Lightning Fury Javazon Build - D2R 2.6

Build Introduction

If you are considering a character for your Season 4 climb, the Javazon is one of the most powerful characters in the game for monster clearing. This means Javazons excel at Chaos, Baal, Cow and Terror Zone runs, in any player setting. A high level Lightning Fury skill is capable of discharging up to 50 bolts, each of them being able to one-hit almost any normal monster in the game. In addition, it has one of the highest single target damage by using the skill Charged Strike, allowing you to kill any endgame Boss within seconds. The build has decent survivability, and can also be very effective at hardcore if you can play around your range. The Javazon is effective with all levels of gear, and is not reliant on items like Enigma or Infinity to remain viable. FRW based builds, and the wide range of budget gear options makes the Javazon an effective ladder starter, or solo farmer.

Strengths

1. Top tier monster killer

The Javazon, along with the Mosaic Assassin, and the newly buffed Armageddon Druid are some of the few S-tier builds currently available in the meta. A high end Javazon offers incomparable damage, clearing entire screens of boss mobs or DClone in seconds. Javazons often account for 50-80% of the damage to monsters when participating in partied Chaos or Baal runs.

2. Budget gear options

There are plenty of viable options at every slot making the Javazon a versatile character in terms of building her. She is capable of farming effectively without end-game gear making her an effective ladder starter, or solo farmer.

3. Excels in end-game and high player count

Where some builds fall off, the Javazon continues to excel at higher player counts if appropriately geared. Once Infinity is obtained for your mercenary (or a party member), you will notice little difference in your kill speed between different player counts.

4. Fast leveler

The kill-speed of the Javazon makes her leveling experience much smoother, especially in solo player. Javazons are comparable to Sorcs and Hammerdins in terms for solo farming and leveling efficiency.

Weaknesses

1. Weak resistances and fragility

Javazon gear is focussed on damage and mobility, and the Amazon lacks any resistance bolstering skills (like Barbarian's natural resistances, Paladin's auras, or Assassin's Fade). As such, the Javazon is inherently fragile when struck. Her skills however, do grant her evasive abilities, when greatly bolster her effective durability.

2. Weak magic stacking capabilities

Javazon gear does not leave much room for stacking magic find. If you're prioritizing damage, mobility and making up for weak resistances with charms, then expect very little room, making 400+ MF difficult to attain. As such the Javazon is primarily used as a high volume clearer, more suitable for hunting runeword bases in cow levels, rather than attaining rare uniques like the specialized Pitzerker. It is arguable however, that the high volume of kills makes up for the lesser magic find %.

3. Slow caster

Amazons struggle with a naturally low framerate for casting, even with added FCR from items (when compared to other classes), as such her mobility is largely reliant on her runspeed, especially when maneuvering during combat.

Gameplay

Attacking skills:

Use Lightning Fury as your primary attacking skill against mobs to deal a huge amount of area damage, and Charged Strike against single targets. Both skills deal lightning damage, and there are many lightning immune monsters in the game. The best way to remove monster immunities is by having an Infinity runeword on your merc with Conviction aura that will remove monster immunities, however Infinity is very expensive. Sunder charms now allow Javazons to deal with lightning immunities without the high-end Infinity at the cost of weakening your already low resistances. Consider offsetting this with small charms which can have up to 11 lightning resistances, or extra resistances in the gloves or boots slots.

Movement:

Properly geared Javazons are typically amongst the fastest running speed characters in the game. Having a high % of increased run/walk speed on your gear will help your movement speed and allow you to clear any area very quickly. An option to increase your running speed is to use Harmony runeword as your secondary weapon, or have an Act 1 mercenary that wears it. Harmony grants you level 10 Vigor Aura, which boosts your movement speed immensely, and can be very useful if your aim is to farm Bosses and skip the monster mobs. Using Harmony will preclude the use of Call to Arms, so keep in mind you are trading mobility for survivability. Consider this only if you are not using Enigma which largely replaces your need for additional mobility.

Stats

Strength: Put just enough points on it to be able to wear your items.

Dexterity: Put just enough points on it to be able to wear your gear, or enough for max block

Vitality: Put all your available points on it.

Energy: Don't put any points on it

Skills

Your main damage ability is Lightning fury, while single targets, particularly high HP bosses will be quickly dispatched with Charged strike. The Amazon has powerful passive skills which greatly enhance her survivability, making her a difficult target to hit, despite her low hp and resistances. Use your valkyrie as an additional tank and distraction for enemies.

