|
Diablo
2 Amazon Bow and Crossbow Skills
Bow Skills
The Following Skills will do an Attack Rating / Defense check to
determine hit: Magic Arrow, Multiple Shot, and Strafe. All other Bow and
Crossbow Skills will always hit, regardless of monster level, Defense,
or Attack Rating.
Multishot vs Strafe
A question often asked is what are the differences between these two
skills, and which one should go for. The answer can only be decided by
you but here are some comparisons of the skills. You can read more about
each skill in their individual sections below.
Multishot is available early at
Character Level 6. Before sinking more points into Multishot try it out.
You can use items such as the Unique Eye of Etlich Amulet or a +1 to
Amazon Skills Amulet, or other +Skills items to boost Multishot up.
You'll have plenty of time to try it out until Character Level 24 when
Strafe is available.
Multishot
- Only ¾ of the Damage is taken from
your weapon.
- Good at hitting monsters off screen
- Fires more arrows for each
additional skill point
- Can be use to hit and run since
players are not locked while using the skill
- It is useful even with just a few
skill points
- Does not increase damage with more
skill points
- Mana cost increases with each skill
point - can be offset with % Mana Steal Items
Strafe
- Aims automatically at Targets
- Hits more targets for each
additional skill point (up to 10)
- Mana Cost remains fixed - you can
easily regain mana with % Mana Steal Items
- Strafe will fire at monsters in all
directions rather than just one direction at once
- Can put a lot of arrows into a
single monster if other monsters are lined up behind it
- Increases damage with each skill
point
- Character is frozen until it is
finished Strafing
 |
Magic
Arrow
Required Level: 1
Prerequisites: None
|
Far in the ancient past, Amazons found
their glorious arboreal city of Tran Athulua under siege by the pirates
of the Twin Seas. These cut-throats were determined to turn the Amazon
Islands into their base of operations. The conflict lasted many months
as the pirates laid in for a long siege. During the battle, supplies ran
short, and the Amazon archers found themselves without ammunition.
Realizing that their defense rested solely upon the ability of the
archers to keep the corsairs at bay, the priests of the city prayed to
Athulua to aid them. In answer, Athula infused the minds of the Amazons
with the power to harness their natural spiritual energies. One by one
the archers melded their determination and will into shards of physical
force that they then unleashed from their bows by the thousands, firmly
routing the corsairs back to sea.
Effect: Creates an arrow
composed entirely from Mana. Damage starts at the same level as a normal
arrow and increases with higher levels of training.
Magic Arrow requires no arrows (making
more Inventory space). This may be useful if you run out of arrows.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
1.5 |
1.3 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Damage |
0 |
+1 |
+2 |
+3 |
+4 |
+5 |
+6 |
+7 |
+8 |
+9 |
+10 |
+11 |
+12 |
+13 |
+14 |
+15 |
+16 |
+17 |
+18 |
+19 |
 |
Fire
Arrow
Required Level: 1
Prerequisites: None
|
Hefaetrus is the Amazonian god of fire
and rebirth who lives deep within the great volcano, Mount Arnazeus, on
the island of Philios. Although primarily the patron deity of farmers,
from time to time he bestows his favors upon the warriors of the
Islands, so they may keep safe his congregation. Through proper prayer
and the sacrifice of many fierce enemies, an especially brave Amazon can
attain the power to imbue her shots with the destructive power of fire,
allowing her to rake blazing missiles from her bow.
Effect: Enchants an arrow with
the additional damage of fire.
Fire Arrow is useful in early parts of
the game. Before putting more than one point into the skill, keep in
mind that Exploding Arrow and and Immolation Arrow are available at
higher Character Levels.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
3 |
3.2 |
3.5 |
3.7 |
4 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4.7 |
5 |
5.2 |
5.5 |
5.7 |
6 |
6.2 |
6.5 |
6.7 |
7 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
7.7 |
| Fire
Damage |
1-4 |
3-6 |
5-8 |
7-10 |
9-12 |
11-14 |
13-16 |
15-18 |
17-20 |
19-22 |
21-24 |
23-26 |
25-28 |
27-30 |
29-32 |
31-34 |
33-36 |
35-38 |
37-40 |
39-42 |
 |
Cold
Arrow
Required Level: 6
Prerequisites: None
|
Although winter never seems to find its
way to the ever-balmy Amazon Islands, cold climates are not unheard of.
