~ This guide was written for the release of D2r
~ Intended for softcore high risk high reward play
~ Hardcore requires much more emphasis on defenses

I keep seeing posts where people are asking for this resource so I figured I'd deliver and do it properly.
I have been doing Bowazon walkthroughs since June 29th 2000 when Diablo 2 Classic was first released.
This is my method.

A couple things to start:

Know that it is easier on a reset to stat as a Javazon first and then restat to Bowazon later, when you have accumulated Bowazon gear. Bowazon is the hardest build archetype to play through clean on a reset because it is difficult to maintain the DPS "damage per second" that it needs to stay relevant as the difficulties progress. This is mainly due to Bowazon gear drop rates being particularly low. But for those who insist on playing a walkthrough on day 1 reset with no rushes as a Bowa, this guide will explain how to do it.

Know that Bowazon is not good at pushing the limits and advancing as quickly as possible in the same way that say a Sorc could, due to a skill like static field. With a Bowazon, players need to accept the idea that it is a requirement to slow down and actually kill & get XP area to area before progressing. It is also mandatory for Bowa players to be keen on picking up & selling everything they find to accumulate as much in-game gold as possible. It will be needed for gambling good weapons to maintain DPS output.

I suggest using this build template during progression, which should work best for most people. The template is complete at lv 90. A player should only change & tweak this build structure if they possess enough experience to know exactly what they are doing, otherwise they may end up with a poor build structure.

BOWAZON

Attribute Priorities:

* Only add as much Strength as what is needed for gear. Usually on the first playthrough, most Bowas end up with around 125-150 base strength to be able to wear certain important gear like Stormshield. A Bowa can always repec later once they've accumulated gear with + Strength. Make sure enough Strength is added to be able to use important gear for when it is obtained.
* Only add as much Vitality as needed. Never go above base 100. If a Bowa player feels they need more than base 100 Vitality, they are doing something wrong.
* Pump Dexterity as high as possible.
* Never add Energy

Skill Distribution:

* Jab base lv 1 - Lightning Bolt base lv 1 - Lightning Fury base lv 1 "Poison & Plague base lv 1 required but won't be used"
* Critical Strike base lv 20 - Dodge & Avoid base lv 10 - Evade base lv 15 - base lv 1 other passives
* Multiple Shot base lv 10 - Guided Arrow base lv 20 - Strafe base lv 1 "Cold & Magic base lv 1 required but won't be used"

First priority is to add base lv 1 to each aforementioned skill as soon as they are available.
Second priority is to max Critical Strike.
Third priority is to base 10 Multiple Shot.
Fourth priority is adding to Dodge, Avoid, Evade.

With +skill gear, Bowas ultimately won't need more than base 10 or even base 5 Multi in the end-game. Before anyone asks, Multi is better than Strafe in 9 out of 10 situations. Strafe is only better than Multi when targets happen to be lined up, such as if the Bowa is in a straight line narrow tunnel in the maggot's lair, or when someone hits the seal on Grand Vizier and his mob spawns against the platform all in a line. <- In these situations, swapping to Strafe will usually yield greater kill speed. Strafe is not good against single powerful targets such as Diablo or Baal. Strafe roots the Bowa in place, making it prone to getting hit, and is easily disrupted by frame lock animations. Bowas should be using Javelin side defensive stature and Jab against powerful targets, or Light Bolt & Light Fury while kiting. Guided Arrow can also be good vs. powerful single targets, but being bowside always exposes vulnerability to the Bowa's defense.

It should be noted the importance behind why a Bowa should not stat around Strafezon or Frostmaiden or any other variant, if the Bowa is aiming at efficiency. Despite the idea behind "the ultimate budget zon" these variant archetypes have serious limitations when reaching hell dif and the end-game. They are simply too weak. Bowa players who attempt these variants will quickly understand why the gear was budget to begin with. If the Bowa player is aiming at efficiency, they should avoid all sub-class budget builds and aim directly at a classic Bowazon build/gear setup, such as what is provided in this guide.

