[3.9] ICE NOVA GUARDIAN. INSANE DPS. INSANE DEFENSE. BUILD OF THE LEAGUE.



UPDATE LOG


UPDATE 1:
Cheap Option for Ignite & Shock immune. Also Gives a TON of ES&Mana from int.
Make sure your Strength is higher than dex!


UPDATE 2:
YOU CAN HOLD DOWN YOUR ICE NOVA BUTTON! YOU DON'T NEED TO SPAM IT! (Some people didn't realize this :D)


UPDATE 3:


Great Cheap DPS jewel in
this location
you can also get corrupted blood here instead of onto Tempered Spirit



HIT 100 on the build and respecced into more damage! I dont recommend speccing into what I have currently on my character.

UPDATE 4:

Break from league. I will continue to answer questions here



Introduction

This league things got out of hand in terms of monsters being dangerous and tanky. I knew I had to make something very tanky with insane dps & good clearspeed but I didn't want to play summoner or miner. I had to come up with something quirky.

This is a mana guardian so it utilizes mana+armor for main defense which translates into ES and a giant molten shell/vaal molten shell coupled with insane physical damage reduction & chaos resist.

With this insane defensive ascendancy we have to abuse some "OP" mechanic to get DPS. Ice nova + Frostbolt interaction is broken. Using Pledge of hands we spawn 8 frost novas onto 2 frostbolts per cast and don't get locked down by spell echo. This was one of the only ways I could see getting the necessary DPS & Clearspeed for such a tanky build.

Slow moving frostbolt = Many novas overlapping boss = Many DPS.

+Fast & Safe Maps
+12k ES
+8k Normal molten shell
+28k Vaal molten shell (easy metamorphs)
+36k Armor
+Leech + Regen
+Easy Deathless t16 Metamorphs
+Easy Deathless +8 Sirus

-Expensive to get going (15+ ex)



Items


Pledge of Hands


The main item that synergizes well with guardian. 100% increased maximum mana = more tankyness.

Greater spell echo is an additional 2 repeats & damage multiplier to ice nova.



Memory Vault

This item gains us a big chunk of Armor for reserving mana. Also gives us alot of flat mana. Ice nova damage enchant here would be the best. Reservation enchant allows you for a little more breathing room for mana if you have alot of cast speed.



Shavronne's Wrappings

To enable lowlife. Letting us fit zealotry or hatred & 30% more spell damage.
Reserving life as guardian is also important because it gives armor.



Presence of Chayula

Must have for lowlife characters. Gives big ES, big Chaos Res & Stun immunity.

ANNOINT CRUSADER HERE for 20%+ MORE DAMAGE. (2 gold 1 clear)




Dream Fragments

Ignite Immunity corruption (important) & Freeze and Chill immunity. Also gives resist and mana.



Rare Ring

Here we fill out remaining resistances. Get chaos res for sirus & fill stats such as Dexterity or Strength. Mana is always good and Temple %ES or Crusader %ES.


Gloves

Here we try to awakener orb together a pair of Culling Gloves & Unnerve gloves for damage. Or we get a temple %mana mod with high ES for defense. You can fill out dexterity/strength resist here aswell.



Belt

Use headhunter if you can afford it, otherwise use a stygian where you fill out Resists/Stats/Mana/ES/Damage in that order. Cyclopean Coil is a great belt and even provides me with more ES than the stygian I linked. If you balance your stats correctly (STR higher than DEX & INT higher than STR) then you will be shock and ignite immune aswell!



Boots

Try to get tailwind boots with decent movement speed & ES. If you want the budget option, get movement speed temple %mana mod & high ES. You don't need elusive. Best enchants here are: Regen, %mana regen or penetration.



Flasks

Bottled faith pairs amazingly with zealotry and our high hitrate of Ice novas to guarantee that the mob allways has consecrated ground below them. Standing on consecrated ground also provides us good regen.



Switch this in vs Sirus instead of onslaught flask.

Budget version of bottled faith.


Watcher's Eye

Clarity's Mana as Extra ES gives us around 2k Energy shield depending on mana.
Getting a secondary mod for zealotry is not required but helps with damage.



Unique Jewels

These are the jewels we use on specific locations. Corrupted blood on tempered spirit is important vs Sirus. (His beams apply corrupted blood)



Locations


Healthy Mind



Tempered Spirit



Unnatural Instinct





Normal Jewels

Here we preferably want x2 Crit multi and x1 cast speed.

Jewel Search



Utility/Misc Items

This can be socketed in instead of a DPS jewel for better clearspeed. You have to take it out on bosses because its a big damage loss.



For no Regen maps. Switch out granite flask. (We completely rely on our high mana regen for our mana)




Gems


4L Blood Magic Aura Setup

Clarity & Enlighten 4 not needed until you have Watcher's eye. Enlighten 3 and Blood magic lvl 20 is required to go low life.



4L Aura Setup

Enlighten 3 is required without a helmet reservation enchant. Keep in mind you want to reserve most your mana for ES/armor but still keep enough mana to cast comfortably. Skitterbots are great damage/utility.



4L Utility Setup

Stone golem for 10% more damage with ascendancy & Regen.
Molten shell selfcast/Cwdt is up to you. Keep in mind normal molten shell can overwrite vaal molten shell.



