Welcome to this new build guide for Last Epoch. Today, we're diving into a Cold Bladestorm Bladedancer. This build has quickly become one of my favorites. In just a few days, I've already hit 800 corruption, taken down the new pinnacle boss, Visions of the Observer, and defeated Aberthoth. It's a very fun and fast build that offers excellent clear speed and good survivability. Let's dive right in and take a look at how this build works and how to optimize it for the endgame. An ample supply of Last Epoch gold can be of great help to you.

Gameplay Overview

The core of this build revolves around Bladestorm in cold form, which I use in combination with Umbrell Blades and Shurikens to boost damage and clear speed. For movement and survivability, Smoke Bomb is crucial. The build works smoothly because Shurikens and Explosive Traps are automated, allowing you to focus on positioning and avoiding damage while your traps and shurikens clear the map for you. It's fast, fluid, and efficient, even when pushing high corruption levels like 800.

While Mana isn't usually a concern, boss fights can be tricky, and you'll need to manage it carefully, especially when fighting tougher bosses like Aberthoth. I'll go over how to manage your mana and what gear can help with that.

Key Skills Breakdown

Bladestorm (Cold Form)

This is your primary skill. Convert it to cold using Frostblade and then start stacking bonuses like Shurikens and Slagstorm for even more damage. The build focuses heavily on Umbrell Blades to throw additional daggers into your bladestorms for massive damage boosts.

Skill Nodes: Focus on Frostblade, Slagstorm, and Shurikens to supercharge your bladestorm. If mana is manageable, Alloy is a good choice for increased damage, but don't take it too early.

Shurikens

Shurikens provide excellent, not clear speed. The Veil node makes them blind enemies, which is great for survivability. Use the Big Shurikens node to increase the area of effect and pierce through enemies, dealing great damage. These are your secondary automated damage dealers.

Umbrell Blades

This skill turns daggers into projectiles that boost your bladestorms. You want to take Cold Conversion to synergize with your cold Bladestorm. Then, focus on maximizing Dagger Throws and Critical Strike Damage to get the most out of this skill. Dusk Shroud is also essential for extra survivability.

Smoke Bomb

Smoke Bomb provides mobility and a damage boost, and it's crucial for defense. The Cleanse node helps you remove debuffs, while Shadows creates additional copies of Umbrell Blades, giving you more projectiles for your bladestorms.

Explosive Trap

A fully automated skill that synergizes well with your cold conversion. The Trap Sprinkler node increases damage and adds more traps. It's a great way to boost your overall DPS while not having to focus on micromanaging traps.

Passive Tree and Focus

At level 95, my passives are mainly focused on Dexterity, which is crucial for increasing cold damage and enhancing survivability. Here's the breakdown:

Rogue Tree: Prioritize Dexterity, Evasion, and Agility for defense and damage. We are dual-wielding to maximize our throwing and damage output.

Falconer: Allocate 5 points into Raptor Wings for Explosive Trap.

Marksman: Focus on Concentration for Dodge Rating and damage mitigation. Focus Fire is also essential for maximizing Damage Output.

Blade Dancer: Key nodes include Throwing Speed, Movement Speed, Critical Strike Multiplier, and Critical Strike Chance. This increases your damage and attack speed, which are vital for buy Last Epoch gold maintaining high DPS in fast-paced fights.