Overview
This is an off-meta take on Ice Shot that pairs a bow with the Martial Artist ascendancy instead of the obvious Deadeye. The Martial Master passive lets bow hits build combo, which is then spent on Tempest Bells — so the build layers ranged Ice Shot clear on top of a melee bell setup, using Tempest spells and power charges to stack buffs for big attack damage. It’s a hybrid that trades the raw ceiling of Deadeye for flexibility and theory-crafting freedom.
The damage identity is crit and freeze. Ice Shot creates a column of shards on hit, so placing a bell between you and a target nukes whatever is behind it with overlapping projectiles. Once an enemy freezes, damage scales exponentially, and Charged Frenzy plus Charge Regulation convert freezes into a steady stream of power and frenzy charges that feed crit chance and skill speed.
The creator cleared all content on this setup while having a blast, and is upfront that it isn’t quite as strong as a dedicated Deadeye at the very top end — the appeal is playing something different that still performs.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Ice Shot clear feels good across campaign and endgame
- Strong dedicated boss setup via Tempest Bell columns and freeze scaling
- Genuinely off-meta with real room to theory-craft it stronger
- Multiple stacking defensive layers (Evasion, Energy Shield, Ghost Dance, guard from Duality)
Cons
- A crit build — it doesn’t come online until you have several crit sources
- Tempest bells are melee, so their on-hit damage stays weak and can’t scale with projectiles
- Requires a weapon-swap setup (bow on set one, quarterstaff + bell on set two)
- Not as strong as Deadeye at the highest levels
Key Skills
- Ice Shot — main clear and single-target; column of shards behind a bell
- Tempest Bell — combo-spender on weapon set two for concentrated boss damage
- Freezing Mark — mandatory; boosts freeze build-up and applies shock ground for extra damage
- Ice Shot Barrage — empowerment buff applying exposure
- Charged Frenzy + Charge Regulation — freeze-to-charge engine feeding crit chance and skill speed
Gear & Anointments
Gear is described as nothing crazy but with a few key pieces. Kadira’s Gambit quiver is the standout — its reversing arrows effectively double-hit enemies and enable the stacked-buff blow-ups that make the build shine. An int-base Energy Shield helmet (converted to Evasion via Subterfuge Mask) is worth the intelligence investment, so build all-attributes on the amulet and rings. Gloves use the Colonist rune and Way of the Stone Fist, prioritising critical damage and arcane-surge-on-crit (projectile speed is the best-in-slot alternative to mana). Power Treads boots grant crit damage per power charge. Extra rune slots round out resistances and utility. Specific rolls to confirm against the source video.
Endgame Notes
The tree wants crit damage, crit chance, attack damage, cold damage, freeze build-up and defensive layers, with a second-weapon-set point allocation dedicated to boosting the mark (Onslaught, Noble Wolf, magnitude-of-shock nodes). Hollow Keeper’s reduced ailment effect is called out as underrated for survivability.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Player Ay. See the source video for full gameplay footage and commentary: Ice Shot Martial Artist Is Secretly Insane — Path of Exile 2.