How do we sustain Spirit?
Our main Spirit engine revolves around
Tibault's Will
Malefic Crescent, and
Blood Howl.
Malefic Crescent automatically casts Blood Howl every 4 seconds. Thanks to
Spirit Howl Blood Howl,
Blood Howl converts its healing into Spirit, while
Tibault's Will restores additional Spirit whenever
Blood Howl grants Unstoppable.
The second part of our Spirit generation comes from
Lust for Carnage, which restores Spirit whenever we land a Critical Strike. This makes Critical Strike Chance one of the most important stats on your gear.
Finally,
Dirge of Airidah provides another strong source of Spirit generation, making it one of our best-in-slot rings for the build
The 2-piece
Berú of the Storm Shepherd bonus is one of the biggest power spikes for this build, granting 60% increased damage. However, to fully benefit from it, you need to consistently spend at least 120 Spirit. That's why Spirit generation is one of the build's highest priorities and should be established before transitioning into this setup
When should I transition from the Starter version?
Transition once you have the core items that enable the build's mechanics:
Malefic Crescent lets you remove
Blood Howl from your skill bar by automatically casting it every 4 seconds, freeing up a slot for
Debilitating Roar
Ifeh's Dire Totem enables
Grizzly Rage as your main Ultimate, replacing
Cataclysm for both farming and pushing.- Aim for at least 2 pieces of the Storm Shepherd set before switching. The 2-piece bonus is a massive damage increase and provides the Spirit sustain needed to keep the build running smoothly. This is also the point where I recommend switching to
Hero of the Storm Lightning Storm and
Derecho Hurricane, since you'll have enough Spirit generation to keep Hero of Lightning Storm active permanently - While progressing,
Aspect of Disobedience becomes much stronger once you unlock the
Constricting Tendrils Legendary Node. Before then, any defensive Aspect that provides Damage Reduction is a solid alternative. - For farming, save
Grizzly Rage for Elite packs or dangerous situations. Against bosses, however, you should use it on cooldown for the extra damage
Farming Locations
Malefic Crescent Beast in the Ice
Dark Howl Urivar
Waxing Gibbous Lord Zir
Tibault's Will General Pool
Ifeh's Dire Totem Harbinger of Hatred
Dirge of Airidah Astaroth
Thundergod's Blessing General Pool
Azurewrath General Pool
Frostburn General Pool
Known Bugs
- Archdruid's Aspect: Currently grants both the Werebear and Werewolf damage bonuses while in Werewolf Form when using Ifeh's Dire Totem and Grizzly Rage, making it the strongest offensive Aspect available.
- Waxing Gibbous: Additional Shred strikes count as extra casts for the Storm Shepherd set, increasing its Spirit consumption and damage multiplier.
- Waxing Gibbous: Repeatedly clicking Shred instead of holding the button increases the chance of triggering the weapon's additional strikes, resulting in higher overall damage.
- Lightning Storm Snapshot: Lightning Storm can permanently store certain buffs while active, including Attack Speed and the Storm Shepherd 5-piece damage bonus. Toggle the skill after gaining your buffs to snapshot them.
- Azurewrath: The explosion damage occasionally deals significantly more damage than intended. The exact conditions are currently unknown.
- Werewolf Form: Currently grants 20% Attack Speed instead of the 15% shown on the skill description.
Azurewrath Charm
Azurewrath is one of the strongest Charms available for this build. Its effect causes enemies to explode for 120% of the damage they've taken once Freeze expires.
We apply Freeze through the
Thul, which automatically casts Frost Nova. While enemies are Frozen, continue attacking with
Shred to maximize the explosion damage before Freeze ends.
Against bosses, however,
Thul alone isn't always consistent enough during the Stagger window. For this reason, I highly recommend rolling Chance to Freeze on your Charms, as shown in the guide. This makes Freeze much more reliable during boss fights and allows
Azurewrath to trigger its explosion much more consistently.
If you don't have
Azurewrath yet,
Fists of Fate is an excellent alternative until you find one
Survivability Tips
Shred's biggest weakness is its survivability, but with the right setup you can comfortably farm Torment XII.
Gear Priorities
- Temper Maximum Life on your Helmet, Chest, and Pants.
- Aim for 30,000–35,000 Maximum Life.
- Prioritize Resistance to All Elements on your defensive gear, including your boots. Capped Resistances are more valuable than stacking additional Armor.
Defensive Aspects
Aspect of Debilitating Toxins is your most important defensive Aspect, providing 30% Damage Reduction while causing enemies to deal 15% less damage.
Gathlen's Birthright automatically activates
Cyclone Armor and grants 39% Damage Reduction.- The 3-piece Storm Shepherd bonus provides additional Damage Reduction.
Great Storm Aspect grants another 15% Damage Reduction and is the recommended Aspect for your boots once
Overcharged Aspect has been moved to your amulet.
Additional Survivability
If you're still struggling, consider replacing
Tibault's Will with
Embattled Aspect. You'll lose some damage and Spirit Generation, but your Fortify generation becomes much stronger, making Torment XII farming significantly safer.
Finally, make sure you're using the
Poc +
Que Rune combination. It automatically activates Earthen Bulwark during combat, providing almost permanent Fortify and Barrier, making it one of the strongest defensive layers available for this build
Mythic Item Priorities
1. Waxing Gibbous
This should always be your first priority. It directly increases Shred's base damage, making it the most consistent damage upgrade in the build. Since it's your main weapon, the increased Weapon Damage also provides a significant overall DPS increase.
2. Ifeh's Dire Totem
Your second priority. Besides enabling
Grizzly Rage to work with
Shred, it also provides a massive Critical Strike Damage Multiplier. Keep in mind that this item scales with Critical Strike Chance, so it becomes much stronger once you reach around 70%+ Critical Strike Chance.
3. Dirge of Airidah
One of the strongest Mythic upgrades available. In its Mythic form, it grants up to 92%[x] increased damage against Vulnerable enemies hit by your Storm Skills. It also comes with excellent default affixes such as Willpower and Vulnerable Damage Multiplier, making it one of the easiest items to scale.
4. Dark Howl
Dark Howl is an excellent endgame upgrade, providing up to 104%[x] increased damage in its Mythic version. It also comes with Maximum Critical Strike Chance by default, helping you reach a much more consistent Critical Strike Chance for endgame content.
5. Malefic Crescent / Tibault's Will
Either item is a good choice. Personally, I recommend Malefic Crescent first for the additional damage. Both items are core to the build's Spirit Generation and are required for the final setup, although they provide a smaller power spike than the previous upgrades.
6. Gathlen's Birthright
The final priority. While it doesn't provide as much damage as the other Mythics, it grants a large amount of Damage Reduction, making it an excellent defensive upgrade for high-end content