The summit of Mount Karcheus on the island of Philios is covered with
snow all year long. Deep within an icy cave secluded amongst its
towering peaks, is the Great Hall of Mirrors where mighty Karcheus the
Watcher sits upon his throne. Ever vigilant, Karcheus keeps watch over
the people of the Amazons. Warriors who have trained within his temple
are able to instill their shots with the power of a freezing wind.
Effect: Enchants an arrow,
adding cold damage and slowing your enemy.
This is similar to the Sorceress Ice
Bolt spell. Monsters will be chilled when hit with Ice Arrow. When
killed, chilled monsters have the chance of shattering leaving no
corpse. This can be handy when dealing with monsters that raise corpses
such as Shaman.
Before focusing more than one point
into this skill keep in mind that Ice Arrow and Freezing Arrow are
available at higher Character Levels.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
3 |
3.2 |
3.5 |
3.7 |
4 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4.7 |
5 |
5.2 |
5.5 |
5.7 |
6 |
6.2 |
6.5 |
6.7 |
7 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
7.7 |
| Cold
Damage |
3 |
5 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
17 |
19 |
21 |
23 |
25 |
27 |
29 |
31 |
33 |
35 |
37 |
39 |
41 |
| Cold Length
(seconds) |
4 |
5.2 |
6.4 |
7.6 |
8.8 |
10 |
11.2 |
12.4 |
13.6 |
14.8 |
16 |
17.2 |
18.4 |
19.6 |
20.8 |
22 |
23.2 |
24.4 |
25.6 |
26.8 |
 |
Multiple
Shot
Required Level: 6
Prerequisites: Magic Arrow [1]
|
Legend has it that the fabled Amazon
archer, Palashia, bragged in her youth that she could best the combined
skills of all her greatest rivals. Taking umbrage, her rivals gathered
to challenge her outrageous boast, arranging a contest to decide the
question. To preserve her honor, Palashia was to strike the targets of
all her rivals before they could land a single arrow. When dawn arose on
the day of the contest, Palashia stood ready with her bow. At the
signal, her rivals nocked their arrows and loosed a volley towards their
targets. Palashia gathered her energies, and let fly with her own,
single arrow. To the amazement of onlookers, her arrow split into many,
cleaving the arrows of her rivals, and moving on to strike every target
directly in their centers. This mysterious technique quickly became a
martial secret that only the finest archers are able to master.
Effect: Splits one arrow into
several.
Only 3/4 of the Damage is taken from
your weapon.
You can vary the spread of multiple
arrows depending on how far away the mouse pointer is when you fire.
Hold down shift which will allow you to fire in place without
moving after a monster.
Multishot is very useful to use when
trying to hit monsters off screen or monsters that are moving around
really quickly. When combined with % Mana Steal and % Life Steal,
Multishot can quickly fill your Life to full and regain Mana to full.
Multishot will only hit a target with one of the many arrows no matter
how many appear to be hitting the monster. Multishot increases in Mana
Cost with more points so you will need to offset this cost with a higher
% Mana Steal. Multishot can be combined with other Arrow Spells. Hit a
monster with Freezing Arrow then follow up with Multishot. Multishot can
be a good choice to focus in and is a useful skill on all difficulty
levels. You may not wish to place 20 points into this skill. As more
points are placed into Multishot, the cost of the spell goes up. There
is probably an ideal level for your characters, some suggest 6, or less
than 10.
You may wish to assign Multishot to
your right mouse button. That way if you need to get away, clicking the
left button won't cause you to Multishot rather than move.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
| #
of Arrows |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
| Damage -25% |
|
 |
Exploding
Arrow
Required Level: 12
Prerequisites: Magic Arrow [1], Fire Arrow [1], Multiple
Shot [6]
|
Another gift of Hefaetrus, an Amazon
warrior practiced in this skill can imbue the arrows that she fires with
the ability to explode upon impact. The resulting detonation not only
allows her to damage her intended target, but also anything caught
within the explosive blast. The sight of a full battalion of Amazon
archers firing a volley of such arrows is eerily beautiful. Many
warriors, having witnessed good friends consumed by the flames of these
arrows, vow never to fight against Amazon warriors ever again.
Effect: Adds fire damage to
normal arrows and explodes on impact.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
5 |
5.5 |
6 |
6.5 |
7 |
7.5 |
8 |
8.5 |
9 |
9.5 |
10 |
10.5 |
11 |
11.5 |
12 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
| Fire
Damage |
2-4 |
7-9 |
12-14 |
17-19 |
22-24 |
27-29 |
32-34 |
37-39 |
42-44 |
47-49 |
52-54 |
57-59 |
62-64 |
67-69 |
72-74 |
77-79 |
82-84 |
87-89 |
92-94 |
97-99 |
 |
Ice
Arrow
Required Level: 18
Prerequisites: Cold Arrow [6]
|
The second of the prizes Karcheus
bestows to a true warrior, this skill enables the Amazon to instill her
arrows with the glacial force of a fierce blizzard. Enemies struck by
this power not only feel the icy sting of the enchanted shaft, but also
the force of a chilling arctic wind that, mysteriously, they alone can
feel.
