Ice Trap Saboteur PoE build

Potent Trapper build based on the buffed Ice Trap Spell

Ice Trap
Shadow/Saboteur Build

Updated for Patch 3.17

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Guide notes

January 04, 2022
-Updated for Patch 3.16
February 07, 2022
-Updated for Patch 3.17

Build overview

Tags: [TRAP] [ELEMENTAL] [LIFE] [STARTER]

Budget:

Defenses:

Boss DPS:

AoE:

Saboteur is currently the most popular Shadow Ascendancy in Path of Exile. That's mainly because of how powerful it is early in new Leagues, and how easily it can transition into the end-game. The following build revolves around Ice Trap Spell, which is currently one of the most powerful Traps in the game. It offers very high base damage and decent AoE. It is a straightforward skill that deals damage directly without any extra effects, making this build so much easier to play. Trap builds have been relatively untouched by all the nerfs in the past expansions and their reliability remains constant.

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1. Gameplay

As a Trapper, you throw Traps that trigger when approached; which basically makes it feel like regular self-casted Spells when you throw them directly at your enemies. While the mechanic itself may not feel extremely convenient to play, it is more than rewarding. Traps allow you to dish out insane burst DPS in the end-game as you can plant them all shortly before the fights begin, for example, in-between Shaper and Atziri's phases. The only real issue for this build is Mana Management, as you have to spam your Traps as a Shadow class which does not normally utilize Intelligence and Mana Passive Skills. This can be bypassed by using Slavedriver's Hand Unique Gloves or grabbing additional Mana/Mana Regeneration Passives on the Skill Tree. The build is based on high Critical Strike Chance & Multiplier and Spell Damage because Ice Trap has the "Spell" tag. For the defenses, you should easily reach about 4,500 Life, so with the Dodge Chance and Saboteur's blind, it feels like a very tanky build as well.

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2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS

insane burst DPS
easy to level up
good clear speed
immune to damage reflection
all content viable

CONS

relatively low Life pool
easy to get into Mana issues

3. Leveling tips

Leveling as a Trapper is very easy. Traps deal an insane amount of damage starting from early levels, and you can get Deerstalker boots which grant very high bonus Movement Speed, Trap Throwing Speed, and allow a second five-linked setup right after you reach level 22. It's crucial that you invest in some Mana/Mana Regeneration gear like Praxis Rings or Atziri's Foible amulet, as this most likely be your biggest issue during leveling. You can also omit Crit. Chance and Multiplier on lower levels, as most of the Passives and items that will make it efficient, will be available for you at higher levels.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Fire Trap
	Fire Trap - grants decent Fire Damage to enemies in an area. This is the first Trap available in Path of Exile and should be initially used
	Multiple Traps Support - makes you throw two additional Traps with each cast
	Trap and Mine Damage Support - grants high DPS bonuses to both Traps and Mines

Ice Trap
	Ice Trap - the primary Trap used in this build. You can socket it when you reach level 28
	Controlled Destruction Support - greatly increases Spell Damage at the cost of reduced Critical Strike
	Trap and Mine Damage Support - grants high DPS bonuses to both Traps and Mines
	Multiple Traps Support

Utility Gems
	Stone Golem - increases your Life Regeneration which is a very useful defensive bonus
	Clarity - grants increased Mana Regeneration Rate
	Herald of Ice - grants added Cold Damage to your Spells and also causes AoE explosions for better clear speed

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for increased Crit. Multiplier and Elemental Resistances

Leveling Skill Trees:

37 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Trickery 2) Saboteur 3) Expeditious Munitions 4) High Explosives 5) Blood Siphon

71 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Blood Drinker 2) Doom Cast 3) Revenge of the Hunted 4) Heartseeker 5) Herbalism 6) Throatseeker

Recommended leveling items:

Lifespring - grants decent Spell Damage bonus and you can equip it as a level 1 character
(8-12)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Spell Gems (20-28)% increased Spell Damage (5-8)% increased Cast Speed +(15-20) to maximum Life +(15-20) to maximum Mana Regenerate (6-8) Life over 1 second when you Cast a Spell

Praxis - high Mana cost of Traps makes this Ring one of the best choices for the leveling phase
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Deerstalker - very good pair of Boots for Trappers. They allow you to use a powerful five-linked setup with another Spell of your choice and greatly increase your Movement Speed and Trap Throwing Speed
Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 11 Trap (160-200)% increased Evasion Rating +(35-45) to maximum Life (14-18)% increased Trap Throwing Speed 15% increased Movement Speed 15% increased Movement Speed for 9 seconds on Throwing a Trap

Goldrim - one of the best leveling helmets in Path of Exile that grants a ton of Resistances
+(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)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

102 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique or Cluster Jewels)
115 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

Perfect Crime
Explosives Expert
Born in the Shadows
Pyromaniac

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while there is only one nearby Enemy 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

