Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant Build 3.25 is a powerful and versatile build in Path of Exile, capable of clearing maps with ease and tackling endgame content. Discover how this build utilizes mana stacking for both offense and defense, ensuring your Hierophant is a force to be reckoned with. Visit CONDUCT.EDU.VN for further build guides and character optimization strategies.
1. Introduction to the Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant Build
The Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build is a popular choice for Path of Exile players looking for a powerful and efficient character. This build focuses on maximizing mana to scale both damage and defense, making it a well-rounded choice for tackling various content in the game. With the 3.25 update, this build remains a strong contender due to its adaptability and effectiveness. As CONDUCT.EDU.VN continues to provide expert guides, it’s crucial to understand the core mechanics that make this build shine.
1.1 Understanding the Core Mechanics
The build revolves around the following key mechanics:
- Archmage Support: This support gem is the cornerstone, converting a significant portion of mana into added lightning damage for spells. The more mana you have, the more damage you deal.
- Ice Nova: This spell deals cold damage in an area around a targeted enemy or your character. It’s the primary damage dealer for this build.
- Hierophant Ascendancy: This class offers several benefits, including increased mana, mana regeneration, and totem support, making it an ideal choice for a mana-stacking build.
1.2 Why Choose This Build?
- High Damage Potential: The Archmage Support allows for significant damage scaling based on your mana pool.
- Excellent Survivability: Mana acts as both an offensive and defensive resource, providing a buffer against damage.
- Versatile Playstyle: Suitable for clearing maps quickly and tackling tough bosses.
- League Start Viability: Can be effectively played from the start of a new league with minimal gear requirements.
2. Defining Your Playstyle: Aggressive vs. Defensive
When creating an Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build, you should consider your preferred play style. The choices you make in Passive Tree, Gems, and Gear can either provide you with more damage or a higher survival rate.
2.1 Aggressive Playstyle
The Aggressive playstyle favors a more damage-oriented build for Path of Exile players who want to annihilate enemies quickly. It means maximizing damage output through strategic allocation of passive skill points, selection of gems, and acquisition of specific gear that enhances the character’s offensive capabilities. This may include prioritizing damage nodes on the passive tree, choosing support gems that boost damage output significantly, and equipping gear that increases critical strike chance, critical strike multiplier, spell damage, or elemental damage.
Pros of the Aggressive Playstyle
- Higher Clear Speed: The aggressive playstyle provides you with a quick clearing of maps due to the high damage output.
- Fast Boss Kills: If you prefer defeating bosses quickly, the aggressive playstyle helps you take them down.
- Satisfying Gameplay: For those who enjoy overwhelming enemies and seeing big damage numbers, this build offers a gratifying gaming experience.
Cons of the Aggressive Playstyle
- Lower Survivability: Since the Aggressive playstyle depends so much on high damage, you need to sacrifice defense and survivability.
- Higher Gear Dependency: To maintain an acceptable defense, it demands high-end gear.
2.2 Defensive Playstyle
The Defensive playstyle focuses on a character’s ability to withstand damage and remain alive for extended periods. This involves allocating passive skill points to increase life, energy shield, or armor, selecting support gems that enhance survivability, and acquiring gear that provides additional defensive layers such as increased resistances, block chance, or evasion.
Pros of the Defensive Playstyle
- High Survivability: You can withstand significant amounts of damage, making it suitable for difficult content.
- Consistent Performance: Less dependent on specific gear rolls or affixes, allowing for more consistent performance.
- Easier Progression: Provides more safety during the leveling and gearing process, making it easier to progress through the game.
Cons of the Defensive Playstyle
- Lower Damage Output: Sacrificing damage to achieve higher survivability results in slower clear speed and boss kills.
- Slower Clear Speed: Clear speed may be reduced compared to damage-oriented builds.
2.3 Key Differences in Playstyle
| Feature | Aggressive Playstyle | Defensive Playstyle |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Damage Output | Survivability |
| Survivability | Lower | Higher |
| Clear Speed | Faster | Slower |
| Boss Kills | Quicker | Slower |
| Gear Dependency | High | Moderate |
3. Passive Skill Tree and Leveling Guide
The passive skill tree is crucial for optimizing your Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you level efficiently:
3.1 Early Leveling (Levels 1-30)
- Skills: Start with Arc or Spark for leveling, as they are effective early-game spells.
