Ethereal Knives

Ethereal KnivesSpell, Projectile, Physical
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (5-20) Mana
Cast Time: 0.60 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 6.00%
Effectiveness of Added Damage: (190-220)%
Projectile Speed: 1300Fires an arc of knives outwards in front of the caster which deal physical damage.Deals (7-949) to (10-1423) Physical Damage
Fires (10-13) Projectiles

Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality:
Fires +(0.1-2) ProjectilesPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.

Acquisition
Drop level: 5Vendor Offer
1x Scroll FragmentMetadata
Item class: Skill Gem
Metadata ID: Metadata/Items/Gems/SkillGemEtherealKnives

Ethereal Knives (often referred to as EK) is a spell that throws multiple knives in an arc in front of the caster that deal physical damage. Multiple knives cannot hit the same target. The angle of the spell's arc is fixed and does not depend on where the cursor is, unlike other projectile skills.

Despite the fact that it does physical damage, Ethereal Knives is a spell and not an attack. It does not utilize weapon damage in any way.

Skill functions and interactions

• Projectile speed: The projectiles move at an average speed of close to 120 units/s for roughly 0.25 seconds, putting their effective range at somewhere around 30ish units. They inherently have a variation of +/−40% base speed, but the average will be around 30. Modifiers to projectile speed will increase the average distance that Ethereal Knives projectiles travel before they fade, effectively increasing the maximum range of the spell.

• Return: Unlike other projectiles with a limited duration, Returning Projectiles SupportReturning Projectiles SupportSupport, Projectile
  Icon: R
  Level: (1-20)
  Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 150%Requires Level 38Supports projectile skills.Projectiles from Supported Skills Return to you
  Projectiles from Supported Skills deal (70-61)% less Damage with Hits and Ailments while Returning
  Projectiles from Supported Skills Pierce all Targets while Returning
  
  Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality:
  Supported Skills have (0.5-10)% increased Projectile SpeedThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket.​ will cause Ethereal Knives projectiles to return at the end of their duration. Each projectile will return at the same speed it started travelling at.

Gem level progression

Level				Mana Cost	Damage Effectiveness	Physical Damage	# Projectiles	Exp.	Total Exp.
1	1	0	0	5	190%	7 to 10	10	0	0
2	2	0	0	5	190%	9 to 12	10	70	70
3	4	0	0	5	190%	10 to 15	10	308	378
4	7	14	0	6	190%	14 to 20	10	1554	1932
5	11	19	0	7	190%	20 to 30	10	6667	8599
6	16	26	18	8	200%	31 to 46	10	26047	34646
7	20	31	22	9	200%	42 to 63	11	49725	84371
8	24	37	25	10	200%	56 to 85	11	95714	180085
9	28	42	29	11	200%	75 to 112	11	169595	349680
10	32	47	33	11	200%	98 to 147	11	283759	633439
11	36	52	36	12	200%	128 to 191	11	453996	1087435
12	40	58	40	13	200%	165 to 247	11	703128	1790563
13	44	63	44	14	200%	211 to 316	12	1061223	2851786
14	48	68	48	15	210%	269 to 403	12	2065870	4917656
15	52	74	51	16	210%	341 to 511	12	2507110	7424766
16	56	79	55	17	210%	431 to 646	12	5798936	13223702
17	60	84	59	18	210%	542 to 813	12	15083919	28307621
18	64	90	62	18	210%	679 to 1019	12	27792735	56100356
19	67	94	65	19	210%	804 to 1205	13	43869739	99970095
20	70	98	68	20	220%	949 to 1423	13	242081556	342051651
21	72	100	70	20	220%	1059 to 1589	13	N/A	N/A
22	74	N/A	N/A	21	220%	1182 to 1773	13	N/A	N/A
23	76	N/A	N/A	21	220%	1318 to 1977	13	N/A	N/A
24	78	N/A	N/A	21	220%	1469 to 2204	13	N/A	N/A
25	80	N/A	N/A	22	220%	1636 to 2455	14	N/A	N/A
26	82	N/A	N/A	22	220%	1822 to 2733	14	N/A	N/A
27	84	N/A	N/A	23	220%	2027 to 3041	14	N/A	N/A
28	86	N/A	N/A	23	220%	2255 to 3383	14	N/A	N/A
29	88	N/A	N/A	24	220%	2507 to 3761	14	N/A	N/A
30	90	N/A	N/A	24	220%	2787 to 4180	14	N/A	N/A
31	91	N/A	N/A	24	220%	2937 to 4406	15	N/A	N/A
32	92	N/A	N/A	25	220%	3096 to 4644	15	N/A	N/A
33	93	N/A	N/A	25	220%	3263 to 4894	15	N/A	N/A
34	94	N/A	N/A	25	220%	3438 to 5157	15	N/A	N/A
35	95	N/A	N/A	25	220%	3622 to 5434	15	N/A	N/A
36	96	N/A	N/A	25	220%	3816 to 5725	15	N/A	N/A
37	97	N/A	N/A	26	220%	4020 to 6031	16	N/A	N/A
38	98	N/A	N/A	26	220%	4235 to 6352	16	N/A	N/A
39	99	N/A	N/A	26	220%	4461 to 6691	16	N/A	N/A
40	100	N/A	N/A	26	220%	4698 to 7047	16	N/A	N/A

