickstep 7) Heart of Oak

62 Points Passive Tree
Allocate:
1) Inveterate 2) Acuity 3) Heartseeker 4) Revenge of the Hunted 5) Charisma 6) Entrench (remove with better Gear later on) 7) Thick Skin
 

Recommended leveling items:

Le Heup of All - adds all Attributes and increases your Damage. It also grants lots of Elemental Resistances

Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Damage (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

Tabula Rasa - you can use your 6-link setup very early thanks to this Armour. It provides nothing else.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

Goldrim - equipping this Helmet at level 1 greatly improves your defenses against Elemental Damage.

+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

One With Nothing - the Hollow Palm Technique granted by this Jewel grants you lots of Attack Speed and flat Physical Damage if you leave your Weapon, Shield, and Gloves slot empty. You don't need much Dexterity to make it better than any low and mid-level Weapon.

Adds Hollow Palm Technique

Thief's Torment - this Ring solves all your Life and Mana issues during leveling. You can use only one such Ring.

+(8-10)% to all Elemental Resistances (10-16)% increased Quantity of Items found Can't use other Rings +(25-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Gain (40-60) Life per Enemy Hit with Attacks Gain 30 Mana per Enemy Hit with Attacks 50% reduced Effect of Curses on you

Perandus Blazon - grants useful Attributes and improves your Flask Duration.

(15-25)% increased Stun and Block Recovery +(20-30) to all Attributes (6-8)% increased Quantity of Items found +20% to Fire Resistance 20% increased Flask Effect Duration -2 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits

Replica Karui Ward - grants a bit of Damage, Aoe, and Dexterity. It also improves your Movement Speed.

+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Area of Effect 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Area Damage

Astramentis - grants a lot of Dexterity which will be turned into Physical Damage thanks to the mentioned Jewel.

+(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits

Wanderlust - decent leveling Boots that make you immune to Freeze and speed you up a bit.

+5 to Dexterity +(10-20) to maximum Energy Shield (20-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 20% increased Movement Speed Cannot be Frozen

Seven-League Step - the best leveling boost, Movement Speed is all you need in this slot anyway.

50% increased Movement Speed Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

100 Points Final Passive Tree (doesn't include Cluster or Unique Jewels)
117 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in this order:

1. Nature's Adrenaline
2. Nature's Boon
3. Veteran Bowyer
4. Master Surgeon

Pantheon:

Major God: Brine King: You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned in the past 2 seconds, Cannot be Frozen, 50% reduced Effect of Chill on you

Minor God: Soul of Ralakesh: 25% reduced Physical Damage over Time taken while moving; Moving while Bleeding doesn't cause you to take extra Damage

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Blade Flurry setup
	Blade Flurry - continuously Hits enemies in front of you, gaining stages that increase your Damage. At the end of the Channel releases a more powerful Hit to all enemies in the Area. The Vaal version covers a greater Area around you and reduces the Damage you take during the Channel.
	Infused Channeling Support - Channeling grants you a Buff that improves the Physical Damage you deal and reduces the Physical Damage you take for a short duration.
	Pulverise Support - slows your Attack Speed but immensely improves the Area of Effect and Damage you deal. Swap to Increased Critical Damage Support if the Attack Speed penalty is too heavy.
	Trinity Support - grants lots of Elemental Damage and Elemental Penetration if you use at least 2 different Elemental Damage types.
	Elemental damage with Attacks Support  - grants lots of Elemental Damage for your Attacks. The Awakened version makes you immune to Elemental Reflect.
	Close Combat Support - grants a lot of Damage if you stand close to the enemy and makes your Leap Slam even faster.

[UTILITY] Auras
	Grace - it is your main defensive Aura- it adds a lot of evasion Rating and allows you to scale it very high.
	Blood and Sand - a Stance Skill that grants you a lot of Area Damage or Area of effect depending on the Stance you are in.
	Herald of Purity - improves your Physical Damage which is your main source of Damage.
	Precision - grants lots of Accuracy Rating and Critical Strike Chance. Try to keep it at the lowest level possible that still grants you a 100% chance to Hit.
	Summon Skitterbots - Skitterbots are used to inflict Shock and Chill effects on nearby enemies even when you use The Interrogation Jewel.
	Enlighten Support - link it with your most Mana-reserving Auras to reduce their costs.

[UTILITY] Curse setup
	Assassin's Mark - grants you a bonus Critical Strike Chance and Damage against Marked enemies.
	Mark on Hit Support - applies linked Mark to Rare and Unique Enemies Hit by your Attacks.
	Elemental Weakness - lowers all Elemental Resistances of Cursed Enemies. For maximum effect, you should cast this Curse manually.
	Lifetap Support - those Skills require a lot of Mana to be used, so it's best to turn that into Life Cost.

[UTILITY] Leap Slam setup
	Leap Slam - it's your main mobility, a quick jump to a targeted location. It scales very well with your high Attack Speed.
	Faster Attacks Support - improves your Attack Speed even more.

