Nimis Creeping Frost
Deadeye Build

Updated for Patch 3.20

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Creeping Frost is a Cold Spell mostly known for its ability to Hit the same target with multiple Projectile explosions originating from one cast. A divergent version of this Gem will increase the number of Projectiles by 1 per 20% Gem Quality, and so with items such as Dialla's Malefaction or Ashes of the Stars, this number can be increased to 80. With four additional base Projectiles, Ascendancy Keystone, and a Dying Sun Flask the explosion's damage is 13 times higher against bosses. You can guarantee that all of the Creeping Frost bolts will explode on one target by equipping Nimis Ring which makes them return to you after exploding. It also improves your clear speed, which is already very good due to Deadeye's Ricochet and Endless Munitions.

To keep with the very high Mana Cost of this high-level Spell as a Ranger, equip The Devouring Diadem Helmet. It would also allow you to fit more Auras for increased damage and survivability. The build feels like a typical Spell-caster, and you won't need any extra Projectile Speed or Area of Effect. For defenses, it uses Spell Suppression, Maximum Life, and small amounts of Armour and Evasion so it's very fragile but able to withstand the first few hits from any boss. It's rarely an issue as even the biggest enemies die within seconds. As for the price, the items mentioned above make it very expensive. Be sure you can afford them, plus some rare items, which may be hard to get as well, especially the wand.

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1. Gameplay

Use Creeping Frost to deal damage. Tornado will be triggered automatically, it will generate Power Charges and grant you Onslaught. Sniper's Mark and Frostbite will be triggered with one Arcanist Brand, as you don't use any Attacks. For a Guard Spell use Molten Shell, and for a Movement Skill you can use Frostblink or Flame Dash. The best Auras are Zealotry, Determination, Hatred, Herald of Ice, and Defiance Banner. Haste can be used as a temporary Aura during tough boss fights.
 

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

As a Deadeye, you will have easy access to the Projectile and Elemental Damage nodes by allocating Forces of Nature or Ballistics. To make the leveling faster you will however need to specialize in something more specific. What we recommend is to use Lightning Arrow Bow Skill, combined with Storm Rain Totems if you have an opportunity to get a second setup. You won't need to refund a lot of Skill Points, just the nodes leading to Master Fletcher, Aspect of the Eagle, and Arcing Blows. Nimis requires level 48, you can equip it if you can. Switch to the Final version of the build after equipping Ashes of the Stars and The Devouring Diadem for the extra Projectiles and to fit all the Auras. Remember to have a good Wand or Sceptre ready.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Lightning Arrow setup
	Lightning Arrow - Lightning Arrow that deals Damage to the target and its surroundings. It will be used as a primary source of damage.
	Inspiration Support - It grants you Crit. Chance, Elemental Damage, and lowers Mana Cost.
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - Increased Elemental Damage with Attacks.
	Added Lightning Damage Support - Adds Lightning Damage to Attacks.
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - Use it to fire more Arrows, it increases your clear speed.
	Mirage Archer Support - Summons a Mirage Archer that's also using the Skill, but with less Attack Speed and Damage.

Storm Rain setup
	Storm Rain - Fires multiple Arrows that damage enemies after landing. It's used against bosses.
	Ballista Totem Support - Summons a Ballista Totem that uses the linked Bow Skill for you.
	Focused Ballista Support - Ballista Totems will fire when you do, it increases their Attack Rate.
	Added Lightning Damage Support
	Elemental Focus Support - Strom Rain won't be able to inflict Shock but will deal much more Elemental Damage in return.
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support

Auras setup
	Precision - Increases Crit Chance and adds Accuracy.
	Herald of Purity - Grants more Physical Damage, later converted.
	Clarity - Increases Mana Regeneration Rate.

various Gems
	Steelskin - Stops Bleeding and is able to absorb some incoming damage before breaking or expiring.
	Sniper's Mark - Marked enemies take increased Projectile Damage. Link it with  Mark on Hit Support.
	Flame Dash - Travel Spell that increases your mobility.

