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HUGE IMPROVEMENTS! Plants Abyssal Lich League Starter Build Guide - Day 2 Update

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This guide provides an overview of the “Plants Abyssal Lich” build following significant progress on day two of the league. The build excels at clearing T15 maps and Breach content while offering robust defensive layers and high single-target DPS.

Summary

  • Performance: The build currently handles endgame content easily and is considered one of the stronger spellcaster options for the current league.
  • Core Mechanic: The “Rupture the Flesh” node acts as a free, highly effective version of Detonate Dead, providing excellent screen clear.
  • Defensive Layering: The build utilizes a low-life energy shield setup, reaching ~8,000 ES with significant flat damage reduction and fast recharge.
  • Key Scaling: Low-life status is leveraged for increased movement speed and massive damage multipliers via specific supports and runes.
  • Bossing Strategy: A secondary weapon set utilizing a staff designed for high shock magnitude is critical for maximizing single-target DPS.

Character Progression and Defensive Stats

The character is currently level 92, maintaining:

  • Energy Shield: ~8,000 (with plans to exceed 10,000).
  • Sustainability: Energy shield recharge delay of under 3 seconds, coupled with the Convalescence skill for non-interrupted recovery.
  • Damage Mitigation: 25% flat damage reduction.
  • Movement: Increased via the Techrod’s Gaze rune, which provides double the standard movement speed bonus while on low-life.

Core Mechanics and Clear

  • Clear: Entangle and Threshing Vines are the primary skills. Rupture the Flesh (Abyssal Lich node) allows monsters to explode upon death, which serves as the primary clear mechanic, removing the need for Cast on Crit.
  • Overgrowth: Combining Entangle and Thunderstorm causes plants to “overgrow,” which blinds enemies on hit via Accelerated Growth.
  • Support Synergies:
    • Blindside: Used on non-blind skills to provide 15% more critical damage and 15% more critical hit chance against blinded targets.
    • Execute 3: Provides 30% more damage while on low-life, and an additional 30% more damage against targets below 35% health.

Bossing and Shock Scaling

Single-target damage is significantly amplified by high-magnitude shocks:

  1. Weapon Swap: A secondary weapon set utilizes a staff with high spell damage, lightning levels, and increased shock chance/magnitude.
  2. Passive Nodes: The passive tree includes specific nodes that scale the magnitude of shock.
  3. Result: When applied, shock debuffs cause enemies to take up to 60% more damage, providing a massive DPS multiplier.

Gear Recommendations

  • Staff: Priority is physical spell levels, high spell damage, and high physical spell damage. Suffixes should prioritize critical hit chance for spells and cast speed.
  • Amulet: A crafted amulet with 20% maximum quality (to reach +4 to all spells), critical hit chance, and spell damage.
  • Rings: Breach Genesis tree rings are recommended for specific caster modifiers.
  • Gloves: Nightscale power scale gloves are essential for managing high mana consumption, providing near-unlimited mana regeneration upon critical hits.

Skill Gem Setup

  • Entangle: Execute 3, Brutality 3, Branching Fissures 2, Zenith 2, Accelerated Growth.
  • Threshing Vines: Execute 3, Brutality 3, Heft, Zenith 2, Blindside.
  • Bone Storm: Execute 3, Brutality 3, Heft, Zenith 2, Blindside.
  • Utilities: Sigil of Power (secondary set), Convalescence (linked with Second Wind 3, Rapid Casting 2, etc.), and Blasphemy with Temporal Chains.

Note: Avoid “gain damage as extra elemental damage” on your weapon if using the Brutality 3 support gem, as it may negate the damage bonus. Always check the DPS tooltip when adjusting this support.

Key References