CI+ZO Ice Shot Templar (2 versions: GMP+Pierce vs Burn damage!)

Due to the massive popularity of Eldritch Battery elemental builds, I wanted to look into a different concept with enough survivability in HC. The biggest issue to tackle in these builds is the sustainability of the main skill + the auras.

EB obviously solves any mana issues and still leaving the player room for stacking massive amounts of life. Blood Magic builds might be great for survival, but it closes out the option of running multiple auras safely, so it is mostly used by caster/physical characters. This left me with one considerable option, cost reduction. Now before you judge the idea, let's tap into the basics of the concept.


Why Ice Shot?
Going against the stream of LA builds, I think Ice Shot still has a ton of untapped potential being an awesome offensive/defensive hybrid ability. This concept utilizes the AoE frost damage of IS combined with Pierce, multipe projectiles and increased AoE. This way, a similar effect can be achieved to chain, since the AoE ice explosions occur on every pierced target, damaging every enemy multiple times.

Consider using IS+GMP+Pierce+Cold Pen/Conc Effect+Weapon Elemental Damage+Increased AoE. Let's assume you are facing 10 skeletons grouped up, you shoot 5 arrows in a cone, each piercing through 2 enemies, dealing the single target damage on each + 100% physical damage as cold damage in an area around every target. This stacking of multipliers in damage grants the high potential that can be compared to LMP+Chain.


Why Reduced Mana Cost?
Stacking reduced mana cost passives with a good build route can get you up to a 69% reduction, in this build i will be applying 55% just from passives. This means when using a skill with an expensive base cost, you can still apply numerous support gems and be able to sustain thanks to the reduced cost multiplier. A 6 link Ice Shot can be fired at the cost of 120-150 mana without reduction, with this build this can be rounded down to 60.


Why Chaos Inocculation?
Because of the threats of Chaos damage in end game content, the two real options are stacking life nodes or CI. Since this build does not rely in Eldritch Battery, and spreads out conveniently to the witch area, CI can be picked up after the increased AoE passives, coupled up with enough ES bonuses. Since the nerf, however CI in itself has not proven to be enough by itself as a defensive option.

To solve this, Zealot's Oath will be applied, which does nothing in itself. However, since the build has to travel to the duelist area, it can pick up several life regen nodes and also grab Unwavering Stance, which is a key to survival as a CI. With the reduced reservation cost passives, Vitality can also be run if neccessary.

Planned Auras
- Discipline
- Vitality
- Purity
- Clarity

Key points of the build
- Very potent clearing damage
- Somewhat unique concept
- Not reliant on flasks
- Massive armor and energy shield
- Chaos Immune
- Group utility (several auras, freezing capabilities)
- Minor gear dependence (requires dex from gear to use high end bows (amulet), Dream Fragments is also highly advised to avoid being frozen)


The Build
http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUBAnEEBwSzBS0FWwx9EH8TWxRNGlUdFB8CJIsn1Si1LL8tHzB1Mn4yiTLRNsU26DvhPAU8LT0PPV9AoENjRUdG10yzTdhSU1WpVdZX4livWPVdxl6fYIhhUmSjZOdmnm0Zbqpwu3FNd-V4DXq4fEt8u331fll_xoFvgziLjIx2j0aXlZe0l_SazJrPnYCdxJ48n8uf36KjpwinK6lurLquk7UEtfK3Mbc-uJO-u8HFwfPDbcRYxPbGnsau2CTa3d0F4XPh2uL37BjsGe0g707vfO-G9tr3wfrS


Leveling
Generally you want to pick up CI very late, after you have the required gear components to completely replace your life pool. Being a templar this build has several defensive nodes available on the way, start out by going towards the duelist area, pick up the remaining 2 health nodes near the templar starting area and couple them with the ones left out by the duelist life regen nodes. Refund them once you can get CI.


Burn damage version
This one uses the same build, but instead of the previous support combination, you apply Ice shot+Cold to Fire+Weapon Elemental Damage+Increased AoE+Elemental Proliferation+ Fire Penetration. Use the curse flammability, which adds 10-15% chance to ignite, which might seem low, but combined with a little crit chance and the huge AoE increases, it's pretty easy to set a whole pack of mobs on fire. The multipliers from weapon elemental damage, penetration and the conversion of 100% physical damage to ice, then 73% to fire makes the burn VERY potent, i think even stronger than burning arrow, since you only shoot 1 projectile and hit all mobs in an AoE. The build route is also just next to the two packs of burning damage passives. I think i will be using this version, i think it looks super fun. Also this puts less impact on your hardware!