- Passive Tree: Focus on mana regeneration, elemental damage, and life nodes.
- Key Nodes:
- Arcane Focus: Increased mana regeneration.
- Elemental Overload: Provides a chance to deal more damage.
- Leveling Gems:
- Arc – Spell Echo – Added Lightning Damage
- Use Clarity to sustain your mana.
3.2 Mid-Leveling (Levels 30-60)
- Skills: Transition to Ice Nova around level 38 when you acquire the Archmage Support gem.
- Passive Tree: Begin allocating points towards mana stacking and elemental penetration.
- Key Nodes:
- Mind Over Matter: A significant defensive layer, taking damage from mana before life.
- Lightning Mastery: Elemental damage and penetration.
- Leveling Gems:
- Ice Nova – Archmage Support – Spell Echo – Added Lightning Damage – Controlled Destruction
3.3 Late-Game (Levels 60+)
- Skills: Optimize your Ice Nova setup for maximum damage and survivability.
- Passive Tree: Focus on completing your mana stacking nodes and defensive layers.
- Key Nodes:
- Sanctuary of Thought: Increases mana and mana regeneration.
- Inner Conviction: Provides increased spell damage based on your number of power charges.
- Gem Setup:
- Ice Nova – Archmage Support – Spell Echo – Added Lightning Damage – Controlled Destruction – Hypothermia
3.4 Detailed Passive Tree Breakdown
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of essential passive tree nodes:
| Node Name | Description | Why It’s Important |
|---|---|---|
| Arcane Focus | Increases mana regeneration. | Essential for sustaining mana early in the game. |
| Elemental Overload | Provides a chance to deal more damage. | Offers a significant damage boost early on. |
| Mind Over Matter | 30% of damage is taken from mana before life. | A core defensive layer that allows mana to act as a buffer. |
| Lightning Mastery | Increased lightning damage and penetration. | Enhances damage output significantly. |
| Sanctuary of Thought | Increases mana and mana regeneration. | Provides the mana needed for Archmage Support and sustain. |
| Inner Conviction | Grants increased spell damage based on your number of power charges. | Adds a substantial damage boost with power charge generation. |
| Divine Guidance | Increases maximum mana and mana regeneration rate. | Essential for improving both damage and sustain. |
| Agnostic | Removes energy shield and recovers life equal to a percentage of maximum mana spent. | The Keystone provides consistent health recovery in exchange for energy shield. |
Note: CONDUCT.EDU.VN can provide tailored passive skill tree builds based on specific content and playstyles.
4. Gem Choices and Setups
Choosing the right gems and linking them correctly is essential for maximizing your build’s potential. Here’s a comprehensive guide to gem setups:
4.1 Core Gem Setup
- Ice Nova: Your primary damage-dealing spell.
- Archmage Support: Converts mana into added lightning damage.
- Spell Echo Support: Provides more casts per second, increasing damage output.
- Added Lightning Damage Support: Adds flat lightning damage to your spells.
- Controlled Destruction Support: Increases spell damage at the cost of critical strike chance.
- Hypothermia Support: Increases damage against chilled enemies.
This setup is the foundation of your damage output and should be prioritized.
4.2 Utility Gems
- Frostblink: A movement skill that helps you navigate maps quickly.
- Flame Dash: An alternative movement skill, especially useful for crossing gaps.
- Clarity: Provides mana regeneration to sustain your skills.
- Vaal Clarity: Instantly restores mana, useful in emergencies.
- Arcane Surge Support: Grants arcane surge on spell cast, increasing spell damage and mana regeneration.
4.3 Defensive Gems
- Cast When Damage Taken Support: Triggers linked spells when you take damage.
- Immortal Call: Provides brief invulnerability when triggered.
- Increased Duration Support: Extends the duration of Immortal Call.