Item acquisition

Ethereal Knives can drop anywhere.

Recipes

Ethereal Knives can be created from the following recipes:

Amount	Part	Description	Meta
13	The CataclysmThe Cataclysm13Level 21 Spell Gem CorruptedThe mighty warriors traded in blows, the nimble archers in arrows, yet it was the brazen thaumaturgists who would bring catastrophe to all.	Random corrupted level 21 Spell gem	A
6	The FoxThe Fox6Level 20 Gem"Masters of wit, strength and cunning. To survive the harsh winters, you must be like the fox." - Ezomyte Proverb	Random level 20 gem	A
3	Gemcutter's PromiseGemcutter's Promise3Gem Quality: +20%"I swore to use my position to help the people. What good is power when it just accumulates on the already-powerful?" - Erasmus, Imperial Gemcutter	Random gem with 20% quality	A
1	Gemcutter's IncubatorGemcutter's IncubatorStack Size: 10Adds an incubated Quality Gem item to an equippable item Item drops after killing {0} monstersRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters.	Random gem with 1–20% quality	A
1	The VoidThe Void1Reach into the Void and claim your prize.	Random divination card set exchange	A

Quest reward

This item is given as a quest reward for the following quests:

Class →	Witch	Shadow	Ranger	Duelist	Marauder	Templar	Scion
Quest ↓
Enemy at the Gate Act 1	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Vendor reward

This item can be bought at the listed NPC vendors, after completing the following quests:

Class →	Witch	Shadow	Ranger	Duelist	Marauder	Templar	Scion
Quest ↓
Enemy at the Gate Act 1 Nessa	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
A Fixture of Fate Act 3 Siosa	✓
Fallen from Grace Act 6 Lilly Roth	✓

Threshold jewels

The following threshold jewels augment Ethereal Knives:

Note that the jewels may be drop disabled and can only be found in permanent leagues as legacy items.

Item	Limit	Radius	Stats	Drop Enabled
Ring of BladesRing of Blades Viridian JewelLimited to: 1 Radius: Medium(10-15)% increased Global Physical Damage With at least 40 Dexterity in Radius, Ethereal Knives fires Projectiles in a circleAt night, as a young Daresso shared his bed with a woman whose name he could not recall, his thoughts remained in the one place he called his own: The Grand Arena.Place into an allocated Jewel Socket on the Passive Skill Tree. Right click to remove from the Socket.	1	Medium	(10-15)% increased Global Physical Damage With at least 40 Dexterity in Radius, Ethereal Knives fires Projectiles in a circle	0

Related helmet enchantments

The following helmet enchantments affect Ethereal Knives.

Note that helmet enchantments are no longer obtainable since version 3.23.0 and can only be obtained in permanent leagues as already enchanted items from before this patch.