Bowazon Progression During Walkthrough:

Normal Difficulty

1. First thing to do is shop a 3os longbow from Gheed. Walk out of town and back in or leave games and make new ones to reset his vendor screens. Save topaz and rubies for the longbow.
2. Begin keeping an eye out for 2os helms and 3os armors. Bowas want to save any damage jewels they find for the 2os helm & 3os armor. Doesn't matter if they are +min +max or elemental/poison damage, use them in the helm/armor. Bowas want armors that provide DPS, not tanky armors. A Bowa's defense comes from dodge/avoid/evade, high block rate/speed shields, of course resistance value, and a lot of FRW for kiting.
3. Always keep an eye out for the highest DPS javelins and the best shield for blocking that can currently be obtained. Bowazons need javelins, which are as important as the bow itself. The javside weapon swap is used for when the Bowa needs to go defensive and survive while still delivering damage. Lightning Bolt will convert all physical damage into lightning damage, which is useful for bypassing physical damage immunity. Lightning Fury will deliver physical based ranged damage. Jab will allow the Bowa to trade blows toe to toe with powerful targets such as Andy, Duri, Meph, Diablo, Baal. Keep in mind that when the Bowa is running its block rate goes down, but if it pushes R and walks, the block rate remains 75% maximum. In other words, don't lean too hard on the bow. The javside is often the better choice for engagement.
4. Begin saving ALL charms that add resistance and direct damage such as +max, elemental damage, poison damage. The damage charms will only be useful during norm diff, but the resistance charms will be useful all the way through hell diff and into the start of the end-game.
5. Act 1 norm won't be difficult to pass through while doing the above. A Bowa should finish Act 1 norm at around lv 18 to 20. If a Bowa finishes a1 before lv 18 it's too soon. If the Bowa is beyond lv 20 when finishing a1, kudos.
6. Act 2 norm is where Bowazon begins to experience problems if the player does not know how to shop gear to keep up. Firstly, IMMEDIATELY go and hire an Act 2 Offensive Mercenary, which will grant the aura Blessed Aim. Give him the best spear/polearm, helm/armor available but don't worry about spending too much at this point. Begin progressing through a2 until the Bowa reaches lv 23. At lv 23, the Bowa can reliably gamble stronger base weapon types for itself and the merc, that can't be bought in the other a2 vendors, and that rarely would drop even in the Tal Tombs. The Bowa will want to gamble for 1) Long Battle Bows - 2) Glaives - 3) Pikes for the merc. The gambled weapons don't need to be the best, they just need to be good DPS upgrades. It is often at lv 23 for these gambled weapons to roll with decent enhanced damage % along with +max mods. Make sure the merc's gambled Pike is between 80-100 max damage. The Bowa will need him to hit hard as she will be leaning on his damage output through the rest of norm diff. Once these upgrades are complete, a2 should be easy. Most Bowas complete a2 at around lv 24-26. The Bowa should consider XPing in Tal Tombs before entering act 3 if it is bellow lv 24 when a2 is finished.
7. Act 3 norm isn't as much of a DPS check for the Bowa as it is a resistance check. During a3 it will be important for the Bowa to be paying attention to shop gear that has resistance value or even use 3os shields with diamonds in them for +all res. This is also in preparation for act 4. Bowas should finish a3 at around lv 30. If the Bowa is not lv 30 before act 4, go back and XP a3 until it reaches lv 30 and has access to Valkyrie, which is important for act 4.
8. Act 4 norm is both a DPS check and a resistance check. Upon entering a4, the Bowa should be lv 30+ and will have access to reliably gambling Long War Bows, Throwing Spears, and Pikes that now grant larger enhanced damage % and +max mods. Gamble up and upgrade the bow, javelins, and the merc's weapon. If the Bowa is struggling on resistance, it also needs to mandatory stop & shop for res gloves/belt/boots, and make a resistance shield if necessary. Diablo himself is one big fat resistance check. Bowas should be around lv 32-34 after finishing a4.
9. Act 5 norm is where most Bowa players throw in the towel and roll up a different class, because a5 is the first large DPS check. If Bowas have not shopped to upgrade their damage correctly, their damage output begins to feel negligent and useless, especially if they are playing in multiplayer games. It is perfectly reasonable to play through a5 with good shop-gambled bows & javs & pikes. However, if the Bowa has been lucky enough to find some drops that other players may want, I highly suggest stopping and taking some time to trade and get a hold of a cheap Skystrike or Riphook bow. <- Either of these two bows will greatly expedite the a5 experience and make it much more comfortable. Remember to keep watching for jav, shield, and merc weapon upgrades, always. The Bowa will be headed towards lv 40 by the end of a5.
10. XP & MF Norm Baal Runs before entering Nightmare, preferably until around lv 45. Now this is important because Nightmare becomes an even larger DPS & resistance check, that creeps up on the Bowa rather quickly. The Bowa will want to at least get its hands on a very small list of gear before progressing into Nightmare, if it wants to keep things practical. That small list is: 1) Buriza for real DPS output "which will carry the Bowa all through the end of Hell diff". 2) Sigon Gloves & Boots for IAS%, FRW, and life leech. 3) Manald for mana leech. In fact, this small list of gear will allow the Bowa to play all through the end of Hell, so long as the Bowa is wise with its play. During the phase of XPing & MFing norm Baal, the Bowa should find enough value in the drops to easily be able to trade for that small list of gear. It is also not uncommon to find some of that gear directly from the norm Baal drops. The Bowa could begin Nightmare without that list of gear, but it will be very slow progression and will quickly become impractical. For those who are diehard single player purists that insist on not trading with other players, alternatively they could keep MFing norm Baal until he dropped adequate Bowazon gear to progress, or they could even gamble bows until one rolled as an exceptional version for a solid DPS upgrade. Just keep in mind that the single player purist approach will take a much much longer amount of time to create progression. Regardless of how a player goes about obtaining this DPS & gear upgrade, it will be mandatory before being able to progress very far into Nightmare difficulty as a Bowazon.