- Molten Shell: Adds a layer of armor and explodes when damaged.
- Steelskin: Grants a temporary shield to absorb damage.
4.4 Example Gem Setups
Main Skill (6-Link):
- Ice Nova – Archmage Support – Spell Echo – Added Lightning Damage – Controlled Destruction – Hypothermia
Movement Skill (3-Link):
- Frostblink – Arcane Surge Support – Increased Duration Support
Defensive Setup (3-Link):
- Cast When Damage Taken Support (Level 1) – Immortal Call (Level 3) – Increased Duration Support
Aura Setup (4-Link):
- Clarity – Vaal Clarity – Arcane Surge Support – (Optional: Increased Duration)
4.5 Gem Leveling Priorities
- Ice Nova and Archmage Support: Level these gems as quickly as possible to maximize your damage.
- Spell Echo and Added Lightning Damage: These also contribute significantly to your damage and should be leveled promptly.
- Utility and Defensive Gems: While important, these can be leveled as you find the resources, as their impact is less critical to your overall damage output.
4.6 Gem Quality
Prioritize getting quality on your main damage gems. Here are some recommended quality types:
- Ice Nova: Divergent Ice Nova (Chance to create another nova)
- Archmage Support: Anomalous Archmage Support (Reduced Mana Cost)
- Spell Echo Support: Divergent Spell Echo (Increased Cast Speed)
- Added Lightning Damage Support: Anomalous Added Lightning Damage (Increased Damage Effectiveness)
4.7 Table of Gem Choices and Links
| Gem | Main Link | Support Link 1 | Support Link 2 | Support Link 3 | Support Link 4 | Support Link 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Nova | Archmage | Spell Echo | Added Lightning | Controlled Destruction | Hypothermia | N/A |
| Frostblink | Arcane Surge | Increased Duration | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| CWDT (Lvl 1) | Immortal Call (Lvl 3) | Increased Duration | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Clarity | Vaal Clarity | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
5. Gear Choices and Optimization
Selecting the right gear is essential for maximizing your build’s effectiveness. Here’s a breakdown of the best gear choices and how to optimize them:
5.1 Weapon
- Rare Wand or Scepter: Look for mods such as increased spell damage, added lightning damage, increased cast speed, and increased mana.
- Unique Options:
- Void Battery: Provides power charges and increased spell damage.
- Agnerod East: Offers increased lightning damage and cast speed.
5.2 Shield
- Rare Shield: Look for mods such as increased mana, mana regeneration, spell damage, resistances, and life.
- Unique Options:
- The Agnostic: Transforms all Energy Shield into Mana, and provides Life Regen based on Mana spent.
5.3 Helmet
- Rare Helmet: Look for mods such as increased mana, mana regeneration, resistances, and life.
- Enchant: Ice Nova damage or mana cost reduction.
- Unique Options:
- Kitava’s Thirst: Triggers socketed spells when you spend enough mana. Automates Frostbolt casting, useful for triggering Ice Nova.
- Crown of the Inward Eye: Converts Life and Energy Shield to Mana.
5.4 Body Armor
- Rare Body Armor: Look for mods such as increased mana, resistances, and life.
- Unique Options:
- Cloak of Defiance: Provides mana, mana regeneration, and the Mind Over Matter keystone.
5.5 Gloves
- Rare Gloves: Look for mods such as increased mana, resistances, life, and cast speed.
5.6 Boots
- Rare Boots: Look for mods such as increased movement speed, resistances, life, and mana.
- Enchant: Increased movement speed or mana regeneration.
5.7 Belt
- Rare Belt (Stygian Vise): Look for mods such as increased mana, resistances, life, and flask modifiers.
5.8 Rings
- Rare Rings: Look for mods such as increased mana, resistances, life, and added lightning damage to spells.
- Unique Options:
- Manastorm: It is used to trigger Energy Blade skill.
5.9 Amulet
- Rare Amulet: Look for mods such as increased mana, mana regeneration, spell damage, resistances, and life.
- Anoint: Arcane Potency for increased critical strike chance and power charge duration.
