Shadow Killer

Shadow Killer is an elite unique Battle Cestus in Diablo 2 Resurrected with a unique cold-focused design. This level 78 katar always spawns ethereal and indestructible, offering high base damage with crowd control capabilities through cold effects.

Cold Crowd Control

Shadow Killer features 33% Chance to Cast Level 8 Frost Nova on Striking—the only unique item with this specific proc. Combined with Freezes Target +2, it provides substantial crowd control by chilling and freezing enemies on contact. The +170-220% Enhanced Damage and -25% Target Defense offer solid physical offense, while +10-15 to Mana After Each Kill provides sustain. The weapon always rolls with Indestructible and Ethereal properties, giving it higher base damage without durability concerns.

Limited Practical Use

Despite its interesting mechanics, Shadow Killer struggles to find a place in endgame builds. The cold effects lose effectiveness in Hell difficulty where cold duration is severely reduced and many monsters have cold immunity. The lack of skill bonuses, life leech, or resistances makes it inferior to Bartuc's Cut-Throat and Jade Talon for most purposes. The Frost Nova proc can be disruptive in party play, scattering frozen enemies. Originally a Ladder-only item, though now available on Non-Ladder through trading. Primarily valued by collectors rather than serious builds—the guaranteed ethereal status makes it a unique trophy item, but competitive Assassins prefer katars with +skills and better sustain stats.