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Updated for Patch 3.16
The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
Estimated budget: medium
| Guide notes |
| July 30, 2020 -Updated for Patch 3.11 July 31, 2020 -Updated gameplay video April 18, 2021 -Updated for Patch 3.14 April 23, 2021 -Updated gameplay video November 23, 2021 -Updated for Patch 3.16 |
This build is focused mainly on triggering Ice Nova and Frostbolt with Cyclone, but it fits all kinds of Cold spells really well, so if you prefer to play Glacial Cascade or Freezing Pulse, you don't need to change anything except the desired Spell Gems. The only required, and item in this build is Cospri's Malice, the rest is focused on stacking as much Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier as possible. Thanks to the addition of Cluster Jewels we can push this build's DPS even further. They are quite expensive, but also the best option for players that want to min-max their characters.
It's an Energy Shield Build that doesn't allocate Chaos Inoculation, you will reserve your Life instead with Auras on Prism Guardian to increase your overall performance, this will allow you to reap the benefits of Pain Attunement and Presence of Chayula. Your ES will oscillate in between 4 to 6k, you will be constantly Elusive, your Armour and Evasion Rating are moderately high. This build relies on you constantly dealing Critical Strikes with Cyclone, getting enough Crit Chance should be easy as you'll be using Power Charges - with Assassin's Ascendancy it means a huge bonus to your damage and survivability. Accuracy Rating, on the other hand, is harder to come by, but with good gear, you should easily reach over 95% Hit Chance. Keep in mind that you can run out of Mana if you don't manage the Mana Cost of your Skills.
You can also find our other Path of Exile builds right over here: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List
The gameplay is pretty straightforward - you Cyclone into packs of monsters and trigger all your socketed Cold Spells. The more monsters, the more spell casts per second. It's one of the most satisfying and fastest map-clearing builds in the game, thanks to cold explosions and ice projectiles flying all over the screen. Getting high Attack Speed is critical versus Bosses, as you increase the number of Hits per second, and trigger your Spells more frequently.
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This build feels really good, when you have all gear required for it, and leveling Cast on Critical strike might be hard, that's why we recommend using Frost Blades for leveling, until you hit level 68, when you can wear all the required unique items. During leveling focus on upgrading your weapon to the highest Elemental/Physical DPS you can find.
Suggested leveling Gem setups:
| Frost Blades setup | |
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Frost Blades - your primary DPS source. We are using it for the entire leveling process |
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Added Cold Damage Support - a lot of additional Cold damage |
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Ancestral Call Support - it will hit two additional nearby enemies with Frost Blades, which helps a lot with clearing packs |
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Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - increases Elemental Damage |
| Utility Gems | |
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Ancestral Warchief - great totem, that deals a lot of damage against Single targets but also increases Melee Damage |
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Herald of Ash - grants increased Burning Damage and causes slain monsters to Ignite nearby monsters for a percentage of the overkill damage |
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Herald of Ice - additional Cold Damage and Ice Explosions that shatters whole packs of monsters |
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Whirling Blades - your primary mobility skill |
Bandits:
We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passives Points or helping Alira if you prefer additional Critical Strike Multiplier and making it easier to cap Elemental Resistances
Leveling Skill Trees:
31 Points Skill Tree
Take the Cold Mastery to convert the remaining Physical Damage to Cold, get Maximum Life, and some more Damage
67 Points Skill Tree
Pick up the Maximum Power Charges and some more Maximum Life
Recommended leveling items:
 Wake of Destruction - definitely best-leveling boots for attack based builds, provides a lot of flat Lightning damage to attacks |
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| Adds 1 to 120 Lightning Damage to Attacks (20-60)% increased Armour and Energy Shield +(10-20) Life gained on Kill 15% increased Movement Speed Drops Shocked Ground while moving, lasting 2 seconds |
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 Karui Charge - amazing amulet, that increases Attack Speed and Damage for your Frost Blades and your Movement Speed, making leveling faster and smoother |
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| +(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength (5-10)% increased Attack Speed +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage |
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 Goldrim - amazing leveling Helmet which covers up all your needs for Elemental Resistances during early levels |
