Ice Shards ❄️ Frost Cowboy

Will update for S13 Mid May - Have final exams until May 6th

Welcome to Ice Shards Shard Blaster. Ice Shards is a solid build that feels a little wild wild west like as you gun-sling around railing Ice Shards into enemies, watching em' richochet around. 11/10 good time.

Ice Shards

General Overview

Ice Shards is a Frost Core skill that shoots 5 icicles out like a machine gun. The Hail of Verglas unique helmet greatly increases your damage, and it now fires 7 ice shards out in a fan/cone shape. This fan tightens or widens depending on where your cursor is (MnK) or Target is (controller).

It's a relatively simply build. You just slang Ice Shards around and try to keep barriers up by spamming cooldowns to not die. There ain't much to it, welcome to Sorcerer.

The new shiny unique mace Orsivane

In the past the build used Azurewrath as it's main damage source, but Ice Shards itself is looking decent due to recent buffs to Avalanche, Aspect of Frozen Memories, Aspect of Piercing Cold, and the addition of Orsivane.

The new mace this season Orsivane provides 40% damage for each defensive not on your skill bar, and also grants the missing defensive's enchantment for free.

Free Enchantments from Orsivane

• Mystical Frost Nova enchant that procs off any Lucky hit for 15% damage
• Mystical Ice Armor for a 6 second 56% max life barrier on potion press that grants damage to Frozen enemies
• Shimmering Teleport enchant gives a teleport evade every 3.5 seconds with enchantment master that lets us make crackling energy for Convulsions damage
• Flame Shield enchant gives you some immunity frames when you take too much damage, which then goes on a 30 second cooldown.

These Free Enchantments do NOT grant additional damage from the Enchantment Master legendary. Sorry folks.

Attack Speed Breakpoints courtesy of Avarilyn

Attack Speed Breakpoints courtesy of Avarilyn

• These are the attack speed breakpoints for Ice Shards when using Orsivane and an Offhand Focus.
• • There are 60 frames in a second, and as you get more attack speed the required frames to cast gets lower in discrete intervals.
  • All Credits to Avarilyn at Maxroll
  • Ex. If you have 113% attack speed, your cast animation will total 17 frames
  • Ex. If you have 125% attack speed, you cast animation will STILL total 17 frames as you need to reach 126.54% to reach 16 frames per cast
• 23 Frames = 54.96%
• 22 Frames = 62.57%
• 21 Frames = 71.13%
• 20 Frames = 80.52%
• 19 Frames = 87.30%
• 18 Frames = 98.78%
• 17 Frames = 112.24%
• 16 Frames = 126.54%
• 15 Frames = 143.55%
• 14 Frames = 163.58%
• 13 Frames = 178.92%

All in all the Goal is to get enough attack speed from Cap 1 and Cap 2 combined to hit 14 or 13 frames

• Cap 1
• • Rampage Attack Speed affixes (Seasonal Bloodied Items)
  • Attack Speed affixes like on Ring of Starless Skies
  • Elixir of Advantage
• Cap 2 = We get 85%
• • 60% from Invoked Ice Blades
  • 25% from Prime Unstable Currents

Survivability (Find Temerity)

• Max Life is the most important stat for overall survivability as it increases your effective health pool towards all damage and applies to our Barriers
• Armor is the next most important stat as it increases your damage reduction from everything
• Once you have Temerity, then you will just naturally make barriers by dealing damage with the LIFE ON HIT affix of your Focus.

Leveling Guides

• If you are not level 60 yet, check out our Sorcerer Leveling Guides
• How to level quickly

Masterworking & Tempering Guides

• Masterworking and Tempering Guide

Bloodied Affixes (Seasonal)

• Items can drop with a bloodied affix that procs when you are on killstreaks
• There are 3 categories
• • Rampage (Armor): You want Primary Core Stat per killstreak tier to get more Intelligence
  • Feast (Weapons): You want Berserking for 4 seconds after 25 kills for 15% damage
  • Hunger (Jewelry): These are just QOL effects like more Experience or Rampage items, etc

Lair Boss Loot Tables (Uniques)

• How to farm Unique items like Hail of Verglas or Temerity

Mar 9, 2026 - build created for S12

Mar 18, 2026 - Added attack speed per killstreak tier and crit chance per tier rampage affix to two gear (gloves/boots)