Name		Labyrinth	Stats	Spawn Weighting
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Damage 1	66	Merciless Labyrinth	25% increased Ethereal Knives Damage	helmet 100
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Damage 2	75	Eternal Labyrinth	40% increased Ethereal Knives Damage	helmet 75
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Projectiles Fire in Circle 1	75	Eternal Labyrinth	Ethereal Knives fires Projectiles in a circle	helmet 75
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Number Of Targets To Pierce 1	75	Eternal Labyrinth	Ethereal Knives Pierces an additional Target	helmet 0
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Projectile Speed 1	66	Merciless Labyrinth	20% increased Ethereal Knives Projectile Speed	helmet 100
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Projectile Speed 2	75	Eternal Labyrinth	30% increased Ethereal Knives Projectile Speed	helmet 75

Legacy mods

Name		Labyrinth	Stats	Spawn Weighting
Enchantment Ethereal Knives Number Of Targets To Pierce 1	75	Eternal Labyrinth	Ethereal Knives Pierces an additional Target	helmet 0

Modifiers

Name	Domain	Generation Type		Stats	Spawn Weighting
WeaponTreeSkillEtherealKnives	Item	Crucible Passive Skill Tree	1	Ethereal Knives requires 1 fewer Projectile Fired to leave each Lingering Blade	two_hand_weapon 0 caster_unique_weapon 1000 attack_staff 0 attack_dagger 0 weapon_can_roll_minion_modifiers 0 wand 1000 staff 1000 dagger 1000 sceptre 1000 shield 500
WeaponTreeSkillEtherealKnives2H	Item	Crucible Passive Skill Tree	1	Ethereal Knives requires 2 fewer Projectiles Fired to leave each Lingering Blade	one_hand_weapon 0 caster_unique_weapon 1000 attack_staff 0 attack_dagger 0 weapon_can_roll_minion_modifiers 0 wand 1000 staff 1000 dagger 1000 sceptre 1000

Alternate skill effects

Ethereal Knives has the following alternate skill effects:

Item	Description
Ebony Ethereal Knives EffectEbony Ethereal Knives EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Ethereal Knives become a volley of ebony knives.	Your Ethereal Knives become a volley of ebony knives.
Ethereal Stars EffectEthereal Stars EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Ethereal Knives become a volley of spinning throwing stars	Your Ethereal Knives become a volley of spinning throwing stars
Illusionist Ethereal Knives EffectIllusionist Ethereal Knives EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Ethereal Knives become an Illusionist Effect.	Your Ethereal Knives become an Illusionist Effect.
Sawblade Ethereal Knives EffectSawblade Ethereal Knives EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Ethereal Knives become a Sawblade Effect.	Your Ethereal Knives become a Sawblade Effect.