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| +(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden) |
 Belt of the Deceiver - all Resistances and additional Life are amazing during leveling, on top of that we have little DPS boost |
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| +(25-35) to Strength (15-25)% increased Global Physical Damage You take 30% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes +(30-40) to maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies are Intimidated |
 Redbeak - perfect sword for early game, that you can use it since level 1 |
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| 40% increased Global Accuracy Rating 100% increased Damage when on Low Life 50% increased Physical Damage Adds 2 to 6 Physical Damage 10% increased Attack Speed +(20-30) to maximum Life +2 Life gained for each Enemy hit by Attacks |
 The Tempestuous Steel - this will be perfect for full conversion to Elemental Damage leveling build because all attacks with this weapon Penetrate enemies Resistances |
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| 40% increased Global Accuracy Rating Adds (5-8) to (15-20) Physical Damage (8-14)% increased Attack Speed Hits can't be Evaded Attacks with this Weapon Penetrate 30% Elemental Resistances Gain 15% of Physical Attack Damage as Extra Fire Damage Gain 15% of Physical Attack Damage as Extra Lightning Damage |
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| +(20-30) to Strength Adds (5-7) to (13-15) Cold Damage to Spells and Attacks +(40-50) to Evasion Rating +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance 50% of Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage Reflects 10 Cold Damage to Melee Attackers |
Final Skill Tree:
92 Points Skill Tree (does not include Cluster Jewels nor Thread of Hope)
121 Points Path of Building (PoB) link
Ascendancy points:
Preferably in that order:
Pantheon:
Major God: Soul of the Brine King: You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds
Minor God: Soul of Garukhan: 60% reduced Effect of Shock on you
| [DPS] Cyclone/Ice Nova setup | |
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Cyclone - this is our main skill gem, that will cast linked Sells and Spells socketed into Cospri's Malice on Critical Strikes |
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Ice Nova - this is our main Damage dealing spell. It has great both single target and AoE damage |
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Power Charge on Critical Support - adds Damage per Power Charge, more Crit Chance, and generates Charges |
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Cast on Critical Strike Support - the most important gem in this setup. It will cast linked spells on Critical Strikes dealt by Cyclone |
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Added Cold Damage Support - adds high base Cold Damage to linked Spells. It's best to use an Awakened version of this Gem |
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Inspiration Support - reduces the Mana Cost of Cyclone and grants high DPS bonus by increasing Elemental Damage and Critical Strike Chance |
| [DPS] Frostbolt/Ice Nova/Frost bomb setup (Cospri's Malice) |
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Frostbolt - Frostbolts are recommended for this build since they greatly increase our clear speed and radius of Spells triggered by Cospri's Malice. Spells in this setup deal a moderate amount of damage but provide very important Life Leech |
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Ice Nova - same as Frostbolt, deals some extra damage and grants Life Leeched |
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Frost Bomb - applies Cold Exposure reducing Cold Resistance for enemies, and reduces Life Regeneration Rate |
| {UTILITY] Auras setup (Prism Guardian) |
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Hatred - increases Cold Damage you deal with Skills |
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Zealotry - increases your Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier, Spell Damage, and creates Consecrated Ground |
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Grace - use Grace to gain more Evasion Rating |
| [UTILITY] Immortal Call and Auras setup | |
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Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast Immortal Call after a certain amount of damage is taken. Keep this Gem at level 1 |
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Immortal Call - grants a brief defensive buff which reduces all your Damage taken significantly. Keep this Gem at level 3 for more frequent triggers by Cast when Damage Taken Gem |
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Discipline - grants you more Energy Shield and increased ES Recharge Rate |
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Determination - you gain additional and increased Armour |
| [UTILITY] Curse and Vortex setup | |
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Frostbite - Curse that lowers Cold Resistance of your Opponents |
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Arcane Surge Support - grants increased Spell Damage, Cast Speed, and Mana Regen. Keep this Gem at level 7 so that the buff is applied with each cast |
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Vortex - Creates a Chilling Zone dealing COld DoT after an initial explosion, put it in place of your movement button to have it constantly cast |