I also highly advise taking some time to trade cheapo norm Baal drops or runes for cheapo budget merc gear. Make sure he has some solid mid lvl DPS output, and a source of life leech. He'll be a beast going into Nightmare. Bowazon walkthroughs lean on the Valk & the merc for engaging and drawing aggro. The stronger the merc, the easier the walkthrough.

Nightmare Difficulty

1. Act 1 - Act 5 nightmare will be easy if the Bowa prepared itself as suggested in this guide. a1 - a5 night will be an impractical struggle for those who did not. For those Bowas that did prepare themselves, they now have what they need to progress into and through not only Nightmare, but also Hell diff. Now it's just a matter of XP and leveling to keep that Buriza damage output growing, as well as the merc's ability to stand toe to toe and tank mobs. When the Bowa hits a2 nightmare, it will want to hire a Nightmare Act 2 Offensive Mercenary, which will provide the Might Aura. Don't forget to take the gear off the norm diff merc before hiring the a2 nightmare merc. Remember, don't rush too fast through areas. Make sure to get kills and XP. Also, remember to keep paying attention to javelin/shield/merc weapon upgrades. The other thing to begin paying attention to is obtaining decent 3os armor bases, and saving Shaels Thuls Lems so the Bowa can build Treachery for itself and the merc. Treachery will carry both the Bowa's and merc's armor needs into and through the night & hell diff walkthroughs. The Bowa should also begin scouting for and saving a 3os helm and all IAS jewels it finds, so it can build a budget 45% IAS helm. Also, go ahead and throw out all of the damage charms that were being used for norm difficulty. They will be negligent DPS output after Buriza is achieved. What is important for Nightmare and beyond will be resistance on charms. The Bowa will need resistance on charms more than anything during the Nightmare & Hell walkthrough. The Bowazon should be around lv 70 by the end of the Nightmare walkthrough. If it is not, I suggest doing Nightmare Baal runs until lv 70, before progressing into Hell diff.

