Frostbolt and Ice Nova Assassin

The Cast on Critical Ice Nova build is good because you won’t have to manually spam. That, however, doesn’t mean that the version where you have to cast it yourself is inferior. In fact, it trades the automatic casting for more DPS. Simply known as the Frostbolt and Ice Nova Assassin, it’s a cool build that you should try out.

Pros:

• Two core spells
• Huge AoE damage
• Has considerable defense

Cons:

• Has trouble against bosses with high speed
• Need gem swap for bosses
• Requires two six-linked gear

Passive Skill Tree

Here’s the Passive Skill Tree.

Skill Gem Setup

• Core Skills:
  • Frostbolt with Hypothermia, Increased Critical Strikes, Unleash, Greater Multiple Projectiles(MAPS)/Slower.Projectiles(BOSSES), and Energy Leech support gems
  • Ice Nova with Hypothermia, Spell Echo, Cold Penetration, Energy Leech, and Increased Area of Effect(MAPS)/Concentrated.Effect(BOSSES) support gems
• Secondary DPS: Frost Bomb
• Utility: Herald of Ice and Summon Skitterbots with Onslaught and Enlighten support gems, Summon Lightning Golem.
• Mobility: Phase Run and Dash with Arcane Surge Support.
• Aura: Clarity, Precision, and Discipline.

Gear Setup

• Weapon: Any Rare two-hand staff with bonuses to chance to block, level 20 power charge on critical strike for socketed gems, increased spell damage, mana, elemental resistances, and life gained on kill.
• Helm: Any Rare Hubris Circlet with bonuses to intelligence, energy shield, life regen, elemental resistances, and life.
• Body: Any Rare Vaal Regalia with bonuses to energy shield, critical strike chance, strength, energy shield, and life.
• Gloves: Any Rare gloves with bonuses to energy shield, life, and resistances.
• Boots: Any Rare boots with bonuses to elemental resistances, energy shield, movement speed, and level 20 Aspect of the Spider.
• Belt: Any Rare belt with bonuses to energy shield, life, and elemental resistances.
• Accessories:
  • Rings; choose from the following:
    • Any Rare ring with bonuses to intelligence, life, energy shield, elemental resistances, level 5 Frostbite to enemies on hit, faster energy shield recharge start
    • Circle of Fear (Unique) for bonuses to intelligence, dexterity, cold damage and resistance, increased cold damage while Herald of Ice is active, increased buff effect of Herald of Ice
    • Mark of the Shaper (Unique) for increased elemental resistances, added lightning damage to spells, chance to trigger level 20 Summon Volatile Anomaly on kill, increased energy shield and life, increased spell damage if other item is an Elder item, and stun immunity from spells if other item is a Shaper item
  • Any Rare amulet with bonuses to all attributes, spell damage, cold damage, energy shield, and elemental resistances
• Jewels: Any Rare jewels with bonuses to critical strike multiplier and elemental damage.
• Flasks:
  • Atziri’s Promise (Unique) for chaos resistance, bonus chaos damage, and chaos damage dealt leeched as life
  • The Wise Oak (Unique) for increased elemental resistances, reduced damage taken for element with lowest resistance, and elemental penetration of element with your highest resistance
  • Flagellant’s Diamond Flask of Warding for lucky critical strike chance and curse immunity/removal
  • Surgeon’s Sulphur Flask of Heat for Consecrated Ground and chill/freeze immunity/removal
  • Enduring Eternal Mana Flask of Efficiency for mana replenishment

There’s really nothing like doing things yourself, and the Frostbolt and Ice Nova Assassin is proof of that. With two different core skills, you’re going to love spamming.