Version history

Version	Changes
3.25.0	Now has 190% Effectiveness of Added Damage at gem level 1, scaling up to 220% at gem level 20 (previously 220% at all gem levels).
3.23.0b	Updated the descriptions on Ethereal Knives and its Transfigured versions (of Lingering Blades, of the Massacre) to clarify whether each version fires knives outwards or downwards.
3.23.0	No longer leaves a Lingering Blade in the ground for every 3 Projectiles fired, and no longer has "Maximum 40 Lingering Blades can be left in the ground at a time" or "Leaves 50% fewer Lingering Blades in the ground if you don't Cast this Spell yourself." It also no longer has 0-19% increased Projectile Speed, a base duration of 6.00 seconds, or the Duration tag. Quality now causes the skill to Fire +0-2 Projectiles, instead of providing 0-20% increased Projectile Speed.
3.20.0	Added Eternal Labyrinth Helmet Enchantments for SparkSparkSpell, Projectile, Duration, Lightning Level: (1-20) Cost: (5-21) Mana Cast Time: 0.65 sec Critical Strike Chance: 6.00% Effectiveness of Added Damage: 190% Projectile Speed: 420Launches unpredictable sparks that move randomly until they hit an enemy or expire.Deals (1-104) to (28-1983) Lightning Damage Base duration is 2.00 seconds Fires (4-8) Projectiles Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Fires +(0.1-2) ProjectilesPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. and Ethereal Knives that cause projectiles to fire in a circle. The Spark projectile speed Helmet Enchantments and the Ethereal Knives Pierce Helmet Enchantment have been removed. This is due to the removal of Ring of BladesRing of Blades Viridian JewelLimited to: 1 Radius: Medium(10-15)% increased Global Physical Damage With at least 40 Dexterity in Radius, Ethereal Knives fires Projectiles in a circleAt night, as a young Daresso shared his bed with a woman whose name he could not recall, his thoughts remained in the one place he called his own: The Grand Arena.Place into an allocated Jewel Socket on the Passive Skill Tree. Right click to remove from the Socket. and Hazardous ResearchHazardous Research Cobalt JewelLimited to: 1 Radius: Medium(10-15)% increased Lightning Damage With at least 40 Intelligence in Radius, Spark fires Projectiles in a circleOf the elements at the thaumaturgist's disposal, lightning remained the least understood. The simple passage of energy from one to another could result in profound power, or rapid death.Place into an allocated Jewel Socket on the Passive Skill Tree. Right click to remove from the Socket. from the drop pool.
3.17.0	Ethereal Knives now deals 7 to 10 Physical Damage at gem level 1 (unchanged), up to 949 to 1423 at gem level 20 (previously 633 to 949). Now fires 9 additional Projectiles at gem level 1 (unchanged), up to 12 at gem level 20 (previously 9). Now has 220% Effectiveness of Added Damage at all gem levels (previously 120%).
3.10.0	Can now create Lingering Blades. These can be animated with Animate WeaponAnimate WeaponDuration, Minion, Spell, Physical Level: (1-20) Cost: (4-16) Mana Cast Time: 0.60 secRequires Level 4Animates a Melee Weapon Item or Lingering Blade to fight by your side. You cannot animate unidentified Weapons. Will not animate weapons with 6 sockets. Cannot be used by Traps or Mines.Base duration is 40.00 seconds Can use Items requiring up to Level (9-100) Minions' Attacks deal (5-126) to (8-184) additional Physical Damage Animated Lingering Blades deal (1-17) to (2-80) Added Attack Physical Damage Minions deal (0-38)% more Damage Maximum (5-14) Animated Weapons Minions have (0-38)% more Attack Speed Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: +(0.1-2) to maximum number of Animated WeaponsPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. or destroyed with Blade BlastBlade BlastSpell, AoE, Physical Level: (1-20) Cost: (6-16) Mana Cast Time: 0.50 sec Critical Strike Chance: 6.00% Effectiveness of Added Damage: 70%Requires Level 16Deals spell damage in a targeted area. Each time this spell deals damage, it will detonate any of your Lingering Blades it touches, dealing damage again in an area around them. Up to 50 Blades can be detonated this way.Deals (11-309) to (17-464) Physical Damage Base radius is 1.4 metres Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Base radius is (0.005-0.1) metresPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.. These blades have a base duration of 6 seconds at all gem levels.
3.6.0	Mana Cost at gem level 20 is now 20 (was 23). Now deals 7 to 10 Physical damage at gem level 1 (from 6 to 9) and 633 to 949 Physical damage at gem level 20 (from 457 to 685). Now has an added damage effectiveness of 120% (from 100%).
3.3.0	Now deals 6-9 physical damage at gem level 1 (up from 4-6), up to 457-685 physical damage at gem level 20 (down from 459-688).
2.1.0	Damage increased by around 20% higher at level 20. Now gains 1% projectile speed per gem level over 1.
2.0.0	Now grants 1% Increased projectile speed per 1% quality instead of increased projectile damage. Base Cast Speed has been decreased from a cast time of 800ms to 600ms, the mana costs have been reduced to compensate for the increase in cast speed. Critical Strike Chance has been increased from 5% to 6%.
1.1.5	Ethereal Knives casts 25% faster (from 1 to 0.8 seconds), the damage and mana cost have been reduced by 20% to compensate.
1.0.0	Ethereal Knives' mana cost is reduced.
0.11.4	Fixed a bug with Ethereal Knives that would cause you to walk closer than needed if the range was affected by projectile speed.
0.11.0	The damage progression of Ethereal Knives has been reduced.
0.9.12s	Damage increased by 10%.
0.9.12qq	From 1% projectile damage per quality point to 0.5%.
0.9.11i	Fixed the randomness of Ethereal Knives when used with traps.
0.9.9b	Fixed a problem where the character would not run into range of an enemy before using the skill.
0.9.9	Ethereal Knives has been added to the game.