Ice Shot Windripper
Raider/Elementalist Scion
Build updated for Patch 3.3

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: medium (15-20 Exalted Orbs)

Windripper is considered one of the best non-mirrored Elemental bows in Path of Exile. While at the first glance its' DPS looks rather mediocre, the high Attack Speed and Critical Hit Chance bonuses make up for it. Not to mention the amazing Item Quantity and Rarity bonuses, which makes this a real PoE currency farming machine.

This Windripper build revolves around the Scion class, which provides high defensive utility, and increased Life. Also, we have decided to choose Ice Shot as the main bow Attack. It may not have the AoE DPS of Tornado Shot, but with the much higher damage effectiveness, and a lot of flat added Elemental Damage to your Attacks, this is fully viable map farming choice.

Here you can check our other Path of Exile's builds: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This is not a typical Ranged/Bow build. It provides very high Item Rarity and Item Quantity bonuses, and at the same time excellent Elemental DPS. It is a perfect build for PoE Currency farming, thus making the Windripper bow quite expensive (prices start at 1 Exalted Orb). The build's core mechanics are all about kiting/dodging incoming Spells and Attacks, and at the same time dealing very high Elemental Damage from a distance.  This build can easily provide 6,000 Life, and over 50% Attack and Spell Dodge chance, making you extremely hard to hit. 

0:06 Tier 9 Moon Temple 0:32 Tier 9 Waste Pool 1:02 Tier 11 Lair 1:24 Tier 12 Castle Ruins 1:48 Tier 10 Orchard This video was recorded on a level 86 Scion, using Bisco's Collar for increased Item Rarity and Item Quantity

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

The leveling phase with this build is rather easy. You can use pretty much any high DPS bow you come across or can buy from other players. Ice Shot is available as soon as level 1, and we obviously recommend it for leveling too. The only problem arises when you need to complete the 3rd Labyrinth to access the Deadeye's part of the tree. Other than that, this is rather straight-forward, and should not cause any troubles.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Ice Shot setup
	Ice Shot - your primary Attack skill. It deals damage to the main target hit, and also enemies in a cone behind it
	Added Cold Damage Support - provides additional Cold damage
	Faster Attacks Support - increases your Attack Speed
	Lesser Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of projectiles, which now deal slightly reduced damage

Blink Arrow setup
	Blink Arrow - your main mobility skill
	Faster Attacks Support - increases the Attack Speed of your Blink Arrow

Utility Gems
	Ice Golem - grants increased Critical Strike Chance and Accuracy Rating
	Assassin's Mark - the recommended Curse for this build. It increases your chance to Critically hit cursed enemies
	Herald of Ice - adds additional Cold Damage to your Attacks and causes slain monsters to explode
	Herald of Thunder - adds Lightning Damage to your Attacks

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for Elemental Resistances and Crit. Multiplier. Killing them all for 2 additional Passive Points is also a good option

Leveling Skill Trees:

29 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Harrier 2) Hired Killer 3) Constitution 4) True Strike

65 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blood Drinker 2) Herbalism 3) Finesse 4) Primeval Force

Recommended leveling items:

Tasalio's Sign - an amazing leveling Ring for this Elemental DPS build
+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance Adds (7-10) to (15-20) Cold Damage to Spells and Attacks +(200-300) to Evasion Rating 50% chance to Avoid being Chilled 10% chance to Freeze Adds 40 to 60 Cold Damage against Chilled Enemies

Praxis - another great Ring, that will help you with Mana-management at lower levels
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Prismweave - amazing DPS belt that will serve you well till the mapping phase
(12-24)% increased Global Physical Damage10% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Adds (7-8) to (15-16) Fire Damage to Attacks Adds (5-6) to (12-14) Cold Damage to Attacks Adds 1 to (30-34) Lightning Damage to Attacks +(6-8)% to all Elemental Resistances 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills during any Flask Effect

Karui Ward - the best leveling amulet for Bow/Ranged classes. Can be upgraded to Karui Charge at level 24 which also increases Attack Speed
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Stormcloud - great unique bow which  we suggest using from level 8
No Physical Damage Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage (36-50)% increased Attack Speed

The Tempest - the Fated version of Stormcloud bow. Has greatly increased DPS
No Physical Damage 100% increased Lightning Damage Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage (36-50)% increased Attack Speed

