Lightning Fury Javazon Build - D2R 2.7

The Lightning "Javazon" is one of the favorite classes in Diablo II. This class combines high single-target damage output with Charged Strike, as well as crowd-control and clearing speed with Lightning Fury.

Basics

The Javazon is considered the fastest boss-killing character in D2R. The term "Javazon" is derived from Javelin (the main weapon type) and Amazon (the base class). She is extremely useful in areas with high monster density, such as The Secret Cow Level and the Chaos Sanctuary, thus making the Javazon versatile character used in single boss runs and monster clears. 

One area that the Javazon naturally struggles with is when fighting against monsters that are immune to lightning damage. This is because this build focuses on skills that deal the said damage type, such as Lightning Fury, Charged Strike, and Lightning Strike. Fortunately, this can be addressed by Sunder Charms, specifically Crack of the Heavens. More on this later in the build guide.

With outstanding single-target and area-of-effect damage, the Javazon is the character with the highest damage output in the game. This build is capable of destroying even the D2R's toughest content, including Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo himself.

After securing an Act II Mercenary equipped with Infinity, her ability to farm effectively is unlocked. The power that she gains by doing this makes her one of the best in the game, arguably second only to a Nova Sorc, with no area where she cannot farm efficiently.

Javazon Skills & Stats Build

Skill point allocation at a glance:

• 20 points on Lightning Fury
• 20 points on Lightning Strike
• 20 points on Charged Strike
• 20 points on Power Strike

• Put 1 point on the following skills:

  • Jab
  • Poison Javelin
  • Plague Javelin
  • Critical Strike
  • Dodge
  • Avoid
  • Penetrate
  • Evade
  • Pierce (put more points if you are not fully geared)
  • Valkyrie (only if you have extra points)

The Lightning Fury Amazon is a build that utilizes three different skills depending on the situation. For the most part, you will use Lightning Fury to clear screens of monsters with ease. When used, you prompt the Javazon to throw a javelin that is infused with lightning energy, causing lightning bolts to be unleashed to nearby monsters upon impact. It has a synergy with Pierce in that the resulting lightning bolts will release a second round of bolts if there are enemies behind the main target.

Lightning Strike is a complementary skill that allows you to unleash a chain lightning after the initial target has been hit. Only use this if there are less than three monsters on the screen for maximum efficiency.

Charged Strike is your last active skill. This is primarily used as a means of dealing huge amounts of damage to a single enemy. If you intend on farming Uber Bosses in Diablo II: Resurrected, this is the skill that you should utilize to a great extent.

Now, if you are wondering why you will allocate a considerable number of points on Power Strike, that is because this skill provides additional damage to your main abilities, including Lightning Fury, Lightning Strike, and Charged Strike.

As mentioned earlier, Pierce is a great way to improve your clear speed when using Lightning Fury. Ideally, you want to achieve a 100% chance to pierce to ensure that nearby enemies are hit with lightning damage, in addition to the main target.

Having said that, the number of points you will put on Pierce depends entirely on whether you have the Razortail equipped or not. The Razortail is a unique belt in D2:R that provides you with 33% pierce. If you wear this, you only need to allocate a total of 10 points on Pierce to attain the maximum effect.

What if you are not wearing the Razortail? If this is the case, then you will put 20 points on Pierce by subtracting some from Power Strike. It is important to note that you only need a maximum of 20, so if you have items that increase the level of your skills (like Stone of Jordan), you could remove points on Pierce and spend on any passive skill of your choosing.

When your pierce chance is sorted out and you still have remaining points, you could take Valkyrie to have an extra powerful minion to fight alongside you. This is completely optional, but one you can take if you do not want to slay Hell's minions alone.

It should go without saying that if you plan on taking Valkyrie, you must put one point on each of its prerequisites (Inner Sight, Slow Missiles, and Decoy).

Stats

• Strength: Enough to equip your final gear
• Dexterity: Enough to equip your final gear and improve block chance
• Vitality: Dump it all in here
• Energy: None

Put enough points on strength to equip your gear. After that, allocate points on dexterity until you hit the block chance cap of 75%. Dexterity is also needed to equip your endgame javelin (which requires 109 DEX if you are curious).

Do not worry about Energy because the Javazon does not scale its damage off of that. After putting the necessary amount of points on strength and dexterity, spend your remaining attribute points on vitality to increase your HP.

