Ice Nova Comet Stormweaver Endgame Build

Introduction

This guide has been updated for Return of the Ancients (Patch 0.5) and can be used for the league start. The site tools for the Passive Tree and tooltip descriptions will be updated soon.

The Ice Nova Comet Stormweaver Sorceress is an insane speed-farming build, capable of destroying entire screens of enemies while flying through maps. Cold-Infused Ice Nova explodes in a massive area, triggering Fire-Infused Comet from Cast on Critical to deal devastating damage. Rain down great balls of fire with this top-tier endgame build!

This build guide assumes you have reached endgame maps around Level 65. If you have not yet completed the campaign, follow the Ice Nova Leveling Build Guide.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Build Mechanics

Mana Sustain

The Mana costs of Skills continue to grow as you increase Skill Gem Levels, and most support gems multiply costs even further. Ensure you obtain the following sources of Mana sustain. Aim for at least 2,000 Maximum Mana, 300 Mana Recovery per second, and 2% Mana on Kill.

• Obtain Maximum Mana and Mana Regeneration Rate through affixes on gear. Double-check the stat priority list in the Gear section.
• Allocate Mana Efficiency nodes in two clusters of the Passive Skill Tree (Efficient Casting and Conservative Casting).
• Obtain a 2% Mana on Kill affix on one of your Jewels.
• Socket Efficiency II and Zenith II in sockets listed in the Skill Gem section to reduce casting costs.
• The Stormweaver’s Constant Gale and Force of Will grant a permanent Arcane Surge that multiplies Mana Regeneration Rate with increased effect as Mana is spent.
• Activate your Mana Flask when Mana is rapidly depleted by triggered Comets.
• As a last resort, 3 Passive Points can be reallocated from the Lucidity Cluster to obtain Arcane Remnants in the Passive Tree. This swap is only recommended in juiced temples if you already have enough Energy Shield.

Survivability

Life, Energy Shield, and Mana are scaled together to enhance survivability. Maximum Energy Shield can easily be increased through the Passive Tree and gear to around 5,000. Force of Will, the Lucidity cluster in the Passive Tree, and the Greatwolf’s Rune of Willpower provide 51% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life to effectively split incoming damage, adding about 1,800 Life and 2,200 Mana to the effective hit pool.

Infusions

Ice Nova and Comet consume Infusions to greatly empower their damage.

Siphon Elements is the primary source of Infusions. In addition to the base Cold damage of the Skills, Extra Fire Damage and Extra Lightning Damage are obtained on a Staff. Damage of all Elements applies Freeze, Ignite, and Shock to enemies to generate every Infusion from Siphon Elements.

Snap is another source of Infusions that can be cast on surviving enemies to finish them off or corpses (if they are not shattered from being Frozen).

The Stormweaver’s Refracted Infusion grants another Infusion of a different Element when collecting an Infusion to double the gains.

Cold Infusions are generated by Frost Bomb after it explodes. The orb limit is increased by Overabundance II, and then Spell Echo doubles the cast.

Damage and Critical Hits

Increasing damage output is extremely important for this build to function, as it effectively scales exponentially. Damage increases cause your Spells to hit harder, which also generates more Energy for Cast on Critical to trigger Comet more often. Dealing more damage also has a higher chance to apply Freeze, Shock, and Ignite to generate Infusions with Siphon Elements and Snap.

Aim for at least 50% Critical Hit Chance for Ice Nova. Ambush supports Ice Nova to double its Critical Hit Chance to guarantee it on the first hit against enemies. Anoint Preemptive Strike on your Amulet to also gain 100% increased Critical Damage Bonus against Enemies that are on Full Life. This setup allows the high base damage of Cold-Infused Ice Noves to instantly kill most enemies in one hit and trigger Comet from Cast on Critical consistently.

Ensure you prioritize the following stats in this build, as they make a significant difference in performance.

