Despite the sweeping changes to many melee skill gems in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur, some bow builds have not only survived but have been buffed, and one of the standout builds is the Ice Shot Deadeye. With a small but impactful damage boost in Patch 3.25, the Ice Shot skill continues to dominate as a powerful option for bow-based players. This build guide will walk you through everything you need to know to maximize the potential of the Ice Shot Deadeye in the latest league.
Build Overview: Why Choose Ice Shot Deadeye?
Ice Shot is a bow attack skill that converts 60% of physical damage into cold damage, which results in icy projectiles that can hit enemies and cause a cold explosion in a cone shape. This explosion deals damage to any targets in the area, making Ice Shot incredibly effective at clearing large packs of enemies. In Settlers of Kalguur, Ice Shot received a slight damage boost, improving its effectiveness, even though its inherent flat cold damage was removed. This loss is easily mitigated through the use of support gems, making it a balanced and effective choice for mapping and endgame content.
The Deadeye ascendancy is the perfect match for Ice Shot. It offers increased projectile damage, enhanced critical strike chance, and the Ricochet node, which grants projectiles the ability to bounce off enemies and deal additional hits. By utilizing the Returning Projectiles Support, the projectiles that hit enemies will return to you, dealing extra damage. Although the returning projectiles deal less damage than the initial hits, the sheer speed at which you attack ensures that this still contributes significantly to your overall damage output.
Core Mechanics and Playstyle
The Ice Shot Deadeye excels at clearing maps with high speed and efficiency, thanks to its ability to hit multiple enemies at once with its cone-shaped cold explosions. The Returning Projectiles Support gem is a key component, as it makes projectiles deal damage twice, ensuring high DPS even with lower damage per shot. The skill is fast-paced, and with the Deadeye ascendancy, you can capitalize on projectile scaling and ricochet effects, allowing you to hit multiple targets at once, increasing the skill’s effectiveness in clearing both large packs of enemies and bosses.
However, Ice Shot does face some challenges when it comes to single-target damage. Fortunately, this can be addressed with the addition of Ballista Totems. By summoning Ballista Totems that use Ice Shot, you can greatly boost your single-target damage output. These totems allow you to keep firing while focusing on positioning, creating a synergy between your personal attacks and the totems’ extra projectiles. This makes the build capable of handling all content, from clearing monsters to taking down endgame bosses.
Gear and Modifiers
To get the most out of your Ice Shot Deadeye build, the right gear is essential. While this build can perform well with minimal investment, it becomes much more potent with upgraded items. Below are the key pieces of gear to aim for:
Weapon (Bow)
- Look for bows that enhance cold damage and provide increased attack speed or critical strike chance.
- Mods such as adds cold damage to attacks, increased elemental damage with attack skills, and increased attack speed are highly valuable.
- If possible, craft or purchase a self-crafted bow that maximizes elemental damage.
Quiver
- Focus on increased elemental damage with attacks, critical strike multiplier, and attack speed. A quiver with good mods can provide a significant boost to both your damage output and overall survivability.
Helmet
- Seek mods that increase cold damage, critical strike chance, life, and resistances.
- Consider enchantments like adds cold damage to bow attacks to further enhance damage.
Body Armour
- A high-life and evasion-based armour are ideal, as the Deadeye ascendancy benefits from evasion and critical strike avoidance.
- Look for increased life, resistances, and spell suppression to improve survivability.
Gloves and Boots
- Gloves: Focus on life, cold damage, and resistances.
- Boots: Prioritize movement speed, life, and resistances. Consider boots with an enchanted mod like increased attack speed with cold damage.
Jewels
- Cluster Jewels: Look for jewels with cold damage, critical strike chance, and projectile damage.
- Abyss Jewels: Focus on cold damage and critical strike multiplier for added damage.
Passive Tree and Ascendancy
Ascendancy (Deadeye)
- Ricochet: Enables projectiles to bounce off enemies, increasing the number of targets hit and maximizing DPS.
- Fast and Deadly: Increases projectile damage and critical strike chance.
- Endless Munitions: Increases the number of projectiles fired, further improving the build’s mapping efficiency.
- Tailwind: Grants you increased movement speed, ensuring you’re always on the move while engaging enemies.
Passive Tree
- Focus on cold damage, attack speed, and projectile damage.
- Take critical strike chance and multiplier nodes to boost your DPS.
- Ensure you grab life, evasion, and resistances to improve your survivability.
Conclusion
The Ice Shot Deadeye build in Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur is a strong contender in both mapping and boss fights. With its efficient clearing speed and the addition of ballista totems for single-target damage, this build provides a flexible and enjoyable playstyle. While it works well with minimal investment, upgrading your gear with better bows, crit-focused items, and cold damage mods can elevate the build to new heights. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, the Ice Shot Deadeye is a powerful and fun choice for your 3.25 league journey.
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