[3.25] Ice Crash-Jugg-2h-Axe-Crit (FREEZE THE GAME) 100% Crit Rate Full Screen Explosions

Just finished the night at Act 9 while leveling mostly with Ice Crash. Something to keep in mind is leveling with this skill is very difficult without twinked gear and without much melee experience. You're strapped for stats and are constantly looking for weapon upgrades every few levels. It took me until around Act 4 to feel like I was gaining momentum, and it wasn't until act 7/8 until I was really enjoying the damage output I had.

For getting consistent upgrades, gamble gold at the town for 2 handed axes, I was getting great stats on pretty much everything I rolled. I don't think you need to worry about spending too much gold in the town during the campaign, so use it for gear. For links I went with Ice Crash > Pulverize > Elemental Damage With Attacks > Fist of War. I'm running a level 1 Blood Rage for constant frenzy charges which really helps with clear speed. I also picked up Resolute Technique really early until I got both my first Ascendancy skill Undeniable and filled out the big crit node across from Resolute Technique.

Again leveling melee is hard at league start, even with all the buffs it got, I really think leveling with a different skill setup until you have the stats and a 4 link to support Ice Crash is the way to go.

i changed to RF and the difference is already so much better.i hope these so called melee buffs are not just "bait". i really wanted to play melee but if the buffs are only noticeable when you have a maxed out character then i wont bother.

Meele is love meele is life. I dont abandone it when the going gets tough!

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Lyutsifer665 wrote:

anyone tried leveling with ice crash? i have it on a 4 link and the damage feels really bad. very slow attack as well. feels like he's swinging the axe in slow motion. did they just buff melee skills for end game?

edit-dominus took like 10 minutes to kill. guys do yourself a favor and level as something else. i will respec and level as RF as soon as i have enough points

It feels really weak compared to what i normally start (rolling magma, holy flame totem, flame wall) i usually can get to act 8 int he first night and im at the end of act 5

with that said a 4 link with ice crash and a holy flame totem is deleting ads in act 5

Leveling acts 1-3 were painful. Once I got Ice Crash it felt better, once I got the first ascendency it felt WAY better.

* Try summon ice golem for some initial accuracy boost
* Run precision
* Use Blood and Sand and swap to Blood when hitting a boss

In act 4, I am hitting bosses for 25% of their HP in a single hit.

What is the BiS weapon for this buikd?

I am in act 6 now and the pain has set in. I really see the potential of this build but it feels absolutely terrible as a league start. I would prolly run some other melee (sunder or something and then swap to ice crash later). I'm now dying left and right and the damage feels really slow. When it hits it hits hard but he attacks so slowly that the actual dps feels really bad.

Only in act 5, but I'll say this: pathing early to Arsenal of Vengeance to gain access to Crushing Fist is an interesting option if you're trying to force Ice Crash while leveling. We're eating enough hits in general that it comes up extremely often, and as a slam that benefits from our exerted attacks, an Intimidating Cry boosted proc slams quite nicely. As a bonus, you can use supports you'd otherwise be using later with 5+6 links and have Crushing Fist and even Leap Slam boosted in useful ways while leveling the gems.

Leveling with this and its a struggle damage feels pretty meh but the mana issues with the cost change this league are brutal. I basically have to keep a mana flask up at all times just to be able to hit anything.

I hope it gets better...

did ice crash really receive a "huge" buff? i feel like maybe some people exaggerated...in act 8 now and damage is still bad compared to what i usually level with...