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If you're looking for a strong ranged build in Path of Exile 2 that isn't Lightning Arrow, the Ice Shot Amazon is one of the best alternatives available in patch 0.4. It plays similarly enough that Lightning Arrow players can transition smoothly, but it offers a distinctly different feel thanks to Freeze mechanics, shatter explosions, and powerful boss burst windows.

This build uses the Amazon Ascendancy for the Huntress, taking advantage of high Critical Strike chance, mobility, and the unique Reveal Weakness mechanic. That mechanic allows Amazons to deal increased damage to Rare and Unique enemies, making Ice Shot particularly strong in endgame mapping and boss encounters.

Leveling an Ice Shot Amazon in Path of Exile 2

Ice Shot is not available early in the campaign, so you'll want to level using a Bow-based setup that shares scaling with the final build. The most efficient leveling option is the Lightning Arrow + Lightning Rod combination.

This setup is easy to play:

·Drop Lightning Rod on packs

·Chain Lightning Arrow through enemies for fast clears

Both skills scale with projectile and elemental damage, so your early investment directly benefits Ice Shot later. If you already have experience with Lightning Arrow, the transition will feel natural.

Once you unlock a level 9 Uncut Skill Gem, you can swap to Ice Shot and begin adjusting your passives. At that point, remove lightning-focused nodes and start investing into Cold Damage, Freeze chance, and Cold Penetration. Everything else-projectiles, crit, attack speed, and movement-remains largely unchanged.

Ice Shot Amazon Skill Setup (Endgame)

After completing the campaign and entering mapping, your Ice Shot Amazon setup should look like this:

Main Skills

·Ice Shot: Elemental Armament - Cold Penetration - Frost Nexus - Fork

·Herald of Ice: Cold Penetration - Deadly Herald - Cold Attunement - Overreach

Utility and Single-Target

·Freezing Salvo: Freeze - Concentrated Area - Ice Bite

·Snipe: Window of Opportunity - Concentrated Area - Close Combat - Inexorable Critical

·Ball Lightning: Shock - Blind - Considered Casting

·Freezing Mark: Prolonged Duration

·Barrage: Cooldown Recovery

Despite the large number of skills, you're not using everything at once.

Mobbing Rotation

·Spam Ice Shot to freeze packs

·Herald of Ice shatters enemies for massive chain explosions

·Fork ensures wide coverage and excellent clear speed

Rare and Elite Enemies

·Apply Freezing Mark

·Shock with Ball Lightning

·Follow up with Ice Shot for amplified damage

Bossing Rotation

·Apply Freezing Mark

·Shock with Ball Lightning

·Use Freezing Salvo to freeze the boss

·Activate Barrage

·Channel Snipe during the freeze window

With proper gear and crit scaling, this setup can delete bosses in a single damage window.

Ball Lightning is optional, but Shock increases damage taken by enemies in Path of Exile 2, making it extremely valuable. You can run it on a cheap secondary weapon swap since it's only used to apply debuffs.

Best Gear and Itemization for Ice Shot Amazon

Ice Shot Amazon uses a Bow and Quiver, which means gearing can get expensive as you push deeper into endgame. Many stat priorities are similar to Lightning Arrow builds, but you'll want to replace lightning modifiers with cold-based ones.

Key Stat Priorities

·Added Cold Damage to Attacks

·Increased Cold Damage

·Projectile Damage

·Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier

·Attack Speed

·Cold Penetration

Unlike older versions, "Bow fires an additional projectile" is no longer available, so Fork and projectile scaling are essential.

Defensive Path of Exile 2 Items

·High Evasion on Helmet and Body Armour

·Hybrid Energy Shield / Evasion if using Subterfuge Mask

·If running Stalking Panther Ascendancy, hybrid defenses are strongly recommended

While high-end Path of Exile 2 Items can become costly, Ice Shot scales extremely well with investment. Even mid-tier gear can comfortably handle maps, while top-end bows and quivers push the build into boss-melting territory. Many players choose to upgrade gradually buying Path of Exile 2 Currency, focusing first on weapon quality and crit stats.

Passive Tree and Ascendancy Setup

The Ice Shot Amazon passive tree remains very similar to Lightning Arrow, minimizing the need for respecs.

Passive Tree Focus

·Projectile Damage

·Cold Damage

·Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier

·Attack Speed

·Movement Speed

If you want faster mapping, prioritize movement speed early. Damage scaling can be rounded out later once gear improves.

Ascendancy Progression

1. Predatory Instinct - Enables Reveal Weakness, boosting damage against Rare and Unique enemies

2. Critical Strike Nodes - Pick up in Act 3 for consistency

3. Penetrate - Unlock after Act 4 for strong elemental scaling

4. Stalking Panther - Flexible final node that improves survivability and mobility

This Ascendancy setup ensures serious early damage and excellent scaling into the late game.

Final Thoughts

The Ice Shot Amazon is one of the most satisfying ranged builds in Path of Exile 2, offering fast clears, excellent crowd control, and devastating boss burst. It's an ideal choice for players who enjoy Lightning Arrow-style gameplay but want a fresh experience centered around Freeze, shatter chains, and precision damage windows.