Hell Difficulty

1. Act 1 - Act 5 hell is where the real challenge begins. By now, the Bowa should have been able to build Treachery for itself and the merc, which is very important for the IAS which ups DPS output, and the Fade that Treachery casts, which grants a lot of +all resistance to both the Bowa and the merc. The 3os 45% IAS helm should also be in the process of completion. The sooner it is built the better. IAS is a large enhancement to DPS. If these items are not completed, as soon as the Bowa has gear to trade, it should stop and take some time to complete the 2x Treachery and 45% IAS helm. <- These items are not mandatory to complete the Hell diff walkthrough, but they sure make things a lot easier. And of course always always be savy & keen to watch out for good jav, shield, merc weapon and merc helm upgrades. The last thing to note about completing the Hell diff walkthrough is that the Bowa player really needs to begin focusing on: 1) Using Valk & Decoy summons to draw aggro away from itself. 2) Utilizing Slow Missles to stop up projectiles. 3) Learning how to best optimize the swap play between bowside and javside. <- These are the things that make or break the difference between good Bowa play that could survive in HC mode, from bad Bowa play that gets caught flat-footed and dies. By the end of Hell diff, the Bowazon should be level 80 or above, and ready to begin working on and building a proper end-game setup.

Let's Talk End-Game Setups

Most people build Bowazons for PvP purposes, but some other people may want to build the Bowazon for end-game PvM play. And so it is important to note what the Bowazon is good at and what it is bad at in PvM. A Bowazon will never be as good at MFing as say a Sorc or Paladin, because the gear that the Bowa requires to maintain kill speed just wasn't designed with very much MF on it. The Bowazon also can't benefit from the use of Enigma in the same way other classes can, so it won't have teleport unless the player wants a weak hitting Bowazon. So we have two glaring issues here with end-game Bowazon, 1) The MF will be much lower than what a Sorc or Paly could push, and 2) No teleportation.

What is the Bowazon good at? Well, it benefits the most from putting its focus more on mass mob killing for the types of drops that MF doesn't effect. Magic Find only effects the % chance that an item base will be magic, rare, set, or unique. Magic Find does not increase the rate of item base drops. So runes, gold, socketed gear, superior item bases, ethereal item bases, jewels, gems, charms, these things are not effected by MF. In other words, rather than focusing on quickly remaking games to repeatedly kill a boss like Mephisto in hopes of landing uniques, the Bowazon should be farming high density areas for all of the aforementioned gear that is not effected by MF. When a powerful Bowazon can use Multiple Shot to clear a Hell Cow game in the time it takes a MF Sorc to teleport to and Kill Andy & Meph, that Sorc is landing much better chances to find unique gear, but the Bowazon is landing much better chances of finding High Runes as example, due to the massively quick mob killing. **So understand what the Bowa is good at and what it is not good at.**

The Bowa can most conveniently run these: 1) Eldritch & Shenk & Pindle, 2) Chaos Sanctuary, 3) Cows. A strong Bowa's damage output can reach a level where it is practical for it to host & run 8 player Hell Chaos for community runs. It cannot however, run Hell Baal in a practical manner. Even the fastest & most sturdy Bowas take just a bit too long to run through the world stone to get to Baal, and generally people don't like to wait. It can be done but it isn't practical compared to something like a Sorc or Paly teleporting in. What the Bowa REALLY should strive to do, is to sneak into multiplayer games and solo Hell Cows when no one is paying attention, so the Bowa can benefit all the XP & enhanced drop rates to itself. In terms of MFing, this is the bread & butter of what Bowazon is the best at. Big wide open fields, nothing to obstruct FRW movements, nothing to obstruct Multiple Shot, virtually no elemental based damage in the zone. In cows, the Bowa can easily farm field after field of high density mob drops as it mows down targets like a vulcan cannon. ~ No MF required for those HR drops.