• Level up to allocate additional Passive Skill Points for damage.
• Skill Levels provide the most significant damage upgrades. Up to 36 Levels of Ice Nova can be obtained with a Level 21 Corrupted Ice Nova Skill Gem, Staff (+7 Cold affix and +1 All Spells Rune), Amulet (+3 All Spells), Prism of Belief Diamond Jewel (+3 Ice Nova), and Endless Blizzard in the Passive Tree.
• Obtain high Spell Damage, Elemental Damage, and Critical Damage Bonus values on your Staff and Rare Jewels. Refer to the Gear section for more details on stat priority.
• Anoint Preemptive Strike on your Amulet to deal more damage on the first hit of Arc against enemies, along with Ambush to guarantee the Critical Hit.
• If you are lacking damage, avoid stacking too many defensive Monster modifiers on your maps, like Life, Ailment Threshold, Reduced Extra Damage from Critical Hits, and Elemental Resistances (if you do not have Rakiata’s Flow).

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Skill Rotation

Follow the basic skill rotation below to clear groups of enemies in maps:

1. Cast Ice Nova to deal damage, Freeze enemies, and trigger Comet from Cast on Critical.
2. Cast Snap on any Frozen enemies to explode them and generate Infusions. It can also be cast on corpses to refill Infusions after a fight, if they have not been shattered.
3. Against tougher enemies, manually cast Comet from the Skill Bar.

Execute the steps below to optimize damage against bosses:

1. For maximum damage against Pinnacle and Citadel bosses, swap Magnified Area II to Living Bomb in the Cast on Critical setup for Fire Infusions. Stand close enough to the target to pick up the remnants. This Gem swap should not be necessary against Map bosses if you already have appropriate damage.
2. If you need Cold Infusions, cast Frost Bomb before the fight and wait for them to explode.
3. Cast Sigil of Power from a Chiming Staff equipped in Weapon Set 2 to buff damage. If Sigil of Power is being precast before a boss spawns, its stages can be ramped up by spamming Snap without a target.
4. Switch back to Weapon Set 1 (Skills can be set to automatically swap).
5. Cast Elemental Weakness to reduce the Resistance of the boss. Elemental Weakness can be precast before a boss spawns if supported by Cursed Ground.
6. Continue to cast Frost Bomb to apply Elemental Exposure.
7. Wind up a Comet to land as the boss spawns. Zarokh’s Refrain lands 4 Comets per cast, but causes the Skill to have a short Cooldown. Ice Nova can be cast while Comet is on Cooldown, but ensure you have full Mana ready for the next manually-cast Comet. Do not spam Ice Nova too quickly, as Comet does not trigger if you do not have the Mana available.

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Skill Gems, Spirit Gems, and Support Gems

The Ice Nova Comet Stormweaver utilizes the following Skill Gems, Spirit Gems, and Support Gems. Gem Sockets are listed in order of priority.

Equip a Chiming Staff in Weapon Set 2 to unlock Sigil of Power, which provides a damage buff against bosses. Ensure you set all your other skills to only be used with Weapon Set 1, so you automatically swap back.

Against pinnacle bosses, swap Magnified Area II socketed in Cast on Critical to Living Bomb (Level 3) to generate Fire Infusions. Ensure Living Bomb is inserted in a socket before Comet (highest Level possible).

All Skill Gems should be leveled as high as possible, except for Living Bomb, which can be kept at the minimum of Level 3 for the lowest Mana cost.

At least 21 additional Spirit is required to activate Cast on Critical (apply 20% Quality for Reduced Reservation Efficiency) and Siphon Elements. Equip a Helmet with a corrupted mod or an Amulet with a Spirit affix.

If you can obtain a total of 176 Spirit, Blasphemy with Temporal Chains can be activated to enhance survivability. Dialla’s Desire can support Blasphemy, reducing the requirement to 168 Spirit.

Rakiata’s Flow is the final expensive upgrade and is not included in the Skill Gem setup below. After you obtain Rakiata’s Flow, replace the Zenith II socketed into Ice Nova to clear maps with the Additional Monster Elemental Resistance mod. Comet does not need to be supported by Rakiata’s Flow, as Elemental Weakness and Elemental Exposure are applied to bosses.

Perfect Jeweller’s Orb priority on Skill Gems: Ice Nova > Cast on Critical > Comet (manual) > Snap > Frost Bomb > Elemental Weakness.

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Ascendancy

Stormweaver is the recommended Ascendancy for the Ice Nova Sorceress. The chosen Ascendancy can be switched within the base class by repeating your highest trial completion.

