TL;DR
- High-investment build requiring approximately 1200 Chaos Orbs for optimal performance
- Three mandatory uniques: Perseverance, Yoke of Suffering, and Farrul’s Fur
- Elemental damage focus with Trinity support and Nightblade synergy
- Raider ascendancy provides permanent onslaught and frenzy charge generation
- Smooth leveling progression from Frost Blades to Flicker Strike at level 78
Greetings, exiles! Today we’re exploring the Nightblade Flicker Strike Raider Build, a high-octane melee setup that delivers exceptional clear speed and single-target damage. This premium build represents a significant currency investment but rewards players with top-tier mapping performance and boss elimination capabilities.
Investment Required: Approximately 1200 Chaos Orbs for full optimization.
This build specializes in elemental damage conversion, leveraging the Nightblade support gem’s critical strike mechanics alongside the Raider’s inherent speed and charge generation.

Equipment
Mandatory Uniques
Perseverance
The Perseverance belt is absolutely essential for this setup, providing 1% increased attack damage for every 200 points of your lowest value between armor and evasion rating. Given that this configuration typically maintains over 30,000 points in both defensive layers, you’ll receive a massive damage multiplier. Additionally, it grants onslaught while fortified—a state you’ll maintain consistently throughout combat.
Yoke of Suffering
Yoke of Suffering serves as a cornerstone item by making all your damage types capable of inflicting shock. This enables maintaining shock values exceeding 30% on boss encounters (resulting in 30% increased damage taken). The amulet further amplifies damage by making enemies take 5% additional damage for each different elemental ailment affecting them.
Farrul’s Fur
Farrul’s Fur provides the critical function of maintaining maximum frenzy charges permanently. It similarly sustains power charges while providing substantial defensive bonuses including up to 100 maximum life, 1092 armor, and 1372 evasion rating.
Rare Item Specifications
For your weapon selection, prioritize Imperial Claws with lightning damage augmentation and cold or fire damage modifiers. Aim for at least 400 elemental DPS combined with 7.7% base critical strike chance for optimal performance.
Boots require the Empyrean Trail Antique Greaves with minimum specifications of 70 life, movement speed enhancements, elemental resistances, and the Aspect of the Cat modifier.
Helmet options include the Fate Cowl Great Crown needing life, resistances, and armor, or the Damnation Peak Blizzard Crown requiring resistance and life modifiers.
Glove selections should focus on Wrath Fingers Slink Gloves with life and elemental resistance priorities.
For your shield, target the Gale Badge Lacquered Buckle with at least 80 life, evasion rating, resistance coverage, accuracy improvements, and minimum 30% chance to avoid elemental ailments.
Gems
Primary Skill Links
Your main damage setup should utilize Flicker Strike supported by Multistrike, Added Lightning Damage, Nightblade, Trinity, and either Melee Splash for clearing or Elemental Damage with Attacks for single-target emphasis.
Movement and Utility Skills
For mobility, configure Dash alongside Berserk, Blood Rage, and Enhance for maximum effectiveness during engagements.
Totem Support Configuration
Implement Vaal Ancestral Warchief combined with Ancestral Protector, Multiple Totems, and Culling Strike for boss encounters and tough rare monsters.
Aura and Reservation Management
Your defensive and offensive aura package should include Determination, Herald of Ice, Anger, and Enlighten to manage reservation efficiency.
Jewels
Jewel Modifier Priorities
When selecting jewels for this build, prioritize the following modifiers in descending order of importance:
Attack Speed: Crucial for maximizing Flicker Strike activation frequency and overall damage output.
Critical Multiplier: Essential for scaling damage once critical strike chance is adequately addressed through other means.
Maximum Life: Provides essential survivability to complement the build’s aggressive playstyle.
Unique Jewel Integration
Inspired Learning: This unique jewel can significantly enhance your mapping experience by stealing monster modifiers.
Watcher’s Eye Optimization
Watcher’s Eye Prismatic Jewel: Seek versions providing at minimum 55% increased attack damage while affected by Precision aura.
Skill Tree

Ascendancy

Pantheon
Major God: Arakaali – Provides significant damage reduction against damage over time effects and improved recovery rates.
Minor God: Ralakesh – Offers protection against bleeding and physical damage over time effects.
Leveling
Leveling Progression Strategy
Begin your journey using Frost Blades at level 1, transitioning to Flicker Strike upon reaching level 78 when all essential components are available.
Key Leveling Milestones
Level 1-12: Start with Burning Arrow as your initial skill, utilizing it until reaching the first town. Speak with Tarkleigh to acquire Frost Blades as your quest reward. Purchase a sword from Tarkleigh since Frost Blades cannot be used with bows.
Level 8: Enhance Frost Blades with Added Cold Damage support. Establish an Ancestral Protector configuration and incorporate Frostbomb for boss encounters to increase cold damage taken.
Level 10: Activate Clarity for improved mana regeneration during early game content.
Level 16: Enable Skitterbots to amplify your damage output against all enemy types.
Level 18: Introduce Elemental Damage with Attacks to your primary setup. Replace Added Cold Damage with Melee Physical Damage and incorporate Faster Attacks into your totem configuration.
Level 38: Transition from Momentum to Multistrike support. This represents an ideal opportunity to convert your totem setup into a dual-totem configuration. Always deploy both totems during challenging boss encounters.
Level 69: Replace Clarity with Determination to significantly enhance your survivability during mapping and endgame content.
Level 78: Equip Perseverance and commence using Flicker Strike. At this stage, securing a complete 6-link setup becomes critically important. Substitute Skitterbots with Anger and integrate a level 10 Precision gem. Note that an Enlighten level 3 gem is necessary for this transition. If Enlighten is unavailable, temporarily disable Herald of Ice to accommodate reservation requirements.
Action Checklist
- Secure mandatory uniques: Perseverance belt, Yoke of Suffering amulet, and Farrul’s Fur body armor
- Level using Frost Blades until level 78, following the milestone progression guide
- Complete all labyrinth trials and ascendancy points for Raider specialization
- Optimize rare items with required mods: life, resistances, and elemental damage
- Configure gem links according to recommended setups for optimal performance
- Acquire and socket required jewels with attack speed, critical multiplier, and life modifiers
No reproduction without permission:OnLineGames Guides » PoE Builds 3.21: Nightblade Flicker Strike Raider Build Master the high-cost Nightblade Flicker Strike Raider with expert gear optimization and leveling strategies
