Crimson Bow Gladiator

Bows aren’t exactly a popular choice for a Gladiator, but this path less taken is a good one to take nevertheless. It’s no other than the aptly named Crimson Bow Gladiator, and it can run all sorts of content, making it a great choice for Ritual League.

Pros and Cons of the Crimson Bow Gladiator Build

Pros:

• Solid clear speed and single-target damage
• Evasion makes it tankier, has corpse removal and Purity Sentinels
• Affordable
• Has 6000 life
• Almost Hardcore viable

Cons:

• Requires specific items
• Can feel like it deals damage slowly
• Difficult to optimize

Passive Skill Tree

Here’s the Passive Skill Tree.

Gem Links

• Clear Mobs: Vaal Rain of Arrows with Chance to Bleed, Brutality, Deadly Ailments, Vicious Projectiles, and Maim support gems.
• Core Single-Target: Puncture with Chance to Bleed, Brutality, Deadly Ailments, Vicious Projectiles, and Unbound Ailments support gems.
• Debuffs: Ensnaring Arrow with Barrage and Hextouch support gems; Vulnerability.
• Frenzy Generation: Frenzy and Blood Rage
• CWDT Setup: Steelskin with Cast When Damage Taken support gem
• Aura: Malevolence, Pride, or Grace
• Reserved Skills: Herald of Purity and Blood and Sand
• Movement: Blink Arrow

Gear for the Crimson Bow Gladiator Build

• Weapon: Rare Bow with increased elemental damage, physical damage, increased bleeding damage, chance, and duration, attack speed, and quality.
• Quiver: Rare Quiver with increased damage to bow attacks, level 20 Aspect of the Cat Skill, 25% physical damage over time multiplier, life, increased projectiles, and attack speed.
• Helm: Rare Helm with increased energy shield, life, and elemental resistances.
• Body: Farrul’s Fur (Unique) for increased armor and evasion, life, Aspect of the Cat reserves no mana, +2 seconds to cat stealth duration, gain Phasing and maximum number of Frenzy and Power charges when you gain Cat’s Stealth.
• Gloves: Farrul’s Pounce (Unique) for vulnerability on hit to enemies, increased armor, life, evasion, accuracy and damage against bleeding enemies; inflict Bleeding and has Crimson Dance while in Cat’s Stealth.
• Belt: Ryslatha’s Coil (Unique) for increased stun duration on enemies, strength, more maximum but less minimum physical attack damage, 1-22 physical attack damage, life, and gain 50 life when stunning an enemy.
• Boots: Rare Boots with increased life, elemental resistances, movement speed, and level 20 Aspect of the Cat.

• Accessories:
  • Rare Rings with increased elemental resistances, life, physical damage to attacks, and intelligence.
  • Rare Amulet with increased intelligence, cast speed, evasion, life, and elemental resistances.
• Jewels: Rare Jewels with increased damage over time, global physical damage, life, damage with bleeding.
• Flasks:
  • Catalysed Life Flask of Staunching for life recovery and bleeding recovery/immunity.
  • Chemist’s Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline for increased movement speed
  • Chemist’s Stibnite Flask of Warding for increased evasion, smoke cloud on use, and curse recovery/immunity.
  • Chemist’s Quartz Flask of Heat for chance to dodge attacks and spells and chill/freeze recovery/immunity.
  • Chemist’s Jade Flask of Staunching for +3000 evasion and bleeding recovery/immunity.

The Crimson Bow Gladiator is an unorthodox but great choice. So if you’re looking for a bow build with high damage and high survivability, look no further.