Core Mechanics
The core mechanic and problem to solve for the build is the duration of
Cataclysm. As mentioned before, we need to reach 100% uptime of
Cataclysm. We do that with ranks to
Endless Tempest and with cooldown reduction from the
Khamsin Steppewalkers.
Now, there are other very important mechanics that this build has. Let’s go through them.
The
Mjölnic Ryng has a very interesting buff. Not only does it restore our Spirit — which allows us to play with a more aggressive rune setup if we decide to (you can use
Qax to increase your damage by 100% if you want) — but the main interesting part is the 40% increased damage to
Cataclysm. Even better,
Cataclysm receives the benefits of your Lightning Bolts, meaning we can scale Lightning Bolt damage to increase the damage of our
Cataclysm. This is the first of two very important mechanics.
The second important mechanic is using Overpower. To Overpower
Cataclysm, we need to stay in Werebear form for a long time with the use of
Insatiable Fury. This chest allows us to have Werebear form as our main form. We do this because with the passive
Provocation, every 10 seconds we spend in Werebear form, our next non-defensive skill will automatically Overpower. This lets us get that Overpower on
Cataclysm, which means the entire
Cataclysm now Overpowers.
This is where we double-dip on the value of
Insatiable Fury. Not only does it allow us to stay in Werebear form without any issues, but it also gives us ranks to
Ursine Strength, which is another multiplier for Overpower damage. It also increases our maximum life, gives us damage reduction while in Werebear form, and a nice heavy chunk of Werebear Overpower damage. It really is the perfect item for the build.
The other aspects that we run which are very important are
Runeworker's Conduit Aspect, which not only allows us to cast Lightning Bolts whenever we crit with
Cataclysm, but also increases the damage of our Lightning Bolts — which we can double-dip on
Cataclysm thanks to our unique ring. We also run the
Aspect of Electrified Claws for the same reason, to increase Lightning Bolt damage and therefore
Cataclysm damage.
Defenses
For defenses, I found the build to struggle a little bit, as all great builds have been doing lately. So of course we're running
Temerity, which will double our effective HP pool with a nice chunk of barrier. But I found myself really enjoying playing with an uncommon rune called
Mot, which allows you to gain shadows from the Rogue's
Dark Shroud, reducing the damage taken per shadow that you have.
Other Mechanics worth noting
It is very important that we stay in Werebear form and only get out of it to cast
Earthen Bulwark so that we can proc another important passive called
Resonance, which increases our damage when we cast a storm skill after an earth skill.
Runes
My rune setup involves using
Nagu, which allows you to generate a lot of energy as long as you have at least one active summon. Because we do not use many skills in this build, we have space for a companion.
Next, as I said before, I like to use the rune
Mot for more defenses. This is optional — you could use
Qax for more damage instead.
The second rune setup is
Neo combined with,
Jah or
Kry.
Neo grants you a lot of energy if you do not take damage, and in combination with
Kry it allows you to invoke the Spiritborn
Vortex, which pulls enemies in and groups them up so you can clear packs more easily.
Jah is best for Speed farmind and mobility, but not as good for pushing.
FAQ
Q: If the cooldown for Cataclysm is still not low enough, what can I do?
A: You can use the unique item
Airidah's Inexorable Will to further reduce the cooldown of your ultimate. This makes the uptime of the skill very easy.
Q: If I do not have the Helm
Heir of Perdition, what are my alternatives?
A: You could use the helm
Vasily's Prayer, which both increases your damage and makes you tougher.
Q: Do I need to use a two-handed mace for this build?
A: Yes. Two-handed mace is a slower weapon with higher damage, and
Cataclysm will snapshot on this higher damage. This is best done with the highest possible damage weapon. If you have a faster weapon that deals less damage, you simply will be doing less damage, so it is not worth using a different type of item.
Q: I keep dying, what should I do?
A: You could use one of your rune setups to invoke
Earthen Bulwark, adding even more shield to your build.
Q: Is critical strike chance important for this build?
A: Yes, actually critical strike chance is really important for this build. One of the biggest sources of damage that you have is the
Runeworker's Conduit Aspect aspect that you have on your two-handed weapon, and that only procs if you deal critical strike damage. It will cause Lightning Bolts to periodically strike.
Masterworking and Greater Affixes Explained
Masterworking
- Since Season 11 Masterworking no longer increases your item’s affix values. Instead, it improves the Quality of an item, which gives a bonus to the base damage, armor, or resistance of an item.
- Items can be Masterworked to a maximum Quality threshold of 20. Each time you Masterwork the item, it adds a random amount of Quality to the item (from 2-5 levels). Once at maximum Quality, you can roll it one last time for a Capstone bonus.
- This Capstone bonus upgrades a random non-greater affix on your item into a Greater Affix. You can then choose to re-roll the Masterworked Greater Affix, without resetting your Masterworking Quality. Re-rolling the current Masterworked Affix will cost Obducite and Neathiron.
Greater Affixes
Greater Affixes (GA) on an item force the affix to roll at the top of it's range of possible values and then applies a 50% increase to its value. GA increases are additive with Masterworking increases.
In this planner, the yellow star to the left of an affix denotes that is a GA.
Masterworking and Greater Affix Priority
Unless a certain amount of a stat is required and no more, like in the case of Attack Speed Breakpoints, Armor and Resistances, the Capstone Bonus is not necessary.
Guides, which follow a Starter -> Midgame -> Endgame progression, are structured such that the difficulty of the MWing outcome and amount of GAs on items also progresses as expected.
For example, a Starter variant will generally have 1GA items. A Midgame variant will generally have 2GA items. An Endgame variant will generally have 2GA/3GA items with a perfect Capstone Bonus.
From this you can derive that the GA on the starter version is the most important, the second GA added is the second most important and the third GA added is the third most important affix.
When GA and Capstone don't align you are most likely in the presence of a stat with a certain threshold you have to meet or a cap and those will be explicitly stated in the guide anyways.
In the case of Uniques GA and Capstone, progression standards are generally shifted by one as they are easier to MW because they have 4 affixes and also easier to acquire with multiple GAs.