POE 2 Build: Infinite Frenzy Charge Glacial Lance Ritualist
With the arrival of Patch 0.4, Glacial Lance has made a powerful comeback, and this Infinite Frenzy Charge Ritualist build fully capitalizes on its new buffs. The result is a fast, screen-freezing caster that combines smooth clear speed, reliable single-target damage, and an elegant mechanical loop that only Ritualist can sustain. Best of all, the core of the build is highly accessible, requiring just a handful of inexpensive uniques to get started while still offering excellent late-game scaling. For players who want strong performance without heavy early investment of POE 2 Currency, this build hits a sweet spot between creativity, power, and approachability.
Build Overview
At its core, this build revolves around an empowered Glacial Lance, a cold spell that consumes Frenzy Charges to dramatically boost its damage and freeze potential. On paper, Frenzy Charges are typically associated with attack-based builds, but Patch 0.4 has opened the door for casters to exploit them in exciting ways. Glacial Lance benefits enormously from having Frenzy Charges available at all times, turning it into a devastating spell capable of freezing entire packs instantly and locking bosses in near-permanent crowd control.
Thanks to Ritualist's unique ascendancy tools, we are able to generate Frenzy Charges infinitely-even in extended boss fights where charge generation usually falls apart. This ensures Glacial Lance is always cast at full power, with no downtime or awkward moments where damage suddenly drops off.
The playstyle is simple but extremely satisfying: you repeatedly cast Glacial Lance, instantly freezing packs and shattering enemies before they can react. The freezing effect is not just visual flair-it's a major defensive layer, keeping enemies immobilized and unable to threaten you. With enough investment, entire screens are locked down in ice, making the build both safe and efficient for mapping, Ritual encounters, and other dense content.
What makes this build particularly appealing is its flexibility. You can start it on a very modest budget, using cheap uniques that are often overlooked, and gradually upgrade into a high-end caster capable of tackling the toughest POE 2 content. Whether you enjoy early league progression or refining a build into a late-game monster, this Ritualist setup supports both playstyles exceptionally well.
How Glacial Lance Shines in Patch 0.4
Patch 0.4 brought several key changes that pushed Glacial Lance back into relevance. Improvements to its base damage, scaling, and interaction with Frenzy Charges mean that it now rewards consistent charge uptime more than ever before. Each Frenzy Charge consumed amplifies both damage and freeze effectiveness, creating a powerful feedback loop: more charges lead to stronger freezes, which lead to safer casting, which leads to more damage uptime.
Unlike many cold spells that rely heavily on critical strikes or complex ailment scaling, Glacial Lance thrives on straightforward spell damage, cold damage, and charge-based multipliers. This makes it easier to scale efficiently and keeps gearing decisions intuitive, especially for players who prefer clear mechanical goals over convoluted optimization.
The Core Tech: Infinite Frenzy Charges
The heart of the build lies in a clever interaction between four unique items:
Scold's Bridle
Lightning Coil
Bijouborne
Valako's Roar (Unique Charm)
Individually, these items might seem niche or even awkward. Together, they form one of the most elegant self-sustaining loops currently available in POE 2.
Here's how it works step by step:
Every time you use a skill, Scold's Bridle deals Physical Damage to you based on mana cost. Normally, self-damage is something players avoid, but in this case, it's the engine that drives the entire build. That Physical Damage is partially converted into Lightning Damage by Lightning Coil, ensuring that you consistently take Lightning Damage whenever you cast Glacial Lance.
When you take Lightning Damage, Valako's Roar triggers, granting you a Frenzy Charge. This alone would already be powerful, but charms are normally limited by charges and cooldowns. In most builds, once the charm runs out of charges-especially during single-target boss fights-the loop would break.
This is where Bijouborne comes in. Bijouborne reduces the duration of the charm effect, allowing it to be used far more frequently. Shorter duration means faster cycling, which translates into more consistent Frenzy Charge generation.
The final piece of the puzzle is the Ritualist ascendancy node Mind Phylacteries, which allows charms to be used even when they have no charges. This is the critical enabler of the entire concept. Because the charm can still activate at zero charges, the loop never truly stops. As long as you are casting skills, you are taking Lightning Damage, triggering Valako's Roar, and generating Frenzy Charges.
This is the key reason no other ascendancy can replicate this setup-without Mind Phylacteries, the system eventually collapses. Ritualist doesn't just support the loop; it makes it permanent.
Why Ritualist Is the Perfect Ascendancy
Ritualist doesn't merely enable the tech; it perfects it. Infinite Frenzy Charges mean permanent empowered Glacial Lance, consistent freezes, and exceptional damage uptime. While other ascendancies might offer higher raw damage bonuses or more traditional defenses, none can provide this level of mechanical reliability for Frenzy Charge-based casting.
Ritualist also naturally complements the build's defensive philosophy. Freezing enemies is one of the strongest defensive tools in the game, and Ritualist's toolkit synergizes beautifully with a playstyle that rewards positioning, control, and sustained casting. Instead of face-tanking hits, you dictate the flow of combat, freezing threats before they ever reach you.
This makes the build especially appealing for players who enjoy methodical but fast-paced gameplay-always active, always casting, but rarely panicking.
Gearing and Progression
One of the strongest selling points of this build is how accessible it is. All four core uniques are typically inexpensive early in a league, as they are not widely used in meta builds. This allows you to assemble the engine of the build without heavy investment.
Early on, you can focus on basic caster stats: life, energy shield, resistances, and spell damage. Glacial Lance performs well even before the infinite Frenzy Charge loop is fully online, making leveling smooth and forgiving. As you acquire the required uniques, the build transitions seamlessly into its final form.
In the late game, scaling options open up significantly. Increased cold damage, spell critical strike chance, cast speed, and Frenzy Charge effectiveness all push the build further. Defensive upgrades such as improved mitigation, recovery, and ailment avoidance add another layer of comfort for endgame content.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
Infinite Frenzy Charges with no downtime
Excellent freeze and crowd control
Strong clear speed and reliable boss damage
Budget-friendly entry point
Unique and satisfying mechanical loop
Weaknesses:
Relies on specific uniques to fully function
Self-damage mechanics require careful gearing
Not ideal for players who dislike caster playstyles
Despite these drawbacks, the overall package is incredibly strong, especially for players who enjoy clever interactions and non-traditional solutions.
Final Thoughts
If you're looking for a clever, budget-friendly caster with unique mechanics and excellent scaling, the Infinite Frenzy Charge Glacial Lance Ritualist is one of the standout builds of POE 2 Patch 0.4. It offers a rare combination of creativity, power, and accessibility, rewarding players who enjoy understanding and exploiting game systems in elegant ways. Whether you're freezing entire maps or locking down bosses with relentless spellcasting, this build delivers a satisfying and distinctive experience-and once you're ready to push it further, investing wisely or even choosing to buy POE 2 Orbs can help unlock its full late-game potential.