Overview
This Deadeye build pairs Gas Arrow with a passive auto-detonation source so the cycle of “shoot cloud → ignite → wide AoE explosion” runs without a manual trigger button. Every projectile from Gas Arrow leaves its own gas cloud, and a fire-source on the build (the Radiant Grief helmet by default, Solar Orb as a backup) takes care of igniting them as the cloud overlaps anything within range. The result is mapping that looks like a chain reaction with very little input — Tempest Flurry-style flow without the melee proximity tax.
Deadeye brings the projectile shape (Endless Munitions, Point Blank, Gathering Winds → Windward) plus enough evasion scaling to hit the Acrobatics breakpoint around 15-17k evasion, where attack-evasion becomes the primary defense. Wind Dancer is the spirit-reservation that converts to maximum-evasion stages and gets quality first.
It’s an endgame-leaning pick: the creator developed it in SSF with mediocre gear and still cleared T15+ comfortably, so the build doesn’t ask for the kind of rare combo that breaks the bank. The single hard requirement is a Radiant Grief or a willingness to swap to manual Solar Orb / Flame Ball detonation, which feels noticeably less smooth.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Hands-off mapping once Radiant Grief is online — projectiles do the detonating, you just keep moving.
- Scales well from budget to high-end without changing skill plan; SSF-friendly per the creator.
- Strong on Breach / Ritual / Expedition because Hex Bloom on Flammability spreads the curse with every kill.
- Has a clean swap to Concentrated Effect for boss damage by swapping the last Gas Arrow link.
- Optional late-game tech (corrupted Blue Flame Bracers + Herald of Ice swap) gives a freeze-based variant for players who want a defensive upgrade.
Cons
- Hard-locked away from any Pierce on gear / nodes — Storm Cleaver Arrow won’t attach to bosses if you have stray Pierce sources.
- Hits mediocre damage before you can afford a high-DPS bow; SSF leveling is genuinely slow.
- Mana hungry on single target — needs the Mana flask suffixes (charges per second + amount recovered) to feel smooth.
- Radiant Grief takes the helmet slot, costing the energy-shield / evasion roll a rare helmet would bring.
Key Skills
- Gas Arrow — main damage. Links: Scattershot, Martial Tempo, Mutilate, Primal Armament + Magnified Effect (mapping) / Concentrated Effect (bossing).
- Tornado Shot + Overabundance + Font of Rage + Font of Mana — ritual / expedition utility, doubles the tornado limit and gives a small mana cluster while standing in it.
- Storm Cleaver Arrow + Stormfire + Conduction + Overcharge — guaranteed-ish 35% shock on any target, the build’s shock applicator.
- Solar Orb + Fire Exposure + Strip Away — exposure source, doubles as a long-range remote detonator that fires offscreen.
- Wind Dancer + Blind + Maim + Clarity — defensive reservation; quality this first for +1 max stages = ~19% more evasion.
- Herald of Ash at lowest level — ignite proc for Radiant Grief, linked with Cannibalism for sustain.
- Flammability + Persistence + Heightened Curse + Hex Bloom — keep at level 7 so the strength requirement stays trivial.
Gear & Anointments
Ideal weapon is a non-Dual String bow with high DPS — the extra-arrow implicit is worth roughly 25% more damage than a Dual String. Helmet is Radiant Grief (or any equivalent fire-source for auto-detonation). The quiver is the main attack-stat slot: flat damage to attacks, projectile speed, attack speed, mana on kill (huge for sustain). Body armour, boots, and the helmet alternative all chase raw evasion to hit Acrobatics. Flask suffixes matter more than usual here — instant partial-recovery on life flask, gain charges per second on mana flask. Anoint Voracious or skip it for jewel slots if you reroute around it.
Endgame Notes
For pinnacle bosses the Gas Arrow last-link swaps to Concentrated Effect (mapping uses Magnified Effect). Storm Cleaver Arrow lasts the entire fight — only target the boss directly, not minions. Wind Dancer + the Windward + Last Lap cluster makes the build comfortable through pinnacle / uber tiers without needing to repec.
The Blue Flame Bracers corruption tech (reduce “100% fire converted to cold” below 100%) opens a Herald of Ice variant — you get Herald of Ice + freeze procs replacing the Herald of Ash ignite path. The creator considers it strictly stronger if you can afford the corrupt + a fresh Frostbite curse setup.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Ventrua. See the source video for full gameplay footage, gem-link visuals, and the Herald of Ice variant showcase: Auto-Exploding Gas Arrow | Deadeye Build Guide.