There are two methods that can be used for end-game Bowazon. These two methods are historically the most efficient Bowazon builds. These builds can use the same stat/skill allocations I gave for the walkthrough. The only difference between the two are gear options and merc. These builds are something to aim at building over time, not something that a player should expect to complete immediately after finishing a Hell walkthrough. High end gear like this is not so easy to obtain in D2r but I am sure it will become easier as it once was.

(Keep in mind you DO NOT need CTA on PvM Bowa setups)

The first - Grand Matron Faith & Act 2 Nightmare Offensive Merc - This is the method that I prefer for several reasons

* Swap 1 - Grand Matron Faith
* Swap 2 - Lacerator & Stormshield or Eth Up'd Titans & Stormshield Stormshield is nice to socket with +all resistance "Kudos if you can get a hold of Eth Rare Cruel Fool Self-Rep javs that are better than Eth Up'd Titans"
* 45/120 Artisan's Of Speed. This is a 3os helm or diadem with 30%frw. Put in 3x jewels that are 40%ed/15%ias for a total 120%ed/45%ias in the helm.
* Fortitude Light Base Armor
* Goldwrap 10%ias 30%mf
* Crafted Knockback Gloves 20%ias 25%mf or budget Rare Gloves 20%ias 25%mf
* War Traveler 50%mf
* Cat's Eye or Highlord's 20%ias take greater kiting speed or higher damage your choice
* Ravenfrost
* Rare Dual Leech Ring with 15%mf
* Anni - Torch - Gheeds - Ideally fill inv with +max dmg SCs that have mf% on them - Perfect versions would look like **+3max/+20ar/7%mf** add res charms if needed
* a2 Nightmare Offensive Merc with Pride Polearm, Eth Andy's w/ 40%ed/15%ias, Eth Fort

^ This build will grant maximum 7fpa bowside attack speed, top-end DPS output, and potentially 286%mf if half the inventory were left open for item drops and all the mf% affixes were perfect. Realistically this build is looking at peaking more around 150%mf without dumping a wild amount of wealth into building it.

The Lacerator is used as a way to proc Amplify Damage as to bypass physical immunity and in general buff damage. I want to note that in Hell difficulty all monsters have at least 50% damage reduction. Amplify Damage is -100 to physical resistance. This means that in Hell difficulty, Amplify Damage actually triples physical damage output. When Amp hits a creature with 50% DR, it turns into -50% DR, which means you are dealing triple the damage against it. Amp Damage is important in Hell diff. The Lacerator can be used firing a volley of Multiple Shots at a mob, and before they hit the mob, weapon swap to hold the Lacerator as the Multi passes over the mob. When it passes over the mob, it will proc the Amp, and then the Bowa can swap back to bow for kill damage. The Lacerator can also be used simply by throwing it at a target, but the swap proc method is better once a player gets used to it. The player could also opt just to bring standard javelin/shield as well.

The second - Windforce & Act 1 Rogue Merc - It works. I don't prefer it because the Rogue doesn't maintain aggro like the a2 Merc, but it works

* Swap 1 - Windforce with 40%ed/15%ias jewel
* Swap 2 - Eth Up'd Titans & Stormshield Stormshield is nice to socket with +all resistance "Kudos if you can get a hold of Eth Rare Cruel Fool Self-Rep javs that are better than Eth Up'd Titans"
* 45/120 Artisan's Of Speed. This is a 3os helm or diadem with 30%frw. Put in 3x jewels that are 40%ed/15%ias for a total 120%ed/45%ias in the helm.
* Fortitude Light Base Armor
* Goldwrap 10%ias 30%mf
* Rare Gloves 20%ias 25%mf, bonus if +bow skills or Laying Of Hands
* War Traveler 50%mf
* Atma's Scarab for Amplify Damage
* Ravenfrost
* Rare Dual Leech Ring with 15%mf
* Anni - Torch - Gheeds - Ideally fill inv with +max dmg SCs that have mf% on them - Perfect versions would look like **+3max/+20ar/7%mf** add res charms if needed
* Act 1 Rogue with a Great Bow Faith, Eth Andy 40ed/15ias, Eth Fort