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final skill tree:

119 Points Final Skill Tree
119 Points Path of Building link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Ranger Ascendancy - Raider
2. Path of the Ranger
3. Witch Ascendancy - Elementalist

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Arakaali - 5% reduced Damage taken from Damage Over Time 10% chance to Avoid Lightning Damage when Hit

Minor God: Soul of Ryslatha - Life Flasks gain 3 Charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a Life Flask Recently

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Ice Shot setup
	Ice Shot - your primary DPS attack skill
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - a mandatory support Gem for this setup. Otherwise, your clear speed will be way too slow to farm efficiently
	Ice Bite Support - grants added Cold Damage as well as generates Frenzy Charges for increased Attack Speed, Damage, and Onslaught effect (Raider Ascendancy)
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - another core Support Gem for this setup
	Cold Penetration Support - makes your Ice Shot penetrate a great portion of monsters' resistance to Cold Damage
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - increases Critical Strike Chance of your Ice Shot

[DPS] Barrage setup
	Barrage - the best single-target bow attack in Path of Exile. Can be socketed in Body Armour, or in the weapon-swap slot
	Elemental Focus Support
	Increased Critical Strikes Support
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Cold Penetration Support
	Slower Projectiles Support - slows Barrage projectiles, but increases their damage

[CURSE] Heral of Ice Support
	Herald of Ice - grants additional Cold Damage to your Attacks and causes AoE explosions on killing frozen enemies
	Assassin's Mark - recommended Curse for this build
	Innervate Support - will grant you the Innervate buff on killing Shocked enemies with Herald of Ice, which is a nice portion of extra Lightning damage
	Curse on Hit Support - makes Herald of Ice apply your curse

[UTILITY] Herald of Thunder and Power Charge generation
	[1L]Herald of Thunder - adds additional Lightning Damage to your spells and attacks
	[3L]Orb of Storms - is used to generate Power Charges
	[3L]Power Charge on Critical Support - crits with supported skills will generate a Power Charge
	[3L]Blind Support - may add an extra layer of defenses with the Blind chance

[MOBILITY/UTILITY] Golems and Blink Arrow setups
	Ice Golem - this Golem grants additional Critical Strike Chance and Accuracy Rating. The best Golem for this build
	Lightning Golem - grants Increased Attack and Cast Speed. May as well be replaced with Stone Golem for increased Life Regeneration
	[2L]Blink Arrow - your main mobility skill
	[2L]Faster Attacks Support - used for better mobility with Blink Arrow

5. Gear Setup

This Ice Shot Windripper build should not be considered a budget-friendly and/or League Starter build. It revolves around a rather expensive and popular Bow, which may be very hard to obtain during early days of a new League or for casual players in general. If you would still like to try it out, but you lack PoE Currency, we are delighted to invite you to visit our PoE Marketplace where you can buy cheap PoE Currency and get all the required items.

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. Save at least a couple of hours of gear-planning since it's already there

(Helmet) Starkonja's Head - one of the best Ranger helmets in Path of Exile. Provides amazing defensive utility, Crit. Chance, and Attack Speed. Note: Picking this helmet will require you to adjust Elemental Resistances on Rings and Gloves

50% reduced Damage when on Low Life +(50-70) to Dexterity 10% increased Attack Speed 25% increased Global Critical Strike Chance (100-130)% increased Evasion Rating +(80-100) to maximum Life 150% increased Global Evasion Rating when on Low Life Enchantment:  increased Ice Shot Damage

(Helmet) Devoto's Devotion - another great helmet. It adds up a lot of important stats for increased clear speed and mapping. The reduced Physical Damage does not affect you in any way when using this Windripper build. Note: Picking this helmet will require you to adjust Elemental Resistances on Rings and Gloves

10% reduced Physical Damage +(50-65) to Dexterity 16% increased Attack Speed (150-200)% increased Armour and Evasion +(15-25)% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed Mercury Footprints Enchantment:  increased Ice Shot Damage

(Helmet) Rare Life/Res. - another good choice. Will make capping your resistances much easier

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance Enchantment:  increased Ice Shot Damage

(Weapon) Windripper - the core of this build. It could possibly be replaced by a rare elemental DPS bow, but in terms of general performance, your character will be way behind

