Goratha's Martial Artist Storm Wave UPDATE - ABSURD NEW GEM COMBO TECH - Bells Everywhere!
Summary
- Build Evolution: Transitioned away from Hollow Form to a combo-focused Martial Artist setup for improved fluidity.
- Core Mechanics: Utilizes Fragments of the Past for efficient combo generation and bell-triggering, significantly boosting single-target damage.
- Defensive Strategy: Maintained a hybrid Evasion/Energy Shield approach, benefiting from buffs to deflection and Way of the Mountain.
- Freeze Synergy: Employs high freeze buildup via cold damage scaling, Ice Bite, and the Ancient Rune of Control to secure damage multipliers and defensive utility.
- Mana Management: Identified mana sustain as a challenge at higher gear levels, recommending Mana Leech on gear and Ocean’s Oath for stability.
Transition from Hollow Form
The build has moved away from Hollow Form. While Hollow Form is effective with Whirling Assault and power charge generation, it felt clunky. The current setup focuses on self-attacking with Storm Wave, utilizing Martial Master and Martial Adept to manage combo points and sustain energy shield through recharge delay reductions.
Combo Tech and Fragments of the Past
A major improvement in single-target performance comes from the new gem Fragments of the Past.
- Functionality: This ability acts as a volcano that triggers bell attacks and generates combo points (treated as an attack).
- Bossing: Dropping the volcano before a boss engages allows for immediate bell ramping and casting.
- Optimization: Utility links such as Cold Exposure are currently used with this gem, though damage support gems are a viable alternative for further scaling. Ward is utilized on the helmet, boots, and gloves to support casting multiple instances if needed.
Storm Wave Mechanics
Storm Wave serves as the primary single-target damage dealer. Its effectiveness relies on:
- Overlap: Proper positioning relative to the boss’s hitbox allows for four-fold overlap, maximizing damage output.
- Clear: Combined with Shattering Palm, the build achieves high-tier Area of Effect (AoE) clearing, utilizing Herald of Ice explosions and shattering mechanics.
Hybrid Sustainability and Weapon Swapping
- Hybrid Defense: The build leverages Evasion and Energy Shield hybrid defense. Synergies like Way of the Mountain provide damage and defensive benefits when life remains below 30%, making the hybrid playstyle viable.
- Weapon Swap Ideas: While not currently finalized, potential options for the weapon swap slots include:
- Shock Magnitude: Utilizing nodes like Power Conduction or charge staff abilities.
- Movement/Utility: Exploring Dance with Death or sprint nodes to address lower movement speeds.
Freeze and Ailment Scaling
To maximize damage, the build focuses heavily on freeze buildup:
- Scaling: Achieved through flat cold damage on weapons, Ice Bite, and passive tree nodes like Essence of the Mountain.
- Multipliers: Heavy Frost allows for resistance penetration against frozen targets.
- Utility: Using Ancient Rune of Control provides a 50% increase to mobilization effects. If map modifiers make freezing difficult, Rocky Slow is a potential future solution.
Mana Sustain
Mana costs increase significantly with gem levels, making sustain a primary concern. Current recommendations for managing mana include:
- Acquiring Mana Leech on rings or weapons.
- Using Ocean’s Oath on Shattering Palm or Storm Wave.
- Prioritizing Mana on Kill stats to offset costs during mapping.