• 20 points on Lightning Fury + 1 point on prerequisite skills
• 20 points on Charged Strike (Synergy, also the primary skill against single targets) + 1 point on prerequisite skills
• 1 point on each Passive and Magic skill
• 20 points on Lightning Strike (Synergy)
• 20 points to Lightning Bolt (Synergy)
• Remaining points on Power Strike (Synergy)
• Breakpoints - Check out our Amazon Breakpoints guide. For detailed breakpoints, check out this guide.

Gear

The listed items are organized in the following order:

1. Best in Slot (BiS)
2. Best Alternative
3. Hardcore / Defensive
4. Best Budget option

Helm

Griffon's Eye unique helm

Griffons provides the best all round helmet choice for speed and damage with an unrivaled lightning damage and minus enemy lightning resistances mod. The additional FCR (25) is the highest possible for the Helm slot, and the +1 skills is a welcome extra. Griffons is traditionally socketed with a lightning facet to further enhance the damage of Lightning Fury, or with a 15ias jewel (preferably with other mods), when required for a throw IAS breakpoint.

Harlequin Crest Shako

Shako is a fantastic lower cost option that provides a host of useful mods for a Javazon, particularly if you are looking to enhance her Magic Find capabilities. +2 to all skills, life, mana and damage reduction are other useful mods which will benefit the general survivability of your Javazon.

Crown of Ages

COA is a powerful defensive option offering unrivaled mods for survivability, and has up to 2 open sockets. With up to 15 damage reduction, and 30 to all resistances, COA is perfect for Hardcore mode. Additionally the two sockets offers more versatility in terms of socketing, but you may want to invest in atleast one -15 requirements jewel to offset the very high strength requirement of COA (184).

Magic Circlet, Tiara or Diadem

Magic circlets can spawn with 2 sockets and 2 mods, or 3 sockets and 1 mod. These can be useful as early or mid game options and offers superior versatility for socketing, however lack the raw power of the other options. Useful mods include FCR, FRW, Dexterity, Strength or resistances.

Amulet

Crafted Amulet (2 Amazon / 20FCR)

A 2 amazon skills 20FCR crafted amulet is used to optimize your FCR breakpoints, allowing you to reach higher BP thresholds. These amulets can come with a few other mods (life, mana, stats or resistances) but can be very difficult to obtain

The Cat's Eye or Highlord's Wrath

Both these amulets serve as IAS boosters to hit your desired throw speed breakpoint. Catseye offers no skills, but a significant boost to dexterity, as well as 30FRW, which is particularly useful for non-Enigma based builds. Highlord's grants a skill, IAS and useful lightning resistances (35) which will greatly help in offsetting any negative resistances from a Sunder charm. The deadly strike offered by Highlords is less relevant to a Javazon given her damage is mostly elemental based.

Mara's Kaleidoscope

Mara's is the best all-rounder amulet for Amazons who do not require IAS or FCR from the amulet slot. Mara's offers the most + to all skills available in the amulet slot, alongside hefty boosts to all resistances.

Magic Amulet (Amazon / Javelin and Spear)

A temporary magic amulet can work to fill any gaps while leveling, look for +2 to Amazon, +3 to Javelin, or even +3 to passive skills. An additional mod can spawn on these, look for FCR, life, or stats.

Weapon

Rare Javelin (Matriarchal)

A rare Javelin can spawn with a whole host of useful mods, but are predominantly used for + to all and javelin skills, IAS and the self-replenish mod which can spawn with a faster replenish rate than titan's revenge, offering a significant quality of life buff given the annoyance of keeping multiple pairs of Javelin's to counteract durability issues.

Titan's Revenge

A good, all round option that offers good general javelin and Zon skills, stats, life leech, self-replenish (allowing for Ethereal versions to be wielded), and a big boost to FRW. Titan's does notably lack IAS which will need to be remedied in your other slots if you are optimizing for maximum throw speed (an important component for damage)

Thunderstroke unique javelin - usefulness 7/10, price 5/10

Thunderstroke is a high damage option offering no replenish. If you can deal with constant repairing, Tstrokes offers some IAS, and fantastic damage mods and negative enemy resistances, making it incomparable for DPS.

Magic 6 skill, IAS javelin

Magic Javelins can be found or gambled with up to 6 total Javelin skills (including 3 to Amazon), as well as up to 40 ias, making these a versatile, high damage/speed option as your main or switch javelin.

Shield

Phoenix Runeword

Phoenix is a commonly used runeword for Javazons despite having minimal impact on her elemental damage output, or having other useful utility mods like FCR. The strength of this runeword in PvM stems from the Redemption aura it offers, which should provide all healing and mana needs during a monster clearing run. Phoenix offers some boosts to your physical damage output and fire resistances / absorb.