5.10 Flasks
- Mana Flask: Provides mana recovery during critical moments.
- Life Flask: Instant recovery to sustain during hard fights.
- Quicksilver Flask: Increases movement speed for faster mapping.
- Basalt Flask: Reduces physical damage taken.
- Jade Flask: Increases evasion chance.
- Quartz Flask: Provides Phasing and increased spell damage.
5.11 Table of Recommended Gear
| Slot | Primary Stats | Secondary Stats | Unique Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Spell Damage, Added Lightning Damage | Cast Speed, Mana | Void Battery, Agnerod East |
| Shield | Mana, Mana Regeneration | Spell Damage, Resistances | The Agnostic |
| Helmet | Mana, Mana Regeneration | Resistances, Life | Kitava’s Thirst, Crown of the Inward Eye |
| Body Armor | Mana, Resistances | Life | Cloak of Defiance |
| Gloves | Mana, Resistances | Life, Cast Speed | N/A |
| Boots | Movement Speed, Resistances | Life, Mana | N/A |
| Belt | Mana, Resistances | Life, Flask Modifiers | N/A |
| Rings | Mana, Resistances | Life, Added Lightning Damage | Manastorm |
| Amulet | Mana, Mana Regeneration | Spell Damage, Resistances | N/A |
6. Ascendancy Choices
The Hierophant ascendancy is the ideal choice for this build due to its mana-focused benefits:
6.1 Hierophant Ascendancy Nodes
- Divine Guidance: Increases maximum mana and mana regeneration rate. Essential for sustaining the mana-intensive Archmage Support.
- Arcane Blessing: Grants arcane surge on hitting an enemy with a spell, providing increased spell damage and mana regeneration.
- Sanctuary of Thought: Increases mana and mana regeneration, further enhancing your damage and survivability.
- The Agnostic: Removes energy shield and recovers life equal to a percentage of maximum mana spent. This provides consistent health recovery.
6.2 Ascendancy Skill Tree
The ideal order for selecting ascendancy nodes is:
- Divine Guidance
- Arcane Blessing
- Sanctuary of Thought
- The Agnostic
6.3 Why Hierophant?
- Mana Scaling: Hierophant directly supports the mana stacking strategy, providing more damage and sustain.
- Defensive Layers: The Agnostic offers a unique defensive layer by converting mana into life recovery.
- Arcane Surge: Arcane Blessing provides consistent arcane surge uptime, further boosting damage and mana regeneration.
7. Pantheon Choices
Choosing the right Pantheon powers can provide additional defensive and utility benefits:
7.1 Major Gods
- Soul of Lunaris: Offers increased movement speed and avoidance of projectiles, useful for mapping.
- Soul of Solaris: Provides reduced critical damage taken and a chance to avoid projectiles, ideal for boss fights.
7.2 Minor Gods
- Soul of Gruthkul: Reduces physical damage taken.
- Soul of Tukohama: Provides physical damage reduction when stationary.
- Soul of Abberath: Provides fire resistance and reduced burning ground effect.
7.3 Pantheon Setup Table
| Pantheon | Major God | Minor God |
|---|---|---|
| Mapping | Soul of Lunaris | Soul of Gruthkul |
| Bossing | Soul of Solaris | Soul of Tukohama |
8. Jewels
Jewels can provide additional stats to further optimize your build. Here are some recommended jewel mods:
8.1 Regular Jewels
- Increased maximum mana
- Increased mana regeneration rate
- Increased spell damage
- Increased cast speed
- Resistances
- Life
8.2 Unique Jewels
- Energy From Within: Converts life nodes to energy shield nodes within its radius. Useful for maximizing energy shield if you are not using The Agnostic keystone.
- The Traitor: Provides additional mana regeneration and flask sustain.
