Hollow Rain Martial Artist Bell Stacker - 0.5 League Start Build Plan
Summary
- Build Concept: Utilizes the new Martial Artist ascendancy node to generate combo points with any attack, specifically leveraging Rain of Arrows for high-frequency combo generation and consistent Tempest Bell triggers.
- Core Mechanics:
- Tempest Bell: Acts as the primary damage source, benefiting from high hit rates, ailment application (providing 30% physical as extra elemental damage), and sustained duration.
- Combo Generation: Rain of Arrows fires approximately 40 arrows per use, making it an ideal tool for sustained bell triggering.
- Progression Strategy: The build pivots from a quarterstaff-based leveling strategy into a Hollow Palm Technique setup, relying on skill gem levels for flat physical damage scaling rather than gear.
- Adaptability: The build maintains flexibility to switch between unarmed (Facebreaker) and quarterstaff setups depending on unique item availability and game-day adjustments to the new ascendancy nodes.
Build Concept and Mechanics
The build centers on the Martial Artist ascendancy node, which allows combo generation on any attack regardless of the weapon used. By pairing this with Rain of Arrows, the setup achieves massive hit counts, which are critical for triggering Tempest Bell.
Tempest Bell benefits from:
- High base impact damage (approx. 490 at level 20).
- Synergy with ailments; each ailment applied grants 30% physical as extra elemental damage.
- Reliable uptime compared to other high-damage skills like Hammer of the Gods.
Note: The Fist of Stone ascendancy node remains an unknown variable; it is expected to significantly enhance glove slots and may provide conversion capabilities for unique gloves.
Leveling Progression
Levels 1–5: Early Game
- Utilize early dropped weapons (cross-bows, two-handed maces, or talismans).
- Combine basic attacks/spells with Contagion and Entangle for clear.
- Incorporate Frost Bomb for single-target damage and exposure.
Levels 6–12: Hybrid Setup
- Transition to a hybrid quarterstaff and talisman setup.
- Use Wind Blast (from stabs) to generate stun.
- Follow up with Wing Blast (from wyvern form) to detonate stuns and gain power charges.
- Use Falling Thunder as the primary single-target skill, consuming power charges for extra damage.
Level 13: Hollow Palm Transition
- Respec at the cemetery to acquire Hollow Palm Technique.
- This removes the need for quarterstaff maintenance during the mid-game.
- Base damage scaling is heavily dependent on keeping skill gem levels updated rather than relying on character level or gear.
Level 22–41: Lightning Quarterstaff Base
- Switch to Storm Wave (clear) and Siphoning Strike (charge generation/clear).
- Use a two-button loop for bosses: apply Rend for buffs, generate power charges with Siphoning Strike, and expend them with Falling Thunder.
- After Trial of Chaos (Level 41), perform the full swap into the Whirling Assault, Rain of Arrows, and Tempest Bell suite.
Late Game and Gearing Strategy
- Unarmed Pathing: The primary goal is to transition into Facebreaker for unarmed physical damage scaling, which synergizes exceptionally well with Tempest Bell.
- Offhand Swap: Equip a tri-elemental bow in the offhand to use Storm Caller Arrow for shock application, which maximizes the utility of Tempest Bell.
- Passive Tree: Prioritize attribute nodes early due to starvation, then move toward crit nodes and specialized quarterstaff clusters if Facebreakers are unavailable.