[0.4] - Inferno Shaman Duid (METEOR APOCALYPSE) STARTER TO ENDGAME

THIS BUILD IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

• In this build, we’ll make the most out of Walking Calamity with the Shaman ascendancy. They’ll have an incredible synergy with our huge Rage uptime, plus the elemental benefits this ascendancy provides—it’s like they were made to work together.
  We’ll also be able to use early skills like Volcano plus Furious Slam for leveling, and an important buff, Herald of Ash, which we can get at very early levels.
  We’ll also focus on using Spell Totem to do the dirty work for us while we’re smashing everything in Bear form.

CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO!

STARTER VERY EARLY

• At the start we’ll be using Maul as our main source of hits in bear form, which will also generate rage for us
• Furious Slam will be a great skill to get more DPS in single-target and especially in AoE
• Volcano is a spell, so we’ll need a staff to be able to cast it. Early on this will be easy, since they give us a talisman plus a staff so we can combine these attacks
• So Volcano + Furious Slam will give us a great combo to kill bosses faster and clear mobs more efficiently
• Another skill we’ll use later on will be the combination of Shockwave Totem plus Fury of the Mountain
• “IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU USE Maul, YOU’LL BE STANDING STILL, AND THAT’S THE PERFECT MOMENT TO CAST Furious Slam, SINCE IT WILL CAST FASTER THAN WHEN YOU’RE NOT STANDING STILL.”

WHY SHAMAN?

• Shaman looks like a better option thanks to the Rage regeneration this ascendancy gives us, which makes skills like Rampage + Walking Calamity essential for the early endgame, and can give us strong DPS potential later on
• Also, the other nodes like Adaptations can give us better survivability and the elemental combinations they provide… Another interesting talent is the one that adds modifiers to our runes, which can give us a nice boost to our stats

ACT 1

Things to keep in mind so you can finish Act 1 without any problems

• Your priority gems will be Maul and Furious Slam Along with their respective support gems
• Volcano plays an important role when it comes to clearing large packs
• The first buff, Herald of Ash, works incredibly well with Bear Form. Just keep in mind that we need at least 21 Strength to be able to use it
• The skill Pounce helps us gain mobility and also releases the wolves that can tank some damage in certain situations, but mainly it’s just to move a bit faster, since Bear Form is pretty slow
• Fury of the Mountain will synergize with Shockwave Totem and Furious Slam. We unlock this skill relatively late, but it’s a great addition for clearing large packs of mobs
• Remember to use your support gems properly, because they’re absolutely key early on
• Your gear will vary depending on what drops for you, but you can prioritize stats like Strength, Armor, Maximum Life, and certain resistances

ACT 2

• Act 2 is pretty similar to Act 1 in terms of support gems and skills, so the changes won’t really be significant in that regard
• The addition of Ferocious Roar is the most important part, as it requires a level 7 gem, if I’m not mistaken. We’ll use it with Infernal Cry, which empowers our attacks, giving them extra fire damage. This synergizes with certain points in our passive tree that are dedicated to fire damage now, and in the future, we’ll also use Raging Cry. This will generate Rage for every 5 Power of enemies in range, which means we’ll generate more Rage to further empower our abilities, like Furious Slam, which will still be our best DPS attack
• In Act 2 we can ascend and pick the Shaman ascendancy. I recommend doing it around level 30, or before facing the final boss of Act 2 — this is important before moving on to Act 3. If it still feels too hard, you can keep progressing without any issues and come back later once you’re higher level (You can see the first points I picked in the passive tree)
• In short, it’s an act with very few changes. The most important part is the ascendancy, but make sure to upgrade your gear if you can so you’re better prepared for Act 3

ACT 3

• In Act 3 we’ll see the most important changes when it comes to gear — we should look for, or try to buy, upgrades focused mainly on defenses
• The most important gear pieces will be your body armor and belt, mainly to get elemental resistances. Ideally, your body armor should have ‘Armor also applies to Elemental Damage’, since that will help us the most to keep going, even into Act 4 (You can check the Act 3 gear further down below)
• The second most important thing is that we’ll gain access to a new node in our Shaman ascendancy called Furious Wellspring. This gives us much better Rage uptime since we won’t lose Rage passively anymore, which allows us to use abilities like Rampage more often. Just keep in mind that you still need to build up a good amount of Rage with Maull before using it, so you can run faster and smash more mobs
• Our main combo will still be Maul + Furious Slam, especially for bosses, since most of our damage comes from that
• Another important point is that we’ll be able to pick up our next buff — one I really like, especially for most players — and that’s Barkskin. It gives us a chunk of armor when we’re hit by an enemy, based on how much Energy Shield we have. Because of that, having Energy Shield on your helmet and boots helps us gain even more armor during fights
• The changes to the skill tree and the gems will be shown in their respective sections

ACT 4 - INTERLUDE

• This is where the real show begins, since at level 52 we unlock our main skill, the one we’ll be using for endgame Walking Calamity
• THE GEAR, THE SKILL TREE, AND THE GEMS CAN ALL BE FOUND IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SECTIONS
• Let’s start by explaining how Walking Calamity works. For this, we need to have at least 4 points in our ascendancy (Shaman), since Furious Wellspring is key to not losing Rage
• When you’re using the skill( Walking Calamity), you’ll see a yellow border filling up around it on your skill bar. That means it’s building glory while we generate Rage. Remember, we generate Rage passively and also by using Maul as our main resource to transition into the endgame
• Once it’s full, you can activate the skill and you’ll see everything around you start dying. But keep in mind, you can still use abilities like Furious Slam, Maul, and Shockwave Totem, especially for bosses
• We’ll also remove Barkskin, since we won’t need Energy Shield anymore. Instead, we’ll be using Overwhelming Presence and Time of Need
• I haven’t found a good way yet to keep Rampage active for longer, but you can still use it occasionally
• Pounce gets removed for Walking Calamity, since when you switch to Wolf Form, Walking Calamity stops working

The endgame variation is pretty simple to play

• First, we need to understand that we’ll have a huge amount of Rage available, so we can freely spend it on our skills without worrying about resources
• All of this is thanks to the Furious Wellspring node, which makes us regenerate Rage per second
  On top of that, mana regeneration also helps us regenerate Rage, and we don’t lose Rage passively anymore
• Walking Calamity works with Glory.
  When we reach our maximum Rage, we start building Glory. You’ll notice a yellow border forming around the skill on your action bar.
  Once that border is fully charged, you can activate the skill. You can generate Glory faster by using your Maul skill
• Our best combo after activating Walking Calamity is Maul + Furious Slam
  Our Rage will always stay really high, so we won’t have to worry about managing or losing Rage all the time.
  Because of that, Furious Slam will be empowered almost 99% of the time
• Our Rampage skill can be used right after activating Walking Calamity to clear maps much faster
  You need to hold down the button or key where the skill is assigned so it lasts longer
  This skill consumes Rage while channeling, so anything above 70 Rage is more than enough to use it comfortably