Path of Exile 2 introduces a plethora of new mechanics, systems, and abilities, but one thing remains constant: the intense focus on customization and build diversity. One of the most exciting new builds in the upcoming sequel is the Glacial Lance Deadeye, a fast-paced, high-damage, and freezing ranged attack that brings a unique spin to the classic projectile build. As a Deadeye, a ranger subclass, you will be using the power of Glacial Lance to freeze and shatter enemies in your path while staying at a distance.

In this guide, we will break down the Glacial Lance Deadeye build for Path of Exile 2, covering essential aspects such as skill mechanics, optimal passive tree selections, gear, and useful tips for maximizing the damage output while also maintaining defense. Whether you're a new player or an experienced veteran, this guide will help you make the most of the Glacial Lance Deadeye and prepare you for the challenges in Poe 2 trade.

Overview of Glacial Lance and the Deadeye

Glacial Lance Skill Mechanics

Glacial Lance is a cold-based projectile skill that fires a lance of ice which pierces through enemies in a straight line. Upon impact, the lance explodes into a cluster of ice shards that deal damage in a small radius, freezing and slowing enemies caught within the blast. The skill is highly efficient for both single-target and area of effect (AoE) damage, making it perfect for dealing with large packs of enemies or high-health bosses.

What makes Glacial Lance particularly interesting is its ability to spread cold damage through its piercing effect and freeze multiple enemies in one shot. The skill also benefits from increased projectile speed, cold damage modifiers, and pierce effects, which synergize well with the Deadeye ascendancy, allowing for even greater damage output.

Deadeye Ascendancy

The Deadeye ascendancy offers a variety of bonuses that work synergistically with projectile-based skills like Glacial Lance. Deadeyes are renowned for their ability to manipulate projectiles, increasing their damage and adding additional effects, such as piercing and chain effects. Here's how some of the Deadeye's ascendancy nodes benefit this build:

Ricochet: This node causes your projectiles to chain, allowing them to hit additional targets. This makes Glacial Lance even more potent in clearing packs of monsters, as it can hit multiple enemies with each shot.

Way of the Poacher: Increases your accuracy and critical strike chance. For projectile-based builds like Glacial Lance, this node ensures that you hit your targets with maximum precision, which is especially useful for maintaining consistent DPS.

Far Shot: This node increases the damage dealt by your projectiles based on the distance between you and your target. Since Glacial Lance benefits from increased projectile speed and range, this node can provide a huge damage boost, especially when you're firing from a distance.

Fast and Deadly: This provides additional projectile speed and damage, both of which are important for Glacial Lance. Increased projectile speed enhances the ability to hit enemies from farther away, and faster projectiles make the skill more responsive and efficient.

Building the Glacial Lance Deadeye

Passive Skill Tree

When designing the Glacial Lance Deadeye, the primary focus of the passive skill tree will be on cold damage, projectile damage, and critical strike chance. You will also want to pick up life and defensive layers such as evasion and energy shield to ensure you can survive in Path of Exile 2's more difficult content.

Here are some of the key nodes to focus on:

1. Cold Damage and Projectile Damage

Elemental Damage Nodes: The skill is cold-based, so you will want to prioritize elemental damage nodes, especially those that increase cold damage. Picking up nodes such as Frost Walker (which increases cold damage) and Projectile Damage nodes will improve both the single-target and AoE capabilities of your Glacial Lance.

Projectile Damage: There are multiple nodes in the passive tree dedicated to projectile damage. Glacial Lance, being a projectile-based skill, will benefit greatly from these modifiers, increasing the overall damage of each lance.

2. Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier

Critical Strike Nodes: The Deadeye ascendancy synergizes perfectly with critical strike-based builds. Prioritize Critical Strike Chance and Critical Strike Multiplier on the passive tree. These will drastically improve your damage output, especially when paired with Glacial Lance's potential for high crits.

Crit and Cold Damage: There are specific nodes that improve cold damage while critting, making it easier to shatter frozen enemies.

3. Evasion and Survivability

Evasion: As a ranger, your primary defense will come from evasion and dodge. The Deadeye has access to evasion and movement speed, and these are essential for staying out of harm's way while dealing damage. Focus on evasion rating, dodge, and life nodes to boost your defense.

