Also known as Cold Hail of Arrows
Originally created by Tunk
EDIT: 0.8.5 Update is ready. Please read the Changelog (->Updates)
S-Tier Marksman Build. All Endgame Content viable. High Arena/Champions & Corruption Pusher + Boss Killer. Tankiest Marksman Build. SSF Friendly. Very unique and mechanical playstyle.
Build Guide and Gameplay Footage: (Please watch the video first and use the written Build Guide for more detailed information later)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong and safe Arena/Arena Champions Pusher
- Easy Boss Killer
- Very tanky
- No endgame gear required to work
- Unique playstyle and mechanics
- Top Tier Marksman Build together with BowMage. Completely different playstyle though
Cons
- Not the best Monolith and gear farmer, can clear echoes very fast though if you rush to the quest marker
- Requires alot of practice to not mess up the dmg output
- Very mechanical. Can be hard to play for casuals or beginners
- HoA is unlocked at Level 30 in Marksman tree, so you start relatively late with this build
FAQ
Why no Drelkorâs Compass Bow? It has the same amount of Flat Dmg as Reign of Winter.
- Reign of Winter also gives Cold Pen and Attunement which makes Mana management a bit easier.
- If you stick with Physical Base HoA dmg, additional Base dmg that you get from Elemental Arrows (Marksman tree) will not be converted, so itâs harder to push the dmg. Increased Elemental dmg over time is a really good affix to buff elemental HoA dmg since the numbers are higher on this affix than a regular inc dot, cold, physical dmg affix for example.
- With the Cold conversion in tree you get additional Chill chance, which is a good defensive layer for a build that canât hit (missing slow, chill and frailty)
- Drelkor has reduced Bow mana cost. Less Bow mana cost makes HoA do less dmg. We want HoAâs mana cost as high as possible, thatâs why we scale HoA duration.
Why no Sniperâs Gambit (Marksman Passive)?
- Donât get me wrong. 30 Flat Bow dmg is an insane buff for this build. I would recommend to always take it to boost your dmg while farming for gear. If you really wanna push high Arena or Corruption content i would not recommend this node because of the 12% Increased dmg taken. I prefer defense over offense, thatâs why iâm not using it in my Build Showcase.
How do you level this Build through the story?
- I usually level with Bleed Puncture. Imo itâs the fastest way to rush through the story. I donât want to tell you though how you should play, so just enjoy the story and game as much as possible. There is no need to rush. You can even copy the Shadow HoA passive if you donât want to respec. But if you want to make it easier, i added a complete Leveling section down below in this Build Guide just to get an insight how to level Marksman fast.
How do you play in Monolith to farm you gear?
- In Monolith you have to adapt your playstyle a bit. Try to attract as many monsters as possible so that you donât have to constantly cast HoA only for a couple of enemies. Remember that each HoA cast costs alot of mana, so you will have mana problem if you donât kite a pull enemies. You can either push straight to the Echo Marker to finish the quest (for Boss and Corruption Pushing) or pull as many enemies as possible together for more loot drop and efficient playstyle. More info in ââBuild Mechanics & Gameplayââ section.
BowMage or Shadow HoA?
- BowMage is stronger and more efficient. But itâs also very squishy. Shadow HoA is the most tankiest Marksman build, but slower with Mono and Gear farming. Both can push high Arena Waves. Both are S-Tier. Both have complete different playstyles. Choose whatever you prefer!
Build Mechanics & Gameplay
Skill Rotation
Smoke Bomb - Dark Quiver - Shift - Hail of Arrows - Moving - Smoke Bomb - Dark Quiver (if needed) - Shift - Hail of ArrowsâŚ
Welcome to maybe one of the most mechanical builds in the game. I absolutely fell in love with the rotation and playstyle. It definitely requires some practice, because one mistake can cause a death in high arena waves.
It is one of the only endgame Marksman Builds that fully utilizes Shadows as a mechanic. The build is not using any Mana Generator Skill so the whole Build is about perfect Timing, Positioning and Skill Rotation.
