[2.6] Popsicle Sticks - Over 60k freezing DPS! (3.0 WIP)

This build shines especially after the 2.5.0 patch notes that buffed Nuro's Harp to have an additional property "40% increased effect of Chilled Ground" and also the overall Totem buff with more life, resist and improved nodes in the passive skill tree. High cold penetration and Frostbite results in most enemies having zero to negative cold resist.

Scion is chosen as it has an easy reach between totem nodes and weapon elemental nodes that is key to helping this build scale its damage.

Deadeye is chosen first to grant an additional arrow (coupled with a corrupted +1 arrow quiver to get a total of 3 arrows, there is no need for LMP or GMP support), Farshot to compensate some of the damage lost due to Point Blank keystone and some free piercing chance never hurts.

Assassin is the second ascendancy for the primary reason of getting Maims on crits. As Nuro's Harp is a harbinger bow with good base crit, this build crits fairly often which causes most monsters to suffer Chill (-30% overall speed) & Maim (-30% movement speed) resulting is very slow moving monsters. The extra 1% and also more crit multiplier to full life monsters greatly increases freeze duration (if it crits) on first hit.

Slayer seems interesting for more damage against rares and bosses but offers nothing much else. Elementalist and Inquisitor gives a damage boost but not by much and can be easily obtained with a good rare jewel.

● Ancestral Bond (Only taken at level 68) is key to hit 3 Popsicle Sticks.
● Point Blank (Only taken at level 68) provides 50% damage if the enemy is in front of the Popsicle Sticks which kinda means always as you will be dropping it in the enemies faces, force feeding them some tasty Popsicle.

Normal : Help Oak (+40 Life)
Cruel : Help Kraityn (+8% attack speed)
Merciless : Kill all (mercilessly kill all to get +1 Passive point)

Helmet : Lab Enchantment for "40% Increased Ice Shot Damage". Life, Ele Resist & Accuracy

Body Armour : 5 to 6 link. Armour & Evasion or Pure Evasion is preferred for easy slot coloring. Life & Ele Resist

Gloves : Gripped Glove: Attack Speed (>10%), Cold Damage to Attacks (as high as you can go), Life & Accuracy (Ele Resist if possible)

Boots : Movement Speed, Life, Ele Resist & preferred "% increased Movement Speed if you haven't been Hit Recently" Enchantment

Belt : Weapon Ele Damage, Life, Ele Resist

Main Hand : Nuro's Harp

Off Hand : Skirmish - End goal would be a corrupted Skirmish with +1 Arrow

Ring #1 : Weapon Ele Damage, Life, Cold Damage to Attacks, % Cold Damage, Ele Resist

Ring #2 : Weapon Ele Damage, Life, Cold Damage to Attacks, % Cold Damage, Ele Resist

Amulet : The Pandemonius or Life, Weapon Ele Damage, Crit Multi/Chance (if Standard League)

Jewels (unique) : Static Electricity, Mantra of Flames

Jewels (rare) : Cold Damage, Totem Damage & Projectile Damage (cost ~5c) or Cold Damage, Projectile Damage & % Life (cost ~10c)

My Current Flasks:


Recommended: Instant Life Flask x2, Atziri's Promise, Granite/Basalt Flask and Quicksilver.
Note: Anti Bleed, Anti Freeze and Anti Curse on any of the non-unique flask.

Use Split Shot, get your hands on a Doomfletch and you should get through Normal in no time. Make sure to get a Lioneye's Paw too for the fire damage and movement speed. For everything else, level as you would normally as an archer.

Time to upgrade to a decent level appropriate bow with elemental damage or get a Doomfletch Prism. Make sure to keep your life at least around 2000s and with acceptable resistance, you should level smoothly into Merciless.

Doomfletch Prism remains as it can carry you all the way to level 68 when you transition into Nuro's Harp and Ancestral Bond. Try to get your hands on a Lioneye's Vision at level 59 as it would grant you some sort of a free 5link for a low price. I used a 4 link Lioneye's Vision all the way until I got a 6link body armor. Your goal would be to get as much life and elemental resist on your rare gear as all the uniques used does not provide any life and barely any resist.