Energy Shield and Life: Depending on your preference, you can choose to invest in energy shield or life as your primary source of survivability. Combining both will give you a balanced defense strategy that works well in PoE 2's harsh environment.

Ascendancy Breakdown

Ricochet – This is the most powerful ascendancy node for Glacial Lance, as it causes your projectiles to chain to additional enemies. Chaining allows your Glacial Lance to hit multiple enemies, increasing both AoE damage and single-target damage, especially with the pierce effects.

Far Shot – This node increases the damage of your projectiles based on their distance from the target. This synergizes incredibly well with Glacial Lance's high projectile speed, as it rewards you for staying further away from your enemies.

Way of the Poacher – Provides a boost to critical strike chance and accuracy, ensuring that your Glacial Lance hits reliably and delivers solid damage. Since Glacial Lance is a projectile skill, these bonuses are crucial for keeping your damage consistent.

Fast and Deadly – This node increases projectile speed, which is invaluable for a Glacial Lance build. The faster your projectiles travel, the quicker they reach your targets, increasing both your damage output and your ability to clear content.

Gems and Support Links

To make the most of your Glacial Lance Deadeye, you'll need to pair your skill with the right support gems to enhance its damage and utility.

Main Skill Links:

Glacial Lance – The main skill that should be linked to the following support gems:

Elemental Damage with Attacks – Increases elemental damage, especially cold damage.

Projectile Damage – Boosts the overall damage of Glacial Lance's projectiles.

Cold Penetration – Reduces the enemy's cold resistance, amplifying your cold damage output.

Hypothermia – Increases damage against chilled or frozen enemies, which you'll be doing frequently with Glacial Lance.

Added Cold Damage – Adds more cold damage to your Glacial Lance.

Aura and Buff Skills:

Precision – Provides more accuracy and critical strike chance, ensuring you hit your target more reliably and crit more often.

Anger – Increases your overall fire damage, synergizing with cold damage for a more balanced elemental damage setup.

Hatred – Provides an immense boost to your cold damage, directly benefiting Glacial Lance.

Movement and Utility:

Dash/Flame Dash – Use one of these for mobility to quickly reposition in battle and avoid damage.

Vaal Grace – Grants you evasion and dodge bonuses, making you harder to hit.

Gear and Itemization

For your Glacial Lance Deadeye, you will need a balance of offense and defense, which means focusing on cold damage, critical strike modifiers, evasion, and life/energy shield. Below are key considerations for your gear:

Weapon

Bows: A high DPS bow with cold damage and critical strike chance is essential for this build. Look for modifiers such as increased cold damage, critical strike chance, and projectile speed on the bow.

Quiver: A quiver with cold damage, critical strike multiplier, and projectile damage will greatly enhance your damage.

Armor

Chest: Look for a high evasion chest with life and resistances. A 6-link chest is ideal, especially if you can fit in all the necessary support gems.

Helmet: Seek out critical strike chance or cold damage modifiers for your helmet. An enchant that boosts cold damage or projectile damage will further increase your effectiveness.

Gloves and Boots: Aim for evasion, life, and movement speed on your gloves and boots. These defensive stats will help you survive longer in high-tier content.

Playstyle and Tips

Positioning: As a Deadeye, you'll benefit from staying at range. Use your projectile speed and Far Shot to deal damage from a distance, while utilizing evasion to avoid being hit by enemies.

Kiting: Don't be afraid to kite enemies while you take them down. Glacial Lance allows you to control the flow of battle, especially when combined with its freezing effects.

Mapping: When mapping, prioritize clear speed by leveraging Ricochet and Hypothermia to freeze and shatter enemies in packs. For bosses, focus on keeping your distance and applying consistent damage with Glacial Lance's piercing and chaining effects.

Conclusion

The Glacial Lance Deadeye build in cheap POE 2 Currency is a powerful and flexible choice for players who enjoy ranged combat, critical strikes, and cold damage. By taking advantage of the Deadeye's ascendancy, combined with Glacial Lance's piercing and freezing effects, you can clear both mobs and bosses efficiently while maintaining strong defensive layers.

To succeed with this build, focus on projectile speed, critical strikes, and cold damage, while ensuring you have enough evasion and life to survive in high-tier content. With the right gear, gems, and tree, the Glacial Lance Deadeye will be an incredibly rewarding and effective choice for both new players and veterans in Path of Exile 2.