Important nodes:
- All attacks have a long casting duration. Using the skills is the only time where you stand still and not get the -25% Less dmg Taken while moving Bonus from Evasion (Rogue passive). Try to use Smoke Bomb before Dark Quiver because you will get the Silver Shroud first to stay safe if enemies are already too close.
- Try to Shift ontop of a Black Arrow from Dark Quiver to save a few seconds
- Use Shift to save before Smoke Bombâs 3rd Shadow cast to save a second. You can basically get the full Dark Quiver dmg bonus after 2 seconds instead of 3 if you play it correctly. Every second counts in high Arena waves.
- Use Hail of Arrows right after Shift because of the high Movement Speed Bonus from Shift+Agility (Rogue Passive) for additional dmg. You only have one chance for the perfect rotation and dmg output, so donât mess it up!
BowMage vs. Shadow HoA
BowMage is insane for Mono Gear farming because of its offscreen potential. It also works great in Arena. BowMage is far more squishy compared to Shadow HoA. Thats why Shadow HoA is probably the go to Arena pusher build.
Shadow HoA is not the best Monolith Gear Farmer, because you need to setup the rotation for a good amount of dmg. You can still play the build in every content to get your gear, but BowMage is more efficient in farming. I add some Monolith Gameplay tips below.
Gameplay Tips:
Arena
Follow the skillrotation that is mentioned above. Try to find a spot in each arena zone where you comfortably can pull enemies into a narrow area. You really have to know each Arena zone. You will achieve high Waves with high knowledge. Itâs not all about the gear. So practice as much as you can.
ALWAYS MOVE! It is important to keep the -25% less dmg taken Bonus from Evasion Passive up. Use Decoy only if you mess up a skill rotation or fast enemies are running towards you. HoA has a long cast animation because we dont scale Attack Speed. Therefore you can use Decoy aswell before casting HoA.
Monolith
For Mono you can either rush through an echo to get to the quest marker if you wanna push corruption or farm bosses or clear out the whole echo. It takes way longer compared to other good Marksman clear builds if you fully wanna clear the map. You can leave out the whole DQ and Smoke Bomb rotation though with less dmg. Just Shift+HoA when you see a bigger group of monsters for some additional gear drops. In general i recommend to kite first and pull enemies together before you use the whole setup.
You never hit enemies (not even to apply dot), so the following mono modifiers are âfreeâ: Frenzy and Haste, Dodge, Glancing Blow, Crit Avoidance.
Bosses
Absolutely amazing against bosses like Shade or the new T4 Dungeon Boss. Just do the normal Shadow setup and shoot HoA ontop of the boss. Kite around the area, look out for the telegraphed attacks from a boss and cast HoA again after its duration. You can learn alot of boss mechanics while still doing dmg, so this build is perfect for bosses.
Stat Priority
Offense
- Bow Flat Damage (both Physical and Fire)
- Hail of Arrows duration
- +Level to Hail of Arrows
- Dexterity
- Cold Penetration
- Elemental dmg over time
Defense
- Health (2k+)
- Dodge (try to reach 40-50% unbuffed)
- Endurance (try to cap it at 60%)
- Crit Avoidance (100%)
- All capped Resistances
- 31% base Glancing Blow
- High Movement Speed (50-60+) You will reach 100%+ Movement Speed after using Shift.
Mana Regeneration should be around 13-15 on char sheet to sustain the heavy HoA mana cost. At the end HoA costs 100 Mana that lasts for over 10 seconds.
We canât hit with this Build, so we donât need stats like Slow, Chill or Frailty Chance.
Attack Speed and Crit scaling is also not needed for this build.
Leveling
I usually like to level with Bleed Puncture + Shift to rush through the story.
Here is my typical Marksman Leveling Tree, before i completely respec into Shadow HoA
https://www.lastepochtools.com/planner/KBgl1Loa
Puncture Skill tree order:
2 Points in Perforate
1 Point in Press The Attack (we will always have Frenzy, even with only 1 Point into it if we constanly attack)
4 Points in Bloodthirst
3 Points in Hunger
In this short Build Planner i only want to show you my gear which is not that important except to have a fast hitting Bow like Salvaged Bow with Bow Attack Speed & Bleed Chance. We take the Light Quiver for Attack Speed and focus on Movement Speed on Boots. We already take Silver Rings with us for additional Movement Speed. Remember that we get alot of Inreased Dmg for each Point of Movement Speed early on with the Agility node (Rogue Tree). For Defenses: Only focus on Resistances and Health until you reach endgame.