Allocate the Ascendancy nodes for Stormweaver in the following order:

1. Constant Gale and Force of Will — These nodes grant a permanent Arcane Surge that increases in effect as Mana is spent, providing a massive boost to Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration. Force of Will also redirects 20% of damage taken to Mana before Life to enhance survivability.
2. Reflected Infusion — When collecting an Elemental Infusion created by Snap or Siphon Elements, gain another Elemental Infusion to maintain Cold Infusions for Ice Nova and Fire Infusions for Comet.
3. The allocation for the final Ascendany trial depend on the build variant:
   • Strike Twice — Targets can be affected by two of your Shocks at the same time with 25% less Magnitude, causing enemies to receive more damage.

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Passive Skill Tree

In the Passive Skill Tree, utilize attribute nodes to fulfill any Strength and Dexterity requirements, and then allocate the remaining points to Intelligence for Maximum Mana.

If you have Rakiata’s Flow supporting Ice Nova, Cold/Elemental Penetration in the Passive Tree is no longer needed. Skip the five nodes leading up to Glaciation (2) and Stormcharged (3).

The Passive Tree tool has not yet been updated with the newly added nodes in Patch 0.5, but you can still follow the setup.

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Gear

The preferred gear for the Ice Nova Comet Stormweaver is listed below with affixes ranked in order of importance. Prioritize Rare Items with the correct base stats and beneficial explicit affixes. Recommended Unique Items are listed below the Rare Item table.

At least 21 additional Spirit is required to activate Cast on Critical (apply 20% Quality for Reduced Reservation Efficiency) and Siphon Elements. Equip a Helmet with a corrupted mod or an Amulet with a Spirit affix.

If you can obtain a total of 176 Spirit, Blasphemy with Temporal Chains can be activated to enhance survivability. Dialla’s Desire can support Blasphemy, reducing the requirement to 168 Spirit.

Any leftover Spirit can be used to insert Clarity I or Clarity II into Siphon Elements.

Rare Items

Equipment Slot and Base Stats	Affix Priority	Notes
Staff	1. Extra Fire Damage and Extra Lightning Damage (both affixes are required to generate Infusions through Snap and Siphon Elements) 2. Level of all Cold/All Spell Skills (Cold Spell Skills can roll 1 Level higher than All Spell Skills) 3. Spell Damage 3. Critical Hit Chance for Spells 3. Critical Spell Damage Bonus 4. Extra Cold Damage 5. Cast Speed	Socket(s) Priority: 1. Hedgewitch Assandra’s Rune of Wisdom (limit 1) for +1 to Level of all Spell Skills 2. Saqawal’s Rune of the Sky (limit 1) for 5% Extra Damage of all Elements 3. Greater Desert Rune for 10% Extra Fire Damage
Helmet — Energy Shield	1. Spirit (affix from corruption) 2. Maximum and Increased Energy Shield (prioritize the highest total Energy Shield value to gain more Maximum Mana from jiquani’s Thesis) 3. Maximum Life and Maximum Mana (do not sacrifice Energy Shield) 4. Resistances 4. Critical Hit Chance 5. Attributes or Item Rarity	Socket(s) Priority: 1. jiquani’s Thesis (limit 1 Ancient Augment) to gain 1 Maximum Mana from every 2 Energy Shield on the Helmet 2. Any Rune that grants Resistance if not yet capped. 3. Idol of Eeshta for 12% Increased Cost Efficiency
Body Armor — Energy Shield	1. Maximum and Increased Energy Shield (prioritize the highest total Energy Shield value) 2. Resistances 3. Attributes	Socket(s) Priority: 1. The Greatwolf’s Rune of Willpower (limit 1) for 15% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life 2. Greater Iron Rune
Gloves — Energy Shield	1. Maximum Life 1. Maximum Mana 2. Resistances 2. Critical Damage Bonus 3. Maximum or Increased Energy Shield 4. Attributes or Item Rarity	Socket(s) Priority: 1. Any Rune that grants Resistance if not yet capped. 2. Fenumus’ Rune of Spinning (limit 1) for 8% increased Cast Speed
Boots — Energy Shield	1. Movement Speed 2. Maximum Mana 3. Maximum or Increased Energy Shield (prioritize the highest total Energy Shield value) 3. Resistances 4. Maximum Life 5. Attributes or Item Rarity	Socket(s) Priority: 1. Any Rune that grants Resistance if not yet capped. 2. Farrul’s Rune of the Chase (limit 1) for 5% Increased Movement Speed
Amulet	1. Spirit 2. Level of all Spell Skills 3. Maximum Mana 4. Maximum Life, Percent Maximum Life, or Percent Maximum Mana 4. Mana Regeneration Rate 5. Percent Maximum Energy Shield 6. Critical Hit Chance or Critical Damage Bonus 7. Cast Speed, Resistances, Attributes, or Item Rarity	Anointment Options: 1. Preemptive Strike (offensive) 2. Patient Barrier (defensive) Quality: Neural Catalyst
Rings — (Breach)	1. Maximum Mana 1. Percent Maximum Mana 1. Mana Regeneration Rate 1. Maximum Life 2. Resistances 2. Cast Speed 4. Energy Shield 5. Spell Damage 5. Attributes or Item Rarity	Quality: Neural Catalyst
Belt — Heavy (replaced by Headhunter)	1. Charm Slots (at least 2) 2. Maximum Mana 2. Maximum Life 3. Resistances 4. Attributes 5. Flask Life Recovery Rate 5. Charm Effect Duration 5. Stun Threshold	–