Kudos if you have read through the whole thing, feel free to post your suggestions below! (:

So the build is perfect? tyvm

I wanted to see if I could make an ice shot build. This one seems pretty cool. Couldn't you go a little further and get ghost reaver?

Any CI build without a shield requires better gear. Curious how this would actually turn out, the leveling process and everything else. Also curious if the massive amounts of reduced cost passives is worth it. Try it and tell us? I would like to know what to do to make ice shot truly powerful, since I hate just doing what everyone does cause it is easiest.


edit: since majority of damage is cold maybe bothering with leech is a waste. i guess thats why no ghost reaver?

What about an HP based build instead?

"

SEOINAGE wrote:

I wanted to see if I could make an ice shot build. This one seems pretty cool. Couldn't you go a little further and get ghost reaver?

Any CI build without a shield requires better gear. Curious how this would actually turn out, the leveling process and everything else. Also curious if the massive amounts of reduced cost passives is worth it. Try it and tell us? I would like to know what to do to make ice shot truly powerful, since I hate just doing what everyone does cause it is easiest.


edit: since majority of damage is cold maybe bothering with leech is a waste. i guess thats why no ghost reaver?

Yeah this does almost entirely elemental damage, making ghost reaver useless. I'm leveling the guy right now, facerolling on keyboard with poison arrow for now, will switch to ice shot in cruel. Good thing is the abundance of life nodes, i can pick up 9 of them just between duelist and templar if i hit a wall. Also, thanks to the high range and pure cold damage IS is definitely a lot safer than Frost Pulse for example, and of course melee builds. You won't do a lot of face tanking with this one, that's what i'm trying to avoid with Unwavering Stance and Dream Fragments.

"

What about an HP based build instead?

Well that would pretty much defeat the whole purpose of Zealot's Oath, and i highly doubt you'd have the mana to sustain a 5-6 link Ice Shot without blood magic or EB. It would definitely work just as well with EB, but that's not this build. Feel free to modify it for yourself though. :)

Yeah was just a thought since I don't tend to do well with CI. But I want to see how strong ice shot can be. My next archer will probably be on hardcore, still haven't decided on a build though.

Well since I'm playing on HC only, i obviously made this with hardcore in mind. Will write some afterthoughts as i get by.

"

Opus93 wrote:

"

SEOINAGE wrote:

I wanted to see if I could make an ice shot build. This one seems pretty cool. Couldn't you go a little further and get ghost reaver?

Any CI build without a shield requires better gear. Curious how this would actually turn out, the leveling process and everything else. Also curious if the massive amounts of reduced cost passives is worth it. Try it and tell us? I would like to know what to do to make ice shot truly powerful, since I hate just doing what everyone does cause it is easiest.


edit: since majority of damage is cold maybe bothering with leech is a waste. i guess thats why no ghost reaver?

Yeah this does almost entirely elemental damage, making ghost reaver useless. I'm leveling the guy right now, facerolling on keyboard with poison arrow for now, will switch to ice shot in cruel. Good thing is the abundance of life nodes, i can pick up 9 of them just between duelist and templar if i hit a wall. Also, thanks to the high range and pure cold damage IS is definitely a lot safer than Frost Pulse for example, and of course melee builds. You won't do a lot of face tanking with this one, that's what i'm trying to avoid with Unwavering Stance and Dream Fragments.

"

What about an HP based build instead?

Well that would pretty much defeat the whole purpose of Zealot's Oath, and i highly doubt you'd have the mana to sustain a 5-6 link Ice Shot without blood magic or EB. It would definitely work just as well with EB, but that's not this build. Feel free to modify it for yourself though. :)

There is one source of life leech that works with elemental damage.

Hint you're using a bow with potential six slots and you have the stats to support the life leech source.

If you mean the life leech support gem, you'd give up a socket for it and potentially lose 30-60% raw damage.
And imho regen is a much more reliable source of protection since you can keep running and regen will still be active, while you need to kite/tank for life leech.

"

Opus93 wrote:

If you mean the life leech support gem, you'd give up a socket for it and potentially lose 30-60% raw damage.
And imho regen is a much more reliable source of protection since you can keep running and regen will still be active, while you need to kite/tank for life leech.

Have to agree with this one, from the characters I have played. And my one character that was absolutely always able to survive.