Cutting down countless demons...bringing death from afar...the minigun of Sanctuary...announcing...the Strafe Amazon! Firing several arrows in the blink of an eye, this Amazon guns down dense monster packs with ease. Al Capone only wishes he had this kind of firepower! Easy to play, the Strafe Amazon primarily uses Strafe to eliminate enemies with an outpouring of Physical Damage. Strong in River of Flame, Chaos Sanctuary, Worldstone Keep, and The Pit, this build dominates Farming Spots with high monster density and narrower corridors.
Powerful Bows and Crossbows such as Faith, Windforce, Mist, and Buriza-Do Kyanon do the job. The Fanaticism, Might, and Concentration Aura trifecta takes this build to the next level. With Atma's Scarab providing a fairly reliable source of Amplify Damage, the Strafe Amazon can even destroy monsters in a High Player Count game (/7-8Players on Single Player). The combination of Bone Break and Atma's Scarab makes short work of Immune to Physical mobs as well. In Patch 2.6 you can dumpster absolutely everything with support from an Enchant Sorceress! At her full potential this lady is straight gangsta!
Safely Attacks From Afar ✔ Great In Narrow Corridors ✔ Easy To Learn And Master ✔ Destroys Dense Monster Packs ✔
❌ Inconsistent Damage Output ❌ Only 1 Primary Damage Type ❌ Cannot Move While Attacking ❌ 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 Bone Break, 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 Physical Resistance as possible. Equip Atma's Scarab for its Amplify Damage proc to accomplish this. Alternatively, you can use a Mercenary with Lawbringers or The Reaper's Toll for their Decrepify procs.
Counteract the negative effect of Bone Break with % Damage Reduction items such as Crown of Ages, Vampire Gaze, and Verdungo's Hearty Cord.
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
✔ Travincal - Bosses, Quick Access, Breakable Immunities, Council Members ✔ Chaos Sanctuary - Boss, Many Elites, Breakable Immunities ✔ Underground Passage + Dark Wood - Many Elites, Quick Access, Easy Mobility, No Immunities ✔ Pit - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Easy Mobility, No Immunities ✔ Flayer Jungle ONLY - High Density, Quick Access, No Immunities
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Pierce 2. Dodge 3. Avoid 4. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Almost Max Out) 3. Guided Arrow 4. Multiple Shot 5. Valkyrie
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Damage
Strafe* is your Primary Damage Skill. It splits 1 arrow into 5 upon firing, dealing Physical Damage to nearby enemies in quick succession. This Skill prioritizes monsters closest to your Amazon while alternating to any nearby targets. Your Character is rooted in place while firing; you cannot move.
Guided Arrow* fires a powerful homing arrow that tracks down its target. It always hits so long as it makes contact with an enemy. Use it against Act Bosses, Diablo Clone, and isolated Physical Immune monsters.
Multiple Shot* splits 1 arrow into many arrows (up to 24), fanning out in a cone in front of your Character. Use it when faced with dense packs of low Life monsters (e.g. Flayers).
Magic Arrow* fires a single arrow that coverts a percentage of your Physical Damage into Magic Damage based on its Level. It is effective against isolated Physical Immune enemies.
Critical Strike* adds a % chance to deal double Physical Damage with your projectiles. This chance increases with Skill Level.
Penetrate* grants Attack Rating based on Skill Level.
Pierce* adds a % chance of your projectiles piercing through targets to others behind them. This Passive Skill greatly boosts the effectiveness of Strafe and Multiple Shot.
Valkyrie* creates a Valkyrie Warrior which fights by your side, mainly serving to tank damage. Re-summon her if she dies.
Decoy* creates a replica of your Amazon with increased health at the location of your cursor. It remains in one spot, drawing monster attacks/abilities until it is destroyed or expires.
Slow Missiles* slows and reduces the damage from ranged enemies' attacks/projectiles when cast. This Skill also illuminates nearby enemies.
Dodge* provides a chance that you "Dodge" melee attacks while attacking or standing still. This negates any potential Damage from a melee attack completely.
Avoid* provides a chance that you "Dodge" ranged attacks and/or spells while attacking or standing still. This negates any potential damage from a ranged attack completely.
Evade* provides a chance that you "Dodge" an attack (any) while walking or running. This negates any potential damage from an attack completely.