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Hextouch Support - Vortex will apply Frostbite on enemies |
| [UTILITY] Aura, Banner, Herald, Flame Dash | |
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Herald of Ice - provides additional Cold Damage and huge Ice explosions, making your clear speed insanely fast |
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Precision - increases your Accuracy Rating and Critical Strike Chance. It's extremely important in this build as it defines the rate at which you trigger all your Spells |
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Defiance Banner - You have more Armour and Evasion Rating, while enemies around you are less likely to hit you with Critical Strike |
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Flame Dash - Movement Spell to improve mobility of your character |
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Below you will find all the recommended and required items for this build. As usual, all required stats are listed (items are also included in the PoB link). This is a rather inexpensive build, which should not cost more than a few Exalted Orbs, but you can increase its power immensely by investing in more powerful uniques. One of the most important stats are Critical Strike Chance, especially for Melee Attacks to trigger Ice Nova with each Hit of Cyclone, Crit Multiplier is important only for Spells. Seek Accuracy Rating so that you can actually Hit your enemies with Cyclone at a frequent rate. Strength and Dexterity should be one of your priorities since you will need 155 Strength (Determination) and 212 Dexterity (Cospri's).
At this point, we would love to invite you to visit our Path of Exile Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency in case you are unable to complete your build.
Our recommended items will:
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Stat priorities on items:
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 (Helmet) Rare Helmet - look for a Shaper piece with Added Cold Damage to Spells or additional Maximum Power Charge |
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| Min. requirements: +40 to maximum Energy Shield 75% Total Elemental Resistances Nearby Enemies have -9% to Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Added Cold Damage to Spells Accuracy Rating +1 to Maximum Power Charges Critical Strike Multiplier |
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| Helmet enchantments: Ice Nova deals 40% increased Damage |
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 (Weapon) Cospri's Malice - Mandatory item for this build, which is based on this weapon. Try to get the highest Attack Speed and flat Cold Damage to Spells as possible. You could dual-wield them, however, it's recommended to use a Prism Guardian. |
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| +25% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier Trigger a Socketed Cold Spell on Melee Critical Strike, with a 0.15 second Cooldown No Physical Damage Adds (80-100) to (160-200) Cold Damage Adds (40-60) to (90-110) Cold Damage to Spells (8-14)% increased Attack Speed +257 Intelligence Requirement 60% increased Critical Strike Chance against Chilled Enemies |
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 (Weapon) Prism Guardian - use this Shield so that you can use additional three Auras at the cost of your Life - the build is ES-focused so that won't be an issue |
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| +12% to all Elemental Resistances +2 to Level of Socketed Aura Gems Socketed Gems Cost and Reserve Life instead of Mana Socketed Gems have 30% increased Reservation Efficiency +(20-30) to Dexterity +25% to all Elemental Resistances |
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 (Body Armour) Shavronne's Wrappings - As you're not immune to Chaos Damage and your Life is close to non-existent, it's an obviously obligatory Body Armour. It increases your Spell Damage and Energy Shield which is good. |
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| (3-10)% increased Spell Damage (100-150)% increased Energy Shield 10% faster start of Energy Shield Recharge +(30-40)% to Lightning Resistance Reflects 1 to 250 Lightning Damage to Melee Attackers Chaos Damage does not bypass Energy Shield |
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 (Boots) Rare Boots - Movement Speed, Energy Shield, Elemental Resistances, and Dexterity are commonly found here, you can additionally seek the Tailwind mod to improve your mobility |
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| Min. requirements: +30 to maximum Energy Shield 80% Total Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: You have Tailwind if you have dealt a Critical Strike Recently Dexterity |
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| Boot enchantment: Adds 45 to 68 Cold Damage if you've been Hit Recently |
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 (Belt) Rare Belt - Stygian Vise grants Abyss socket and allows you to use one more jewel, while Crystal Belt grants more Energy Shield |
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| Min. requirements: +40 to maximum Energy Shield 80% Total Elemental Resistances +40 to Strength Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental Damage increased Energy Shield from Body Armour |