[UTILITY] Ancestral Totem setup
	Ancestral Warchief - summons a Totem that improves your Damage when you are nearby. The Vaal version grants an even better Damage bonus.
	Ancestral Protector - similarly to the previous one, it summons a Melee Totem. It will grant you tons of Attack Speed.
	Multiple Totems Support - allows you to summon all your Totems without any major investments.

[UTILITY] Other Utility setups
	Berserk - rapidly consumes your Rage to grant you insane amounts of Damage. It also reduces the Damage you receive from Enemies.
	Blood Rage - constantly drains your Life but grants a lot of Attack Speed in return. Killing enemies refreshes its duration.
	Steelskin - applies a Buff that absorbs part of incoming Damage and disables Bleeds on you.

6. Gear Setup

A good Weapon is very important to get good results. You will need the Anarchic Spiritblade base to get an easy way of converting Physical Damage. To further boost your Damage you should try to get as much Attack Speed, Elemental Damage, and Critical Strike Multiplier everywhere you can. Proper Flask Setup is very important, you should get the increased Effect on all your Magic Flasks, followed by other useful modifiers such as extra Attack Speed or all Elemental Resistances. You will need only a tiny amount of Elemental Resistances on your remaining Gear, so you can focus mostly on maximum Life, Spell Suppression Chance, and Mana Reservation Efficiency there. Reducing Mana costs with your jewelry is a great quality of Life improvement. 

(Helmet) Abyssus - this Helmet provides an insane amount of Damage for any Melee Build, including this one. Getting useful enchant shouldn't be too hard since it's fairly popular Unique.

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

Helmet enchantments: +1 to maximum Blade Flurry stages Increased Mana Reservation Efficiency for any of your Auras

(Weapon) Rare Sword - High Physical DPS is important, but you should focus mostly on base Attack Speed and Critical Strike Chance, as you will have lots of added Physical Damage from the Abyssus Helmet and Blade Flurry Gem itself.

Min. requirements: 1.8 Attack Speed 8% Critical Strike Chance 400 Physical DPS Optional affixes: Hits can't be Evaded Attacks with this Weapon Penetrate (11-13)% Elemental Resistances

(Weapon) Rare Shield- you can get a bit of Damage on your Shield, but it is best to focus on defensive properties here. Try to get high maximum Life, flat Physical Damage Reduction, and maximum Resistances modifiers. You can also get the Shaper's modifier to reduce the Mana Reservation Efficiency of socketed Auras.

Min. requirements: +80 maximum Life Optional affixes: 8% additional Physical Damage Reduction +2% to all maximum Resistances (4-5)% chance to deal Double Damage Socketed Gems have 30% increased Reservation Efficiency Spell Suppression Chance

(Weapon) Dawnbreaker - it's a good way to get lots of physical damage taken as elemental, especially if you get one with similar corrupted implicit modifiers. the high block chance is also useful, however, it reduces rapidly as you will take a bit of fire damage from every hit.

(150-250)% increased Armour +(20-25)% Chance to Block -1% Chance to Block Attack Damage for every 200 Fire Damage taken from Hits Recently (10-20)% of Cold Damage taken as Fire Damage (10-20)% of Lightning Damage taken as Fire Damage (10-20)% of Physical Damage taken as Fire Damage Scorch Enemies in Close Range when you Block

(Body Armour) Rare Armour - try to get lots of Life and Spell Suppression here, ideally with Essence-crafted Mana Reservation Efficiency and Physical Damage Reduction on top of that. You should also get Eldritch Implicits that grant you Flask Charges over time and a chance to Fortify on Hit.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life 15% Spell Suppression Chance Flasks gain 2 Charges every 3 seconds (Exarch Implicit)  Melee Hits have (5-9)% chance to Fortify (Eater Implicit) Optional affixes: increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills % of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Fire/Lightning Damage Elemental and Chaos Resistances

(Boots) Rare Boots - on your Boots you can get mostly defensive modifiers such as maximum Life and Spell Suppression Chance. Other than that, look for Attributes, lacking Resistances, and Avoidances. Eldritch Implicits are also very useful here.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life 10% Spell Suppression Chance 5% increased Action Speed (Searing Exarch Implicit) Optional affixes: Attributes You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently 100% chance to Avoid being Chilled/Frozen

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - your Gloves should provide you with plenty of maximum Life, Spell Suppression Chance, and some Attack Speed. You can also get Rage generation, useful Damage affixes, or Accuracy Rating.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life 15% Spell Suppression Chance Optional affixes: Attack Speed  Gain 1 Rage on Hit with Attacks, no more than once every 1.1 seconds Accuracy Rating chance to Intimidate Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit Attributes

(Belt) Rare Belt - it is a very important piece for your Flask sustain. You should get at least 2 modifiers that affect them, paired with maximum Life. It can also have other useful modifiers such as Elemental Damage with Attacks or lacking Resistances or Attributes.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life 20% increased Flask Charges gained 15% increased Flask Effect Duration Optional affixes: % Increased Maximum Life Attributes Life Regeneration Elemental Damage

(Jewel) Rare Abyss Jewel - try to get a Corrupted Abyss Jewel that would grant you immunity to Corrupted Blood. Other than that, look for maximum Life, Critical Strike Multiplier, and Attack Speed bonuses here.