Minor God: Soul of Garukhan 60% reduced Effect of Shock on you

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Ice Trap setup
	Ice Trap - your main Spell. It throws a Trap that when triggered deals massive AoE damage
	Trap and Mine Damage support - core Support Gem for any Trap or Mine build
	Cluster Traps Support - increases the maximum number of Traps that you can throw and you throw more Traps which each cast, you can swap it for Swift Assembly Support if you value more concentrated damage during boss fights
	Charged Traps Support - Adds more Critical Strike Chance of supported Traps per Power Charge and increased Throwing Speed per Frenzy Charge, which are generated by this Support Gem. Can be replaced with Inspiration Support to reduce Mana Cost if you don't have Slavedriver's Hand
	Cold Penetration Support - makes supported Spells ignore some of the monster's resistance to Cold Damage
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds bonus Cold Damage to your Ice Trap

[UTILITY] Frost Bomb setup
	Frost Bomb - Utility skill that is used to apply powerful Cold Exposure to enemies which reduces their Cold Resistance and life regeneration
	Spell Cascade Support - as a result, creates two additional Frost Bombs, greatly increases the effective radius of its debuffs
	Bonechill Support - greatly increases the effectiveness of Chill and the damage against affected enemies based on the Chill effect

[UTILITY] Immortal Call and Stone Golem setup
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts supported Spells after a certain amount of damage is taken. Keep this Gem at level 1
	Immortal Call - grants brief Physical and Elemental Damage Reduction. Keep it at level 1 as well for more frequent casts
	Summon Stone Golem - grants increased Life Regeneration. It will be summoned automatically by the CWDT Gem
	Increased Duration Support - increases the duration of supported Spells

[MOBILITY] Flame Dash
	Flame Dash - mobility Spell which can be used for this build. In this setup, it will also grant Arcane Surge buff for increased Spell Damage and Mana Regeneration Rate
	Arcane Surge Support - grants the Arcane Surge buff after you spend the specified amount of Mana on supported Spell. If kept at level 7, it will trigger with every cast of Flame Dash
	Second Wind Support - adds additional charge to Flame Dash, it's optional as you need Bear Trap in your build and you might run out of sockets

[UTILITY] Bear Trap
	Bear Trap - creates a Trap that increases the damage you deal to the affected enemy with your other Traps and Mines. Mainly use it against Bosses for extra damage

[UTILITY] Curse and Exposure setup
	Frostbite - The best Curse, it lowers enemies' Cold Resistance
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - keep at level 1
	Hextouch Support - Frostbite is applied via Wave of Conviction
	Wave of Conviction - keep it at level 1, it will Apply Exposure automatically and much more often than the Frostbomb, which you have to cast manually

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Grace - Grace adds and increases your Evasion Rating, a core element of your defenses, if you value the Damage more pick Zealotry instead
	Summon Skitterbots - summons two invincible Minions that Chill and Shock nearby enemies, and increase your Trap DPS
	Hatred - Hatred is an Aura that simply increases your Cold Damage and adds Extra Physical Damage as Cold Damage
	Enlighten Support - reduces the Mana Reservation cost of linked Auras

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5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for this Ice Trapper build. There are several Unique and Shaper/Elder items with powerful affixes that make this build truly shine so we recommend getting all the items listed. Overall this build shouldn't cost a lot, but the new Veiled, Master-crafted and Synthesised items may make this build even better, so we encourage you to experiment with it.

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We can guarantee that the items listed by us will:

Cap your resistances
Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully

Stat priorities on items:

Life
Elemental Resistances
Trap/Cold/Area/Spell Damage
Critical Strike Chance & Multiplier
Mana/Mana Regeneration Rate