8.3 Corrupted Jewels
Look for corrupted jewels with beneficial implicit mods such as:
- Increased maximum mana
- Increased spell damage
- Increased cast speed
8.4 Table of Jewel Choices
| Jewel Type | Primary Stats | Secondary Stats | Unique Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Jewel | Mana, Spell Damage | Cast Speed, Resistances, Life | N/A |
| Unique Jewel | Mana Regeneration, Flask Sustain | N/A | The Traitor |
| Corrupted | Mana, Spell Damage, Cast Speed | N/A | N/A |
9. Flask Management
Effective flask management is crucial for maintaining your mana, life, and defenses. Here’s how to optimize your flask setup:
9.1 Flask Mods
- Increased Mana Recovery Rate: Essential for sustaining your mana pool.
- Increased Duration: Extends the duration of your flask effects.
- Reduced Mana Cost: Reduces the mana cost of skills while the flask is active.
- Increased Movement Speed: Enhances your mapping speed.
- Armor: Increases your armor, providing physical damage reduction.
- Curse Immunity: Grants immunity to curses, such as temporal chains.
9.2 Flask Setup
- Mana Flask: With increased recovery rate and reduced mana cost mods.
- Life Flask: With instant recovery and bleed removal mods.
- Quicksilver Flask: With increased duration and movement speed mods.
- Basalt Flask: With increased duration and armor mods.
- Jade Flask: With increased duration and evasion chance mods.
9.3 Flask Usage
- Mana Flask: Use this frequently to sustain your mana, especially during intense fights.
- Life Flask: Use this to quickly recover health when taking damage.
- Quicksilver Flask: Use this to move quickly between packs of enemies while mapping.
- Basalt Flask: Use this when facing physical damage-heavy encounters.
- Jade Flask: Use this when facing enemies with high accuracy.
9.4 Table of Recommended Flasks
| Flask Type | Base Type | Primary Mods | Secondary Mods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mana | Eternal Mana | Increased Recovery Rate | Reduced Mana Cost |
| Life | Divine Life | Instant Recovery | Bleed Removal |
| Quicksilver | Quicksilver | Increased Duration | Movement Speed |
| Basalt | Basalt | Increased Duration | Armor |
| Jade | Jade | Increased Duration | Evasion Chance |
10. Endgame Content and Strategies
Once you’ve geared up and leveled your Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant, you can tackle various endgame content. Here are some strategies for different types of content:
10.1 Mapping
- Clear Speed: Focus on maximizing your clear speed by using Frostblink to quickly move between packs of enemies.
- Map Mods: Avoid maps with “No Mana Regeneration” or “Elemental Reflect” mods, as these can significantly hinder your build.
10.2 Bossing
- Single Target Damage: Ensure you have enough single-target damage to take down bosses quickly. Use Vaal Clarity to sustain your mana during intense boss fights.
- Defensive Layers: Utilize your defensive layers, such as Mind Over Matter and The Agnostic, to mitigate damage.
10.3 Delving
- Sustain: Maintain your mana and life sustain while delving, as the darkness can quickly deplete your resources.
- Resistances: Ensure you have capped elemental resistances to survive elemental damage from enemies.
10.4 Simulacrum
- Area Damage: Maximize your area damage to clear waves of enemies quickly.
- Defense: Focus on survival with mana regen and defensive cooldowns to push through the waves.
10.5 League Mechanics
- Adaptability: Adapt your build to the specific mechanics of each league. For example, in the Affliction League, focus on clearing the darkness quickly to survive the affliction.
11. Troubleshooting and Common Issues
Here are some common issues that players encounter with the Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build and how to troubleshoot them:
11.1 Mana Sustain Issues
- Problem: Running out of mana frequently.
- Solution:
- Ensure you have enough mana regeneration rate on your gear and passive tree.
- Use Clarity and Vaal Clarity to sustain your mana pool.
- Consider using the “Reduced Mana Cost” craft on your rings and amulet.
- If you’re using Kitava’s Thirst, ensure it’s triggering Frostbolt frequently enough.
11.2 Survivability Issues
- Problem: Getting one-shot by enemies.
- Solution:
- Ensure you have enough life and mana.
- Use Mind Over Matter to take damage from mana before life.
- Use defensive flasks such as Basalt and Jade to mitigate damage.
- Upgrade defensive layers
11.3 Damage Issues
- Problem: Not dealing enough damage to clear content efficiently.
