[1.2.0] Ice Pierce Crit Ranger

I would love to see more of a every 20 levels build to guide me through this passive tree. I like this build and I want to use it, but jumping from like lv20 to lv65 is a big jump =P

If you ask me, that is.

Hi, Kirielis...thanks so much for the build. I'm brand new to PoE and wanted a bow char to relive my Bowazon years in D2, so I checked out your posting and learned a lot.

One question, though-- and forgive me if this was answered 13 pages ago-- but in the Build section, you suggest "a roundabout route to Piercing Arrows, picking up Ondar's Guile on the way" and provide a passive tree link. Then you link a spec about level 60, but it doesn't contain the same path to Ondar's Guile (that is, it doesn't have the Dex nodes from Finesse to Ondar's Guile). Should I assume those nodes should be there, and this is a spec for, say, level 65?

Especially since I don't think I'm going to target BM, I'm not sure I want to hit those Dex nodes, at least not until much later when I'm looking for new areas to fill out some passives. Ideally I'd like to get Piercing Shots first then head DOWN to Ondar's (instead of the other way around) using the Dex node just above Ballistic Mastery.

Oh and I guess one more question-- how common/rare/expensive is a BM gem? I'll be mostly soloing, so if I'm unlikely to run across a BM gem, maybe I need to get the BM passive after all...since you say that one needs to have either the gem or the passive.

Thanks again!

I don't do 20-level builds. Get more HP if you're in HC, get more crit if you're in SC, build according to what you need and what your final plan is.

About the odd missing nodes, you finish building the rest of the tree, and then you de-spec those nodes using quest respecs or regrets.

BM gem is a quest-reward type. I believe rangers get mana leech, so that should be good enough until endgame.

Hope that answered your questions.

Level 63 on HC Merc Act-2 now... Still working like a charm! Act-1 was a breeze and I just blasted through it in less than 2 hours :P My Evasion has dropped from around 70% down to 50%'ish. Armor reduction is sitting at 12% (21% with Molten Shell).

Here's my current build:


Gonna be respeccing a few points soon'ish to optimize the routes a bit :P

I started using Puncture with LMP/GMP alongside LMP/GMP Ice Shot. Works pretty well against mobs that move around a lot and especially helps when the mobs are Resistant to Cold.

Each pack is basically just Curse -> Puncture -> Spam Ice Shot untill dead. Burning Arrow is working well enough as a single-target skill though I'm not sure if I should swap to Frenzy or Elemental Hit later on?

Swapped Weapon Elemental Damage out for Mana Leech just so I dont have to chug the damn mana-pots all the time :P WTB 5link so I can have both as it feels like my damage went down quite a bit... even if I can now endlessly spam Ice Shot :P

Is 30% more cold damage with weapon node from duelist affect ice shot? Will it be 30% more damage total or not?

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crafteri wrote:

Level 63 on HC Merc Act-2 now...

Can i ask, how much dps and hp you have? Im currently 66 Nemesis Merc too, 3k hp, 1.7k ice shot dps, 3.6k frenzy dps.

My spec is going to be a bit different, just recently started out and still using split arrow.

I know one thing, I am playing on nemesis and my main has a super fast attack and dps is mid ground, but the fast dps makes mana a burden, 2% mana leech, clarity aura, and devouring totem to deal with mana, groups its not a problem, single target I can't even frency.

So my plan with this ice shot character, even though I am on nemesis is to pick up the crit nodes and damage as I go, so that when I hit merciless I have some dps. Will get ondars guile fairly quickly to deal with reflect, and being more tanky in general. As far as resources go I intend to use mana, although if I need to pick up BM gem temporarily I will, otherwise I'm stuck running clarity for a while. Overall I think my build looks fun, but would really shine after sufficient point investment.

An interesting build!

Does anybody know if Phase Acrobatics helps vs ele reflect?
I currently have 77 all res, but even so I am scared to try this on hardcore if phase acrobatics doesnt work...

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O4epegb wrote:

Is 30% more cold damage with weapon node from duelist affect ice shot? Will it be 30% more damage total or not?

also interested in this

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O4epegb wrote:

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crafteri wrote:

Level 63 on HC Merc Act-2 now...

Can i ask, how much dps and hp you have? Im currently 66 Nemesis Merc too, 3k hp, 1.7k ice shot dps, 3.6k frenzy dps.

I've got a pretty crappy bow atm so my DPS on Burning Arrow (single-target) is only 1,9k and on Ice Shot it's 750 on GMP and 1k on LMP. HP-wise I'm sitting at 2,8k atm.

My bow:


So bad :(

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Haggisahh wrote:

An interesting build!

Does anybody know if Phase Acrobatics helps vs ele reflect?
I currently have 77 all res, but even so I am scared to try this on hardcore if phase acrobatics doesnt work...

Well lets see, I want to simply say no phase won't matter since you are shooting arrows, that acrobatics and ondars guile will cover it, but I don't know if the cold aoe damage you do would count as spell damage, I don't think so, but if that is the case you wouldn't need it? I assume OP is using it succesfully, and this won't matter.