![OUR FLICKER STRIKE STARTER BUILD IN 0.5 [RETURN OF THE ANCIENT] INVOKER - MARTIAL ATRIST - RITUALIST](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PCzN4Kgu-Bs/maxresdefault.jpg)
Overview
This is a Flicker Strike league starter rebuilt around the new Martial Artist ascendancy that ships with 0.5 Return of the Ancients. The creator reviewed the surviving Flicker shells — Ritualist with the classic Scold’s Bridle / Lightning Coil / Volkuur’s Roar / Beidat Bell loop, an Invoker safety pick, and a speculative Gemling Legionnaire variant — before settling on Martial Artist as the cleanest path. The deciding factor is the new gloves ascendancy, which transforms equipped gloves into Fists of Stone and bakes in chase modifiers like power charge on crit and 10% quality of all skills.
For mapping the build sustains power charges with Cast on Crit triggering Profane Ritual, then channels Whirling Assault or Tempest Flurry as a Flicker combo builder. For single target it leans on the lineage gem Alith Chimes paired with Mantra of Destruction and Delayed Gratification, and on the new Hand of Shiula buff to keep culmination stacks rolling. Way of the Stone Fist plus Hollow Focus and Hollow Resonance are the locked-in ascendancy picks; the fourth point is debated between the five-rune unique and Way of the Mountain.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Power charge generation is far stronger than the old Profane Ritual swap thanks to the new Way of the Stone Fist gloves
- Massive minmax ceiling — the rare-glove conversion gives access to power charge on crit, cooldown recovery, and 10% quality
- Tempest Flurry / Whirling Assault provide a clean combo builder for both Flicker and Alith Chimes
- Two viable single target options (mantra setup or culmination + Alith Chimes) means you can adapt to what gear drops
Cons
- Sustaining power charges on a low budget is still rough until Cast on Crit is online
- Heavier spirit investment than Invoker Flicker — you do not get Lead Me Through Grace as a free amulet
- Alith Chimes price tends to spike at league launch, which can stall the bossing setup
- Lots of moving pieces compared to a vanilla Flicker shell, so expect a learning curve in the first few maps
Key Skills
- Flicker Strike — main mapping and bossing skill, fed by power charges
- Tempest Flurry / Whirling Assault — combo builder for Alith Chimes culmination and for sustaining charges via Cast on Crit
- Cast on Crit + Profane Ritual — power charge generator against trash packs
- Mantra of Destruction + Delayed Gratification + Alith Chimes — single target mantra setup once you have the gem
- Glacial Cascade + Frozen Locus + Herald of Ice — leveling skeleton up to Flicker swap
Gear & Anointments
Leveling starts on Hollow Palm so weapons can be ignored through the early acts, then transitions to a rare quarter staff once the Flicker tree is filled in. The endgame loadout pivots around Fist of Stone gloves rolled with power charge on crit and 10% quality of skills, plus a Bell Belt of the Monk to scale Hollow Resonance with cooldown recovery. Specific uniques and anoints will be confirmed against the source video as the league lands.
Endgame Notes
The creator flags two open questions for late investment: whether the Gemling Legionnaire chance-to-keep-charges interaction actually exists in the patch (it would unlock a 70%+ retention stack with Foul Serpent Egg and Perpetual Charge if true), and whether five Runic Meridians sockets outvalue Way of the Mountain when immobilization sources are limited. Default is Way of the Mountain plus stun build-up sources.
Credits & Source
Build credited to MAGEFIST. See the source video for the full Flicker comparison and ascendancy breakdown: OUR FLICKER STRIKE STARTER BUILD IN 0.5 [RETURN OF THE ANCIENT] INVOKER - MARTIAL ATRIST - RITUALIST.