[2.4] Crit Whispering Ice Assassin [SC/HC Viable]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRl77UxXJAA

Pros:
-Freezing full packs of mobs
-90+ Crit Chance (I have 95% with diamond rings and 6 power charges)
-Easy links! (Whispering Ice doesn't need to be linked at all)

Cons:
-Can be expensive depending on the league and how long the league has been going
-Hard to cap resists while keeping high DPS and energy shield
-No stun immunity (Gotta pay attention while playing to avoid being stun locked)
-POE turns into a power-point presentation on slower PCs

Leveling can be done using Whispering Ice right from lv33. Level as Non-Crit though, picking up int nodes and life nodes mainly trying to cover as much area on the tree for when you respect into CI.

Don't Respect until you have the proper gear. Make sure you have Capped Resists, enough Energy Shield for you to feel comfortable (I only have 5.5k without Discipline, 7.5k with it and that feels too low. Especially for HC) as much int as possible on your gear (45+) since Whispering Ice scales with int very very well.

I made the switch into CI and Crit at around lv68 but struggled due to not high enough energy shield, giving me reflect issues and making me very vulnerable to burst damage. Keep this in mind when you are deciding when to make the switch

Energy Shield, Int and Resists on your Helmet, Body and Boots.

Use your Ring slots to cap your Resists, get more Int and Mana regen.


My Belt is a good example of what you want. Use your belt to help Cap Resist as well as getting any extra Energy Shield you can. A little extra Armour doesn't hurt too.


My Amulet was an amazing find. I was able to craft energy shield still but didn't have the currency to burn. Do your best to find an amulet with Int, Crit Multi, Flat Energy Shield and any All Attributes (To help meet gem requirements)

For Gloves I recommend Facebreakers for that juicy 90% Crit Multi. High Energy Shield with High Int will also be a good choice

In my Whisper Ice I used...
Increased Critical Strikes > Hypothermia > Cold Pen > Spell Echo > Life Leech > Controlled Destruction
While leveling, replace Increased Critical Strikes with Mana Leech to help with any mana problems.
Your DPS will depend greatly on the amount of Int you have. You'll easily reach 90% Crit Chance and 500% Crit Multi so if your DPS feels low, check your gear for any upgrades.

I get my Power Charges using...
Herald of Ice > Curse on Hit > Assassin's Mark > Increased Area of Effect
The increased area is mainly to ensure I get the curse off. Remove it if you have mana problems

My Auras are...
Discipline and Clarity

I use a Flame Golem for better DPS. Chaos Golem is also a good choice for scary physical maps

For bosses
Frost Bomb > Increased Duration > Vaal Discipline
Frost Bomb for more damage and Vaal Discipline should keep you alive long enough to kill most bosses. If you have the slots, you can also use Vaal Haste + Vaal Clarity for extra spam

I used passive tree nodes and jewel slots to help cap my resists. If you have better gear, you'll be able to spend those points a little better.
In the jewel slot beside Vaal Pact, I put a Fertile Mind Cobalt Jewel.

https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAYBADIyEJLZhrxvIzZTEBewSotFfCxGPL1QQow2idNwUioLXfIrChEvUzWTJ3_GwcXsGCy_FdeGrlZjj_rw1UlR6_VknfId0NBfamwLIvRtGdlbGyVLrukC34oRUDW5pyuX9FJTPV-XlUyz0B_v6yBuUDDbXgQH6-RfKq6zQZbQ9QVCLJwfAjbF2CSnCJ2uGmzkItWmKU-ePIx2PAXAZkVHtQTvfI9GE3FepViuHRSOZPemtvq-iqEvytO0DEZxgwnqug18NAo3ZiymkNZvnpykhxN3B8pKX7CbtYTFwzoqOEcG8uFjQ9vnbAjxiu-I-TfXz0mxLYsfxw==