- Solution:
- Ensure you have the correct gem links and gem levels.
- Upgrade your weapon and other gear pieces to increase spell damage and added lightning damage.
- Allocate more points to damage nodes on the passive tree.
- Consider using power charges.
11.4 Table of Common Issues and Solutions
| Issue | Problem | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Mana Sustain | Running out of mana frequently | Increase mana regen, use Clarity/Vaal Clarity, reduce mana cost on gear, ensure Kitava’s Thirst triggers |
| Survivability | Getting one-shot by enemies | Increase life and mana, use Mind Over Matter, use defensive flasks, upgrade resistances |
| Damage Output | Not dealing enough damage | Correct gem links/levels, upgrade gear, allocate damage nodes on passive tree, use power charges |
12. Tips and Tricks for Optimizing Your Build
Here are some additional tips and tricks to help you optimize your Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build:
12.1 Crafting
- Crafting Bench: Use the crafting bench to add missing resistances, life, or mana to your gear.
- Essences: Use essences to add specific mods to your gear, such as added lightning damage or increased cast speed.
- Fossils: Use fossils to roll specific mods on your gear, such as increased mana or mana regeneration.
12.2 Trading
- Trade Sites: Use trade sites to find affordable gear pieces with the stats you need.
- Bulk Trading: Buy materials in bulk to save currency.
12.3 Advanced Mechanics
- Power Charges: Utilize power charges to boost your spell damage and critical strike chance.
- Curse Application: Use curses such as Conductivity to reduce enemy lightning resistance and increase your damage.
12.4 Community Resources
- Forums and Guides: Consult online forums and guides for additional tips and strategies.
- Streaming: Watch experienced players stream the build to learn new techniques and optimizations.
13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Is this build suitable for beginners?
Yes, the Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build is relatively beginner-friendly due to its straightforward playstyle and clear progression path.
Q2: Can this build clear all endgame content?
Yes, with proper gear and optimization, this build can clear all endgame content, including maps, bosses, and delves.
Q3: What are the most important stats to prioritize on gear?
Mana, mana regeneration, spell damage, resistances, and life are the most important stats.
Q4: What is the best way to sustain mana?
Using Clarity, Vaal Clarity, and having enough mana regeneration on your gear and passive tree.
Q5: Which Pantheon powers should I use?
Soul of Lunaris for mapping and Soul of Solaris for bossing.
Q6: How do I level this build?
Start with Arc or Spark and transition to Ice Nova around level 38.
Q7: What are the best gem links for Ice Nova?
Ice Nova – Archmage Support – Spell Echo – Added Lightning Damage – Controlled Destruction – Hypothermia.
Q8: What ascendancy should I choose?
Hierophant.
Q9: Can this build be played in Hardcore mode?
Yes, with a focus on defensive layers, this build can be played in Hardcore mode.
Q10: Where can I find more resources for this build?
CONDUCT.EDU.VN is a great resource, as well as online forums and streaming platforms.
14. Conclusion
The Archmage Ice Nova Hierophant build is a versatile and powerful choice for Path of Exile players. By following this comprehensive guide, you can optimize your build for maximum damage, survivability, and clear speed. Remember to adapt your build to the content you’re tackling and continuously optimize your gear and passive tree. For more detailed guides and resources, visit CONDUCT.EDU.VN. Our experts are committed to providing the most up-to-date information to help you dominate Wraeclast!
For additional support or questions, you can reach us at:
- Address: 100 Ethics Plaza, Guideline City, CA 90210, United States
- WhatsApp: +1 (707) 555-1234
- Website: conduct.edu.vn
Ensure you have the necessary knowledge to succeed by following these tips and tricks. Good luck, and may your Ice Novas always freeze your enemies in their tracks!
Alt text: Ice Nova of Frostbolts skill gem icon, showcasing the visual representation of the ability in Path of Exile.
Alt text: Frostbolt skill gem icon, illustrating the spell used to create projectiles for Ice Nova in the Path of Exile build.
Alt text: Archmage Support gem icon, emphasizing the support gem critical for mana-based damage scaling in the Ice Nova Hierophant build.