JMOD (Jeweller's Monarch of deflecting)

The coveted JMOD (4 socket magic shield that grants increased block chance, as well as 4 open sockets which are usually used for lightning facets). This makes the JMOD the highest damage output shield for enhancing your Lightning fury, as well as offering a good base for a maxblock build. Other stats like FCR, resists, stats and/or life/mana will need to be improved with your other slots if you opt into this shield but your raw damage numbers will rise significantly.

Stormshield

A popular hardcore shield that provides the highest damage reduction, and good block %, as well as useful stats and high defenses. While lacking any offensive mods, Stormshield makes up for this by vastly improving your survivability.

Spirit

Spirit is an effective caster runeword that improves all aspects of the Javazon. The tradeoff is that Spirit has a poor block % and is not optimal for maxblock builds.

Armor

Enigma

Enigma's mobility buff is especially prevalent on Amazons given the additional 45FRW it grants as well. The huge boost the strength assists opens up your stat points for vitality to help amend for your naturally low life pool. Javazon is one of the few builds where teleport is not necessitated, but an optimized build will still appreciate the ability to reposition your merc (and conviction aura), as well as terrain jump. Aim for a low strength, light armor type base to avoid speed penalties and unnecessary strength investment.

Chains of Honor

Chains of honor is arguably the best in slot armor for the Javazon, especially for those appreciating safety and don't mind forgoing some mobility in return. CoH Javazon builds are common in Hardcore. The huge boost to resistances, + skills, damage reduction, and life leech, make up for many of the Amazons fragility issues, allowing you to more easily cap resistances in Hell. The extra damage to undead and demons is a hugely overlooked mod, and a massive damage modifier for PvM.

Jeweller's armor of the Whale

Magic Jeweller's armors can spawn with up to 100 life and 4 sockets (these are very expensive and difficult to obtain). Some pure damage Javazons like to use these socketed with 4 facets, or a mix of IAS jewels and facets to hit required throw speed breakpoints. Much like the JMOD, the tradeoff for damage are the missing utility, mobility and survivability mods found in the other armors suggested here.

Treachery

Treachery is a low cost option that provides good benefits that help mask the Amazons deficiencies and enhance her strengths. The 45IAS offered by the armor greatly improves your options in other slots, while Fade proc can help mitigate your weak resistances. Outside of that, the other mods are somewhat lackluster in comparison to our higher end options.

Belt

Razortail

Razortail is used to reach higher levels of pierce (the 33% from razortail is additive meaning it is added as a flat % on top of your existing pierce chance from your passive ability). This greatly amplifies the damage of Lightning fury, as bolts pierce they trigger the spray again. Razortail is undoubtedly the strongest PvM option. Other mods are also helpful to the Zon, with a big boost to Dexterity and max damage (only relevant to the secondary physical damage component).

Arachnids Mesh

Offering +1 to all skills and 20fcr, this belt is used to optimize teleport speed, and maintain higher FCR breakpoints.

String of Ears

Typically a bowazon belt, SoE is used for its damage reduction and life leech which may be helpful in Hardcore or mid-game builds. Verdungo's is also a decent option, but vitality scales poorly with life on Amazons.

Thundergods Vigor

Thundergods is a well-rounded belt for a Zon, offering some offensive boosts in the form of + to specific lightning skills. Additionally the boost to lightning absorb helps mitigate the zons weak lightning res, especially when wielding a sunder. Additional stat boosts are also helpful. The increased cap to your lightning res offered by the belt is difficult to take advantage of with most build variants not reaching capped resistances in Hell.

Rings

1. Stone of Jordan

Great ring to boost your mana pool, as well as being one of two rings which offer + skills.

2. Bul Kathos Wedding Band

A better option where you require more survivability (life leech and life).

3. Ravenfrost

Cannot be frozen is an important mod for the Javazon as being chilled affects your throw speed and thus overall clear speed. Ravenfrost is an optimal slot to get this mod, along with a good dexterity boost and cold absorb.

4. Rare ring

Rare rings can come with a whole host of mods, and can vary from being the cheapest, to the most expensive ring in this category. Popular mods, depending on your needs include Life/mana leech, resistances, mana, life, faster cast rate (for Enigma users), or raw stats.

Gloves

Rare or Crafted 2 Javelin, 20IAS gloves

IAS is best maximized in the gloves slot, given the limited availability of IAS in other slots for most build variations. Ideal rare or crafted gloves will have 2 to Javelin skills, 20IAS, and other useful mods like resistances, leech or even knockback (preferential).

