D2R Ladder 7 has launched and disappointingly Blizzard has again abandoned updating this game. The state of balance still needs some fixing, especially for assassin. There's also a bunch of quality of life they initially promised but abandoned in favor of Lilith 1 (the 4th best Diablo).
Since nothing changed this patch, I decided to roll a build I've never tried before. This time around I decided to go for a bowazon. I have never played a bowazon in my 20 year D2 career so this was a new experience for me.
There's multiple build guides on icy-veins, maxroll, and wowhead, plus some other sites and youtube videos. I decided to go with a full M'avina's frostmaiden style build from icy-veins. However, you can tweak a number of things as you go and you don't even need M'avina's if you want to use runewords instead. M'avina's was surprisingly good for super cheap. The down side is it's very difficult to trade outside of d2jsp (an RMT site I refuse to use), so getting M'avina's helm and Bow weren't easy. Traderie seemed to be the best free site to utilize to get them. I paid roughly 2 Lem and a handful of Pgems to acquire the set.
For leveling you can play javazon if you want, but fire or frost bow is fine and safe. The one thing to know is that mana is tough to come by so ensure you split your points between energy and vitality. You will also need multiple columns of mana pots at all times, and pick up arrows as you find them to replenish your stack. I really wish D2R would've made quivers with stats, much like in PoE and D3. Considering all other builds in the game get an offhand with stats, it makes no sense for arrows to not have stats. It could also add an affix that replenishes stacks much like javelins.
As usual, ensure you put enough points in strength and dexterity to equip your gear as you go, and don't lose track of the attributes your items are giving you because you could end up trying to swap gear and suddenly can't equip it because you're replacing something with strength on it.
Leveling/Budget Gear:
- Helms: I start with whatever I find then transfer to 2os helmet for Nadir (Nef+Tir) then to Lore (Ort+Sol), Peasant's crown or any amazon skills helm.
- Chest: Use whatever you can find until you get a 2 open socket base to build Stealth (Tal+Eth). I always run Stealth while leveling any class, while continually upgrading it as I find new bases. You can also utilize any decent rare or unique chest until you get to end game.
- Weapons: Use whatever bow you can as you find them. You can look for 2os, 3os or 4os bows as well and build some starter runewords. Any of them are find while leveling, but the best leveling bow I got was kukashakaku. This will give you immolation arrow free of cost on top of +3 skills.
- Gloves: Any gloves with defense, life, resists will do while leveling. Once you you can afford it you'll want +amazon skill gloves or any attack speed gloves, until you get your M'avina's. For a non-M'avina's build you can use laying of hands, 2/20 rare gloves, or 3/20 magic gloves.
- Belt: Always try to to upgrade belts early and often from 4 to 6 to 9 to 12 potion slots. Eventually you'll want M'avina's belt. You can swap to Arachnid's Mesh for DPS in the end game if you move away from M'avina's set. Keep your belt with 2 columns healing and 2 columns mana pots at all times. Eventually switching to a column of full rejuvs for panic situations.
- Boots: run/walk speed, life, resists are always what you want on boots when leveling. Aldur's, Rite of Passage, Infernostride, Waterwalk, and Natalyas's if you're lucky. There's also plenty of yellows that can roll with good stats, including run/walk, life, resists, and MF%. I usually struggle finding good boots until Hell. In the end game you'll want War Traveler's or Treks.
- Jewelry: Rings and amulets wear whatever you can find. Prioritize life, resists, mana, attributes, and attack speed. MF doesn't hurt either. End game you can transition to Mara's.
- For end game rings you'll want at least 1 Raven Frost and eventually a Stone of Jordan for DPS. You can also craft a ring with resists, life, etc on it until you get a SoJ.
- For amulet, you'll always want an amulet with +skills to help get you through NM & Hell. In the end game go to Mara's or a perfectly crafted amulet for DPS.
- Charms: Same as any end game you want annihilus, torch, and gheed's. Passive & Magic or Bow skillers are nice as well. While leveling I usually try to utilize charms with FHR, life, all resist, single resist, or MF% but I usually only carry 1-2 GC's and a couple SC's.
- Cold sunder is optional. I found having a few points in exploding arrow did more damage than a cold sunder with freezing arrow. However, if you do a non-M'avina's build and can get cold penetration or minus enemy cold resist, then sunder is best.
- Bow - unlock skills to get to freezing arrow. Max out Freezing Arrow and Cold Arrow. You don't need more than 1 in Ice Arrow because it doesn't give you any damage increase.
- Also put all leftover points to get Exploding Arrow as high as you can after all other skill points are properly used. This will help you in Hell farming when you hit cold immunes.
- Passive & Magic - Put 1 point into everything. Put at least 15 points into Valkyrie or max it out if you want a tanky lady. Put a few points into Penetrate to get AR to 100%. Put enough points into Pierce to get piercing chance to 80-90+%. Everyone will recommend 100% but what I learned with high attack speed is that you're still constantly piercing 8/10 arrows and having those points in valkyrie or exploding arrow has a higher value to me.
- For weapon: use an insight (Ral+Tir+Tal+Sol) in a 4os polearm. Start with any polearm and upgrade as you go until you find a good elite base, preferably ethereal if you can afford it. I found a 4os eth CV and with Duriel's I had enough strength to equip it.
- For helm: start with Nadir or any good rare/unique until you find something like Andariel's Visage, Crown of Thieves, Stealskull, or a 3os base to build the new runeword Bulwark (Shael+Io+Sol).
- For chest: use anything with good defensive stats until you find a good elite ethereal base to make either Treachery (Shael+Thul+Lem) or Smoke (Nef+Lum) in until you can afford to make a Fortitude (El+Sol+Dol+Lo). Duriel's shell is another good budget chest option and is what I'm using.