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR) * Skills that do NOT utilize either FCR or IAS
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 the majority of Stat Points into Dexterity for additional Physical Damage on ranged attacks.
Vitality
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity, and Energy requirements.
Energy
Do not allocate any Stat Points into Energy. Mana costs are covered by “x% Mana stolen per hit” on your gear.
Essentials
Gear Options
While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.
Hover over any Item to see a pop-out with the full Item description.
Slot
Item Options
Desirable Stats
Weapon
Faith Grand Matron Bow Windforce Mist Grand Matron Bow Breath of the Dying Hydra Bow Buriza-Do Kyanon (Upgraded) Harmony Grand Matron Bow Insight Grand Matron Bow Edge Grand Matron Bow Rare Bow Witchwild String (Upgraded) Eaglehorn Goldstrike Arch (Upgraded) Cliffkiller (Upgraded)
2% Chance to cast level 5 Amplify Damage on striking Level 12-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped Level 8-12 Concentration Aura When Equipped Level 12-17 Meditation Aura When Equipped Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Bow and Crossbow Skills [Amazon Only] +x to Amazon Skills +x% Increased Attack Speed Piercing Attack +x% Enhanced Damage Ignore Target's Defense -x% Target Defense x% Bonus to Attack Rating +x to Attack Rating +x% Damage to Demons +x% Damage to Undead +x Minimum Damage +x Maximum Damage Adds x Damage +x% Mana stolen per hit +x% Life stolen per hit x% Deadly Strike +x to Critical Strike Freezes Target +x Knockback +x to Attribute +x Life All Resistances +x 10% Reanimate as: Returned x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Socketed [x]
Off-Hand
Arrows Bolts
None
Weapon-Swap
Harmony Hustle Call to Arms Wizardspike
Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped 5% Chance to cast level 1 Burst of Speed on striking +x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Battle Orders +x to Battle Command
Off-Hand-Swap
Arrows Spirit Lidless Wall
None +x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate
Helmets
Giant Skull (2x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Artisan's Diadem of Speed (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Guillaume's Face (Ruby Jewel of Fervor) Guillaume's Face (Um Rune) Artisan's Diadem of the Magus (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Artisan's Diadem of the Whale (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Rare Circlet (2x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Crown of Ages (2x Ruby Jewels of Fervor) Crown of Ages (2x Ber Runes) Vampire Gaze Kira's Guardian Rockstopper Wisdom Hearth Sigon's Visor (4-Piece Sigon's Set) Gemmed Crown (3x Perfect Topazes) Gemmed Crown (Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Thul Rune)
+x to All Skills +x to Amazon Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery Piercing Attack +x% Enhanced Damage x% Bonus to Attack Rating +x to Attack Rating +x% Mana stolen per hit +x% Life stolen per hit x% Chance of Crushing Blow x% Deadly Strike Knockback +x to Attribute +x Life X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Damage Reduced by x +x to Mana after each Kill Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Socketed [x]
5% Chance to cast Level 15 Fade When Struck 20% Chance to cast Level 15 Chilling Armor When Struck +x to All Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Enhanced Damage +x% Damage to Demons +x% Damage to Undead +x% Life stolen per hit +x% Chance of Crushing Blow +x% Chance of Open Wounds +x to Teleport +x to Attribute +x Life Increased Maximum Life x% +x% to Maximum Lightning Resist All Resistances +x Damage Reduced by x% Cannot Be Frozen +x to Life after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Gloves
Laying of Hands Hit Power Crafted Gloves Blood Crafted Gloves Sigon's Gage (4-Piece Sigon's Set) Death's Hand (2-Piece Death's Set)
+x to Passive and Magic Skills [Amazon Only] +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Damage to Demons +x% Life stolen per hit x% Chance of Crushing Blow Knockback +x to Attribute +x Life X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery Piercing Attack +x Maximum Damage +x% Life stolen per hit Slows target by x% +x to Attribute +x Life +x% to Maximum Lightning Resist X Resist +x% +x Lightning Absorb Damage Reduced by x% Magic Damage Reduced by x +x to Mana after each Kill Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Boots
War Traveler Gore Rider Goblin Toe Sigon's Sabot (4-Piece Sigon's Set)