Bandits:

Killing all Bandits for two additional Passive Points is the best option

Leveling Skill Trees:

30 Points Skill Tree
Go get the Maximum Life, Bow, Projectile Damage, and Arcing Blows with the Lightning Conversion Mastery

62 Points Skill Tree
Allocate Elemental Focus, Charisma, Forces of Nature, and more Maximum Life with Life and Mana Leech

Recommended leveling items:

Praxis - For more Mana and lower Mana cost of Skills.

+(20-30) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana Regenerate (3-6) Mana per second -(8-4) to Total Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Quill Rain - Level-5 Bow that's good for most Bow builds.

+(10-20) to Dexterity 100% increased Physical Damage 100% increased Attack Speed Grants 2 Mana per Enemy Hit (50-100)% increased Projectile Speed +(25-50) to Accuracy Rating 30% less Damage

Death's Harp - Level-32 Bow with good and basic stats, it lets you fire two additional Arrows.

(30-50)% increased Critical Strike Chance (90-105)% increased Physical Damage 10% increased Attack Speed +50% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier Bow Attacks fire 2 additional Arrows

Goldrim - A helmet that's good for leveling most of the builds due to the extra Resistances.

+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

Tabula Rasa - Allows you to link any six Gems from the start.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

104 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique or Cluster Jewels)
118 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Ricochet
2. Endless Munitions
3. Gathering Winds
4. Focal Point

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris: 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

Minor God: Soul of Shakari: You cannot be Poisoned while there are at least 3 Poisons on you; 50% less Duration of Poisons on You

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Creeping Frost setup
	Creeping Frost - A Cold Projectile Spell that explodes, these explosions can overlap for a powerful shotgun effect. Use the Divergent version for more Projectiles.
	Cold Penetration Support - Damage penetrates a big portion of Cold Resistance.
	Spell Echo Support - Spell is being repeated with a much higher Cast Speed, but lower Damage.
	Increased Critical Damage Support - Increases Critical Strike Damage, use it if your Critical Strike Chance is high. If it's not, switch it to  Controlled Destruction Support.
	Empower Support - Increases the Gem Level of Creeping Frost which results in more Damage.
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - Increases Critical Strike Chance. If you also use Controlled Destruction you won't deal Critical Strikes, and if that's the case, use  Elemental Focus Support instead.

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Zealotry - More Spell Damage and increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells.
	Determination - Use it for more and increased Armour.
	Herald of Ice - Adds Cold Damage to Spells, and Shatters Frozen enemies on death which increases your clear speed.
	Hatred - Grants simply more Cold Damage.

[UTILITY] Curse setup
	Sniper's Mark - Sniper's Mark makes Marked enemies receive more Damage from Projectiles.
	Arcanist Brand -  Arcanist Brand is used here to apply two Curses with a single key.
	Frostbite - Frostbite reduces the Cold Resistance of affected enemies.

[UTILITY] Tornado setup
	Tornado - An orb-type Spell that you can be hit by you and the opponents. It deals Reflected Damage based on the damage absorbed.
	Onslaught Support - Tornado has a chance to grant you the Onslaught buff on Hit.
	Power Charge on Critical Support - Tornado has a Chance to grant you a Power Charge on Hit.
	Cast when Damage Taken - The Tornado will be triggered automatically after taking damage. This Gem is optional.

[MOBILITY] Frostblink setup
	Frostblink - The Cold Movement Spell that will be also used to inflict Chill.
	Bonechill Support - Increases Chill effect and duration, more powerful Chill will also make enemies receive more Damage.
	Unbound Ailments Support - Increases the effect of Chill and its duration.

[UTILITY] Haste setup
	Haste - Haste increases Movement, Cast, and Attack Speed.
	Divine Blessing - Haste becomes a temporary Aura to be used during boss fights or to move faster.

