S-TIER | BUILD RANGER ICE SHOT DEADEYE (@KT) | SEASON 4

Build Overview

This Ice Shot Ranger build by MAKKii offers a complete progression from leveling to endgame, with two viable ascendancies: Deadeye for raw damage and Pathfinder for quality of life and clear speed. The build relies on Ice Shot as the main skill, combined with Tornado Shot, Herald of Ice and Freezing Mark for a fast and satisfying archer gameplay.

One of the highlights of this build is its versatility. It can tackle every game mechanic: Breach, Delirium, Abyss and more. The endgame version even includes a Rarity setup to maximize loot thanks to uniques like Kadiro’s Gambit. MAKKii breaks the progression into 5 clear stages, from level 1 all the way to the final critical Pathfinder version.

The Deadeye version relies on the Mirage that automatically shoots beside you, the extra projectile and Tailwind for speed. The Pathfinder version, more expensive, replaces the mount with stun immunity and reduced movement penalty while shooting, replicating the mount effect while freeing up spirit for additional auras.

Build Strengths

• Exceptional clear speed: likely one of the fastest builds in maps thanks to Ice Shot, Herald of Ice and the multiple projectile mechanics
• Full versatility: capable of handling every game mechanic (Breach, Delirium, Abyss, etc.) with a single setup
• Smooth progression: the build works from level 1 with Lightning Arrow and naturally transitions to Ice Shot then the critical version
• Integrated Rarity version: option to play in loot mode with Kadiro’s Gambit (600% rarity) and Rarity sockets on gear
• Two viable ascendancies: Deadeye for damage or Pathfinder for comfort, allowing you to adapt the build to your budget and playstyle

Build Weaknesses

• Limited single target: the build struggles a bit on Bosses, especially without good gear, requiring significant investment for bossing
• Expensive endgame version: transitioning to critical Pathfinder requires solid gear to compensate for losing the mount
• Spirit management: a minimum of 165 spirit is needed for the base auras (Wind Dancer + mount), and 195 to also run Combat Frenzy

Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 5 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding gem setup.

Leveling 1 to 20 Leveling 30+ Leveling 50+ Early Endgame Endgame Crit

Leveling 1 to 20

3 skills • 9 gems

Flèche de foudreLightning Arrow

Flèche paratonnerreLightning Rod

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Leveling 30+

7 skills • 30 gems

Tir à l'arcBow Shot

Tir de glaceIce Shot

Flèches à pointe de glaceIce-Tipped Arrows

Marque glacialeFreezing Mark

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Tir de barrageBarrage

Leveling 50+

9 skills • 42 gems

Tir à l'arcBow Shot

Tir de glaceIce Shot

Tornade de flèchesTornado Shot

Flèches à pointe de glaceIce-Tipped Arrows

Marque glacialeFreezing Mark

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Tir de barrageBarrage

Early Endgame

11 skills • 56 gems

Tir à l'arcBow Shot

Tir de glaceIce Shot

Tornade de flèchesTornado Shot

Flèches à pointe de glaceIce-Tipped Arrows

Marque glacialeFreezing Mark

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Tir de barrageBarrage

Monture RhoaRhoa Mount

Frénésie du combatCombat Frenzy

Endgame Crit

11 skills • 60 gems

Tir à l'arcBow Shot

Tir de glaceIce Shot

Tornade de flèchesTornado Shot

Flèches à pointe de glaceIce-Tipped Arrows

Marque glacialeFreezing Mark

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Tir de barrageBarrage

Frénésie du combatCombat Frenzy

Tireur d'élite mirageMirage Deadeye

Recommended Equipment

Equipment evolves significantly between the early endgame phase and the critical endgame phase. Here are the essential pieces for each stage.

Early Endgame

• Bow: look for physical damage, attack speed and skill level. Skill level is the stat that provides the most damage after flat physical
• Body Armour: maximum evasion possible, it is the most important piece since a talent bonus for evasion scales on the body armour’s evasion
• Rings: elemental resistances (25% on each ring is enough to cap) + flat damage if possible. Life/mana on hit and life/mana leech are very useful for regeneration in maps
• Amulet: skill level, spirit (for the mount), life and evasion rating
• Quiver: skill level, attack speed, projectile speed, damage with bows
• Gloves/Boots: evasion, resistances, flat damage (lightning and cold on gloves to complement the physical from sockets)

Endgame (Critical Pathfinder)

