4a. GEAR - FINALObviously you can gear Frostmaiden in a number of ways. Some of us prefer full Freezing Arrow bonanza with sporadic Strafe, while others look for balance and stuff items with ED% jewels instead of Facets.
So I'm gonna list the most common items, opening with favorites and moving on to more exotic choices, providing some comments. It should all help you with
building your own Frostmaiden.
I'm trying to keep it
realistic (no Jeweler's Archon Plate of the Whale), but there will be a couple of pieces
I don't really recommend for they are too expensive or impractical - I only listed them for completeness sake. Let's rock.
BowIce (Amn Shael Jah Lo) Grand Matron Bow- +1-3 Bow skills, depending on base. Don't waste your runes on anything else than +3, period
- -20% to enemy cold resist. Always great, but especially yummy vs high res monsters, such as Urdars, Balrogs, Moon Lords, Succubi and "broken" immunes
- +25-30% to cold damage. It improves all hits and cold explosions, even these triggered with Pierce
- lvl 18 Holy Freeze Aura while equipped. Another ~160 dmg to your cold attacks, without taking +cold/-res bonus into account. It also slows down most of the screen
- 25% CtC lvl 22 Frost Nova on striking. The damage isn't impressive, but we get even more crowd control this way, especially with Strafe
- 20% IAS. We can hit 56% breakpoint with amulet and gloves
- 20% Deadly Strike. While not as hot due to high % Critical Strike, it "closes the gap" somewhat
- 7% Life Stolen per Hit. I'm satisfied with 20% total so it's a good chunk
- Ignore Target's Defense. Usually translates to 95% chance to hit. Very important for subpar AR builds
- 140-210% Enhanced Damage. Could be better, but at least makes our Strafe/MS respectable
Long story short, this is pretty much the ultimate Frostmaiden bow, and I don't think there is a better FA weapon in the game. Given that Amazon bows have up to +3 Bow skills built-in (it's a MUST, don't settle for less!), we're talking of
~1000 cold dmg increase per hit (+skills, +25% cold, Holy Freeze). This is a HUGE difference maker for anyone relying on splash damage and high Pierce... and it's
before we account for -20% cold res. This number doesn't show up, but it can easily translate to 2000+ cold damage advantage over regular bows (depends on monster resistance). Pretty much
the only weakness lies in ED% mod, which is pretty low even with perfect rolls. I only managed to get >180% ED on third attempt and settled for that. Finding a superior base - 4 sockets, +3 skills, 15% ED - is a daunting task... I wouldn't bother, it's PVM only build, but if you happen to get it, roll your Ice to get at least 200% total.
Speaking of base items,
I prefer Grand Matron Bow for decent physical damage (43 average compared to Mat Bow's 33).
Windforce Hydra Bow- +309 max damage (at clvl 99); ~280 dmg at clvl 90. It turns our Amazon into a great Strafer right off the bat
- 250% Enhanced Damage. This value is constant so every Windforce owns
- 20% IAS. Same as Ice. Hydra Bow and GMB both have [10] Speed so breakpoints stay the same
- 6-8% Mana Stolen per Hit. Any roll will do. Awesome Strafe damage makes both Mana and Life leech very efficient, but still, find yourself a rare ring to boost it even further
- Knockback. Some guys can't live without it, if you're one of them, you don't have to bother with KB gloves or headgear
- 10 Strength, 5 Dexterity. Not that important since Windforce is (likely) your most requiring item
- 1 socket potential. Another Cold Facet in your gear, sweet!
The craziest Elite bow out there, notoriously underrated. I used Windforce for
entire Hell mode and only later swapped it for Ice. It doesn't have nearly as many sexy mods as its rival, but kinda makes up for it with MASSIVE raw damage. You can customize it slightly with socket (Larzuk), I put a 5/5 facet there ASAP, but Jah rune (ITD) or ED% jewel work nice, too. With Windforce on I spammed Strafe much more often than I do now, probably a 50/50 split with FA; in comparison, Ice sees more Freezing Arrow action (80/20 split).