Basic Equipment & Gear

For the Equipment & Gear section, I am going to breeze through what you are going to need in the early, intermediate, and final stages of your gear, which you are going to use to climb your way up to hell.

First, we are going to talk about the initial gear that is going to take you through normal. Usually, you don't need to farm anything in normal since you will be able to finish the game easily at this difficulty. Some notable things that you are going to want to keep in mind while going through normal are:

Runewords: Tal & Eth or strong >(Stealth). This Runeword combined with Studded Leather gives you decent stats to carry you through Normal and a little of Nightmare.

Stealth

• Magic Damage Reduced By 3
• +6 To Dexterity
• +15 To Maximum Stamina
• Poison Resistance +30%
• Regenerate Mana 15%
• 25% Faster Run/Walk
• 25% Faster Cast Rate
• 25% Faster Hit Recovery

Sigon Set

This particular set is quite popular for D2R builds that want to thrive in the early- to mid-game. You can find some valuable information about the set pieces below:

Partial Set Bonus:

• +10% Life Stolen Per Hit (2 Items)
• +100 Defense (3 Items)

Sigon Complete Set Bonus

• +10% Life Stolen Per Hit
• +100 Defense
• +20 To Mana
• +12% Fire Resistance
• +24 To Max Fire Damage
• Attacker Takes Damage of 12
• Damage Reduced By 7

Sigon's Visor

• +25 Defense
• +30 to Mana
• + (8 Per Character Level) 8-792 To Attack Rating (Based On Character Level) (2 Items)

Sigon's Shelter

• +25% Enhanced Defense
• Lightning Resistance +30%
• Attacker Takes Damage of 20 (2 Items)

Sigon's Sabot

• 20% Faster Run Walk
• Cold Resistance +40%
• +50 To Attack Rating (2 Items)
• +50% Better Chance To Find Magic Items (3 Items)

Sigon's Guard

• +1 to All Skills
• +20% Increased Chance To Block

Sigon's Wrap

• Fire Resistance +20%
• +20 to Life
• + (2 Per Character Level) 2-198 To Defense (Based On Character Level) (2 Items)

Sigon's Gage

• +20 to Attack Rating
• +10 to Strength
• 30% Increased Attack Speed (2 Items)

Small, Large, and Grand Charms

As much as possible you will want to pick up every charm. Note that charms in normal aren't that powerful yet, but they have the potential to assist you through Nightmare and Hell Difficulties. Make sure to save all resist small charms and lightning resistance charms. Other things you can look for in charms include bonus life,e magic find, and all resistances.

Patch 2.5 has introduced Sunder Charms to Diablo II: Resurrected. These are a new breed of charms that effectively break immunities to certain damage types, making monsters resistant to that damage instead.

For the Lightning Fury Amazon, in particular, you will need Crack of the Heavens. Having this charm in your inventory will allow you to hit and slay monsters that are naturally immune to lightning damage.

Do not worry about that 95% lightning resistance on monsters because you will be dealing huge amounts of damage anyway.

Budget Unique Items

There are a couple of unique items that you get to improve the Lightning Fury Javazon early on. The first is Thunderstroke, which is a unique Matriarchal Javelin that reduces the enemy's resistance to lightning damage by 15%. This should help you get through Nightmare Difficulty without a hitch. You can also use this if you want to engage in player vs. player (PvP) combat from time to time.

The second budget unique item that you can get your hands on is Moser's Blessed Circle. This shield provides you with a considerable amount of block chance, thus alleviating the need to put a lot of points on dexterity just to achieve 100%. This thing already increases your resistance to all damage types by 25, but you could amplify that even further by socketing two Perfect Diamonds for a 63-point boost.

End Game Gear

Weapon

• Ethereal Titan's Revenge or Titan's Revenge

While Thunderstroke is already a strong weapon for the Lightning Fury Javazon, you will ultimately use Titan's Revenge. This weapon raises the level of your main skills by four, thus giving you more power to decimate any opponent you encounter. The bonus to run/walk speed is essential for farming efficiency as well.

Weapon Swap

• Call to Arms (This is good to improve your skills and swap back)

If you are new to Diablo II: Resurrected, the term "weapon swap" refers to quickly switching to a different weapon, with the intention of gaining things that your main weapon does not provide.

