Is Holy Freeze any useful lategame?

[Curik]

I'm a skeleton necro.

I'm considering Iron Goleming a 4 socket bow with the Ice runeword. But is it really that useful in Hell? I've heard the slowing effect is negligable there.

Would you go with Ice, or perhaps Faith - for your Rusty?

[GotFriana]

You say you are a summoner? if thats the case you better stay away from holy freeze and in fact any freezing effect. The cold helps slow things down but you will have lots of corpses shattering. If you want to slow down things your best option is a Clay Golem and Decrepify curse.

[Curik]

Are you talking about the cold effect which makes a corpse go into pieces of ice? Okay, didn't think of that. Thanks.

[Zauzich]

I faith seems super expensive to risk it getting killed.

Edge, on th other hand, is a nice cheep 3os bow runeword that can give Thorns aura if you don't already have if from your merc or Bramble.

[Mitch Turnbuckle]

Word to your respective mothers, various ho's

First off, I do not think that you can make an Iron Golem out of any bow, as they are considered to be non-metallic by the game. Second, you could make a Holy Freeze Iron Golem out of a Doom Runeword instead which should work. As for Holy Freeze shattering too many corpses this is a bit of a misconception, you would really only have a problem if you used Corpse Explosion exclusively, and lots of Revives and Skeletons, etc.. Even then, Holy Freeze would probably still leave enough corpses for you to use. I think that Holy Freeze has a specific percentage chance to shatter frozen/chilled enemies and it is not that high, someone else from the forum will have to confirm this. Finally, as for Holy Freeze being viable in Hell, it pulses every couple of seconds and slows enemies within its radius of effect, as such it still serves a very useful purpose even in Hell, although I am not sure if it suffers from a freeze duration reduction in Hell like other chilling effects, it will not really make that much of a difference anyhow, as it is reapplying itself every couple of seconds. . .

[Curik]

Got that from Bramble already -_-

I haven't gotten my Iron Golem killed since Act2 Nightmare, and I'm in Act5 Hell now. If I ever venture into Uber Tristram, perhaps I should be worried?

I got maxed Golem Mastery/Blood Golem.

[Zauzich]

I think he's right about the bow not being metal but you can get Fanat aura lvl9 from a Beast axe.

Also there is Exile paladin shield for Defiance aura or Pride for Concentration aura and chance to cast firewall when struck - would that transfer to the golem?

[Curik]

Finally, as for Holy Freeze being viable in Hell, it pulses every couple of seconds and slows enemies within its radius of effect, as such it still serves a very useful purpose even in Hell, although I am not sure if it suffers from a freeze duration reduction in Hell like other chilling effects, it will not really make that much of a difference anyhow, as it is reapplying itself every couple of seconds. . .

You forgot that there is a % slow reduction on some bosses. Mephisto (or was it Baal?) in Hell can't be slowed at all, if my memory serves me well. There could be a slow reduction on some mobs too, hence my question.

Thanks though.


[...]Pride for Concentration aura and chance to cast firewall when struck - would that transfer to the golem?

Pride should work.

[Damric]

A Doom Golem would be really cool. He would shatter all non-cold immunes that he can kill by himself, however. I imagine with all those volcanoes he will make, he will be adding some serious damage (fire + physical), not to mention the cold aura to slow things a bit.

Can't make iron from a bow however.

[SocraticB]

Baal can be slowed in Hell; cold/clay golem/Kelpie Snare, etc. work nicely on him. All three together make him so slow as to be unable to throw his wedge attack or summon his mirror image.

[OsTo]

insight golem all the way, and full belt of full reju (one row life to occasional drink)
CE is expensive on mana.