Conclusion: if you're going for a pure Frostmaiden feel, pay the price and take the runeword. If you don't mind Strafing a lot, get a good look at Windforce.M'avina's Caster Grand Matron BowThe bow itself can't hold a candle next to Ice and Windforce, but the full set -
M'avina's Battle Hymn - is a viable PvM option for less than Jah rune (only Diadem is hard to get). You can easily get 3.000+ dmg Freezing Arrow or ~1.5k Strafe, depending on jewels and the rest of your equipment. I highly recommend checking it out if you're not sure about this whole Frostmaiden thing.
NOTE: I didn't include M'avina's items in following recommendations for clarity. They are REALLY good as a package - keep it in mind.
Harmony (Tir Ith Sol Ko) Grand Matron BowPlethora of good mods, headlined with 200+ ed% (up to 275%), lvl 10 Vigor aura and fire/cold/lightning damage, which makes it a very versatile weapon. You'll be darting across levels even with plain 20% frw boots, so Cat's Eye and Inertia charms become kinda obsolete (good - more slots for life/mana/res). Mana regeneration, +mana after kill and significant Valkyrie boost (+6 with a good roll) make it even sweeter. The highest rune is Ko, so it's fair to say anyone can get it with Countess help. Prebuff and faster movement make Harmony a viable switch option as well.
Melody (Shael Ko Nef) Grand Matron BowAnother budget option. Melody is terrible for physical damage, but you get whopping
+6 Bow skills in return. I can recommend it purely as a Freezing Arrow weapon - you'll need a proper Strafe bow on switch to compensate, unless you're playing Magezon. Of course, to unlock its full potential, +3 Bow GMB base is mandatory, and these don't grow on trees.
Wizendraw Long Battle BowWe're only here for
-35% to Enemy Cold Resistance mod. In some very specific cases - such as broken immunes with 95% Cold Res - it deals massive FA damage. Similar to Melody in that you need a
second bow to Strafe - Wizendraw won't be enough, even upgraded. Mediocre IAS and ED% can be somewhat mitigated with jewel. If you want to try it for real, make sure to get good +skills elsewhere; -35% res with 1100 FA damage is still poor.
Faith (Ohm Jah Lem Eld) Grand Matron BowI'll just mention this bow briefly. Faith is considered a staple of Bowazon's arsenal, mainly due to reliable damage (330% ED), Fanaticism aura and sick Attack Rating bonus. The question is: if you can afford Ohm and Jah runes for rerolls, isn't it better to spend it on
Ice, which is
designed with Frostmaiden in mind? Another point: are we better off with 9/8 FPA breakpoints and more IAS items, when 10 FPA gets the job done (with slower mana drain)? Don't get me wrong, Faith definitely ranks up there in terms of killspeed - but it shines brighter on pure Bowazons, imho.
ArmorChains of Honor (Dol Um Ber Ist)- +2 skills. All around improvement (damage, Valkyrie, BO)
- 65% All Resistances. Always a good pick for no-Shield builds, truly a foundational mod which opens up numerous options elsewhere
- 8% Life Stolen per Hit. Part of our Strafe-refill engine
- +200% damage vs Demons, +100% vs Undead. With this build, any ED% chunk is welcome
- +20 Strength. It saves points for Dex and Vita if you make COH in light Elite armor (Dusk works best)
- 25% Magic Find. Good to have, but if you're serious about MF, you need to stack at least 4x as much
- Damage Reduced by 8%. Cherry on top
COH improves so many areas that most Frostmaidens don't even consider other options. Gigantic All Resist saves so much hassle - you don't need trires boots, Maras or high-end gloves anymore. It certainly translates for elemental damage - you can fit more +skill items, skillers or even cold dmg charms in your backpack. The only underwhelming part is lack of true ED%; Ice and COH combo is a great backbone, but don't expect Strafe to rock the world.
The good outweighs the bad for sure. I ran COH in Dusk Shroud for a long time, but later made one in heavier base - only for style points (Dusk is almost perfect with War Traveler -> GMB Strength requirements).
Fortitude (El Sol Dol Lo)The tradeoff is obvious: we forego +2 skills, huge Allres and other tiny COH mods for
fat boost to physical damage (300% ED). It looks more impressive on LCS because ED% vs Demons and Undead (COH mods) don't show up there.
Ice GMB users might scoff at it since ~200 damage increase (Strafe) isn't generally worth the hassle.
Windforce, which has enormous Weapon Damage to begin with, is another story though. I tested it briefly, liked the results, but also realized my zon is no longer a "pure" Frostmaiden since she strafed most of the time! With all these caveats, Fortitude is a
great option for physical-first playstyle.
