Ice Shot remains one of the most stylish and satisfying bow skills in Path of Exile 2, blending strong clear speed with excellent crowd control through chilling and freezing enemies. In PoE2, the skill benefits from the game's reworked gem system, more deliberate combat pacing, and POE2 Currency improved elemental scaling options. Building an effective Ice Shot character requires careful planning around cold damage scaling, projectile mechanics, and survivability. This guide breaks down the core concepts behind a solid Ice Shot build in PoE2.

Core Concept of Ice Shot

Ice Shot converts a portion of your physical bow damage into cold damage and creates a chilling cone behind the struck target. This cone is what defines the skill's identity: it allows you to clear packs efficiently by hitting a single enemy and letting the cold explosion wipe out those behind it. In PoE2, Ice Shot leans even more into area denial and freeze-based control, making positioning and projectile behavior critical.

Your primary goal is to scale cold damage, projectile damage, and attack speed, while ensuring enough freeze chance to lock enemies in place. Unlike pure single-target bow skills, Ice Shot shines when enemies are grouped, so mechanics that improve chaining, piercing, or projectile spread are extremely valuable.

Ascendancy and Class Choices

The most natural choice for Ice Shot is a Dexterity-based Ranger ascendancy, particularly one focused on projectiles and elemental damage. A Deadeye-style ascendancy excels due to bonuses like extra projectiles, increased projectile speed, and improved accuracy. These bonuses directly amplify Ice Shot's cone coverage and mapping speed.

Alternatively, a cold-focused elemental ascendancy can work if it provides bonuses to elemental penetration, ailment effectiveness, or freeze duration. The key is choosing an ascendancy that enhances projectile scaling and cold damage without forcing you into awkward stat requirements.

Passive Tree Priorities

On the passive tree, prioritize:

Cold Damage and Elemental Damage with Attacks

Projectile Damage and Projectile Speed

Attack Speed with Bows

Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier (optional but powerful)

Freeze and Chill Effect

Projectile speed is often underestimated but is especially strong for Ice Shot, as it increases both clear speed and the effective size of the chilling cone. Freeze chance and freeze duration are crucial in PoE2's slower, more tactical combat, letting you safely control elite packs and dangerous rares.

Defensively, invest in evasion, spell suppression, and life or hybrid life-based defenses. Ice Shot builds rely on movement and positioning, so layering avoidance is usually more effective than stacking raw armor.

Skill Gems and Supports

Ice Shot should be linked with supports that enhance area coverage and cold scaling. Common choices include:

Cold Damage supports to increase raw damage

Projectile or Area supports to widen the cone

Elemental Penetration to handle resistant enemies

Attack Speed or Multishot-style supports for smoother clearing

For single-target encounters, consider a secondary setup like a focused cold projectile or a barrage-style bow skill. This helps compensate for Ice Shot's weaker performance against lone bosses.

Utility skills such as movement abilities, cold exposure application, and defensive buffs are essential. Applying Cold Exposure dramatically boosts damage, especially against bosses.

Gear and Itemization

Your bow is the most important item. Look for high physical damage (which scales into cold), added cold damage, attack speed, and critical stats. Quivers should provide projectile bonuses, cold damage, and critical chance.

On armor and accessories, prioritize life, resistances, and dexterity, while adding cold damage, elemental penetration, or critical multiplier where possible. Flasks that boost movement speed, evasion, or cold damage are invaluable for both offense and survival.

Playstyle and Final Thoughts

An Ice Shot build in Path of Exile 2 rewards intelligent positioning and tempo control. You want to fire into packs from an angle that maximizes cone overlap, freezing enemies before they can retaliate. Against bosses, stay mobile, apply cold exposure consistently, and rely on freeze windows to deal damage safely.

Overall, Ice Shot is an excellent choice for players who enjoy fast, precise gameplay with cheap POE2 Currency strong visual feedback. With proper cold scaling, projectile investment, and defensive layering, it remains one of the most reliable and enjoyable bow builds in Path of Exile 2.