PoE Sanity

Goratha's Storm Wave Martial Artist Day 1 UPDATE - FORGE HAMMERS LOOK CRAZY IN THEORY

By GorathaWatch videoDuration: PT8M

Summary

  • Build Progression: Leveled using Twister until level 45, then transitioned to a Storm Wave and Shattering Palm setup.
  • Hollow Form Analysis: While Hollow Form paired with Forge Hammer offers high single-target damage, it was found to be clunky for AoE clearing due to targeting limitations, lack of rage generation, and lack of leech.
  • Mechanics & Synergy: The build leverages Way of the Stonefist for intelligence stacking and Way of the Mountain for durability and stun thresholds.
  • Armor Break Tech: Utilizes damage-gain-as-extra mechanics combined with specific tree nodes to break enemy armor and trigger explosions.
  • Current Status: Experimental; the build currently faces some single-target damage issues in high-red maps, though gear improvements are expected to resolve this.

Leveling and Transition

The leveling process utilized Twister up to level 45 to allow for a better staff selection and the accumulation of necessary tendency points before switching to staff abilities. While Hollow Palm can be used to acquire staff abilities earlier, the Twister route was chosen for this progression. After reaching level 45, the build transitioned to Storm Wave combined with Shattering Palm.

Hollow Form and Forge Hammer Testing

Testing confirmed that Hollow Form works as anticipated with Forge Hammer, creating multiple hammers that can be detonated for significant single-target damage. However, the playstyle felt inefficient due to:

  • Clunky AoE clear mechanics.
  • Manual targeting requirements that proved difficult for consistent clearing.
  • Lack of inherent rage generation and leech.

To optimize the Hollow Form technique, one could potentially generate power charges using a specific combination of spirit gems:

  1. Summon Wolf Pack minions.
  2. Use Sacrifice to kill them, which allows them to count as corpses.
  3. Link Profane Ritual with Cast on Minion Death to generate power charges.

Build Mechanics and Key Nodes

  • Way of the Mountain: This was prioritized during leveling for its stun threshold, damage reduction, and “more damage” multiplier. It remains highly effective, though stacks can fall off during difficult boss encounters.
  • Way of the Stonefist: This node enables intelligence stacking and enhances unique items (such as Painter Servant or Facebreaker) by scaling ailments and extra damage types based on physical damage.
  • Armor Explosion: This relies on “damage gain as extra” mechanics. By breaking enemy armor with physical damage—facilitated by specific tree nodes—the build triggers armor explosions to clear groups quickly.

Combat Strategy and Utilities

  • Engagement: The core loop involves using Shattering Palm to enter melee range, followed by Storm Wave to trigger explosions. For bosses, Hand of Trila is used to apply curses and generate combo points.
  • Weapon Swap/Rend: A weapon swap setup includes Rend for additional lightning damage scaling.
  • Utility: Charge Staff is used to gain extra damage on crits or shocks, though alternatives like Falling Thunder are being considered for future testing.

Key References