Enigma (Jah Ith Ber)No need to introduce it. Some of you will call me crazy or n00b for bringing this up, but hear me out. We get
the same +skills and DR% as COH, but Enigma dominates in
Strength (70 > 20) and
magic find (90 > 25). Huge Strength bonus makes life easier especially for Windforce and Spirit users -> more points for Dex or Vita. My favorite mod is 45% Faster Run Walk though, I simply love Amazon in a running back role, either keeping the distance or going wildcat in tight spots.
TELEPORT and PvM Bowazon has always been a controversial topic. It's true that Amazon has
horrible FCR breakpoints and you'll never come close to Necro or Druid's speed, not to mention Sorc. It's true that Bowazon can't really squeeze FCR items reasonably. In the same time, it's very nice to reposition Merc and Valkyrie every now and then without worrying about Teleport charges. Don't use it to get across levels,
treat it as a tactical tool.
All in all, Enigma lacks any ED% mods and forces you to get creative with Resistances. Magezons will love it,
pure Frosties need to plan it out carefully. If you can overcome its deficiencies, more power to you!
Tyrael's Might Sacred ArmorHighly coveted armor for its rarity and looks. Frostmaiden in Tyrael's is truly a thing of beauty! It has a few sweet properties:
- 20-30 Strength, a bit better than COH
- Cannot Be Frozen, maybe you can ditch Raven Frost and get yourself some juicier (?) ring
- 20% FRW, save up on charms
- socketable
Other mods aren't that hot: Requirements -100% don't lead anywhere since you still need Str for bows; damage to Demons and Resistances are much better on COH; slain monsters Rest In Peace rarely kicks - you're freezing 'em to death anyways. Unfortunately, this ultra rare find falls short of runewords, but
you might like it if you pursue 8 FPA breakpoint (75 IAS for Mat bow).
Treachery (Shael Thul Lem)Chance to Fade (lvl 15) and 45% ias. Damage reduction (15%) and All Resistance bonus (60%) with Fade are nifty, but you need the skill to kick in first, don't go in the heat of the battle without it... IAS is only needed for 8 FPA Mat bow builds, which I kinda dislike, and you're giving up a ton of cold/physical damage with this setup (no +skills, ED%).
HelmNightwing's Veil+2 skills, 8-15% cold damage, 10-20 Dex, cold absorb. A perfect Frostmaiden headgear, save for some godly diadem with +life/frw and sockets... Nightwing is very affordable, provides remarkable damage boost, which can be further improved with Cold Facet. Make sure to get +14-15% cold mod, it's still much, much cheaper than high-end Griffons for Java.
A+ item, nuff said.Andariel's Visage You're losing out on cold damage significantly in order to get
20% IAS and some life leech. I used it with physical Bowazons, but 10-frame Frostmaiden simply doesn't need that much ias - unless you're freeing up Amulet or gloves. More on that later.
Harlequin Crest aka ShakoAgain, sacrifice a good deal of cold damage (likely 300-400 per hit) to get hefty life, mana and DR% for a modest price. Good budget option, maybe more than that for Hardcore players, but I'd go with Vitality and life charms first!
Guillaume's FaceI don't think crushing blow (35%) is worth losing out on +skills. Still, you can keep it stashed and equip just before Baal, he's tedious without CB.
Giant SkullLess crushing blow (10%), but it has 2 sockets and knockback! Decent option if you like customization and can't get KB elsewhere.
AmuletHighlord's WrathPromised land is
56% IAS for both favored bows. Unless you're planning for exotic items (Andys, Nosferatu's Coil, Treachery etc.),
20% from the amulet is a must. Highlord does just that, but also has:
- +1 all skills, so even Battle Orders benefit
- +35% light res, this one really matters and is a bit harder to find than fire
- ~33% deadly strike - coupled with Ice and Critical Strike, physical dmg is doubled at least 80% of the time (compared to 66% without it)
It's safe to say that Highlord's Wrath is the best ammy for most item setups. And it comes real cheap.
Cat's EyeThis one is sexy, aside from 20% IAS you get a
heckload of FRW (30%) and some Dexterity to boot. I even bought a set of 11% LR small charms to test it for a week... and sadly realized that Highlords have a noticeable damage advantage. Sure, +25 Dex looks good on paper, but it translates to meager 25 ED% with bow - even that deadly strike mod hits harder. I still have it stashed for 'easy' areas such as Pits, Ancient Tunnels or Andariel. The maneuverability is cute.