Call to Arms is a common weapon swap in the game mainly because it allows you to cast a few Barbarian-exclusive skills, such as Battle Command, Battle Cry, and Battle Orders. While the first two are good in their own way, the reason why you are using Call to Arms is due to Battle Orders for that huge boost in mana, life, and stamina.

Keep an eye on Battle Orders and swap to Call to Arms if it needs a top-up. Call to Arms is a Runeword that requires you to put the following runes in the exact order: Amn, Ral, Mal, Ist, Ohm. Although you can use any five-socketed weapon for this, the Flail is a great choice due to its low attribute requirements.

Shield

• Stormshield
• Phoenix
• Spirit

You have three amazing shields to choose from for the Lightning Fury Amazon. Stormshield is the preferred option if you value survivability, which is something that you should consider if you reach the Hell Difficulty. This shield is best known for its modifier that reduces the damage you take from all sources by 35% – the highest value on a single item in D2R. This thing is also indestructible, alleviating the need to go to the Blacksmith for repairs.

Phoenix is a great way to sustain your life and mana, especially in the later stages of the game. This is a Runeword that can be attained by combining Vex, Vex, Lo, and Jah runes. The existence of the Jah Rune itself makes Phoenix an already expensive item. However, the insane “% Enhanced Damage” it provides is just too hard to pass up. What’s more, it bolsters your defense against missile attacks, which is highly desirable on Nightmare and Hell Difficulties.

Spirit is another Runeword that gives a ton of value to the build. Not only does it raise the level of all your skills by two, but it boosts your lightning damage by a considerable amount as well. The 112 points of mana on a well-rolled Spirit shield gives you more than enough of the said resource to cast Lightning Fury without fear. Obtain a Monarch shield and place the Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn runes in the exact order.

Body Armor

• Chains of Honor
• Enigma

Chains of Honor is an awesome choice for your body armor. This is a Runeword that you can get by socketing the Dol, Um, Ber, and Ist runes, preferably on a Dusk Shroud. This is a good base for the Javazon due to its defenses and being lightweight.

Anyway, Chains of Honor is best known for its defensive affixes, including +65 all resistances, 8% damage reduction, and 70% enhanced defense. Moreover, you get a 25% higher chance of obtaining magic items, which is something that you want in an endgame build.

Enigma is definitely a great alternative to Chains of Honor for the Lightning Fury Javazon. This is a popular Runeword that grants you the ability to use Teleport. Use the said skill to move around, jumping from one area to the next in a jiffy.

Even though Teleport is a useful skill, that is not the only thing that Enigma gives. This Runeword also has some pretty cool defensive bonuses, such as *% damage reduction, heaps of defense, and 15% damage taken goes to mana before life.

If you are interested in the Enigma, secure the Jah, Ith, and Ber runes and put them in this specific order.

Helm

• Griffon's Eye
• Harlequin Crest

Griffon's Eye is truly an endgame helmet for the Lightning Fury Javazon. This is due to a couple of useful modifiers, specifically the "-20% to Enemy Lightning Resistance" and "+15% to Lightning Skill Damage".

Famously known as the "Shako" the Harlequin Crest is a close second for the helmet slot. The "+2 to all skills" along with the "50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items" are quite useful when farming items on Hell Difficulty.

Gloves

• Dracul's Grasp
• Magic gloves with +3 to Javelin and Spear Skills and 20% Increased Attack Speed (commonly known as 3/20s) or Rare gloves with +2 to Javelin and Spear Skills, 20% Increased Attack Speed, and other useful stats

Diablo II: Resurrected has a roster of unique items and Runewords that provide some really incredible stats. However, there is value to wearing magic or rare items as well. The endgame gloves for this build, in particular, are a pair that has +2 to Javelin and Spear skills, as well as a 20% increase in attack speed. These can be quite expensive, but they are definitely worth the investment.

If a pair of rare gloves with the specific affixes mentioned above is out of your budget, do not fret. There is a good alternative to that in the form of Dracul's Grasp. These gloves enable you to cast Life Tap upon striking an enemy. Life Tap is a Necromancer-only skill that heals you based on 50% of your attack damage. Since you are obliterating enemies without a problem, you will get great benefits from this.