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - very solid option. If you have a very high budget to allocate in this build, you can try getting a Helmet with Delve property that reduces the Cold Resistance of nearby enemies
Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life +70% to Elemental Resistances 30 Strength Optional affixes: Nearby enemies have reduced Cold Resistance Added Cold Damage to Spells
Helmet enchantment: 40% increased Ice Trap Damage Ice Trap Damage Penetrates 10% Cold Resistance
(Body Armour) Tinkerskin - mandatory item for this build. It grants insane bonuses for Trapper characters and Life/Energy Shield recover whenever your Traps are triggered
3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) (140-170)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(60-90) to maximum Life (10-15)% increased Cooldown Recovery Speed for throwing Traps 15% chance to gain a Frenzy Charge when your Trap is triggered by an Enemy 30% chance to gain Phasing for 4 seconds when your Trap is triggered by an Enemy Recover 100 Life when your Trap is triggered by an Enemy Recover 50 Energy Shield when your Trap is triggered by an Enemy
(Weapon) Rare Wand - the best option for this build. If you want a better weapon, just increase the recommended stats below. You are going to dual-wield Wands
Min. requirements: 40% Spell Damage 90% Critical Strike Chance for Spells +1 to Level of All Cold Spell Skill Gems Optional affixes: Added Cold Damage to Spells Critical Strike Multiplier
(Boots) Rare Boots - again, aim for high defensive stats so that you can use additional Uniques like Slavedriver's Hand
Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 30 Strength 25% increased Movement Speed +70% to Elemental Resistances
(Boots) Atziri's Step - very cheap but potent Unique Boots with great defensive capabilities
180% increased Evasion Rating +(55-75) to maximum Life 30% increased Movement Speed +(20-26)% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Boot enchantment: Adds 45 to 68 Cold Damage if you've been Hit Recently 10% Chance to Dodge Attack Hits if you've taken a Critical Strike Recently
(Belt) Rare Belt - a Stygian Vise is preferred as it allows you to use an extra Abyssal Jewel making it the best base for this slot
Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life +100% to Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Cold/Elemental Damage Flask Effect Duration Maximum Life %
(Amulet) Rare Amulet - Rare Amulet is a decent pick for this slot. Look for Life and purely DPS bonuses
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 30% Global Critical Strike Multiplier +1 to Level of All Dexterity or Cold Skill Gems 30 Strength/Dexterity Optional affixes: Critical Strike Chance
(Amulet) The Pandemonius - a very powerful Amulet for purely cold DPS builds. It grants a very strong Chill effect and Cold Damage penetration
+(20-30) to Dexterity (20-30)% increased Cold Damage +(35-40)% to Cold Resistance Chill Enemy for 1 second when Hit, reducing their Action Speed by 30% Blind Chilled Enemies on Hit Damage Penetrates 20% Cold Resistance against Chilled Enemies
Recommended Anointmens: Heart of Ice
(Ring) Rare Rings - look for missing Attributes and Resistances, and then stack as much Life as possible. You can also find some extra DPS, but in a reasonable budget those will be found mainly as Implicit mods
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Mana/Mana Regeneration Rate Cold/Spell Damage
(Ring) Malachai's Artifice - It's a very simple solution on how to apply Exposure - simply place there a skill that deals Fire or Lightning Damage and no Cold Damage - a Brand is a good option since it will stick to the bosses. Note that you already use Frost Bomb to apply exposure so if you follow this guide closely you won't need it at all.
Has 1 Socket Socketed Gems have Elemental Equilibrium -20% to all Elemental Resistances +(75-100)% to Fire Resistance when Socketed with a Red Gem +(75-100)% to Cold Resistance when Socketed with a Green Gem +(75-100)% to Lightning Resistance when Socketed with a Blue Gem All Sockets are White
(Gloves) Rare Gloves - just use a standard pair with Life/Mana and other common stats until you can afford Slavedriver's Hand which are a complete game-changer for this build
Min. requirements: 75 maximum Life 60% Total Elemental Resistances 30 Strenght Optional affixes: Increased Damage with Hits against Chilled Enemies Adds # to # Cold Damage if you've dealt a Critical Strike Recently
(Gloves) Slavedriver's Hand - the best pair of Gloves for this build. Not only does it solve your Mana issues but makes Cast Speed apply to Trap Throwing Speed as well
+(30-40) to Dexterity (200-250)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield (30-20)% reduced Trap Throwing Speed Skills which throw Traps Cost Life instead of Mana Skills used by Traps have (10-20)% increased Area of Effect Increases and Reductions to Cast Speed also Apply to Trap Throwing Speed 10% chance to gain an Endurance, Frenzy or Power Charge when any of your Traps are Triggered by an Enemy
Glove enchantment: Commandment of Frost
(Jewel) Abyss Jewel - you can alter between regular Jewels and Abyss Jewels depending on your current equipment. It's good to always calculate the differences in DPS in Path of Building
Recommended affixes: Maximum Life added Cold Damage to Spells Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Increased Damage if you've killed recently
(Jewels) Rare Jewels - just like Abyssal Jewels, you are looking for extra Life, Crit. Multi and possible standard damage multipliers
Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Trap/Cold/Area/Spell Damage Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier (preferably Multiplier with Elemental Skills which can roll higher values) Attributes/Resistances
(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - you should use one Large Cluster Jewel in this build. The best one is the Cold one but what's more important here is the ability to socket two extra Medium Jewels in it so the Elemental or Spell Damage ones would also work
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Blanketed Snow 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction
(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - it's recommended to use two Medium Cluster Jewels with the same exact set of Trap Passives
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Guerilla Tactics 1 Added Passive Skill is Surprise Sabotage
(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - one of the best Jewels in the game (assuming you roll the right aura mods). You should use either Zealotry or Hatred modifiers, and use the corresponding Aura as both the Auras have a similar effect in this build
(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>
(Flask) The Wise Oak - if you build your character correctly and you have your Cold Resistance highest, this Flask will grant additional Cold Damage Penetration
+35% to all Elemental Resistances During Flask Effect, 6% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (5-8)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest
(Flask) Bottled Faith - one of the best Utility Flasks in the game for most of the builds
40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (20-40)% increased 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
Other suggested Flasks: Quartz Flask with random ailment removal Life Flask with random ailment removal Diamond Flask with random ailment removal

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We hope you end up building a character you will be truly satisfied with after reading this guide. Let us know if you have any feedback and suggestions regarding this build. If so, leave those in the comments below. We will appreciate everything that leads us to improve our guides.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.

Trap
Shadow/Saboteur

Updated for Patch 3.16

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Estimated budget: low to medium
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Guide notes

January 04, 2022
-Updated for Patch 3.16

You can find our other Path of Exile builds right over here Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List