+x% Faster Run/Walk Adds x Damage +x to Attack Rating x% Chance of Crushing Blow x% Deadly Strike x% Chance of Open Wounds +x to Attribute X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5% Chance to cast level 2 Amplify Damage on striking +x to All Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Increased Attack Speed x% Bonus to Attack Rating +x to Attack Rating x% Deadly Strike +x to Attribute +x Life X Resist +x%
Rings
Raven Frost Rare Ring Rare Ring Blood Crafted Ring Nagelring Wisp Projector Dwarf Star Manald Heal Angelic Halo (2-Piece Angelic Set)
+x to Attack Rating +x% Mana stolen per hit +x% Life stolen per hit +x to Minimum Damage +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% Cold Absorb x% Fire Absorb x% Lightning Absorb x% Magic Damage Reduced by x Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Charms
Shimmering Small Charm of Good Luck Fine Small Charm of Good Luck Steel Small Charm of Good Luck Fine Small Charm of Balance Fine Small Charm of Inertia Fine Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Inertia Fine Small Charm Small Charm of Good Luck Shimmering Small Charm Resistance Small Charm Sharp Large Charm of Inertia Sharp Large Charm of Vita Sharp Grand Charm of Inertia Steel Grand Charm of Inertia Sharp Grand Charm of Vita Steel Grand Charm of Vita Sharp Grand Charm of Balance Steel Grand Charm of Balance Sharp Grand Charm of Maiming Sharp Grand Charm of Dexterity Sharp Grand Charm Steel Grand Charm Shimmering Grand Charm of Inertia Shimmering Grand Charm Resistance Grand Charm
+x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x to Attack Rating +x Maximum Damage +x to Attribute +x Life X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Unique Charms
Bone Break Gheed's Fortune Amazon Hellfire Torch Annihilus
Monster Physical Immunity is Sundered +x to All Skills +x to Amazon Skills +x to All Attributes All Resistances +x +x% to Experience Gained x% Extra Gold from Monsters x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Reduces all Vendor Prices x% +x to Light Radius
Farming Spots
The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to Immunities or bad layouts.
Anything that has a ✔ in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Build Variant.
Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.
Act 2 Desert Mercenary
The Act 2 Desert Mercenary is hired from Greiz. He can be equipped with a Spear or a Polearm, a Body Armor and a Helmet. Every Act 2 Mercenary has access to an Aura and uses Jab as his base Attack. The Aura activates once the Mercenary has engaged in combat and remains active between traveling to and from town. The Auras available are based on what difficulty you hire the Mercenary from.
Might Pride
Might Pride
Pride, Might
Use a Desert Mercenary with Might Aura to significantly boost your Physical Damage. Equip him with Pride for an even greater boost to your Physical Damage.
Mercenary Gear Options
Your Mercenary needs maximum Resistances, Life Leech, a high damage Weapon, and high Defense and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive reliably. Cannot Be Frozen is also a great stat for maintaining Mercenary DPS and leech. Ethereal gear is preferred since it doesn't lose durability. Mercenary Types and Gear Options at each Gear Level perform equally well in different situations; choose based on Farming Spots and/or personal preference.
Gear Level
Early-Game
Mid-Game
End-Game
Mercenary Type
Act 2 Might or Act 5 Frenzy
Act 2 Might
Act 2 Might or Act 1 Cold
Weapon
Hustle Insight Obedience Lawbringers
Hustle
Pride Faith Matriarchal Bow
Body Armor
Smoke Lionheart Hustle Skin of the Flayed One Goldskin Rockfleece Gemmed Dusk Shroud
The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.
If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.
Playstyle
General
Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, swap to Harmony and cast Valkyrie. Recast Valkyrie as necessary to reposition it to your side or draw monster aggro away from you or your Mercenary.
Swap to Harmony to use its Vigor Aura for quicker travel. Swap back to your main weapon (e.g. Faith) upon encountering monsters.
Always maintain distance away from approaching mobs; avoid becoming surrounded by monsters coming from multiple sides/angles. Swap to Harmony to gain distance whenever necessary, and also take advantage of the Knockback stat on your gear.
Cast Decoy and/or Slow Missiles when faced with dangerous ranged enemies.
Pick up Arrows or Bolts that drop to replenish your Quantity.
