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Lightning Strike Amazon Guide

Season 8A

Last Updated:October 10, 2024|Change Log

Vaporizing enemies with a vengeance, the Lightning Strike/Charged Strike Amazon is shockingly powerful. She's got a deadly current that decimates foes with lightning speed. Lightning Strike tears through dense packs of mobs, proving more effective than Lightning Fury at dealing with spread out enemies. Her Charged Strike is also even more formidable than that of the Lightning Fury Amazon, her sister build. Bosses, including Uber Bosses, melt before her. This Amazon boasts record-breaking Boss killing speed.

Wielding an Infinity Matriarchal Spear in the late-game, there is practically nothing the Lightning Strike Amazon cannot shred. Having insane -x% to Enemy Lightning Resistance allows this build to effortlessly plow through the most Lightning Resistant mobs. This includes Lightning Immune monsters whose Immunity is broken by Crack of the Heavens. She performs the Electric Slide with amazing grace. If you want a little danger and a lot of fun, this lady will lead the way!

Ideal Standard Setup
Ideal Standard Setup


Lightning Strike


Charged Strike


Jab


Teleport

This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. Check out our Amazon Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.

Fun Playstyle ✔
Fastest Boss Killer ✔
Great Density Destroyer ✔
Easy To Learn And Master ✔
Clears All Content In Late-Game ✔

Dangerous Playstyle
Repetitive Skill Usage
❌ Slow Cast Animations

Lack Of Damage Type Diversity
❌ Requires GG Gear For Full Potential

Sunder Charm Setup

Patch 2.5 introduced a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is instead reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. The Charm also reduces YOUR Resistance against the sundered damage type! Check out our post on Sunder Charms to learn more about these new Charms. The following setup uses Crack of the Heavens, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.

Sunder Charm Setup
Sunder Charm Setup

Gear Changes

To optimize this Sunder Charm you need as much -% Enemy Lightning Resistance as possible. Equip Infinity Matriarchal Spear and Griffon's Eye to accomplish this.

Counteract the negative effect of Crack of the Heavens with Lightning Resistance Charms, Gloves, Boots, and Jewelry.

Terror Zones

The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build. With the Sunder Charm Setup, more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.

Best

Arcane Sanctuary - High Density, Quick Access, Many Elite Groups, Super Chests, No Immunities
Chaos Sanctuary - High Density, Quick Access, Many Elite Groups, Breakable Immunities, Boss
Worldstone Keep + Throne of Destruction - High Density, Quick Access, Many Elite Groups, Breakable Immunities
Underground Passage + Dark Wood - High Density, Easy Mobility, Quick Access, No Immunities
Pit - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Easy Mobility, Quick Access, Breakable Immunities

Worst

Burial Grounds + Crypt + Mausoleum - Low Density, Trash Mobility, Slow Access, Few Elite Groups, Immunities
Stony Tomb + Rocky Waste - Immunities
Spider Forest + Spider Cavern - Low Density, Immunities
Ancients' Way + Icy Cellar - Trash Mobility, High Physical Damage, High Elemental Damage, Immunities
Stony Field - Low Density, Immunities

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Slow Missiles
5. Decoy

Put 3-5 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Dodge
2. Avoid
3. Evade

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Damage

Utility

Attributes

Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants may require different allocations!

Strength

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.

Dexterity

Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Dexterity your gear provides when equipped.

Vitality

Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.

Energy

Don't allocate any Stat Points into Energy. This build gets enough Mana from gear, buffs, Charms, and Mana Potions. The “x% Mana stolen per hit” stat on your gear provides reliable Mana sustain.

Essentials

Gear Options

Farming Spots

Mercenary

Playstyle

Breakpoints

Hardcore

Build Variants

Starter
Standard
Mobility
Ubers
Hardcore

Setup

The Starter variant of the Lightning Strike Amazon meets the minimum gear requirements for farming the Starter tagged areas in the "Farming Spots" section above. These areas can be Solo-farmed by this setup (/Players1 on Single Player) in both Nightmare and Hell difficulty. Titan's Revenge and Thunderstroke are great starter weapons on this build. Prioritize Increased Attack Speed, Resistances, Faster Run/Walk, + to Skills, Life, and the Cannot Be Frozen stat on your gear. Achieving the 95% Increased Attack Speed (IAS) Breakpoint for both Lightning Strike and Charged Strike is ideal, while 50% IAS is recommended at minimum. Depending on the farm, use a Lower Resist Charge Wand, Teleport Charge Staff, or Harmony on Weapon-Swap (or a combination thereof). Follow the Amazon Leveling Guide to get your Amazon to Level 75.

Mercenary

The Starter Lightning Strike Amazon uses an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Insight for Crowd Control and Mana Regeneration. You can also put a Hustle on your Mercenary for its Fanaticism Aura. Mercenaries require Resistances, Life Leech, and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive. Smoke is a cheap Body Armor option for Resistances, while Bulwark is the cheapest Helmet that provides Life Leech and Damage Reduction.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Dodge
5. Avoid
6. Evade
7. Slow Missiles
8. Decoy

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Setup

This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Lightning Strike Amazon featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the balanced "jack-of-all-trades" version, capable of performing the most tasks well. This variant is the point of comparison for all other variants. It carefully balances Damage, Magic Find, and mobility. The insane amount of -x% to Enemy Lightning Resistance on this setup enables her to farm areas such as Chaos Sanctuary and Travincal with ease. Even areas like the Mausoleum and Maggot Lair become possible on this build. This is even more so the case if you use Crack of the Heavens. Unlike with a Mercenary Infinity, Infinity Matriarchal Spear's -x% to Enemy Lightning Resistance stat applies to your damage. Swapping in Arachnid Mesh and Lancer's Gloves of Alacrity optimizes this variant for Act Boss killing. The Standard Build achieves maximum Attack Speed for Lightning Strike and Charged Strike, and the 68% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap for Teleport mobility.