Effect: Arrows have additional
cold damage and momentarily freeze the target.
Player vs Player: Other players
will be chilled, not frozen.
An upgrade to Cold Arrow, Ice Arrow is
similar to the Sorceress' Ice Blast spell. Ice Arrow will hit one target
and will freeze them in place. In higher difficulty levels the Cold
length will be reduced so consider this before focusing heavily in this
skill (more than one point). Freezing Arrow is a much better replacement
at Level 30.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
4 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4.7 |
5 |
5.2 |
5.5 |
5.7 |
6 |
6.2 |
6.5 |
6.7 |
7 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
7.7 |
8 |
8.2 |
8.5 |
8.7 |
| Freeze
(seconds) |
2 |
2.2 |
2.4 |
2.6 |
2.8 |
3 |
3.2 |
3.4 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
4 |
4.2 |
4.4 |
4.6 |
4.8 |
5 |
5.2 |
5.4 |
5.6 |
5.8 |
| Cold Damage |
6-10 |
12-16 |
18-22 |
24-28 |
30-34 |
36-40 |
42-46 |
48-52 |
60-64 |
72-76 |
84-88 |
96-100 |
108-112 |
120-124 |
132-136 |
144-148 |
162-166 |
180-184 |
198-202 |
216-220 |
 |
Guided
Arrow
Required Level: 18
Prerequisites: Magic Arrow [1], Cold Arrow [6], Multiple
Shot [6]
|
Hunting and fighting during the night
and in the deepest darkness is a necessary skill to any daughter of the
Amazon islands. Devoted disciples of Athulua can, with great difficulty
and strict discipline, train themselves to fire their arrows at targets
blindly, as if the hand of Athulua herself guided the arrows. As might
be imagined, this is an art that the Sisters of the Sightless Eye have
long envied and yet have never replicated.
Effect: Imbues an arrow with the
ability to seek its nearest target.
Guided Arrow is very effective in
Player vs Player battles.
Guided Arrow is handy when it is
difficult to hit a moving enemy (Sand Leapers) or you want to hit an
enemy around a corner. Keep in mind that Strafe and Multishot can also
get the job done.
Players focused in Strafe or Multishot
may wish to use this for single monsters or bosses.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
8 |
7.7 |
7.5 |
7.2 |
7 |
6.7 |
6.5 |
6.2 |
6 |
5.7 |
5.5 |
5.2 |
5 |
4.7 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4 |
3.7 |
3.5 |
3.2 |
| Damage
+% |
0 |
5 |
10 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
35 |
40 |
45 |
50 |
55 |
60 |
65 |
70 |
75 |
80 |
85 |
90 |
95 |
 |
Immolation
Arrow
Casting Delay: 1 Second
Required Level: 24
Prerequisites: Magic Arrow [1], Fire Arrow [1], Multiple
Shot [6]
Exploding Arrow [12], |
Hefaetrus will sometimes bestow this
ability to his greatest champions. These fire-instilled arrows burn with
such a fierce intensity that the very earth surrounding where they
impact ignites into flame. Although the fires last but a few moments,
some say the effect is as if the pillars of the mighty kingdom of
Hefaetrus were reaching up through the ground to strike down the enemies
who linger nearby.
Effect: : Enchants an arrow that
does fire damage, and explodes into a patch of fire on the ground.
Creatures passing through the flames take additional damage.
This skill is somewhat similar to the
Sorceress' Firewall. If you can keep a monster in the same place (by
attacking your Decoy or Valkyrie), you may find this skill to be useful.
This might be an option when facing Stone Skin Unique Monsters as well.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
| Explosive
Damage |
10-20 |
20-30 |
30-40 |
40-50 |
50-60 |
60-70 |
70-80 |
80-90 |
100-110 |
120-130 |
140-150 |
160-170 |
180-190 |
200-210 |
220-230 |
240-250 |
270-280 |
300-310 |
330-340 |
360-370 |
| Fire Duration 3
Seconds |
|
| Average
Fire Damage Per Second |
8-10 |
14-16 |
19-22 |
25-28 |
31-33 |
37-39 |
43-45 |
49-51 |
55-57 |
60-63 |
66-69 |
72-75 |
78-80 |
84-86 |
90-92 |
96-98 |
101-104 |
107-110 |
113-116 |
119-121 |
 |
Strafe
Required Level: 24
Prerequisites: Magic Arrow [1], Multiple Shot [6], Cold
Arrow [6], Guided Arrow [18]
|
Once a warrior has attained this
facility, she can fire a volley of arrows with amazing speed and
precision, striking one target after another. Veteran mercenaries often
tell a tale of a new recruit who was nearly struck down in battle
because he was too distracted when first seeing an Amazon use this
ability. Do not doubt his word, as he is probably referring to himself.