• Bow: replace attack speed with crit. Maximise physical damage
• Kadiro’s Gambit (unique quiver): powerful random effects on each arrow (critical damage bonus, 600% rarity, split, chain, returning projectile). The cheapest item in the build, can be corrupted for even more crit
• Unique Body Armour: doubled evasion when not hit recently, cold damage, Dexterity. Look for a version with 3 sockets to insert Rarity gems
• Calendra’s Touch (unique ring): allows you to concentrate everything into one ring and duplicate it. Resistances + flat damage (physical, cold, lightning)
• Helmet: maximum Energy Shield (converted to evasion via a passive), crit, rarity, life
• Boots: Energy Shield, life, movement speed, rarity, effect of socket gems (+60% effect on sockets)

Gameplay Tips

• Basic rotation: activate Barrage then use Ice Shot to trigger multiple attacks. The more Frenzy Charges you have, the more repetitions on the shots
• Herald of Thunder: only activate it if you have at least one source of Lightning damage (socket, ring, gloves). Without a Lightning source, the Herald will do nothing
• Mount: in early endgame, the mount is a priority for movement speed. Brutus’s Brain (immortal mount) and Romira’s Reward (damage transfer) are the upgrades to aim for
• Effect sockets: on boots and gloves with « increased effect of socket gems », prioritise movement speed and attack speed sockets for an amplified 60% bonus
• Pathfinder transition: wait until you have solid equipment before switching. The idea is to replace the mount with Pathfinder’s stun immunity and reduced movement penalty while firing
• Cataflow Maps: with the Cataflow gem, maps with elemental resistance bonuses become beneficial. 40-60% elemental resistance on the map = 40-60% penetration into enemy resistances

Deadeye vs Pathfinder Ascendancy

The choice between Deadeye and Pathfinder is central to this build and depends on your budget and gameplay goal. Deadeye is recommended for leveling and early endgame as it provides immediate damage bonuses without requiring expensive equipment.

In Deadeye, the priority ascendancy points are: the additional projectile, Point Blank (bonus damage in the first 3.5 metres), Tailwind (attack speed, evasion, movement speed) and Mirage. Mirage is particularly interesting as it spawns a clone beside you that automatically fires at nearby targets, adding both clear and damage on Bosses.

Pathfinder, on the other hand, requires already substantial equipment. The ascendancy offers stun and slow immunity, a reduction of the movement penalty while firing (replicating the mount’s effect), and bonuses from flasks. The transition allows you to remove the mount and redistribute spirit points towards other auras or take more offensive items.

Kadiro’s Gambit and the Rarity System

Kadiro’s Gambit is the unique quiver that defines the endgame version of the build. Each arrow fired triggers a random effect from several very powerful possibilities: Critical Damage Bonus, Rarity (up to 600%), Splinter (arrow splitting), Chain (bounce) and Reversing (returning projectile that hits twice).

Combined with Rarity sockets on the body armour (3 sockets = 15% additional rarity), a Gold Ring and Rarity on Kill from charms, the build can reach considerable rarity levels. It is one of the rare builds capable of efficiently farming in rarity mode without sacrificing too much clear speed.

The quiver is also the cheapest item in the build. It can be corrupted to obtain additional Critical Damage Bonus, or sought at max roll with 10% attack speed.

Critical Scaling in Endgame

The Pathfinder endgame version relies on aggressive critical scaling. Three gems are particularly important for this mechanic.

Over Extend increases the Critical Damage Bonus of Ice Shot, directly amplifying the power of each critical hit. Garokan Resolve literally doubles your critical chance: with each critical hit, a second roll determines whether the Critical Damage Bonus is applied once or twice. With 500% CDM, a double roll can reach 1000% critical damage.

Cataflow is the third piece of the puzzle. This gem reverses elemental penetration: elemental resistance modifiers on maps become beneficial. A map with 60% elemental resistance becomes 60% penetration into enemy resistances. It is therefore recommended to prioritise Cataflow before other critical gems in early endgame, as penetration has more impact than raw crit when monsters are resistant.

Progression and Spirit Management

Spirit management is a key element of the build’s progression. You need to plan spirit thresholds to activate auras at the right time.

At the 165 spirit threshold, you can activate Wind Dancer (evasion) and the mount, which is the minimum to be comfortable in early endgame. At the 195 threshold, you add Combat Frenzy which increases repetitions on Barrage, a significant damage gain but optional. Spirit is recovered mainly from the amulet and rings.

For the mount, two versions are available: a budget version accessible without Lineage gems, and an upgraded version with Brutus’s Brain (immortal mount) and Romira’s Reward (the mount absorbs part of incoming damage). These two uniques add a notable defensive layer to an archer build with approximately 1600-1700 HP.

Passive Tree