Ice Trap Saboteur Necropolis 3.24 Guide

Build Overview

Welcome to the Ice Trap Saboteur guide for the Necropolis 3.24 expansion in Path of Exile (PoE). Traps have long been celebrated in PoE for their prowess as a league starter, thanks to their minimal need for expensive uniques or extensive crafting to take down early bosses. Today, the Ice Trap build remains a testament to this tradition. Often underestimated, the Ice Trap not only offers substantial area damage and hard hits but also integrates a crucial layer of defense through freezing and chilling effects. Our guide will show you how to effortlessly sail through the acts and transition into the endgame with this cost-effective and potent setup. Unlike some trap-oriented builds that may skimp on defense, our Ice Trap Saboteur build doesn't cut corners, ensuring you have the protection needed to survive the treacherous world of Wraeclast. With just a few throws, your traps will decimate entire packs, allowing you to progress swiftly through the game. Gear remains affordable, making this build an excellent choice for both newcomers and veterans of Path of Exile looking to dominate in the Necropolis expansion.

Pros and Cons

Build Main Mechanics

How Does it Play?

The Ice Trap Saboteur excels in both mapping and bossing due to its expansive Area of Effect (AoE). Players can unleash Ice Traps into the heart of enemy packs for widespread damage. The build's mechanics allow for a swift and strategic playstyle: deploy a series of traps and proceed forward, leaving behind any survivors to be chilled or frozen, making them easy targets to dispatch. Boss fights offer the opportunity to pre-set traps between phases or scatter them during combat, leveraging the ability to have over 20 traps active simultaneously for focused single-target destruction.

Damage and Defensive Scaling

At the core of the Ice Trap's potency is its reliance on cold-based spell damage. To amplify this, the build focuses on increasing gem levels and enhancing spell and cold damage percentages. Critical strike chance is also crucial, benefiting significantly from high rolls on wands and shields. Additionally, the build seeks to maximize the chance of dealing double damage, utilizing the Lethal Pride jewel to its full potential. Cast speed becomes a factor with the acquisition of Slavedriver's Hand, further enhancing the build's efficiency.

Defensively, the Ice Trap Saboteur is robust, incorporating Grace and Blind alongside the Defiance Banner for a comprehensive protective suite. Achieving capped spell suppression is straightforward, ensuring resilience against magical attacks. The build also utilizes Ghost Dance, providing a significant Energy Shield (ES) buffer, and integrates a 15% damage reduction against blinded enemies. Advanced stages of the build may incorporate Determination, solidifying its defensive framework and ensuring survivability in the harshest of encounters.

PoB, Passives and Gem Links

This Ice Trap Saboteur build progresses through several stages as your character evolves from leaguestart to endgame, ensuring you always know the next step for upgrades.

Progression

Starting with the Leaguestart phase, the focus is on survival through the acts and into early maps. The priority is to cap resistances and increase life, while saving for a Heatshiver to enhance damage output. In the Midrange phase, still equipped with Heatshiver, attention turns to suppression and evasion gear, and incorporating flat fire damage for Explosives Expert's crit multi bonus. Anointing Sovereignty and optimizing mana reservation paves the way for additional auras. Significant investments here include Lethal Pride and cluster jewels. The Endgame focuses on acquiring Slavedriver's Hand and crafting a specialized helmet, allowing for more aura flexibility and enhanced defenses.

Anoint: Sovereignty with 3x Silver Oil is essential for aura management.

Gem Links

• Ice Trap setup: Ice Trap, Swift Assembly Support, Charged Traps Support, Trap and Mine Damage Support, Increased Critical Strikes Support, Cold Penetration Support.
• Wand: Assassin's Mark, Lifetap Support, Summon Stone Golem.
• Shield: Cast on Death Support, Portal.
• Helm: Vitality, Grace, Hatred, Enlighten Support.
• Boots: Summon Skitterbots, Precision, Determination, Enlighten Support.
• Gloves: Steelskin, Flame Dash, Bear Trap, Lifetap Support.

Leaguestart Gems:

Initial acts focus on Ethereal Knives and Frostblink for mobility and defense, transitioning to Lightning Trap and finally to the Ice Trap setup by Act 3, with various supports adjusted for efficiency and effectiveness. Strategic use of Vitality and Clarity ensures sustainability, while the acquisition of flat fire damage enhances critical strike capability.

From early game to endgame, this guide covers all essential aspects to navigate through the complexity of building an effective Ice Trap Saboteur in PoE's Necropolis expansion.

Ascendancy, Pantheons and Deal with the Bandits

The Ice Trap Saboteur build leverages specific Ascendancy nodes to optimize both damage output and survivability in Path of Exile's Necropolis expansion. Following the right order of acquisition for these nodes is crucial for maximizing the build's potential.

Ascendancy

The recommended path begins with a significant boost to DPS before reinforcing the build's defenses. Although this order can be adjusted based on personal preference or gameplay style, the outlined sequence is ideal for those new to the build.

• Explosives Expert: Provides a considerable increase in damage, especially beneficial upon initial acquisition.
• Chain Reaction: Enhances the Area of Effect (AoE), significantly improving trap coverage.
• Pyromaniac: Offers regeneration and immunities, crucial for a build that does not rely on leeching for survival.
• Born in the Shadows: This node blinds nearby enemies and reduces damage taken from them, offering a robust defensive advantage.

For the Bandits quest, the advice is straightforward: eliminate all for the additional passive points, which are invaluable for this build.

Pantheons

Choosing the right Pantheons can provide essential protections:

• Major God: Brine King, for resistance against stuns and freezes, ensuring smoother gameplay.
• Minor God: Shakari, once upgraded with a Divine Vessel, significantly bolsters defenses against poison, a common threat in Wraeclast.

This strategic selection of Ascendancy nodes, combined with the careful choice of Pantheons and the decision to kill all the Bandits, crafts a solid foundation for the Ice Trap Saboteur, ready to excel in the Necropolis expansion.

Gear

Gearing up your Ice Trap Saboteur for the Necropolis expansion in Path of Exile (PoE) involves strategic choices that enhance both offensive and defensive capabilities. Let's dive into the recommended gear for this build.

Summary Table of Gear:

Summary

And there you have it, folks – a comprehensive guide to rocking the Ice Trap Saboteur in PoE's latest Necropolis expansion. From the initial build setup to choosing the right gear, we've covered everything you need to get started and dominate. Remember, the beauty of this build lies in its blend of massive AoE damage and solid defense, making it a blast to play through Wraeclast's challenges. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to the game, this guide aims to equip you with all the knowledge needed to enjoy the Ice Trap Saboteur to its fullest. And hey, if you ever find yourself stuck or just looking to speed things up, don't sweat it! We at WowCarry have got your back with services tailored to this build, ready to help you tackle any part of the game. Whether it's gearing up, mastering the mechanics, or anything in between, we're here to lend a hand. So, gear up, set those traps, and let the ice do the talking!