If you donât like to respec the Mastery trees you can immediately set up the Shadow HoA tree. The only difference is basically that i take the increased Bow Attack Speed nodes ââSwift Assassinââ and ââDraining Arrowsââ with me.
Here is the Passive Leveling order:
8 Points Swift Assassin
1 Point Guile
1 Points Evasion
5 Points Agility
4 Points Evasion to max it
1 Point Steady Hand to reach 20 Rogue Passives to unlock Marksman
8 Points Draining Arrows
1 Point Assassins Quiver
4 Points Focus Fire
1 Point Concentration
1 Point Elemental Arrows
3 Points Meditation
2 Points Siege Quiver
5 Points Reflection
1 Point Arrow Storm
1 Point Storm Fletcher
2 Points Elemental Barrage
1 Point Siege Quiver
Now we unlocked Hail of Arrow and respec the Tree to Shadow HoA.
Important nodes:
- Only start putting points into Coated Blades later when you have enough Mana and Mana reg, so that you have no Mana issues while playing. You donât need that dmg early on. Your last points should be Coated Blades (HoA dmg), Cloak of Shadows (Blade Dancer tree for the Glancing Blow and Dex) and Thiefâs Quiver (Leech and Health).
Put points into Sniperâs Gambit for Monolith. Respec those points if you wanna push Arena.
Updates
Changelog
- 0.8.5 Update: No major changes. Small adjustments to new Helmet & Body Armour base types. We lost the dodge implicit helmet and go for Exile Hate (Bow Dmg). Please take a look at the new Endgame Build Planner. For Shift i added one point into Elusive to gain more dodge after using Shift
- 0.8.4h Added Endgame Build Planner (01/06/2022)
- 0.8.4c Added FAQ section. Added detailed Build Mechanics & Gameplay section. Added detailed Leveling section. No changes to the Build (12/18/2021)
- 0.8.4 Build Guide Release (12/12/2021)
Dammittâs Gear Planner
OUTDATED: My SSF Level 97 Marksman. Arena Wave 345 (Patch 0.8.4)
Will upload my personal 0.8.5 version after finishing a new Marksman Build.
https://www.lastepochtools.com/planner/ZA8wRno6
ENDGAME BUILD PLANNER (Updated to 0.8.5)
This would be an endgame version you could chase. (I added sealed items only to show you what could be good alternatives as affixes, of course try to go for exalted items. I added possible and interesting uniques.)
https://www.lastepochtools.com/planner/NoXzpbXQ
Skills
Hail of Arrows
- Steady (HoA duration)
- Nowhere to Hide (Big dmg multiplier for long duration HoA)
- The Hunt (more HoA duration)
- Volley (HoA AoE)
- Crystal Arrows (Cold conversion, chill chance, can convert added Bow dmg to Cold)
- Focus (Dmg multiplier)
Shift
- Velocity, Head Trauma & Braskulaâs Hesitation (inc HoA dmg after using Shift)
- Swift Recovery, Momentum & Shadowslip (Mana, Movement Speed & Invulnerabilty)
- Lasting Presence (Additional Shadow after using Shift, important node to reduce the full 3 Shadow uptime to 2 instead of 3 seconds together with Smoke Bomb)
- Elusive (1 point wonder) For a good amount of dodge after using Shift
Smoke Bomb
- Umbral Assault (100% Shadow creation chance per second)
- Lingering Fumes (full duration)
- Moonlight Bomb (abusing 1 Silver Shroud stack, the other one comes from Marksman tree)
- Thick Smoke (1 Slow stack)
- Rapid Concealment (Dusk Shroud frequency)
Dark Quiver
- Umbral Resolution (Huge dmg multiplier for 3 Shadows consumed)
- Heavy Arrows & Archerâs Focus (HoA dmg multipliers)
- Nightfall (Dusk Shrouds)
Decoy
- Efficient Construction (Mana cost)
- Sonic Detonation (Frailty stacks)
- Warning Sound (Haste)
- Backup Buddy (additional Charge)
- Lasting Presence (more duration)
Passives
Rogue
- Steady Hand (Health & Dex)
- Guile (only if you need capped Poison Resistance)
- Evasion (-25% dmg taken while moving, always move with this build!)