[UTILITY] Molten Shell
	Molten Shell - Molten Shell is a Guard Spell that protects your character from incoming Hit Damage for some time.

[UTILITY] Defiance Banner
	Defiance Banner - Increases Evasion and Armour. Nearby enemies have reduced Critical Strike Chance.

6. Gear Setup

It's a very simple spell caster that nonetheless has some peculiar qualities. The Creeping Frost Gem Quality will be important, but it's only sensible to increase it to a number divisible by 20 as that's the threshold required to get another Projectile. Mana Reservation Efficiency or Mana sustain should not be an issue as you're using The Devouring Diadem. It leaves you a lot of room to focus on more important features like Cast Speed and Spell Damage. It's a Crit build so having increased Spell Crit Chance and Multiplier is very important. Energy Shield will play a role your Mana Pool does, and to regenerate it you won't need any extra items or passives. For defenses seek Maximum Life and Spell Suppression Chance. Keep your Chaos Resistance high too.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances at 75%
2. Provide you with enough DPS and Life to start mapping

(Helmet) The Devouring Diadem - Grants a huge bonus to the Reservation Efficiency for socketed Spells, Eldritch Battery, constant ES Recharge, and the Feast of Flesh Skilll which regularly replenishes your resources.

+1 to Level of Socketed Gems Socketed Gems have 25% increased Reservation Efficiency Trigger Level 15 Feast of Flesh every 5 seconds (180-220)% increased Energy Shield 10% chance for Energy Shield Recharge to start when you use a Skill Eldritch Battery Veiled Suffix

Helmet enchantments: 40% increased Creeping Frost Damage 24% increased Creeping Frost Area of Effect

(Weapon) Rare Wand / Sceptre - An increase to Gem Level of all, or only Cold Skills, are the best options, try to get two of these modifiers. Cast Speed and increased Spell or Cold Damage are great, Crit modifiers can be of use too. If you feel like you don't need a Shield, get two good weapons instead.

Min. requirements: 100% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of all Cold Spell Skill Gems Optional affixes: increased Cold Damage increased Cast Speed increased Critical Strike Chance +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems +% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Off-hand) Atziri's Reflection - Atziri's Reflection can be used to gain tons of Intelligence, Elemental Resistances, and to reduce the effect of Curses on you completely.

6% increased Movement Speed +(40-60) to Intelligence (180-200)% increased Evasion Rating +(180-200) to maximum Energy Shield +(20-30)% to all Elemental Resistances Hex Reflection Unaffected by Curses (15-20)% increased Effect of your Curses

(Off-hand) Rare Shield - Seek mostly the defensive modifiers on a Shield like Maximum Life, Resistances, and Attributes. If you're using a shield that requires intelligence, get the +1 to Level of all Cold Spell Skill Gems.

Min. requirements: +60% to Elemental Resistances +80 to maximum Life Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Cold Spell Skill Gems Socketed Gems have #% increased Reservation Efficiency Maximum Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Body Armour) Dialla's Malefaction - The 30% Quality from Ashes of the Stars combined with another 30% from this Body Armour results in 3 extra Projectiles for Creeping Frost.

Gems can be Socketed in this Item ignoring Socket Colour Gems Socketed in Red Sockets have +2 to Level Gems Socketed in Green Sockets have +30% to Quality Gems Socketed in Blue Sockets gain 100% increased Experience Has no Attribute Requirements

(Body Armour) Skin of the Lords - Skin of the Lords grants extra two Levels to socketed Gems and increases Defences like Armour or Energy Shield.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Sockets cannot be modified +2 to Level of Socketed Gems 100% increased Global Defences You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden) <Random Keystone>

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - Rare Body Armour could increase your Spell Critical Strike Chance, provide you with more Maximum Life, and Elemental Resistances.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Maximum Life +1% to Spell Critical Strike Chance You can apply an additional Curse Chance to Suppress Spell Damage

(Boots) Rare Boots - On your Boots focus on Maximum Life, Resistances, and Movement Speed at first. Later implement the Onslaught and Elusive modifiers.