For High Mob Density Farming:
In most cases, use Strafe when encountering high mob density. Continue firing until all monsters in an area have been cleared. Strafe is also highly effective against Elites and most isolated targets (besides certain Bosses).
Use Multiple Shot when faced with dense packs of low Life monsters (e.g. Flayers), especially in a Low Player Count game (/Players1-3 on Single Player).
For Bosses:
When faced with an Act Boss or Diablo Clone, repeatedly fire Guided Arrows in its direction until it is dead. Always maintain a safe distance; it is possible to kill off-screen using this Skill. It should be noted that killing Bosses is not one of the Strafe Amazon's strong suits, particularly when it comes to Baal.
Immunities
Bone Break sets all Immune to Physical monsters to 95% Physical Resistance, allowing any sources of -x% to Enemy Physical Resistance (including Amplify Damage or Decrepify) to take full effect.
Use Guided Arrows to quickly apply Amplify Damage from Atma's Scarab to isolated Unique mobs Immune to Physical. When facing groups of Physical Immune monsters, using Strafe like normal is the best approach. However, simply running past Physical Immune monsters is often the most efficient approach.
You can also use Magic Arrow to take down isolated Physical Immune mobs.
If a Unique mob has unbreakable Physical Immunity, it is best to run outside the range of/skip said mob. Cast Decoy to keep it distracted and/or swap to Harmony for increased speed.
Late-Game
If using Call to Arms on Weapon-Swap, first cast Battle Command 2 times and then Battle Orders once before starting your Magic Find/Experience run. Refresh these Call to Arms buffs whenever they expire (approx. every 2-3 minutes).
Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies
Chaos Sanctuary - Packed full of demon-type monsters, this Max Area Level Farming Spot is prime real estate for a Strafe Amazon using Laying of Hands among other demon-killing gear. Having somewhat narrow corridors while potentially dropping every item in the game, this area (along with River of Flame leading up to it) is a dream for this build. Feel free to run Chaos in a Max Player Count game full of leechers once you have solid gear. All aboard the Experience train!
The Pit - This relatively easy to access Max Area Level Farming Spot with narrow corridors and low Life monsters is ideal for a Strafe Amazon. Farming this area is optimal in High Player Count or /Players5-8 on Single Player if you have solid gear.
Worldstone Keep/Throne of Destruction - Another Max Level Area with tight corridors, this otherwise difficult Farming Spot can provide great loot and Experience for this build. Strafe shreds Baal Waves along with most possible monster spawns. Baal himself can be quite troublesome for this build, however.
Breakpoints
Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.
Increased Attack Speed (IAS)
Increased Attack Speed speeds up your attack animations. Weapon Bases have different IAS Breakpoints. Values for recommended weapon options are provided below. Fanaticism Aura provided by Faith does most of work if you have it equipped. Level 1 Burst of Speed from Hustle can also help you reach maximum Attack Speed with slower, harder-hitting Weapons such as Windforce. Consult the d2planner for other bases.
Grand Matron Bow Base Weapons (Faith, Mist, Harmony, Insight, Edge)
Frames
47
46
37
36
35
34
33
Strafe IAS (No Fanaticism)
0
3
11
26
42
46
80
Strafe IAS (Level 15 Fanaticism)
-
-
-
-
-
0
18
Frames
15
11
10
9
9
8
7
Guided Arrow IAS (No Fanaticism)
0
35
56
89
120
147
292
Guided Arrow IAS (Level 15 Fanaticism)
-
-
6
22
35
46
92
Windforce
Frames
33
32
31
30
Strafe IAS (Level 1 Burst of Speed)
0
11
14
35
Strafe IAS (Level 15 Fanaticism)
-
-
0
18
Frames
12
11
10
9
9
8
7
Guided Arrow IAS (Level 1 Burst of Speed)
0
11
20
40
58
72
138
Guided Arrow IAS (Level 15 Fanaticism)
-
0
6
22
35
46
92
Buriza-Do Kyanon (Upgraded)
Frames
58
49
48
47
46
43
39
39
38
37
36
Strafe IAS
0
11
22
27
32
42
50
58
70
95
105
Frames
22
18
17
16
15
14
13
13
12
11
Guided Arrow IAS
0
19
27
37
50
70
95
120
138
215
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Faster Hit Recovery increases survivability, but is not necessary on this build. Aim for the 32% or 52% FHR Breakpoint if possible.
