After Patch 0.4, Glacial Lance isn't just "usable" again—it's the kind of skill you build around because it feels snappy and mean. You'll notice it straight away in maps: you tap, the empowered lance pops, and the pack locks up in place. If you're planning upgrades early, it helps to think in terms of PoE 2 Currency budgeting, because this setup starts with a small shopping list and then happily eats whatever you feed it.
The Loop That Makes It Work
The whole build leans on a self-damage loop that looks weird on paper but plays clean. Scold's Bridle smacks you with Physical damage every time you use a skill. Lightning Coil then converts a chunk of that hit into Lightning damage, which matters because your unique charm is watching for that self-hit to hand you a Frenzy Charge. The Druggery belt squeezes the charm duration down, so the trigger comes around faster and feels close to nonstop. The "only Ritualist" part isn't hype either: you need the ascendancy node that lets charms function even at zero charges, otherwise bossing turns into that awkward moment where the loop stutters and your damage falls off a cliff.
Weapons And The Damage Feel
For your main hand, you're shopping for a rare spear that's basically all business: high crit chance, strong physical rolls, and "gain % damage as extra physical damage" if you can land it. +3 to attack skill levels is the dream because gem level scaling is huge here, but don't brick your budget chasing perfection. Off-hand is a shield stacked with "gain as extra fire damage" where possible; two good lines is ideal, one solid line is still fine. And yeah, a weapon swap with a fast-casting wand or staff makes movement skills feel less clunky, which matters more than people admit when you're blasting maps for hours.
Armour And Accessory Priorities
Helmet and chest are non-negotiable: Scold's Bridle with decent Energy Shield and the lowest self-damage roll you can get, plus Lightning Coil to keep the conversion piece consistent. Put a Spirit Gem in the chest so your setup doesn't feel starved. Gloves can be a straightforward rare—flat physical and cold, life, and res—while boots just want move speed, evasion, and capped res so you're not randomly folding to elemental hits. The Druggery belt is locked, so focus on the highest reduced charm duration you can stomach paying for, then round out the rest with an amulet that boosts projectile skill levels and global defenses, plus rings that fix mana through leech because without it you'll feel the build "hiccup" mid-pack.
Scaling, Jewels, And Buying Power
Once the loop is stable, scaling is mostly about making every empowered lance hit harder and crit more often: aura synergy through a Watcher's Eye-style jewel, an Impossible Escape to clean up pathing, and a good time-lost jewel leaning into crit chance and multi. From there it's just tuning—more levels, better rolls, smarter defenses—until the screen shatters on contact. If you'd rather spend more time playing than price-checking every upgrade, a lot of players also use U4GM to pick up currency or key items faster, then jump straight back into mapping while the build's in its sweet spot.