(20-24)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills Adds (32-40) to (48-60) Cold Damage Adds 1 to (80-100) Lightning Damage (10-15)% increased Attack Speed (60-80)% increased Critical Strike Chance 15% increased Quantity of Items Dropped by Slain Frozen Enemies 30% increased Rarity of Items Dropped by Slain Shocked Enemies

(Weapon) Rare Elemental DPS Bow - not a bad pick for early mapping/leveling phases, but in general this is not recommended in the long run

Min. requirements: 280 Elemental DPS (mainly Cold) 10% increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: increased Critical Strike Chance increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Quiver) Rare Life/Res. Quiver - the best option for this build. Can be corrupted, and add the additional arrow, if you can manage that in your current budget

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Cold Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: increased Critical Strike Multiplier increased Global Critical Strike Chance increased Attack Speed added Elemental Damage to Attacks increased Weapon Elemental Damage

(Body Armour) Hyrri's Ire - the best in slot body Armour for our build. Grants high bonus Cold Damage to Attacks and increased Dodge Chance

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(40-50) to Dexterity Adds (50-60) to (70-80) Cold Damage to Attacks (140-220)% increased Evasion Rating 25% increased Chill Duration on Enemies 10% chance to Dodge Attacks 10% chance to Dodge Spell Damage

(Body Armour) Zodiac Leather - good and cheap alternative. Simply look for high Life, Resistances, and Evasion Rating

Min. requirements: 2000 Evasion Rating 90 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 20% Cold Resistance

(Body Armour) Belly of the Beast - always a solid pick for Life builds

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (150-200)% increased Armour (30-40)% increased maximum Life +(10-15)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% increased Flask Life Recovery rate Extra gore

(Boots) Atziri's Step - a cheap and very solid pair of boots

180% increased Evasion Rating +(55-75) to maximum Life 30% increased Movement Speed (14-16)% chance to Dodge Spell Damage

(Boots) Rare Life/Res. boots - get pair with the highest maximum Life bonus you can afford

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance

(Belt) Rare Stygian Vise with socketed Abyss jewel that adds flat Cold Damage to Attacks/Bow Attacks

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance 30% Cold Resistance increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Belt) Rare Life/Res. belt - try to get one with the highest maximum life and elemental resistances bonuses

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance 30% Cold Resistance increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

(Amulet) Bisco's Collar - the best in slot item, if you are going Magic Find

(12-20)% increased Rarity of Items found (100-150)% increased Rarity of Items Dropped by Slain Magic Enemies (35-50)% increased Quantity of Items Dropped by Slain Normal Enemies

(Amulet) The Pandemonius - a great DPS amulet for this build

+(20-30) to Dexterity (20-30)% increased Cold Damage +(35-40)% to Cold Resistance Chill Enemy for 1 second when Hit, slowing them by 30% Blind Chilled Enemies on Hit Damage Penetrates 20% Cold Resistance against Chilled Enemies

(Ring) Rare Life/Res. rings

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 10% All Elemental Resistances Added Elemental Damage to Attacks Optional affixes: increased Critical Strike Multiplier increased Accuracy Rating Attributes

(Gloves) Rare Life/Res. gloves - aim for high defensive stats

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 25% Fire resistance 25% Lightning resistance 25% Cold resistance Optional affixes: increased Rarity of Items found increased Projectile Attack Damage

(Jewels) Rare jewels - this should provide extra Life and damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Generic/Cold/Elemental Damage % increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: % increased Global Critical Strike Chance % increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewels) Rare jewels - prioritizing flat added Elemental Damage to Attacks

Recommended affixes: added Elemental Damage to Attacks/Bow Attacks added maximum Life

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - a great utility Flask for this build. Grants extra DPS and Life Leech. It is also very cheap

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Dying Sun - grants excellent DPS buff with its' 2 additional projectiles. Replace with an immunity Life Flask or a Diamond Flask of choice until you can afford it

+50% to Fire Resistance +6% to maximum Fire Resistance (-10-10)% increased Charges used (15-25)% increased Area of Effect during Flask Effect 2 additional Projectiles during Flask Effect

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to bleeding) Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Curing (immunity to poison) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat (immunity to freeze and chill)

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.