PoE Ice Crash Build 3.25 – Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur

The Ice Crash build in Path of Exile focuses on delivering powerful area-of-effect (AoE) melee attacks that convert physical damage to cold damage, striking enemies with increasing radius over three stages. This build leverages the unique mechanics of Ice Crash to maximize cold damage, AoE, and overall damage effectiveness, making it highly effective for both single-target and group encounters. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of how to optimize an Ice Crash build in the 3.25 patch, ensuring you maximize your damage output and efficiency.

Key Features of Ice Crash

Ice Crash (Level 20):

• Attack, AoE, Cold, Slam, Melee: Ice Crash is a melee attack that slams the ground, dealing cold damage in three stages with increasing radius. Each stage deals less damage than the previous, and enemies can only be hit by one stage.
• Mana Cost: 14 mana.
• Attack Speed: 70% of base.
• Attack Damage: 611.6% of base.
• Effectiveness of Added Damage: 611%.
• Quality: +20%.
• Requirements: Requires Level 70, 98 Strength, 68 Intelligence.
• Ice Crash Mechanics:
  • Gain 15% of physical damage as extra cold damage.
  • 100% of physical damage converted to cold damage.
  • Second stage deals 15% less damage.
  • Third stage deals 30% less damage.
  • Base radius is 1.1 metres, secondary radius is 2.1 metres, and tertiary radius is 3.1 metres.

Building Around Ice Crash

1. Weapon Choice:

• High Physical Damage Swords, Maces, Sceptres, Axes, Staves, or Unarmed: Prioritize weapons with high base physical damage to maximize the conversion to cold damage. Look for weapons with increased attack speed, critical strike chance, and added cold damage.

2. Passive Skill Tree:

• Focus on nodes that enhance cold damage, physical damage, melee damage, area of effect, and critical strike chance. Specific clusters to prioritize include those near the Marauder, Templar, and Duelist start areas.
• Consider pathing to nodes that increase life, resistances, and defensive attributes to maintain survivability.

Ascendancy Choices

1. Juggernaut:

• Unflinching: Grants Endurance Charge generation and reduces physical damage taken.
• Unstoppable: Grants immunity to stuns and movement impairments.
• Unbreakable: Increases armor and grants life recovery based on physical damage prevention.
• Unyielding: Enhances fortify and provides damage reduction.

2. Chieftain:

• Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance: Provides increased physical damage conversion to elemental damage, which can be adapted for cold damage.
• Hinekora, Death’s Fury: Grants life leech and increased fire damage, which can be modified for cold damage.
• Tawhoa, Forest’s Strength: Increases physical damage and enhances totem skills.
• Ramako, Sun’s Light: Provides increased elemental damage and life recovery.

Support Gems

1. Main Skill Setup:

• Ice Crash: Primary melee attack skill.
• Support Gems: Melee Physical Damage, Increased Area of Effect, Cold Penetration, Elemental Damage with Attacks, and Hypothermia.

2. Secondary Skill Setup:

• Ancestral Warchief: Totem skill to enhance melee damage.
• Support Gems: Multiple Totems, Melee Physical Damage, and Elemental Damage with Attacks.

3. Utility Skills:

• Hatred: Aura to increase cold damage.
• Herald of Ice: Aura to increase cold damage and shatter enemies.
• Steelskin / Immortal Call: For defense.
• Leap Slam / Shield Charge: For mobility.
• War Banner: For increased accuracy and physical damage.

Armor and Accessories

1. Armor:

• Body Armor: Prioritize armor with high life, resistances, and increased cold damage. Consider options like Carcass Jack for increased area of effect and damage.
• Helmet, Gloves, and Boots: Look for items that boost life, resistances, attack speed, and cold damage. Consider using items with increased armor and defensive mods.

2. Accessories:

• Amulet and Rings: Focus on items that enhance cold damage, physical damage, life, and resistances. Look for mods that increase attack speed and critical strike chance.
• Belt: A Stygian Vise with life, resistances, and increased cold damage is ideal.

Flask Setup

1. Life Flask:

• Instant Recovery: For emergency healing.

2. Utility Flasks:

• Granite Flask: For increased armor.
• Basalt Flask: For physical damage reduction.
• Quicksilver Flask: For increased movement speed.
• Diamond Flask: For increased critical strike chance.
• Silver Flask: For increased movement and attack speed.

Combat Strategy

1. Engaging Enemies:

• Use Ice Crash to deal significant area-of-effect damage and freeze enemies, maintaining high uptime on your attacks to maximize damage and crowd control. Utilize Leap Slam or Shield Charge for mobility and positioning.

2. Utilizing Ascendancy Passives:

• Leverage the Juggernaut or Chieftain passives to enhance your defenses and damage output. Use Juggernaut for increased endurance charges and physical damage mitigation, and Chieftain for life leech and increased elemental damage.

3. Managing Buffs and Debuffs:

• Maintain high uptime on Hatred and Herald of Ice to boost your cold damage and shatter enemies. Use War Banner to increase accuracy and damage. Apply flasks to enhance your damage, resistances, and survivability during combat.

Example Builds

1. Juggernaut Ice Crash Build:

• Focus on endurance charge generation and physical damage mitigation.
• Utilize Unflinching and Unyielding to maximize survivability and damage reduction.
• Use support gems that enhance cold damage and area of effect.

2. Chieftain Ice Crash Build:

• Focus on physical to elemental damage conversion and life leech.
• Utilize Ngamahu, Flame’s Advance and Hinekora, Death’s Fury to maximize damage and survivability.
• Use support gems that enhance cold damage and attack speed.

Conclusion

The Ice Crash build for Path of Exile 3.25 offers a powerful and cold-oriented playstyle for melee enthusiasts who enjoy dealing significant area-of-effect damage and freezing enemies. By focusing on maximizing physical to cold damage conversion, area of effect, and overall damage effectiveness, players can effectively dominate both single-target and group encounters. Proper gear selection, passive skill tree planning, and strategic use of ascendancy passives will ensure that you unleash the full potential of this powerful skill. Equip your weapons, prepare your flasks, and slam the ground with the chilling force of Ice Crash to crush your enemies with overwhelming might.