D2RHub
Sign In
All Builds

Frost/Fire Bow

The Frost/Fire Bow guide

Written by MrLlamaSC for Icy Veins, shown here with his permission. Read the original on Icy Veins· Skills and items link to their pages.

›Introduction

The Frost/Fire Amazon is a slight variation of the Frostmaiden build. Instead of running only the Freezing Arrow line of skills with some Physical attacks to deal with Cold Immune Monsters, you are instead using Exploding Arrow and Immolation Arrow . This build is generally seen as slightly worse than the Frostmaiden but can still complete Hell and is not very gear dependent. One of the main advantage of running this build over single-element alternatives is to better deal with Immunities as you progress through the game. Builds specialised in a single element may deal more damage, but your Amazon will struggle in Solo Self Found play in late Nightmare and Hell.

›Frost Fire Bowazon Skill Build

  • 1 point to all prerequisites

  • 20 points to Freezing Arrow — Main Cold damage and crowd control skill, required

  • 20 points to Cold Arrow — Synergy for Freezing Arrow, required

  • 1 point to Ice Arrow — Synergy for Freezing Arrow, but only increases freeze length, which is not necessary, required

  • 20 points to Immolation Arrow — Main Fire damage skill, required

  • 20 points to Exploding Arrow — Other main Fire damage skill, required

  • 20 points to Fire Arrow — Synergy for Exploding Arrow, required

  • 9 points to Pierce — When used with Razortail, helps reach a 100% chance to Pierce enemies, which significantly improves area of effect damage output, required

  • 17+ points to Valkyrie — Extremely helpful in tanking and is quite good in a Hardcore playthrough. If you do go for Valkyrie having at least 17 points total will give her the best gear possible, optional

›Build Discussion

The Frost/Fire Bowazon is a great counter to the large number of Immune Monsters in Hell. While most elemental characters have to figure out creative solutions to avoid Immunities, the Frost Fire Bowazon is capable of tackling most content. Additionally, Freezing Arrow adds a lot of safety to the build through constant freezing.

This specific build focuses on gaining as many +Skills as possible, even prioritising these over Attack Rating, Crushing Blow, and other common offensive stats. The reason for this is because Exploding Arrow, Immolation Arrow, and Freezing Arrow both will always have their elemental hit 100% of the time. Thus, stacking as much Damage in those Skills will be the most beneficial way to improve, on top of also bringing additional points to Pierce.

In addition to increasing skill levels, Increased Attack Speed is also a very important affix for damage. When playing through the game and considering different bows, take a look at the speed of your attacks; faster bows are often likely to yield better results than bows with more damage, all other things being equal.

Very early in the game, it can be very beneficial to simply run a bow socketed with Rubies as the Fire Damage from the Rubies will actually add to the damage of Exploding Arrow. While this is not particularly useful for an Endgame Build, it improves the leveling experience for the Amazon.

›Frost Fire Bowazon Stats Discussion

How much Strength Does a Frost Fire Bowazon Need?

Enough for gear — this number always changes based on the gear you are using, so make sure to always double check the Strength requirements of each piece of gear you are planning to use as well as how much Strength each piece will provide once equipped.

How much Dexterity Does a Frost Fire Bowazon Need?

Enough for gear — Dexterity can also be used to add a little bit of Attack Rating, but this is generally not the best way to obtain it. Many bows require high Dexterity, meaning you will often end up having enough Attack Rating by nature.

How much Vitality Does a Frost Fire Bowazon Need?

Everything else into Vitality — 250+ Vitality. Every excess attribute point should be allocated to Vitality, as long as you can meet the Strength and Dexterity requirements of your items by the time you wish to equip them.

How much Energy Does a Frost Fire Bowazon Need?

Nothing — allocating stat points to Energy in a final build is universally considered sub-par for almost every character due to the widespread availability of Mana Potions. For this Frost/Fire Bowazon, it is often recommended to get to around 40-50 Energy while leveling that you can then refund with a respec later into the game.

›Frost Fire Bowazon Mercenary

An Offensive ( Might) Act 2 Nightmare Mercenary is best to increase your Physical damage. An Offensive ( Blessed Aim) Act 2 Hell Mercenary could also work for increased chance to hit your shots.