Careful repositioning via Leap Slam or Whirling Blades lets you back out of a pack, apply shock and either Leap Slam back in or EK volley. Faster attack speeds help greatly in how quickly you can get off a life saving Leap Slam.ДЄlso I am using Lighting Strike at melee and range to apply shock stacks or leech up life. If you engage with Leap, your crits are so massive with the daggers it is often enough to freeze the entire pack or at least chill rares/champs. Leap Slam + Added Crit Damage + Added Cold is a massive crowd control skill. Leap Slam can work as an engage, escape, traversing aid and control skill. Though as an EK Mara I am not necessarily a melee, I am in 'close range' of mobs quite a lot! This is partly where the Shadow variant failed for me Shadow version just could not take the mid range punishment at the later stages of the game.

Leap Slam is one the best tools for this build. I know what you are thinking, 'But Fencers! Why is attack speed important if EK is based off cast speed?'ДЇor one awesome reason, imaginary audience. ES/AR shield for the +resistances and dagger for the crit and attack speed. Projectile speed makes it so the knives travel further and cover a huge area. Also I figured out the secret to EK is projectile speed and individual projectile damage. The damage EK does is massive when combined with high strength, Point Blank and Iron Grip. On paper I am looking at something like ~337% maximum life, ~219% increased armor, 6.2% of total life regen a sec, combined 70% all elemental resistance, and 44% increased energy shield and about 470 strength before equipment. It might even be that I ht the the point where armor that high isn't any real benefit. Play wise the build feels very solid in practice and overpowered on paper. Though I plan to reallocate a few points in Act 3 to get some easy armor nodes by Barracks. Plan on working toward Iron Grip and more life for about 20 more levels. Act 3 Cruel is where I think the build will have to really prove itself in practice. Pretty much cruising through content solo right now. Only put a few into the build, and it is softcore, but already I think this would have been a lot more viable for real endgame than my earlier HC Shadow based on Ethereal Knives.

Greatly enjoying my revised Ethereal Knives based Marauder this week.

Path of exile iron grip