The Strafe Amazon can become Hardcore viable with key changes to Gear, Stat Point allocation, and Skills. Review the changes below before building this character in Hardcore, as some of these changes differ significantly from the Standard Build.
Gear Changes
Damage Reduction: Equip either Crown of Ages or Vampire Gaze for a Helmet, along with either Chains of Honor or Enigma for a Body Armor, to achieve decent % Damage Reduction on a Hardcore Strafe Amazon. If you are using Faith, make sure to equip Hit Power Crafted Gloves in order to retain the Knockback stat. You can also equip either Verdungo's Hearty Cord or String of Ears in the Belt slot for additional % Damage Reduction. However, this approach requires additional Skill Points into Pierce to maintain a solid % Chance to Pierce if not using Buriza-Do Kyanon.
Stacking Resistances: Stack your Fire/Lightning/Cold Resistances beyond their default maximum values of 75 each (175 total in Hell). Stacking 85 additional Resistances in Hell completely negates the Conviction Aura of any Elite Boss or the Oblivion Knight's Lower Resist Curse. Beware of encountering both at the same time! Consider the primary damage type(s) of the monsters in the area you want to farm. Chains of Honor, Jewelry, and Charms are ideal sources of Resistances on this build.
No changes to the Standard Build's Stat Point allocation are absolutely necessary for a HardcoreStrafe Amazon (see the "Attributes" section above). You can choose to put however many additional Stat Points into Vitality instead of Dexterity for increased safety, however.
Skill Point Changes
Allocate additional Skill Points into Dodge, Avoid, and Evade instead of Valkyrie to negate as much damage as possible.
See the "Hardcore" Build Variant below for additional suggestions and visuals.
Build Variants
Starter
Budget
Standard
Damage
Mobility
Hardcore
Setup
The Starter variant of the Strafe 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. An UpgradedBuriza-Do Kyanon is a strong, relatively easy to acquire weapon that provides this build with sufficient power. Insight, Harmony, or Edge in an Elite Bow are also solid options. Beyond a decently strong weapon, make sure to prioritize Attack Rating, Damage, Resistances, Faster Run/Walk, and Life stats on your gear. The Cannot Be Frozen stat, such as from 2-Piece Death's Set (Death's Guard + Death's Hand), Hearth, or Wisdom, can provide some additional quality of life. Use a Harmony on Weapon-Swap for faster travel. Follow the Amazon Leveling Guide to get your Amazon to Level 75.
Mercenary
The Starter Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Hustle for a solid Damage and Attack Rating boost. 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
Since the Starter Strafe Amazon uses Buriza-Do Kyanon, no Skill Points into Pierce are necessary. However, it is necessary to max Penetrate to make up for a lack of Attack Rating. Also, Skill Points into Valkyrie are needed to improve its tankiness. Skill Points into Guided Arrow, Dodge, Avoid, and Evade are sacrificed as a result of these priorities on the Starter build.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Next, put the majority of the remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to increase your damage. Lastly put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Budget Strafe Amazon achieves solid results with gear that is much easier to acquire than the gear on the Standard Build. This variant can farm almost every Farming Spot the Standard Build can, and almost just as well, albeit on a lower Player Count. It uses Mist and achieves maximum StrafeAttack Speed to pack a serious punch. A Harmony is used on Weapon-Swap for faster travel. If you can acquire Bone Break, you can more easily kill Physical Immunes. The Budget Strafe Amazon makes use of several lower-end gear options that still provide solid Damage, Attack Rating, Resistances, Damage Reduction, Faster Run/Walk, and the Cannot Be Frozen stat.
Mercenary
The Budget Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Hustle for a solid Damage and Attack Rating boost. Hustle and Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest give the Mercenary solid damage and survivability.
Skills
Since the Budget Strafe Amazon uses Mist, no Skill Points into Pierce are necessary. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Dodge 2. Avoid 3. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Almost Max Out) 3. Guided Arrow 4. Multiple Shot 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 to wear your gear. Next, put the majority of the remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to increase your damage. Lastly put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Strafe 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 with Harmony on Weapon-Swap. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes.