6L Frostbolt setup

Here we have some freedom. Curse on hit with frostbite for damage. GMP is needed for us to get overlapping ice novas. Arcane surge at a level where we get it every cast.



Switch in instead of faster casting for big bosses. (need 1 white)



Switch in instead of faster casting for insane clearspeed in open layouts.



6L Ice nova setup

Awakened spell echo is a great upgrade. Aswell as awakened increased AOE. Awakened added cold is your hypothermia upgrade.





Switch in instead of Inc AOE for big bosses.





Ascendancy/Skill Tree/Bandit/Pantheon


Guardian provides us with ALL charges at ALL times and is not to be underestimated in terms of DPS & Defense.

With 8000 mana we get around +4000 energy shield from Radiant Faith.

Radiant Crusade helps us gear with +20% all res and 10% more damage with stone golem close to us. (Currently does not work with skitterbots for some reason)

For the last node I went Time of Need for an occasional spike of 30% regen over one second. This can help if you need to run around for a few seconds if you were in danger.

Bandit = HELP ALIRA

Major Pantheon = Fully upgraded Arakaali. (helps vs chaos & shock)

Minor Pantheon = Fully upgraded Shakari. (poison immune)

SKILL TREE





Leveling


I leveled with axiom's and a tabula and went crit asap. You can level as anything.

From level 12+ I leveled with the ice nova - frostbolt combo.

Equip spell echo at lvl 38.

Equip Pledge of hands at lvl 68. Go lowlife once you can equip Pledge of hands & Shavs.

These gloves will carry your leveling from level 1. Use a Frigid & Metallic fossil on ilvl 2 gloves.





Path of Building


IMPORTANT

If you don't have localidentity's POB fork.

Untick shock.

Use enemy is taunted = Yes.

Edit "Enemies taunted by you take 17% increased damage" on a piece of gear.

This is to simulate skitterbots.

https://pastebin.com/E4CdaPww




Questions? @ me ingame at @maddognils

Thanks for reading!





The New Fakener: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1740806
The Freezerator: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1748363
Elementalist EK Prolif: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1896772
Clearspeed Berserker: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1956548
Last edited by maddognils#6939 on Jan 8, 2020, 7:26:14 PM
Last bumped on Feb 17, 2021, 12:36:17 AM
Reserved
The New Fakener: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1740806
The Freezerator: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1748363
Elementalist EK Prolif: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1896772
Clearspeed Berserker: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1956548
nice build. I want to see some map clear videos.
Nice guide mate!!! Thx! Wanna see some clear speed videos too :).

Just one question, how is this guy performing in delve?

Cheers!
"
PandaDap wrote:
Nice guide mate!!! Thx! Wanna see some clear speed videos too :).

Just one question, how is this guy performing in delve?

Cheers!


Delves amazingly so far. Shouldnt die until the late 800's? I'm not there yet though.


"
Ukumane wrote:
nice build. I want to see some map clear videos.



Added a new video in the video section with map clears!
The New Fakener: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1740806
The Freezerator: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1748363
Elementalist EK Prolif: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1896772
Clearspeed Berserker: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1956548
Last edited by maddognils#6939 on Dec 27, 2019, 10:00:26 PM
how u do ignite on ring? pls
BETA Member since August 11, 2011 11:02
Any tips for crafting boots/gloves?
Currently running a hiero templar version(block + spell block) of the build on HCM and was perhaps thinking of swapping(simply for the vaal molten shell vs metamorph/scary stuff) but it's literly not possible to run this on HCM.
You would need 30 exalts+ for gear + a memory vault itself is already 40-50 exalt :( and that's without a watcher's eye(HC prices obviously, SC I don't think prices are that bad)

flask: 7-8 ex
armor: 5 exalt
chaluya: 5 ex
Those rare gloves and boots = $$$$$
watchers eye : $$$

While you can replace all those on a budget I don't think it's worth running if you don't have the memory vault ?
Currently running this PoB : https://pastebin.com/6RzCyhZP
You are suppose to run a glorious vanity in the top jewel slot for 20% extra ES based on life + other mods but too poor to afford one atm

I like my current build(expensive but not THAT expensive), but since metamorph HC is so scary I kinda miss vaal molten shell :(


Try to make a budget version(pledge + shavs + rares) if you plan on making the build a thing ^^
ign: ropefly
Last edited by ropefly#2757 on Dec 28, 2019, 8:04:24 AM
"
ropefly wrote:
You would need 30 exalts+ for gear + a memory vault itself is already 40-50 exalt :( and that's without a watcher's eye

Try to make a budget version(pledge + shavs + rares) if you plan on making the build a thing ^^


+1

Please produce a normal version, rare gear. And only unique is the pledge of hands stave.
"
ViperSniper101 wrote:
how u do ignite on ring? pls


Corrupt ilvl 60+


"
xserper wrote:
Any tips for crafting boots/gloves?


Gloves you need to awakener orb together a culling glove + unnerve glove and hope for the rest of the affixes to be good

Boots you can alt for tailwind+anything and imprint regal until you're happy and multimod. I wouldnt recommend trying to craft elusive anymore after the awakener orb change
The New Fakener: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1740806
The Freezerator: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1748363
Elementalist EK Prolif: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1896772
Clearspeed Berserker: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1956548

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