Mara's Kaleidoscope, Seraph's Hymn, Metalgrid, Saracen's Chance, Crescent Moon etc. aka Non-IAS optionsA lot of great mods here, including fat resists, +2 skills, hundreds of AR and some ED% against demons/undead. Crescent Moon is quite different, with good roll it looks like a leech ring on steroids. It's all very nice, but are you willing to give up other items to get IAS breakpoint?
Mara + Andys look the most realistic, but cold dmg wise,
Nightwing + Highlords have a significant lead. Quid pro quo.
Atma's ScarabThere will be times when you run into unbreakable Cold + Physical immunes. These guys are practically unkillable, especially with stoneskin, so you either go around them or cast Amplify Damage / Decrep.
Enter Atma's Scarab with its
5% chance to cast Amp on strike. Doesn't look like much, but with insane Strafe speed, it's bound to work on a second or third attempt. I'd never recommend it as a main ammy, carrying it around in your backpack shouldn't be a problem though. It's a matter of playstyle really.
RingsDual leech ring rare or craftedThe limit is 6% for mana and 8% for life leech (11% for the best crafted Blood rings). Many builds want these so expect steep prices. I currently run with modest 7% ll, 5% ml, 70 mana and some AR / MF on top.
Other good (and expensive) mods include: 10-20 Strength, 10-15 Dex, 20-40 life, up to 11 allres and 30% for single resistances. Some rings have up to +9 minimum damage and life replenishment, these are nice too. But remember, it's all for naught if leech values are meager. Plan ahead and get one that complements your bow.
Raven FrostCold damage? Check. Dexterity? Check. Attack Rating? Loads of it. It also boosts your Mana and provides CBF (slow zon is a dead zon). It's more than Frostmaiden could ever ask for, even the name is fitting! Seriously go get one, luckily these are quite common (for uniques) and you can grab low rolls for peanuts.
Stone of Jordan, Bul-Kathos' Wedding BandIf you get to the point where all your leech and res needs are covered, you should seriously consider adding +1 skills ring to your arsenal. Especially SOJ is tempting - a windfall of mana means a lot to this build. Trires boots and high-end crafted gloves are likely the best bets to free up a slot.
Wisp ProjectorSome players have it stashed for Burning Souls, often found in WSK and Throne room. Personally, I find 75% Light res sufficient, and I always recommend casting Decoy where it's beneficial... but don't be afraid to use one on Hardcore.
Gloves2/20 rare or craftedGloves play a major role in any Amazon build, mainly because they provide
+skill tabs and IAS mods. Getting +2 to bow and 20% ias is pretty much mandatory if you go for a high-end pair.
Rares have up to 6 affixes, look for resists (up to 30% each), stats and leech percentage (up to 5%).
Crafted pairs have 4 random mods plus built-in properties, i.e. crushing blow (Blood gloves) or knockback (Hitpower). Really godly pairs cost more than a cookie cutter Hammerdin, so don't go over-the-top as we're just PVMing here. If you find/craft one of these yourself, more power to you.
3/20 aka Archer's Gloves of AlacrityMagic gloves (+3 bow, 20% ias) you can potentially shop at Charsi, Akara and other Hell vendors. Spawning them is another story though: last time I shopped for hours and the best I come up with was +3 to bow skills and some fire res. Ultimately decided to trade a pair on Bnet because it's
significantly cheaper than good rares. It's still a very sexy pick, you'll see a big leap in Freezing Arrow damage and also a minor boost to Strafe.
Laying of HandsThree awesome mods here: 20% IAS, 50% Fire res (works nice with Highlords) and whopping
350% damage bonus vs Demons. It means your Strafe will be much, much more effective in critical areas such as River of Flame, Chaos Sanctuary, Throne of Destruction and Act Bosses. Although I use 3/20 gloves most of the time, I still swap them for LOH before Baal. Fantastic pair, pretty easy to MF with your sorc or buy for gems.