Boots

• Sandstorm Trek
• War Traveler
• Waterwalk
• Aldur's Advance

You have several amazing options for the boots. Sandstorm Trek is a strong contender mainly due to the fact that it increases your maximum stamina, hit recovery, and run/walk speeds considerably. The 70% boost to poison resistance is quite helpful, especially if you are wandering in areas that contain a ton of monsters that deal poison damage (like the Swampy Pit in Act III).

Do you want a piece of gear in D2: R that gives you enhanced defense and magic find? Of course, you do! The War Traveler grants that and then some! You also get 25 damage, +10 to strength and vitality, and a 40% slower stamina drain, making the War Traveler an appealing choice.

As you go to the later Acts, you will encounter stronger enemies, even those that hit you from a distance. To bolster your defense against missile or ranged attacks, you might want to look at the Waterwalk. This thing, combined with other items that improve missile defense like Shafstop, enables you to significantly reduce damage from long-ranged attacks. The +5% to maximum fire resistance is a nice bonus as well.

Aldur's Advance is a pair of indestructible boots that grants heaps of fire resistance, stamina, and life. What's more, 10% of the damage you receive is taken from mana before life, which helps improve your survivability.

Belt

• Razortail
• Thundergod's Vigor

If there is one item in Diablo II: Resurrected that is perfectly meant for this build, it would be the Razortail. This is a unique belt that grants a 33% chance to pierce the enemy with your attacks. You still need to put points on Pierce (passive skill) to achieve the full effect, but you are certainly going to save some that you can spend on other passive skills.

Even though the Razortail is enough, especially if you are on a budget, the "true" endgame belt for the Lightning Fury Javazon is Thundergod's Vigor. This belt raises the level of Lightning Fury and Lightning Strike by three which, as you have already known, are two of your primary skills on this build.

On top of that, the belt has a unique effect where you have a small chance of casting a level 7 Fist of the Heavens when you are struck by the enemy. This is a Paladin-only skill that allows you to rain down damaging bolts from the heavens, aiding you in clearing full screens of monsters.

Rings

• Raven Frost
• The Stone of Jordan or Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band

For the rings, Raven Frost is non-negotiable. This is a unique ring in Diablo II: Resurrected that makes you immune to being frozen - a godsend when farming on Hell Difficulty. Besides that, the added cold damage, dexterity, and cold absorption are welcome additions indeed.

On the other ring slot, you can choose between more damage and mana or more life, respectively. Both of them do provide you with "+1 to all skills", so it really boils down to preference.

Amulet

• The Cat's Eye
• Mara's Kaleidoscope
• Highlord's Wrath

The Cat's Eye is one of the only amulets in the game that provides you with increased attack speed and faster run/walk speeds. The added defense against ranged attacks is a great complement to the War Traveler, assuming that you are wearing these boots.

When you play the game on higher difficulty levels, you will suffer from penalties, where your resistances to the different damage types are reduced. That is why you need to invest in items that increase your overall resistances to survive.

That said, Mara's Kaleidoscope is one of the best in that regard. The 30-point increase in resistances helps immensely in addressing the penalty mentioned just now. More importantly, it raises the level of your skills by two, making your offensive abilities more damaging, and your passive abilities more potent.

A definite upgrade over The Cat's Eye, Highlord's Wrath is the preferred choice if you want to maximize your damage output. Not only does it increase your attack speed by 20%, but it also gives you +1 to all skills. Furthermore, it grants you the ability to land a Deadly Strike, which increases in frequency the higher your level is.

Charms

• Hellfire Torch
• Annihilus
• 8x Javelin Skills Grand Charms with Life or Faster Hit Recovery to reach at least 86% Faster Hit Recovery
• 10x Small Charms mainly for the Resistances, but it's also good to have options like Life, Mana, or Faster Hit Recovery, depending on your needs

Charms in Diablo II: Resurrected are items that give bonuses permanently so long as they remain in your inventory. That being said, there are certainly some Charms that you can use for the Lightning Fury Amazon.

First of all, the Hellfire Torch is an incredible Charm that raises the level of your skills by three. If you are going to get one, make sure to purchase the Hellfire Torch specifically with the "+3 to Amazon Skill Levels" mod.

The Annihilus is another unique Charm worth mentioning. This gives you +1 to all skills, 20 attributes, and 20 all resistances. This is also nice if you are still in the process of reaching the max level because it increases your experience gain by 10%.

