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Build Review: Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger
Introduction
In the ever-expansive and complex universe of Path of Exile 2, choosing the right build can make all the difference between a frustrating slog and an exhilarating power trip. Today, we delve into the Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger, a build that has garnered quite the reputation for its exceptional performance in both leveling and endgame content.
This build, expertly crafted and tested by veteran player Rex, showcases the potent capabilities of the Ranger class when optimized to leverage the devastating power of Lightning Arrow. What makes this build particularly unique is its focus on non-critical hits being “lucky,” which effectively doubles the damage outcomes, as well as its simplified playstyle that mainly revolves around one skill, supplemented by tactical combo techniques against bosses.
Playstyle & Feel
The Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger offers a seamless and gratifying gaming experience, marked by swift movement and explosive damage. It is a build crafted for both power and ease of use, making it accessible to players of various skill levels.
This build feels remarkably fast-paced because it primarily involves shooting and moving, without the need for complicated mechanics or skill rotations. Lightning Arrow, as the core skill, provides an efficient clearing tool that melts through enemies. As Rex describes, from T1 to T12 maps, virtually everything dies in one or two hits, creating a rapid, kinetic momentum that enables players to speed through content with minimal risk or effort.
Despite the simplicity of this build’s main rotation, it incorporates an interesting and entertaining tactic for handling tougher foes: the “lightning bomb” strategy. This involves using Orb of Storms in conjunction with Lightning Rod to create a high-damage burst effect that is highly effective against rares and bosses, adding an engaging layer of strategy without compromising the overall flow of the build.
Investment & Budget
One of the Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger’s most appealing aspects is its accessibility. While it certainly benefits from high-quality gear investments, especially in the endgame, it is functional and powerful enough without requiring exorbitant expenditure, making it relatively beginner-friendly.
Players can forego the expensive “bow attacks fire an additional arrow” implicit affix on high-tier bows at the start. This decision significantly reduces initial costs and allows more gradual investment progression. As Rex experienced, using a standard Zealot bow, which was acquired for a moderate sum of 30 exalts, proved sufficient for powering through T14 maps without a hitch.
Understanding and mastering the Path of Exile trade system is essential, as smart shopping can yield substantial improvements in gear without breaking the bank. Rex cleverly navigates these dynamics by prioritizing high physical damage rolls on bows and focusing on good quiver bonuses, like physical damage, attack speed, and projectile damage, which are often more affordable than other luxury stats.
Skill & Gem Setup
A meticulous skill and gem setup is paramount to fully harness this build’s potential. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Primary Skills and Supports
Lightning Arrow: This is the build’s cornerstone, responsible for the bulk of the damage. Key support gems include:
– Marshall Tempo: Boosts attack speed, critical for maintaining rapid-fire pressure.
– Lightning Infusion: Enhances lightning damage to maximize Elemental damage output.
– Heft: Significantly increases physical damage, resulting in higher converted lightning damage.
– Primal Armament: Adds elemental damage, amplifying the overall DPS of Lightning Arrow.
– Scatters: Enhances projectile effectiveness.
Lightning Rod and Orb of Storms: This potent combo is reserved for high-priority targets.
– Lightning Exposure: Lowers enemy resistances, applied primarily with Lightning Rod for increased efficacy against bosses.
– Concentrated Effect: Boosts damage output against targets underneath the lightning barrage.
Utility Skills
Herald of Thunder: Adds utility and damage by increasing the damage from subsequent attacks after killing a shocked enemy.
– Execute, Lightning Mastery, and Elemental Focus: Enhance damage further by improving the effectiveness of elemental attacks and managing ailment inflictions.
Voltaic Mark: Applied to bosses for additional damage amplification, particularly beneficial when paired with Inspiration and Magnified Effect.
Cast-On-Shock with Ball Lightning: Automatically triggers on shocking an enemy, adding additional layers of damage through the Ball Lightning’s interactions with Lightning Rod.
Gear & Unyque’s
Weapons & Quiver
Bows: Prioritize bows with high physical damage to leverage the physical-to-lightning conversion. The “fire an additional arrow” implicit is highly desirable but should be considered a late-game luxury due to its cost.
Quivers: Look for bonuses to physical damage, projectile speed, and attack speed. Quality quivers with desirable mods become increasingly impactful due to the quiver-magnifying nodes in the passive tree.
Armor & Accessories
Body Armor: Focus on high evasion and spirit stats to fully capitalize on survival mechanics. Evasion is especially critical, as it doubles from body armor, providing a significant chunk of defensive prowess.
Helm & Gloves: Evasion, life, and resistances are the priority. Additional offensive stats, like flat damage, are beneficial here as well.
Rings & Belt: Rings should enhance damage, life, and resistances, and potentially address mana-related issues. Belts serve primarily to boost life and resistances, with the added benefit of charm slots for additional customization.
Boots: Emphasize movement speed, evasion, and life—core stats that all directly contribute to the overall nimbleness and survival of this build.
Passive Tree & Ascendancy
The passive skill tree is tailored to maximize lightning damage and effective shock application. Efficacious pathing leads to the acquisition of essential nodes that boost elemental damage, shock effectiveness, and penetration of enemy resistances.
Key Nodes
Acrobatics: Achieved by investing in evasive nodes, Acrobatics grants significant dodge potential in combination with evasion, forming the build’s defensive backbone.
Lightning Rod Cluster: Critical for enabling “lucky” damaging hits with lightning attacks, appreciably boosting overall DPS by ensuring that damage outcomes favor the highest potential rolls.
Quiver Magnification Nodes: Help transform good quiver stats into exceptional damage increases, underscoring the importance of prioritizing robust quivers when selecting gear.
Ascendancy
Deadeye: Known for pushing projectile-based abilities to their limit, this choice grants essential benefits like additional projectiles and Tailwind, which compounds with increased attack speed to deliver devastating volleys of arrows.
Performance
The Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger excels across all facets of gameplay, from rapid map clearing to handling the toughest of bosses. In mapping scenarios, its unparalleled speed allows players to zip through dense packs of enemies, massacring them with single shots. The build shines especially in high-tier maps where enemy density boosts shot effectiveness and map sustain through repeated engagement.
In terms of boss performance, the clever usage of the Orb of Storms and Lightning Rod combination provides an efficient and highly damaging approach to quickly dismantle even the most formidable foes. This strategic depth ensures players remain engaged and rewarded with every successfully executed boss encounter.
While the build initially does not require highly sophisticated or expensive gear, its inherent power scaling ensures excellent performance deep into the endgame, allowing players to tackle progressively challenging content with relative ease.
Conclusion
The Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger is an exceptional choice for players who want an effective, straightforward, but also dynamic playstyle. It provides a beautifully fluid gameplay experience, balancing raw power with user-friendly mechanics. By judiciously investing time into understanding gear optimization and strategic skill deployment, players can enjoy all that Path of Exile 2 has to offer while wielding one of its most potent and engaging builds. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of Wraeclast or just embarking on your first adventure, this build promises a thrilling journey filled with exhilarating victories.