Mercenary
The Standard Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Pride for as much damage as possible. Shaftstop and Vampire Gaze provide him with much needed Damage Reduction, as Pride does not do much damage.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Pierce 2. Dodge 3. Avoid 4. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Almost Max Out) 3. Guided Arrow 4. Multiple Shot 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 to wear your gear. Next, put most of the remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to increase your damage. Lastly put any remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Damage Strafe Amazon makes use of the iconic Windforce to deal as much Damage as possible. Since Windforce has the Knockback stat, Artisan's Diadem of Speed is used to further increase your DPS. Guillaume's Face would also be an acceptable option. Hustle on Weapon-Swap allows this setup to quickly achieve beyond maximum StrafeAttack Speed (to counteract enemy Decrepify) and near maximum Multiple Shot Attack Speed by triggering Burst of Speed; it also grants a decent amount of Faster Run/Walk. This Level 1 Burst of Speed must be refreshed about every 2 minutes. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes. This variant's damage output significantly exceeds that of the Standard Build at the expense of some mobility and quality of life (no routine pre-buff). Equip this legendary piece of Diablo 2 history to shred your enemies!
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, the Damage Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Pride, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Pierce 2. Dodge 3. Avoid 4. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Almost Max Out) 3. Guided Arrow 4. Multiple Shot 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 to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to maximize your damage.
Setup
This variant achieves the 68% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap to make effective use of EnigmaTeleport for improved mobility. Artisan's Diadem of the Magus, Arachnid Mesh, and Spirit Monarch on Weapon-Swap make this possible. Hit Power Crafted Gloves allow you to retain the important Knockback stat. This Strafe Amazon setup excels in Farming Spots and Terror Zones that require significant amounts of travel. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes.
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, the Mobility Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Pride, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze.
Skills
Allocate enough Skill Points into Pierce until you reach 91% Chance to Pierce. The rest is about the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Dodge 2. Avoid 3. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Till 71%) 3. Pierce (Till 91%) 4. Guided Arrow 5. Multiple Shot 6. 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 to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to maximize your damage.
Setup
For the Hardcore mode variant, aim for high Damage Reduction and overcap Resistances beyond the natural cap of 75% if possible to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist. If you choose to use Bone Break, consider equipping Verdungo's Hearty Cord to counteract its negative effect. Use Call to Arms instead of Harmony on Weapon-Swap for additional Life on this setup. Consult the “Hardcore" section for additional information.
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, a Hardcore Strafe Amazon employs an Act 2 MightMercenary with Pride, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze.
Skills
Allocate additional Skill Points into Dodge, Avoid, and Evade on a Hardcore Strafe Amazon. The rest is identical to the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Penetrate 2. Slow Missiles 3. Magic Arrow 4. Decoy
Put 3-5 Skill Points into each of the following Skills: 1. Pierce 2. Dodge 3. Avoid 4. Evade
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Strafe 2. Critical Strike (Almost Max Out) 3. Guided Arrow 4. Multiple Shot 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 to wear your gear. Next, put most of the remaining Stat Points into Dexterity to increase your damage. Lastly put any remaining Stat Points into Vitality. For Hardcore, you may want to increase your Vitality investment beyond what is shown here.
Video Guide
Video Guide by DarkHumility
Summary
In the late-game, the Fanaticism (Faith), Might (Act 2 MightMercenary), Concentration (Pride) Triple Aura threat makes the Strafe Amazon a monster. Windforce can bring even more pain with the help of Hustle!
On a budget, make use of Buriza-Do Kyanon's high damage when upgraded using the Horadric CubeRecipe. A Mist can also be used on either yourself or your Mercenary if you obtain a Cham Rune and a Gul Rune. Obtain an Atma's Scarab for that all important Amplify Damage proc if possible.
Avoid becoming surrounded! Make use of your Harmony on Weapon-Swap and Valkyrie and/or Decoy to safely reposition away from dangerous situations.
Farm high or Max Level Areas with high mob density and narrow(ish) corridors for maximum effect.
Running Chaos Sanctuary is one of the Strafe Amazon's specialties. She is fully capable of carrying Chaos in a full game with the Standard Build. With Bone Break she can farm anything, including every Terror Zone.
We hope you enjoy this build! Run the streets of Sanctuary and gun 'em down like you are the Godmother. Say hello to her little friend!
Good luck!
Credits
Written by DarkHumility Reviewed by Teo1904 and Lexyu