Crack of the Heavens is pretty much non-negotiable. This is a Sunder Charm that allows you to deal damage to monsters that are naturally immune to lightning damage. Keep in mind that your lightning resistance is reduced by a significant amount when you have this in your inventory. Hence, you need to address that through your other pieces of gear if you want to survive on Hell Difficulty.

Breakpoints for Amazon

When it comes to efficiency, you need to gain knowledge about certain breakpoints in Diablo II: Resurrected. In case you didn't know, the game runs in 25 frames per second, which dictates how fast animations occur in a given period of time.

Having said that, there are a couple of breakpoints that you need to be aware of specifically for the Lightning Fury Javazon. For one, you need to have 86% faster hit recovery or FHR. This basically translates how fast you can recover from being struck by the enemy. Without going overly technical, you have to aim for 86% FHR because this is the most comfortable value to attain regardless of your endgame equipment.

Another important breakpoint for this build is the IAS or Increased Attack Speed. As the name implies, this breakpoint is concerned with how quickly you can initiate attacks. Ideally, you want to get about 95% increased attack speed from your gear to attain just seven frames per second. Below is a chart that tells you the summary of what we are talking about:

Mercenary

You can either choose a Defensive Act II mercenary which uses Holy Freeze or an Offensive Act II mercenary Might. Take note that these mercenaries are only available after you beat the game in Nightmare mode.

Mercenary Gear

Weapon

• Infinity
• Insight

Infinity is a popular Runeword that grants the Conviction Aura, which reduces enemy resistances by up to 85%. The runes that constitute Infinity include Ber, Mal, Ber, and Ist. It goes without saying that you have to put it in the same order as well.

Ideally, you want to put Infinity on a Thresher or Giant Thresher because the said base weapons have a very high attack speed and are able to deal huge amounts of damage in a flash.

If you are short on budget, you can go for Insight instead. Insight, when equipped by a mercenary, allows you to enjoy the benefits of Meditation Aura. This Paladin-only skill boosts your mana recovery by quite a bit, thus solving your mana issues if you are struggling to keep a steady supply of the said resource.

Body Armor

• Fortitude
• Treachery

Mercenaries in D2R can die frequently if they are not well-equipped. If you want to put a reliable body armor on them, then Treachery is good and does not cost a ton to obtain. The main selling point of this Runeword is that it casts a level 15 Fade buff when your mercenary is hit by an attack, thus raising all resistances by a significant amount for a short period of time. You will need body armor with three sockets to accommodate the Shael, Thul, and Lem runes.

For best in slot, nothing can compete with Fortitude. This Runeword pretty much as it all. It has enhanced damage, enhanced defense, increased all resistances, and a chance to land a Deadly Strike, among many others. If you want your Mercenary to hit like a truck, then Fortitude is the way to go!

Helm

• Ethereal Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ral Rune to offset the -15% Fire resistance that Andariel's Visage comes with.

Andariel's Visage has been a long-time staple for many players who hire the services of Act II mercenaries. The reason is that it increases the mercenary's attack speed by 20%. If that is not enough, it also increases maximum poison resistance by 10% - a godsend when farming for items in areas riddled with enemies that deal poison damage.

Now, there is one notable downside to wearing this helmet. More specifically, it reduces the fire resistance of the wearer by 30%. To counter this, simply insert a Ral Rune.

Note: The choice of Ethereal equipment for mercenaries is good because durability isn't affected when it's worn by a mercenary.

Conclusion

The Lightning Fury Amazon/Javazon is the ideal build for those who want a character that can deal tremendous amounts of damage to multiple monsters at once. The build's bread and butter, Lightning Fury, can delete entire screens of enemies without a problem. This is especially true if you have all of the items mentioned in this build guide.

Another selling point of this build is that it is not boring to use at all. Aside from Lightning Fury, there are a couple of skills you can utilize at your disposal. Lightning Strike is another area-clearing ability that is there if you need something different.

If you are fighting tougher monsters, there is Charged Strike as well. Thanks to this skill, you will not have problems eliminating even the Uber Bosses in the game!

While not as tanky as other characters in D2R, the Lightning Fury Javazon is more than capable of handling whatever this game throws at her.

With all of that said, if you want to create arguably one of the best boss killers in Diablo II: Resurrected, put the Lightning Fury Javazon on your radar for sure!