2. 3/20 Magic Gloves

Magic 3 to javelin skills and 20ias gloves are obtainable through gambling, even in Nightmare. These gloves are also cheaper than 2/20 gloves with good mods and arguably more effective given the extra damage.

3. Bloodfist

An easily obtainable early game item with good defensive boosts. Great if survivability is your key focus.

4. Laying of Hands

A budget and effective PvM option that grants you the required IAS from the gloves slot, while giving you useful mods, including a hefty boost to fire res.

Boots

Rare Tri-res Boots

Tri-res rare boots can spawn with up to 40 to 3 different resistances, 30frw, 10FHR and/or stats. This combination of stats are perfect for the Javazon, and remedies her much needed resistance deficiencies. Cheaper variants can be found or traded for that have lower resistances on one or more element, lower FRW, or no FHR. These are all great options depending on your budget.

Sandstorm Treks

Treks are a fantastic all-round boot offering good general defensive stats, and poison resistances. While not as optimal as a good pair of rare boots, treks are fit for purpose in most cases.

Waterwalks

Waterwalks are a good option offering dexterity and life as its primary selling point. While these are not priority mods, waterwalks can serve as a good temp if you come across one, especially for max block builds where you dexterity will help you reach 75% with less dexterity investment.

Aldurs

Aldurs is a perfect budget option that offers plenty of utility for a Javazon. The huge boost to FRW as well as the best in slot FRW (40) makes Aldurs suitable as an end-game option if you are optimizing runspeed.

Switch Weapon / Shield

Call to Arms runeword (Battle Orders - Increased Life)

Spirit runeword (Buff for BO)

Or Harmony Bow - 2 Hand (Vigor - FRW)

Call to arms and Spirit is the standard switch gear for most characters, providing a considerable boost to HP. For glass cannon builds or for where CTA is not attainable, Harmony provides an alternative switch item that can be used to greatly enhance your run speed during runs.

Charms

Annihilus

Hellfire Torch

Magic grand charms with +1 to javelin and spear skills (Plain, with FRW, FHR or Life)

Magic small charms with resistances and life, FRW or FHR.

Gheed's fortune

Mercenary

Ethereal items don't lose durability if your mercenary wears them, so having ethereal item bases for each gear slot is preferred due to their increased defense on armor items and increased damage on weapons. In many instances ethereal items that are great for mercenaries will be much more expensive than non-ethereal ones.

Infinity Merc Build (High-end)

The end-game Infinity merc, while expensive, lends the most power to your character. You can also forgo the Sunder charm which can leave you vulnerable to Souls, Scarabs, or other lightning enchanted monsters. The Best end-game build is recommended below.

Weapon: Infinity

The Infinity runeword offers you and your party a huge boost to elemental damage through Conviction. This greatly enhances your lightning damage as well as breaking most enemy lightning immunes in hell difficulty. This alone exponentially increases your clear speed, and solo farming potential. Where possible this should be used, even taking priority over some core Amazon gear.

Armor: Fortitude

Fortitude gives your merc the most increased damage possible, with 300ED, as well as some resistances, damage reduction and a useful chilling armor for additional defense and cc.

Helmet: Andariel's Visage

Andariel's offers up to 10% life leech, an integral mod for your mercs self-preservation. The other mods including 30str (directly translating to 30ED), high defenses and poison resistances, are helpful. The negative fire resistances should be offset with a ral or 15ias/fire resistances jewel to help your merc reach faster attacking breakpoints.

Insight Merc Build (Budget)

Weapon: Insight

Insight offers reliable damage, and a useful Meditation aura, which will remove your reliance on mana potions or mana leech. While not offering the raw damage output enhancement of Infinity, Insight does improve the quality of life during a play through.

Armor: Treachery

A low cost, high effectiveness merc armor that grants Fade and Venom procs, huge IAS, and some minor mods. Fade which grants high all res, and damage reduction, makes Treachery a great defensive choice.

Helmet

al Rasha's Set Helm

A low cost set item that is used for its life leech, resistances and life. Perfect for a mercenary, and an ample substitute for Andys.

Conclusion

This build should enable to you build an optimized Javazon for your budget, regardless of your goal. This is the perfect ladder starter, in solo or party play, and should carry you through early to mid game leveling with minimal issue. It's in late game however, you will excel, outcompeting all other character builds in raw kill speed, especially in dense areas or high player counts. Remember to experiment with the build to find the right items for your preferred playstyle. If you're looking to gear up fast for the current ongoing Ladder, check out our ladder items which will be updated daily.

Related Guides

Hammerdin Build | Spear Amazon Build | Uber Smiter Build | Hybrid Sorceress Build |