Lava Gout and Magnus SkinMore "20% ias with sweeteners". Both have Fire res (24 and 15%, respectively) as well as Attack Rating mods. Magnus Skin gives flat +100 AR, while Lava Gout has CtC Enchant mod, resulting in 101% AR (constantly recast because we Strafe much). Actually I used the Lavas for most of Hell mode. Definitely viable, although I wouldn't spend any coin to get them.
Dracul's GraspPerhaps your Frostmaiden doesn't need IAS at all and you're looking for other mods here... unlikely, but if it happened, I could see her wearing Dracul's Grasp and leeching like mosquito in a rut. Still, you might be better off with crafted gloves, and I encourage you to roll Blood/Hitpower recipes with your zon a lot.
BeltsRazortailMassive boost to
Pierce (33%) alone would get this slot, that's how good it is. Each successful Pierce inflicts cold burst dmg to all creatures in the area; now imagine how devastating it is for tightly packed groups, getting pierced 3,4, 5+ times a shot. With Razortail even modestly geared Amazons can get up to 100% chance. Other than bug belt, I don't know how you top that.
Nosferatu's CoilMana after kill, 10% ias, Strength, slows target, life leech... If not for Razortail's jawdropping Pierce, these would be my favorite. Some builds will need it for IAS, but if you're going for a conservative 10 FPA breakpoint, bow + gloves + amulet will get you there.
Verdungo's Hearty CordIncredible from safety point of view. Wouldn't bother with it on Softcore, but HC might prefer it over Razors; up to
15 DR% is huge.
String of EarsAgain, very good damage reduction, this time coupled with life leech. Verdungo is superior though, you can get leech % elsewhere.
Rare beltGodly belts with life, Str, FHR and resists are nothing to scoff at, but Razors are so cheap and effective. Let's leave them for other builds, shall we?
BootsWar TravelerBonus stats and FRW are dope, but to me
"Adds 15-25 Damage" is the sexiest. Doesn't sound like much, but actually it's a pretty big deal for any Bowazon trying to up her physical damage. Magic find is just gravy. If you're doing alright with Res and Mana, you should probably start from here.
SilkweaveCharming
+5 Mana after kill mod. I used them on Javazons a lot. In theory, every time you one-shot a group of 5+ creatures, Freezing Arrow pays for itself. Worth a look.
Rare trires bootsIf you don't care about the cost, rare boots have the highest potential, with numerous nifty mods (FRW, FHR, Dex, MF) and up to
40% Single Resist. For non-COH Bowas this is likely the best way to ramp up elemental resists. Self-found dual res boots also work.
Aldur's Advance and Natalya's SoulBoth are quick (40% FRW) and improve resists for peanuts (the former has 50% Fire res, the latter up to 25% vs Light/Cold). Oh, and don't forget the 50 life on Aldurs - they're so underrated!
Waterwalk, Sandstorm Trek, GoreriderWouldn't be surprised if 50% of Battlenet chars used one of these. You all know them, so I spare you the details. I have personal preference for Wartravs, but these will suit you as well. Just remember about Crushing Blow penalty for ranged weapons.
SwitchCall to Arms (Amn Ral Mal Ist Ohm)+Splendor (Eth Lum) or
Spirit (Tal Thul Ort Amn) or
Lidless Wall or
Sigon's GuardBattle Orders. That's how you get decent life and mana without breaking a sweat, but you know that. Shield with +all skills is just a complementary piece; I favor Splendor for the looks (soft spot for round shields), but any listed shield would do. Windforce (and Enigma) zons might be tempted to spend extra ~20 Strength points to get Spirit Monarch, but I think it's a bit of a waste.
Harmony (Tir Ith Sol Ko) Grand Matron BowAlready mentioned, but I have to point it's a very popular pick for Bowazons in general, especially if you can stay out of trouble with minimum life. Powerful Valkyrie (+6!) and sick maneuverability can outweigh traditional buffs, depending on playstyle and Area difficulty.
Phoenix (Vex Vex Lo Jah) Grand Matron BowI see this runeword more often these days, maybe we're all getting lazy and enamored with Redemption aura. It's great in theory, but Frostmaiden doesn't leave many corpses in her wake. Still, you might find it interesting as a secondary weapon. In fact, you can plug any bow here and use it for Strafe if you find
Ice not up to standard. Please remember that Phoenix has no IAS so you're gonna need additional source for 42% breakpoint.
This post was edited by thi4f on May 27 2020 04:56pm