Lighting/Cold Bow Hybrid question.

[Denzik]

Alright so i've got my Lightning Javazon pretty well set. I love the lightning and such, but i just don't like the looks of things when i'm doing baal runs with friends and the lightning immunes are just a tad bit too strong to try and run up to and Jab.

So i figure there's a safer route right? And i was reading Jek's suggestion to go with Freezing Arrow and go with a hybrid.

I plan on playing this character pretty much and i'm aiming for the 90's with her. at level 90 i should have open to me 101 skill points.

So far the skill work out like this: Total of 84 skill points (So far)
Charged Strike-20
Lightning Strike-20
Lightning Fury-20
Valk-10
1 in each of the passives and the rest of the prerequisites.

I'm wondering if i'm using a Lycander's Bow should i invest 1 point into each of the bow cold skills? I've racked up about 6 small charms of cold dmg. and a raven frost.

With a 3 second freeze duration (should be 12 but only 1/4th in Hell Mode) would 1 point in each skill +lycander's bow be worth it to help deal with lightning immunes? I've never used these skills before and i'm wondering how it works exactly. Is that +3 second freeze duration 3 seconds of no monster movement what-so-ever? or is it just 3 seconds that they'll be in a "chilled" state and they just move slower?

IF it so happens that the monsters are completely frozen and don't even move is it then important to me to Get more of a freeze duration with something like a 6 or 5 socket bow with perfect saphires to increase my freeze duration even more? or is + to skills more important?

I'm aiming to use this skill as a way to give my Merc and Valk a better chance at killing lightning immunes, while i can either sit back and let them kill them or i can pick up my javelin again and go jab the monsters while they're completely frozen and unable to move.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Jek]

A viable solution would be getting strafe and a buriza, then use the FA to hold the monsters and strafe them to death. You can easily socket it with Nef/Eth or something similiar as you'll only need a Ias j00l (+15 IAS) to reach a rather fast strafe rate.

I really like buriza (Nef) on switch with my +3 jav/20 Ias gloves. It holds quite some cold time on it own too. :)

[Denzik]

Thanks Jek for the reply

I've got maybe just enough points to get me 1 point in each prereq. and 1 for FA and 1 for Strafe. Is a 1 point strafe going to be strong enough? I'm guessing you use the Nef and Eth rune for Knockback and to lower their defense due to a lack in Attack Rating?

For now i suppose i'll just place one point into my COld Arrow skills and if that doesn't work well enough I'll try to save some points for the strafe.

[GenXCub]

If you're going with lower points, try this:

1) Wizendraw. Has -35% cold resist, which can really boost damage.

2) Upgraded Witchwild String. Just use its level 20 magic arrow attack, then you don't have to spend any points if you don't want to.

[Denzik]

I've considered the Witchy before. The thing is I really want to try and freeze them.

The thing i'm unsure about is if Freezing Arrow actually Freezes them Dead still? Or if it just has a Holy Freeze type of effect that just chills the monsters and slows them down.

If it indeed does Freeze them dead still does having a longer cold duration such as usings small charms of cold dmg or having other sources like a raven frost increase the amount of time that they stay Dead still?

[GenXCub]

Yes, FA still stops them, freezes them solid and items with cold damage increase the duration.

[Denzik]

That's just the answer i was looking for, Thank you. As for some gear i'm trying to round up to use this might be close to what i'm going with:

Buriza - 8 seconds
RavenFrost - 4 Seconds
Small Cold Dmg charms - About 6 of them for 6 seconds
Freeze Duration from the actual FA Skill itself - 2 seconds
Total: +20 Freeze Duration/4 = 5 second Frozen Solid length in Hell.

One thing thing i don't understand completely is the Freezes Target +3 Mod on Buriza. I know it has the +8 second freeze duration but what does the other +3 freezes target mod do exactly in relation to the FA skill?

[GenXCub]

Mods like Freezes Target and hit blinds target have to make a roll to see if they actually get frozen/blinded. the + adds to the roll to make it more successful. It also has to do with the level difference. This is why the passion runeword is so cool with its Hit Blinds Target +10. I've always wanted to slap Passion in a Matriarchal Bow, fire some strafes or multi-shots to blind everyone, then toss a full damage plague javelin and watch them all stand around and die.