Mercenary

The Standard Lightning Strike Amazon uses an Act 1 Cold Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze. The Fanaticism Aura from Faith allows this build to reach maximum Attack Speed.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Slow Missiles
5. Decoy

Put 3-5 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Dodge
2. Avoid
3. Evade

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Setup

This variant achieves the 99% Faster Cast Rate (FCR) Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap for high Teleport cast speed at the expense of some Damage. This setup excels at Teleporting to the Throne of Destruction (Baal) and farming areas which require long distance travel. The Mobility Lightning Strike Amazon uses Arachnid Mesh, 2x 10% Faster Cast Rate Rings, and Griffon's Eye socketed with a Cham Rune to maintain the Cannot Be Frozen stat. Crack of the Heavens enables this build to crush Lightning Immunes even harder than it does already. Just like the Standard Build, the Mobility variant achieves maximum Attack Speed for Lightning Strike and Charged Strike.

Mercenary

Just as with the Standard Build, the Mobility Lightning Strike Amazon uses an Act 1 Cold Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Slow Missiles
5. Decoy

Put 3-5 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Dodge
2. Avoid
3. Evade

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Setup

The Ubers variant specializes in defeating the Uber Bosses, particularly Uber Mephisto, using Charged Strike. The Standard Build is slightly faster at killing the Mini Ubers, Uber Diablo, and Uber Baal. -x% to Enemy Lightning Resistance, + to Skills, Damage Reduction, Resistances, and Life are priority stats on this setup. Thundergod's Vigor and stacking Lightning Resistance allows this build to tank Uber Mephisto. Pre-buff Fade with Treachery prior to engaging the Ubers for massive boosts to Resistances and Damage Reduction. You can use a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap on this setup if you don't want to rely on your Mercenary to proc it. The Ubers Lightning Strike Amazon achieves the 48% Increased Attack Speed Breakpoint for Charged Strike.

Crack of the Heavens breaks Uber Mephisto's Lightning Immunity, allowing you to deal more damage to him. Use Lightning Resist Charms to counteract its negative effect.

Mercenary

The Ubers Lightning Strike Amazon uses an Act 5 Frenzy Mercenary with 2x Plagues for their Lower Resist proc. This high Level Lower Resist breaks Uber Mephisto's Lightning Immunity. Vampire Gaze and Treachery make him tanky while avoiding high Defense.
Note: The Mercenary is notoriously hard to keep alive when facing Uber Bosses. Don't count on it always being alive.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Slow Missiles
5. Decoy

Put 3-5 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Dodge
2. Avoid
3. Evade

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Setup

For the Hardcore mode variant, aim for solid Damage Reduction to guard against taking extreme amounts of Physical Damage. Additionally, overcap Resistances beyond the natural cap of 75% if possible to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist. If you choose to use Crack of the Heavens, use Lightning Resist Charms to counteract the negative effect. This setup achieves maximum Attack Speed for Lightning Strike and Charged Strike, and the 48% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap for Teleport mobility. Consult the "Hardcore" section for more detailed information.

Mercenary

Just as with the Standard Build, the Hardcore Lightning Strike Amazon uses an Act 1 Cold Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Jab
2. Critical Strike
3. Penetrate
4. Slow Missiles
5. Decoy

Put 3-5 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Dodge
2. Avoid
3. Evade

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Strike
2. Charged Strike
3. Power Strike
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Valkyrie

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Video Guide

Video Guide by DarkHumility

Summary

  • Equipping Infinity Matriarchal Spear is what makes this build powerful and unique. Unlike using Infinity on the Mercenary, both the Conviction Aura and -x% to Enemy Lightning Resistance apply to your own damage.
  • Use Lightning Strike to shred groups of monsters and Charged Strike to decimate Act Bosses, Uber Bosses, Diablo Clone, and other single targets. Jab is handy for killing unbreakable Lightning Immune mobs.
  • Dodge, Avoid, and Evade make this build deceptively tanky, even without a Shield. Smart use of Valkyrie, Decoy, and Slow Missiles can further reduce the damage you take.
  • Use Titan's Revenge or Thunderstroke for decent effectiveness before acquiring Infinity Matriarchal Spear.
  • The Lightning Strike Amazon is the fastest Boss killer in the game. Kill Diablo, Baal, and Uber Bosses to make the most of her insane Charged Strike.
  • There is nothing the Lightning Strike Amazon cannot farm while wielding Infinity Matriarchal Spear and using Crack of the Heavens. Take her for a spin in the Mausoleum!

We hope you enjoy this build! Nothing can stand in her way...not even Lightning Immunes. Melt bosses like regular mobs and everything else along the way!

Good luck!

Credits

Written by DarkHumility
Reviewed by Teo1904

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