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life 25% increased Movement Speed +50% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike Chance to Suppress Spell Damage

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Rare Gloves with Eater's Implicit that applies Cold Exposure on Hit could be very good. Maximum Life, Attributes, Cast Speed, and Resistances will be useful too.

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +60% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Global Critical Strike Chance Attributes Chance to Suppress Spell Damage Cast Speed

(Belt) Rare Belt - Get a Belt with a lot of Maximum Life, Attributes, and Strength.

Min. requirements: +90 to Maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances Strength Optional affixes: increased Maximum Life

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - Rare Amulet can be used to increase the Gem Level of Creeping Frost, more Maximum Life, Attributes, Resistances, and Critical Strike modifiers.

Min. requirements: +60 to maximum Life +40% to Elemental Resistances 30% increased Global Critical Strike Chance Optional affixes: Global Critical Strike Multiplier +1 to Level of all Intelligence Skill Gems +1 to Level of all Cold Skill Gems Attributes

(Amulet) Ashes of the Stars - We recommend Ashes of the Stars for the Amulet, it increases Gem Level, Gem Quality, and Reservation Efficiency. It synergizes very well with the Divergent Creeping Frost.

+(10-16) to all Attributes (5-10)% increased Experience Gain of Gems (10-20)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills +1 to Level of all Skill Gems +(20-30)% to Quality of all Skill Gems

Recommended Anointments: Heart of Ice Sovereignty

(Ring) Rare Ring - Life, Resistances, and Attributes are the stats worth looking for on a Ring. Try to get as much of them as you can here.

Min. requirements: +50 to maximum Life +50% to Elemental Resistances Attributes Optional affixes: increased Global Critical Strike Chance Chaos Resistance Curse Enemies with Frostbite on Hit increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Ring) Nimis - With Nimis all the fired Projectiles will return to you, it allows you to deal massive bursts of damage against bosses.

+(20-30)% to Lightning Resistance +(30-50) to Dexterity (25-35)% increased Projectile Damage Projectiles Return to you at end of flight Projectiles are fired in random directions

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Use Jewels for an increased Maximum Life, Attributes, and Resistances. Critical Strike and cast speed mods are the second-best options.

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Elemental Resistances Attributes Increased Critical Strike Chance increased Cast Speed

(Jewel) Forbidden Flame & Flesh - Nearly any Raider's Keystone is great, but Nature's Boon will help you immensely with Flask sustain.

Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifiers on Forbidden Flesh Allocates <Random Ascendancy Notable> if you have the matching modifiers on Forbidden Flame

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Most of the Zealotry and Hatred modifiers are great, especially the Cold Penetration.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - We've used a Large Cluster Jewel with some Notables for more Cold Damage or general Elemental Damage and Resistances.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Doryani's Lesson 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Blast-Freeze 1 Added Passive Skill is Blanketed Snow 1 Added Passive Skill is Widespread Destruction

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - Get Medium Cluster Jewels with Eye to Eye and Repeater notable for much more Projectile Damage.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Eye to Eye 1 Added Passive Skill is Repeater

(Flask) Bottled Faith - Bottled Faith can be used to deal more Damage and for a higher Crit Chance.

40% increased Damage Requires Level 35 Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect

(Flask) Dying Sun - Use Dying Sun to fire More Projectiles. You will also take less Fire Damage.

+50% to Fire Resistance 20% less Fire Damage taken (125-150)% increased Charges per use (60-40)% less Duration (10-20)% increased Area of Effect during Effect Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles during Effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask of Staunching for Bleed removal Diamond Flask with increased Critical Strike Chance Quicksilver Flask with increased Cast Speed Silver Flask with increased Armour

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

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