- Agility (Dmg per Movement Speed)
- Dodge and Parry (GB and Dodge)
- Coated Blades (80% MORE dmg for HoA+additional HoA Mana cost; you need around 150-200 Mana to comfortably use this skill)
Blade Dancer
- Cloak of Shadows (GB and Dex)
Marksman
- Elemental Arrows (Huge Flat Bow dmg source, converted to cold dmg)
- Siege Quiver (max Arrows & Elemental Resistances per Arrow)
- Elemental Barrage (consumes more arrows per HoA use=more dmg)
- Heightened Senses (Crit Avoidance, we reach 100% CA with Empowered Blessing, we donât need crit multiplier)
- Thiefâs Quiver (Leech & Health, the leech works really good)
- Arrow Storm+Covering Fire (abusing a Silver Shroud stack, the other one we get from Smoke Bomb)
- Ethereal Arrows (Mana & Mana Regen + HoA dmg)
- Master Archer (HoA AoE)
Important node:
Sniperâs Gambit is a huge dmg boost for HoA but we are also more vulnerable in Arena. Itâs up to you if you wanna use it. You can take it for Monolith. But i would not recommend it in Arena
Rest of the points into (up to you):
Thiefguard (Health), Guile (Poison Res), Prolonged Demise (Less DoT dmg taken & increased DoT dmg), Covering Fire (more Silver Shrouds)
Gear
Bow: Reign of Winter (BiS) or Longbow (Highest Flat Bow dmg, we donât need Crit or Attack Speed)
Quiver: Ivory Quiver (best defensive Quiver for Resistances)
Helmet: Exile Hat (Bow Damage)
Body Armour: Crimson Garb (dodge rating)
Belt: Bronze Belt (armour)
Gloves: Engraved Gauntles (BiS for Endurance) or Crusader Gauntlets (void resistance)
Boots: Solarum Greaves (fire resistance)
Amulet: Bone Amulet (phys and necrotic resistance)
Rings: 2x Silver Rings (movementspeed)
Relic: Jade Dice (dodge rating)
Uniques & Legendaries
Reign of Winter (only Unique that you need for this Build)
Use a T10 Longbow with T5 Flat Physical Bow Dmg and T5 Flat Fire Bow Dmg until you get it.
There are no interesting Suffixes you can craft on the Bow. We donât need Attackspeed or Crit for this Build.
Auroraâs Time Glass (only in Arena)
Legendaries
- 2LP Reign of Winter with Flat Phyical Bow Dmg & Flat Fire Bow Dmg
- 3-4LP Arrowguard with Flat Phyical Bow Dmg, Flat Fire Bow Dmg & Resistances
- Any 3-4LP unique Belt with a Dodge affix. Craft Cleanse Ailment, Increased Health & Hybrid Health on it.
Idols
4x Large Idols (1x3)
Prefix: Increased duration with Hail of Arrows (7-15%)
Suffix: Bow Damage (11-30%) , Elemental Resistance (5-13%) or Increased Dmg while wielding a Bow (11-30%)
4x Stout Idols (1x2)
Flat Health, Increased Health or Resistances.
Whatever you need
Blessings
The Black Sun Timeline
- Dodge (recommended) or Health
Ending the Storm Timeline
- Lightning Resistance (recommended), Mana or Cold dmg
Reign of Dragons Timeline
- Crit Avoidance (recommended) or All Res
The Age of Winter Timeline
- Endurance Threshold (recommended), Cold or Physical Resistance
Spirits of Fire Timeline
- Endurance (recommended), Dodge Rating or Fire Resistance
Please feel free to ask any questions about this build.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the build!
), and hide all other base items that i dont want. Im just looking for the right bases that i mentioned in this Build Guide under ââGearââ.