Unique Items

The following recommended Unique Items for the Ice Nova Comet Stormweaver are listed below.

• Headhunter is highly recommended if you enjoy juicing activities with additional Rare Monsters. This expensive item is worth the investment to grant powerful buffs, such as extra damage, faster speed, and area of effect.
• Kalandra’s Touch is optional to reflect a more expensive Rare Ring. Pair it with a Rare Ring that has an All Elemental Resistance affix for even distribution.

Jewels

The beneficial affixes for Jewels are listed below, ranked in order of importance. Prioritize Rare Jewels with two prefixes and two suffixes.

• Prefixes
  1. Increased Energy Shield
  2. Spell Damage, Elemental Damage
  3. Area of Effect, Magnitude of Ailments
• Suffixes
  1. Mana on Kill (only need on one Jewel at 2%)
  2. Critical Damage Bonus and Critical Spell Damage Bonus (can obtain both on a Jewel)
  3. Critical Strike Chance and Critical Strike Chance for Spells
  4. Cast Speed

Replace Rare Jewels with the following Unique Jewels when you can afford/obtain them.

• Prism of Belief Diamond (limit 1): 2-3 Levels of Ice Nova (for map clearing) or Comet (for boss killing) is a priority to increase damage output.
• Heart of the Well Diamond (limit 1): For the prefixes, obtain Extra Fire Damage and Extra Lightning Damage to Ignite and Shock. The suffixes can contain any combination of Critical Damage Bonus, Critical Spell Damage Bonus, Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Chance for Spells, Mana on Kill, and Movement Speed.

Campaign Buffs

Quest rewards during the campaign offer a selection of buffs to your character. Choose the following buffs for the build.

• Valley of the Titans Altar: 30% increased Charm Charges gained
• Venom Draught: 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
• Trial of Ngkanu: Resistances
• Goddess of Justice: 20% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
• Seven Pillars: +5% to Elemental Resistances (if not capped) or 3% Movement Speed

For more details, check the guide on Campaign Difficulties and Permanent Stat Bonuses.

Flasks and Charms

Prioritize the following Flasks and Charms.

• Health Flask and Mana Flask: Increased Amount Recovered, Increased Charges
• Charms
  1. Thawing Charm: Increased Duration, Increased Charges
  2. Stone Charm: Increased Duration, Increased Charges
  3. Amethyst Charm: Increased Duration, Increased Charges

A Rite of Passage with Spirit of the Owl (damage) or Spirit of the Stag (speed) can replace the Amethyst Charm if you can afford it.

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Changelog

• May 27th, 2025: Guide updated for the Return of the Ancients league (Patch 0.5).
• January 3rd, 2026: Build guide created for the Last of the Druids league (Patch 0.4).