^ With this method, the Bowa player won't need Lacerator as the Atma's amy will deal with Amp Damage. This method also will achieve top-end damage output with 7fpa max attack speed so long as the Rogue is alive to give the Bowa the fanat aura. This method also peaks at 286%mf if all affixes are perfect and half the inv is left open for drops, but realistically will achieve more around 150%mf. The reason why I don't prefer this method is because it lacks the a2 merc who tanks frontline aggro, and also lacks +skills to the Valk which makes her weaker while tanking alone frontlines. The method also lacks +all res from not having a Faith Bow.

The above two methods which were once simple to arrange in original D2, are now very expensive in D2r. Let me example one more template that is more along the lines of something affordable to be able to get started in end-game as a Bowazon.

Affordable - Windforce & Act 2 Nightmare Offensive Merc - Directly after a hell walkthrough clear, a Bowa player should be able to begin working on obtaining this setup to be able to do things like sneak into multiplayer games to solo cows.

* Windforce with the best ED% jewel that can be obtained to put into it
* Eth Up'd Titans & Stormshield socketed with +all res
* 3os helm or diadem socketed with the best 15%ias jewels with small +damage mods that can be obtained
* 3os Nat Armor socketed with the best 15%ias jewels with small +damage mods that can be obtained
* Credendum Belt
* Laying Of Hands
* War Traveler
* Cat's Eye or Highlord's 20%ias take greater kiting speed or higher damage your choice
* Ravenfrost
* Rare Dual Leech Ring or at least a good Life Leech Ring
* Gheed's and +all res & mf% charms - Do your best to get a hold of Torch/Anni
* Act 2 Nightmare Offensive Might Merc - Reaper's Toll, Vamp Gaze, Treachery in a nice high def eth base - What's important here is that the Reaper's Toll will cast Decrep which is -50% physical resistance, removing most physical immunity in the game, buffs the Bowa's damage, and slows monsters so they can't so easily gank the merc & Valk. Then the Treachery Fade will do +15% DR for the merc "yes it has a hidden damage reduction bonus equal to the level of the cast, read about it on Arreat Summit" and that paired with the Gaze DR% will land the merc with somewhere between 30% and 35% DR.

^ This method is much much cheaper to get started on after the initial hell walkthrough than the first two elite methods. This setup will only achieve 8fpa with the Windforce, and as it is slower and has much less ED% modifiers, it will only output about 3/5ths of the top-end damage provided by the first two elite methods. This budget-way method will also have much less MF% which doesn't matter too much anyway if you're aiming at mass mob kills for base drops. This method is however strong enough to host & play multiplayer Hell Chaos, ideally around 4 players max. It is also strong enough to sneak into multiplayer Hell games to run cows, and that is what is important. This realistically affordable method is my best suggestion of what to run while working on building one of the first two mentioned elite methods.

Also, to understand IAS and breakpoints, type into your search browser: Diablo 2 IAS calculator
You can also take a look at this old chart that I made a decade ago or more ^^



~ This is the best PvM Bowa advice that I can give to this community. G'Luck & Enjoy

Here is an in-game demo of the budget bowa setup:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1177320574

UPDATED BETTER VERSION OF THIS GUIDE 2.0:

Take this link to the official forum -> https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d2r/t/bowazon-pvm-pvp-guide-updated/20427/1

In-game demo of Elite Bowa Setup 8 player & UBER demo:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1223602566