Anybody looking to go into Diablo 2: Resurrected with the idea of being the best archer alive is going to want to pick the Amazon, no question about it. She's got advantages on offense that make her defense top-tier and with a few skills, she's also more than capable of enduring attacks as well as a tank.
This is, of course, assuming that she's built correctly. But it's easy to go wrong, especially as the Diablo 2: Resurrected's late-game approaches. Without the right skills and gear, she can hit enemies for no damage and become a one-hit kill. Here's how to maximize the Bowazon's potential from start to finish.
Updated on November 16th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: This remains the very best bow build around, Amazon or otherwise. Being able to deal physical damage from afar is not an option for most classes because of just how overpowered it can be, this build alone is a testament to that. However, surviving until that endgame can be a tall task and many players find that by the time they reach the mid-game, they're getting farmed by opponents. To help out with this, a section has been added at the end of this article that will advise players on what to do from level one until max level so that they can finally experience what this build is all about.
Skills
|
Cold Arrow |
20 |
|
Ice Arrow |
20 |
|
Freezing Arrow |
20 |
|
Critical Strike |
10 |
|
Penetrate |
4 |
|
Pierce |
10 |
|
Inner Sight |
1 |
|
Slow Missiles |
1 |
|
Decoy |
1 |
|
Dodge |
1 |
|
Avoid |
1 |
|
Evade |
1 |
|
Valkyrie |
20 |
The Amazon has some of the best endgame skills for any class and this build makes good use of them. Freezing Arrow should always be active, with Cold Arrow and Ice Arrow also maxed out to support it. Freezing Arrow gives the Amazon crowd-control capabilities and group damage. This is enhanced by the Valkyrie, who takes all the advantages of the Amazon and magnifies them. The Valkyrie alone can clear most content without any help.
Our friends over at Icy Veins have a skill calculator (as seen here) for those who would like to customize the skills for themselves!
Attributes
|
Strength |
108 |
|
Dexterity |
152 |
|
Vitality |
All the rest |
|
Energy |
None |
The Grand Matron Bow is the best base bow for the Ice Runeword, but it requires 108 Strength and 152 Dexterity to equip, so hit these benchmarks quickly. While there is a mana cost to the Freezing Arrow, it's low enough that potions and gear can easily sustain the cost of shooting without investing in unnecessary energy. Vitality should take the bulk of the points to give the Amazon and her Valkyrie a life pool that enemies can't get through thanks to their incredible defense.
Equipment
|
Weapon |
Ice |
|
Offhand |
Quiver |
|
Head |
Nightwing's Veil |
|
Body |
Enigma |
|
Hands |
Lava Gout |
|
Feet |
Sandstorm Trek |
|
Waist |
Razortail |
|
Neck |
Mara's Kaleidoscope |
|
Finger 1 |
Raven Frost |
|
Finger 2 |
Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band |
|
Unique Charms |
Gheed's Fortune, Hellfire Torch, Annihilus |
|
Grand Charms |
Fletcher's/Acrobat's Grand Charms of Winter |
|
Small Charms |
Shimmering/Hibernal Small Charms of Winter |
The best Runewords in the game are present on this list and they speak for themselves. Of note, the Razortail belt, combined with the 10 levels in the Pierce skill, gives a 100% chance to pierce targets. Many players forego the Enigma on this build, but with so much invested into the Valkyrie, the Teleport can help position her better. Lastly, make sure to get to that 75% magic resistance, use Small Charms to hit that mark.
Mercenary
|
Mercenary |
Act 2 Offensive Desert Mercenary |
|
Weapon |
Infinity |
|
Helm |
Andariel's Visage |
|
Body |
Fortitude |
The Reaper's toll usually gets the nod for its damage, but the Valkyries has that covered and then some. To make the most of the mercenary, use the Desert Mercenary with the offensive aura and give him the Infinity. This combination provides the main character and her Valkyrie with Might and Conviction auras, boosting physical and magic damage.
Leveling With The Build
Anybody hoping to get to the endgame and acquire these items is going to have to go toe-to-toe with the game's hardest bosses, probably multiple times apiece. Don't give up hope! With the right gear and stats, the Bowazon build is one of the best from start to finish, it just requires a little bit of a gameplan beforehand.
Skill Order
It can be tempting to max out the level 20 skill right away, but doing so would be a mistake. Without balance, this build falls apart by either taking too much damage or not doing enough. Get about five levels in Freezing Arrow, then get one point in every other skill.
Valkyrie will help enemies, something the Amazon badly needs. Max out Freezing Arrow, then finish off Critical Strike (10), Penetration (14), and Pierce (4). Then max out Valkyrie. From there, the other skills just boost the already impressive Freezing Arrow.
Stat Priorities
The rotation of attributes each level is quite simple: Put two points in strength, two points in dexterity, and one point in vitality until strength is 108 and dexterity is 152. After that, put everything into vitality. This will allow the Amazon to put on any heavy armor in the game and use her best bows.
For gear stats, the pro tips always say to get get to 75% resistance of all sources as soon as possible. This build's mobility will help some, but some magic can't be dodged without drastically interrupting damage. Aside from that, any piece of equipment that adds to Bow & Crossbow skills or all Amazon skills should be prioritized. These will do until getting to that high-tier gear and Runewords mentioned in the guide.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.