Just smile and buy him another tankard of ale.
Effect: Fires a volley of arrows
at multiple nearby targets.
Strafe is the skill of choice for many
high level Bowazons, although Multishot is also an option.
Strafe will automatically aim and fire
at targets on the screen up to the Strafe limit. As you get more points
in Strafe it will hit more monsters at once.
Strafe is good at alerting you to new
monsters entering the area. If you start firing at a new direction where
you previously have not been firing at, you will know a monster is over
there in that new direction.
Try to lead groups of monsters into a
tight pack. You will then be able to take advantage of Pierce. This will
also keep you from switching back and forth in opposite directions which
will save time.
Strafe isn't as good against a single
monster as large groups of monsters. You may quickly run out of Mana
when using shots against a single monster. Try switching to another
skill if you are fighting single monsters.
Strafe will sometimes fire a little off
screen, but Multishot is much better for firing at monsters off screen.
Strafe will fire extra arrows if your
Valkyrie, Decoy, or even a Hireling are in the area. Further testing on
your part will reveal more about this.
Strafe works very well with Cold
Damage. Find an item that adds Cold Damage to make all your hits Cold
Damage Arrows. This will chill monsters and will also sometimes shatter
them preventing monsters from raising the corpses. Freezing Arrow also
works well with Strafe especially in Normal and Nightmare mode before
Cold Length is significantly reduced. You can also set one mouse button
to Freeze Arrow and the other to Strafe (or use Hot Keys). Fire a Freeze
Arrow to stop the monsters in their tracks, then follow up with Strafe
to shatter them.
You may wish to assign Strafe to your
right mouse button. That way if you need to get away, clicking the left
button won't cause you to Strafe rather than move.
Strafe works with the Paladin's
Concentration Aura in the following way:
Damage = Bow_Damage*(1 + Dex_bonus + Concentration_bonus + Strafe_bonus)
Strafe Lock
While you are Strafing, your character will be locked in place. You will
be unable to move until you are done Strafing. Keep in mind that as you
put more points into Strafe and it hits more targets, the time you are
locked will be longer. Hardcore players might wish to avoid placing too
many points into Strafe. For players on Normal mode this is generally
not a problem. Be sure to not fire a Strafe right before trying to run
away and you will usually be OK.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost: 11 |
|
| Attacks up to |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Damage
+% |
5 |
10 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
35 |
40 |
45 |
50 |
55 |
60 |
65 |
70 |
75 |
80 |
85 |
90 |
95 |
100 |
 |
Freezing
Arrow
Required Level: 30
Prerequisites: Cold Arrow [6], Ice Arrow [18]
|
The greatest of the powers attained by
those dedicated to Karcheus is the skill to imbue their arrows with the
freezing power of a devastating avalanche. Enemies within the impact of
a freezing arrow are frozen in their tracks and feel crushing pain, as
if a mass of magical ice had toppled onto them.
Effect: Enchants an arrow to
deliver cold damage that freezes any monsters near the point of impact.
Player vs Player: Other players
will be chilled, not frozen.
Freezing Arrow is similar to the
Sorceress' Glacier Spike. Freezing arrow can be a bit more powerful
however because in addition to the base arrow damage, it can also work
with Pierce and Critical Strike.
Before significantly investing in
Freeze Arrow keep in mind that Cold Length Durations are reduced in
Nightmare and Hell. On Hell Difficulty the freeze will last 0.5 seconds.
If you fire continually with a fast bow, you may find, however that this
is enough to keep a monster from moving very far.
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
| Mana Cost |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
| Cold
Damage |
40-50 |
50-60 |
60-70 |
70-80 |
80-90 |
90-100 |
100-110 |
110-120 |
125-135 |
140-150 |
155-165 |
170-180 |
185-195 |
200-210 |
215-225 |
230-240 |
250-260 |
270-280 |
290-300 |
310-320 |
| Duration: 2
seconds |
|
| Radius: 3.3 Yards |
|
|