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 (Amulet) Presence of Chayula - You won't need your Life as it's an ES build, this Amulet suits such builds the best - it increases your ES, Attributes, Chaos Resistance, and grants Stun immunity |
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| +(10-16) to all Attributes 30% increased Rarity of Items found +60% to Chaos Resistance Cannot be Stunned 20% of Maximum Life Converted to Energy Shield |
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Recommended Anointments:
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 (Ring) Circle of Fear - Circle of Fear improves your Herald of Ice Skill, it can deal more Cold Damage, have increased Buff Effect, Reserve less Mana, and other such enhancements, it's overall the best choice for a Ring for both Ring Slots |
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| +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance +(20-30) to Dexterity Adds (20-25) to (26-35) Cold Damage +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance When used in the Synthesiser, the new item will have an additional Herald Modifier <Random Herald of Ice modifier> |
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 (Gloves) Rare Gloves - preferably Fingerless Silk Gloves but most other types are also viable, focus just on Accuracy Rating and other defensive stats |
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| Min. requirements: +40 to maximum Energy Shield 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Accuracy Rating increased Energy Shield |
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 (Jewel) Militant Faith - This allows you to benefit from Inner Conviction that greatly boosts your Spell damage for each active Power Charge. Transform The Agnostic Keystone on the left side of the Skill Tree. |
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| Carved to glorify (2000-10000) new faithful converted by High Templar (Avarius-Dominus-Maxarius) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Templars Historic <two random mods of devotion> |
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 (Jewel) Watcher's Eye - an extremely powerful Jewel that can grant tons of base Crit. Chance while you are affected by Hatred. It can also have additional bonuses to Hatred and Precision Auras, but multiple bonuses make it an extremely expensive Item |
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| (4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifiers: +(1.2-1.8)% to Critical Strike Chance while affected by Hatred Adds (58-70) to (88-104) Cold Damage while affected by Hatred +(20-30)% to Critical Strike Multiplier while affected by Precision Gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike while affected by Precision |
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 (Jewel) Thread of Hope - use on with a Large Ring and put it next to Instability so that you can allocate Heart of Ice, Arcane Focus, and Blast Radius |
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| Only affects Passives in Large Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances |
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 (Jewel) Replica Conqueror's Efficiency - having cheaper Skills is crucial to cast them constantly and not to be limited by Mana |
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| 4% increased Skill Effect Duration +5 to Maximum Rage Non-Channelling Skills have -9 to Total Mana Cost |
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 (Jewel) Rare Jewels - all Jewels should provide extra Energy Shield and at least one Damage amplification mod |
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| Recommended affixes: maximum Energy Shield Critical Strike Multiplier for Spells Critical Strike Chance for Attacks and Spells increased Cold/Area/Spell Damage Dexterity Strength Elemental Resistances |
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 (Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - get yourself a couple of Cold-related Cluster Jewels or general Elemental Damage or Resistances with eight or nine passives |
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| Recommended Notables: 1 Added Passive Skill is Blanketed Snow 1 Added Passive Skill is Snowstorm 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart |
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 (Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - prioritize Critical Strike Chance, Damage, and Area of Effect, especially when it scales with Power Charges |
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| Recommended Notables: 1 Added Passive Skill is Magnifier 1 Added Passive Skill is Vast Power 1 Added Passive Skill is Quick Getaway 1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points 1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain |
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 (Flask) Bottled Faith - Bottled Faith keeps the title of one of the best and most versatile Flask for all build relying on Critical Strikes |
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| 40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Flask effect |
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Other suggested Flasks:
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If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below.
Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.
Hrimmsorrow - great Gloves, providing additional Damage and Physical Conversion to Cold, which scales with Elemental/Cold Damage nodes on the skill tree