[1.2.x] Dual Dagger Perma-Freeze CC Nova Budget Build
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Hey guys,
I thought I'd showcase my inexpensive dual dagger perma-freeze CC Nova build for you all and I'm sure someone out there might find it interesting or want to take it further (it's definitely not original). It's probably not HC viable unless you're Kripp, so please be kind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Build Ice Nova is under-rated because it's not seen as a high DPS skill and used pretty much just as a utility skill for EE or levelling. Saying that... It is excellent for crowd controlling and perma-freezing if you can get the crit/freeze high enough. On top of that, you can actually get decent damage if you stack your gear/gems/points right. This build is not to show off the high DPS, although it does do some good damage with a huge AoE, but more to show how powerful it is for crowd control.
Pros
- You freeze everything on and off screen. - You can walk through most maps & dailies. - You can solo most maps at a nice pace. - You're loved by everyone since you provide a safety blanket.
Cons
- Reflect can destroy you if you're a little careless. - Exiles and Bosses are not easy to freeze. - You're not high in DPS. - Nemesis mods hurt a lot. - Some packs require you to stand and spam, mobility can be a problem. Gem Setup
Ice Nova
4L: Ice Nova - Elemental Proliferation - Powercharge on Critical Strike - Increased Critical Strike Chance I used this setup for a long while until I could equip a Rat's Nest, this setup fit nicely into the unique Rime Gaze which added 5th link lvl15 Conc Effect. The dps is better, but the range is lower. 5L: Ice Nova - Elemental Proliferation - Powercharge on Critical Strike - Increased Critical Strike Chance - Cold Penetration My current setup right now which provides a pretty good chance to land a status ailment on a mob as well as generate powercharges for my support DPS skill. (You could swap out Powercharge on Critical Strike for Increased AoE but I am too lazy, so I keep it in there)
Support & DPS
I switch between these three skills: Ice Spear (Higher freeze chance), Freezing Pulse (Pack clearing), Arctic Breath (solo DPS). 4L: Spell Echo - Faster Casting - Greater Multiple Projectiles 5L: Spell Echo - Faster Casting - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Life Leech / Cold Penetration (if you want to have Ice Nova as a 4L)
Support Auras & Protection
Herald of Thunder - Life Leech - Curse on Hit - Temperal Chains I use Temperal Chains on Herald of Thunder to lengthen the status ailment as long as possible, and should the ailment duration end, the mobs will be slowed down until the curse ends. Additionally to cursing mobs, they are struck with Life Leech which is a nice little bonus and can save you when your pots are gone. Herald of Ice - Purity of Ice - Reduced Mana These gems sit in my +2 Cold Gem dagger (unfortunately not a +3 dagger but still should boost their strength). For a cold caster, they are the most important gems that you should have. Clarity - Arctic Armour - Reduced Mana Since the gem setup is quite mana hungry and EB is not used in this build, Clarity is very important. Arctic Armour is not maxed as it cannot be sustained but it is high enough to provide some protection and also provides movement speed. We don't put AA into the +2 dagger as it will raise the mana drain. Cast When Damage Taken - Immortal Call Since you'll most likely be on the frontline of the party trying to perma-freeze you'll need these two gems at the least. It'll save you more than you think, even when you're freezing everything. If you want, as I did early game, you can link in Increased Duration. Lightning Warp - Reduced Duration Usual combo for movement, you can link Faster Casting as I did while leveling. Gear (I carry a spare Topaz because you can never have enough lightning resistance in this game) Playstyle You either have two ways to play this character, you can either take your time and edge your way into packs with Ice Nova and then hit the DPS skill to finish them off. Or go max yolo and lightning warp into the middle of packs to shock them, and then Ice Nova them quickly to freeze everything, then finish off with your DPS skill. I tend to go for the Yolo approach as it's pretty good for getting ahead of party members and providing a safe path for them to clean up after you. In solo play this method is also good as you nearly always move out of the mobs' line of fire. Once you start freezing the whole, screen, you'll just let loose and want to jump around everywhere and spam your icy cold jizz everywhere. When encountering reflect, creeping is preferred as you need to hit fewer mobs at a time and not crit the whole screen, be prepared to spam your flasks. You can take out Crit chance and Pcoc gems to help. Dealing with Corrupted Blood can also be tricky as you will need to make sure you have flask charges available to dispel. Herald of Thunder with Life Leech linked should ease the pain a little. Levelling Levelling this build is quite easy and once you spec into the cold wheel, you will start to feel the power of the build. You can pretty much freeze & shatter everything in a big circle around you. This is the route I took while levelling up and progressing through the game. I found that I was incredibly strong early on until merciless since I could freeze nearly everything. Though there is strength and great crowd control in the build it's open to some very brutal attacks from Merciless onwards since it's hard to cap your resistances and have good defences. Passive Tree |
