This guide is designed for players who want to dive into the challenging world of Hardcore Solo Self-Founding (HC SSF) in Path of Exile 2. The
Ice Strike Invoker build is straightforward, inexpensive, and scalable, making it ideal for both newcomers and veterans looking to conquer high-level content. You'll blast through enemies, freezing them with ease, while having the defence to survive hits you can't dodge.
Understanding the mechanics
Core Abilities
Ice Strike: Converts 80% of physical damage to cold, perfect for freezing enemies with a high physical DPS Quarterstaff.
Tempest Bell: Primarily used on high health targets to deal significant AoE damage.
Charged Staff: Boosts single-target damage, especially when used with Tempest Bell for shock effects on bosses.
Heralds and Chains
Herald of Ice: Increases clearing speed, especially when combined with items such as Polcircles for better chaining.
Defensive Layers
Dodge and Energy Shield: This build typically takes a hybrid approach, relying on Evasion for dodging and Energy Shield for survival, especially with Chaos Inoculation (CI).
Acrobatics: A key node for reducing physical damage taken, making it a must-have once you reach around 20,000 Evasion.
Gearing up
Essential equipment for trading
Quarterstaff: Look for one with high Physical DPS to scale your Ice Strike damage.
Body armour: Needs at least 1060 Dodge and 386 Energy Shield for sufficient Spirit from Lead me through Grace....
Hyrri's Gloves of Truth: For significant damage boosts without relying on crits.
Polkirkeln: Increases clearing speed by allowing better chaining with Herald of Ice.
Jewels such as Apocalyptic Joy: Essential for rage generation and various damage boosts.
Leveling Strategy
Early game: Cold spells such as Freezing Shard and Frost Bomb will help until you switch to Ice Blast at level 14.
Skill progression: Gradually add support gems such as Ice Bite, Martial Tempo and Crescendo to optimise your damage.
Endgame considerations
Crit vs. Non-Crit: Depending on your gear, choose between scaling crit or focusing on raw damage and penetration.
CI vs. Health: Chaos Inoculation can provide significant survivability, but requires significant Energy Shield.
Thank For Reading
The Ice Strike Invoker build combines high damage output with defensive capabilities, making it a formidable choice in HC SSF. Remember that your choice of gear can have a significant impact on your gameplay, especially in a mode where trading is an option.
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