Min. requirements: +30 to maximum Life Corrupted Blood cannot be inflicted on you Optional affixes: Attributes Resistances 8% increased Attack Speed if you've dealt a Critical Strike Recently +(9–12)% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - the Shaper Influence allows you to get up to 2 modifiers that add Extra Elemental Damage based on your Physical Damage. Other than that, look for maximum Life, Critical Strike Multiplier, Resistances, or Attributes.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life Gain 18% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold/Lightning Damage Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental and Chaos Resistances Critical Strike Multiplier Channelling Skills have -3 to Total Mana Cost / Non-Channelling Skills have -(7-6) to Total Mana Cost (Main Skill vs Leap Slam Cost reduction)

Recommended Anointments: Whispers of Doom Mark of the Prey

(Amulet) Mark of the Elder - this Ring grants a lot of Damage and maximum Life. You can use a Double-influenced Ring Item to get both bonuses, but just the Shaper one is good enough.

Adds (3-4) to (10-14) Physical Damage to Attacks 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Tentacle Whip on Kill Adds (26-32) to (42-48) Cold Damage to Attacks (6-10)% increased maximum Energy Shield (6-10)% increased maximum Life (60-80)% increased Attack Damage if your other Ring is a Shaper Item Cannot be Stunned by Attacks if your other Ring is an Elder Item

(Ring) Rare Ring - you should get maximum Life, Elemental Damage, and lacking Resistances or Attributes here. Try to find one with an empty Prefix so you can craft Mana Reduction for your Skills.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Resistances Attributes Elemental Damage with Attacks Accuracy Rating Non-Channelling Skills have -(7-6) to Total Mana Cost

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - your Rare Jewels should be used to boost your maximum Life, Critical Strike Multiplier, Attack Speed, or Mana Reservation Efficiency. You can also get a bit of Elemental Resistances or Attributes here.

Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life Mana Reservation Efficiency Attack Speed Resistances Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - you will be using 2 Jewels that boost your Damage with Swords. There are plenty of useful Notables such as Fuel the Fight which grants you Mana Leech, the Martial Prowess which improves your Accuracy Rating, or the Aggressive Defense which boosts your Fortify Effect.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Feed the Fury 1 Added Passive Skill is Aggressive Defense 1 Added Passive Skill is Martial Prowess 1 Added Passive Skill is Fuel the Fight 1 Added Passive Skill is Devastator

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - if you don't like the dependency on the Brittle effect you can use a Medium Cluster Jewel that boosts your Critical Strike Chance and Damage.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Magnifier 1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points 1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Precision's modifier that grants you Flask Charges is not required for 100% Flask sustain under normal circumstances, but it can be helpful if you want to take the risk of running certain map modifiers. You can also get the other Precision modifiers that boost your Damage, or get a bit of Spell Suppression Chance with the Grace modifiers.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura mods: Gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike while affected by Precision (40-60)% increased Attack Damage while affected by Precision

(Jewel) The Interrogation - regular Ailments are not as useful as the Alternative ones provided with this Jewel. Those can massively boost your Critical Strike Chance and reduce all Elemental Resistances of affected Enemies.

Adds Secrets of Suffering

(Jewel) Lethal Pride - by Socketing this Jewel nearby the Acrobatic Keystone you can get a massive boost to your Damage through the Intimidation, Double Damage chance, Critical Strike Multiplier, or Extra fire Damage.

Commanded leadership over (10000-18000) warriors under (Akoya-Kaom-Rakiata) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Karui Historic

(Jewel) Thread of Hope - if you get this Jewel with the Massive Ring variation you can pick up a lot of useful Notables that would be too inefficient to pick the usual way.

Only affects Passives in <Massive> Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances

(Flask) Bottled Faith - this Flask grants you a lot of Damage and Critical Strike Chance against Enemies standing in the Consecrated Ground.

(30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect

(Flask) Taste of Hate - with this Flask you will deal extra Cold Damage and take some of the Physical Damage as Cold instead. it is a Sapphire Flask so it also grants you tons of Cold Resistances and additional mitigation against that Element.

(10-15)% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Cold Damage during Effect Gain (10-15)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Effect 30% chance to Avoid being Frozen during Effect

(Flask) Progenesis - an amazing defensive Flask that offers a Damage intake delay similar to the Petrified Blood Aura. it also grants plenty of Chaos Resistances, but does not reduce the Damage Taken like other Elemental Flasks. The only downside here is its price, as it is a very rare drop.  You will need to drop out one of your Damage-focused Flasks to use this one.

(20-10)% reduced Charges per use (-35-35)% increased Duration When Hit during effect, 25% of Life loss from Damage taken occurs over 4 seconds instead

Your Magic Flasks should have the Alchemist Prefix which increases their Effect by up to 25% but lowers their Duration.  Suggested Flasks: Ruby Flask with additional Elemental Resistances Topaz Flask with Evasion Rating bonus Silver Flask with Attack Speed Bonus

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

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