Greetings, Exiles! In POE 3.22 Trial of the Ancestors, If you're looking for a unique and versatile build that revolves around Abyss Stacking and utilizes both Ethereal Knives and Stormburst spells, you've come to the right place. This build combines the best of both worlds to provide excellent clear speed and powerful bossing capabilities. Before we delve into the mechanics of the build, please note that this guide is designed to provide a general overview rather than step-by-step instructions. 

• Builds Machine
• Pros & Cons:
• Levelling Guide
• Ascendancy
• Bandits
• Pantheon
• Gear
• Gems
• Skills Points
• Passive Tree
• PlayStyle

POB: https://pobb.in/KdRcsVVRow-c

↖ Builds Machine

This build is designed around the interaction between Dissolution of the Flesh and Petrified Blood mechanics. Dissolution of the Flesh changes how you take damage, focusing on reserving life instead of using the traditional red life pool. Petrified Blood redistributes damage between your life and a degen of your red life, which can be mitigated by achieving a certain amount of recovery rate.

↖ Pros & Cons:

• + Strong life pool scaling with Abyssal Jewels and Petrified Blood.
• + Effective HP increase due to Petrified Blood.
• + High survivability against certain damage types.
• + Flexible in terms of physical spell choice (Ethereal Knives and Storm Burst are recommended).
• - Requires careful management of life preservation and recovery.
• - Some map mods may pose challenges (Less Recovery Rate, Reflect).
• - Slightly complex mechanics may require a learning curve.
• - Requires specific gear and Abyssal jewels for optimal performance.

↖ Levelling Guide

• Level with Relic of the Pact and Essence Worm.
• Use recommended support gems and transition to the chosen spell later.
• Level with Ethereal Knives or Storm Burst, as they are your main skills.
• Consider using skills like Orb of Storms for utility and Elemental Equilibrium.

↖ Ascendancy

• Slayer: Overwhelm is the first choice for its crit bonuses.
• Elementalist: Mastermind of Discord provides penetration and ailment immunity.
• Pathfinder: Master Toxicist grants poison immunity and flask bonuses.
• Champion: Inspirational for auras and bonuses.

↖ Bandits

Help Alira: For critical strike multiplier, all resistances, and mana regeneration.

↖ Pantheon

• Major: Soul of Lunaris or Soul of Solaris.
• Minor: Soul of Shakari or Soul of Ralakesh.

↖ Gear

• Focus on gear with life, resistance, and energy shield.
• Prioritize unique items like Rathpith Globe Shield for damage and survivability.
• Look for items with reduced reservation efficiency.
• Aim for gear that enhances your chosen spell (EK or Storm Burst).

↖ Gems

• For EK: Ethereal Knives, Controlled Destruction, Physical to Lightning, Unleash, Hypothermia, Swift Affliction.
• For Storm Burst: Storm Burst, Unleash, Controlled Destruction, Physical to Lightning, Hypothermia, Swift Affliction.

↖ Skills Points

• Allocate points in the skill tree to enhance life, damage, and defence.
• Prioritize life nodes, crit nodes, spell damage, and elemental damage.
• Consider taking specific nodes for your chosen spell (EK or Storm Burst).

↖ Passive Tree

• Tailor your passive tree based on your chosen spell and gear.
• Focus on life nodes, elemental damage, crit multipliers, and cast speed.
• Allocate nodes that increase energy shield if using the recommended shield.

↖ PlayStyle

• Manage your life pool with Petrified Blood and Dissolution of the Flesh.
• Keep an eye on your recoup value to counteract the damage over time from Petrified Blood.
• Use your primary skill (EK or Storm Burst) to deal damage and generate Spirit charges.
• Utilize Spirit charges to enhance your damage and survivability.
• Adjust your skill choice based on your target (EK for clearing, Storm Burst for single target).

Conclusion:

Ethereal Knives Life Abyss Stacking Ascendant Build offers a well-rounded and powerful character with versatility for both mapping and bossing. Remember to manage your life pool carefully, focus on ailment avoidance, and optimize your gear to maximize the potential of this unique and engaging build. Experiment with gem setups and adapt the build to your preferred playstyle for an enjoyable and effective gaming experience.