[0.4] PhazePlays SANDSCORCHER — Disciple of Varashta Endgame Destroyer

PhazePlays SANDSCORCHER Build Guide for 0.4!

This build utilizes the brand new ascendancy Disciple of Varashta to command the Djinn Kelari, the Tainted Sands and Ruzhan, the Blazing Sword. It destroys all content in the game, even on a budget!

It's extremely fun to play, has incredible burst damage, and has a surprisingly unique playstyle. Despite commanding minions, this build feels entirely like a spellcaster — the ascendancy is fantastic

• Tons of damage, a comfortable mapper, and a unique playstyle
• This build deletes bosses and it's a blast to play!
• The playstyle feels like a spellcaster — minions are for passive damage!

Be sure to watch the attached build guide video!

Loot Filters here

Djinn Command Skills

Kelari, the Tainted Sands

Kelari's Brutality

• Throws a volley of knives at your cursor, then 12 knives erupt
• Applies multiple stacks of Critical Weakness to boost crit chance
• Use this before a big burst damage combo for extra crit chance
• Great damage for both mapping and bossing
• Holds 2 charges — 2.6 second cooldown (endgame setup)

Kelari's Deception

• Creates a blast at your cursor, which also briefly leaves behind a clone
• If cast consecutively, the clone also creates a duplicate blast
• Chained blasts deal 50% more damage
• Holds 3 charges — 2.6 second cooldown (endgame setup)
• Save up 3 charges, then triple cast it for huge burst damage
• Deletes rare enemies, and it's also huge damage for bossing

Casting Brutality then Deception can also cause a duplicate blast. This can sometimes be a minor gain, but it's position-reliant and requires a bit of focus which can detract from the usage of other skills

Ruzhan, the Blazing Sword

Ruzhan's Trap

• Sword throw that places 8 Ground Runes scattered around your cursor
• If an enemy steps on a rune, it erupts in a fiery tornado for 4 seconds
• Tornado damage can overlap
• This is fantastic for map clear and also solid for boss damage
• Roughly 4.2 second cooldown (endgame setup)
• Fantastic combat opener

Ruzhan's Brand

• Attaches to an enemy (similar to Living Bomb)
• Explodes after 3 seconds, or when the enemy dies for moderate damage
• Maximum of 3 active brands — multiple can attach to the same enemy
• Spammable, has no cooldown
• Occasionally useful for bossing if everything else is on cooldown
• Entirely optional: don't use it if you prefer a more relaxing playstyle

Mapping

• Ruzhan's Trap and Kelari's Brutality handle most clear while mapping
• Use Trap on cooldown — use this as your opener
• Weave in Brutality when Trap is on cooldown
• Triple-cast Kelari's Deception on dense monster packs
• Combo to delete Rare enemies: Trap, Brutality, 3x Deception

Bossing

1. Maintain Elemental Weakness and Frost Bomb
2. Cast 3x Deception when it reaches 3 charges
3. Cast Trap and Brutality on cooldown
4. Use Skeletal Reaver's Enrage
5. Optional: Cast 3x Brand during downtime

• For big Pinnacle bosses:
• • Ruzhan, the Blazing Sword: swap out Magnified Area II for Rearm II or Prolonged Duration II

Ascendancy Order

1. Barya of Kelari
2. Kelari's Deception
3. Barya of Ruzhan
4. Ruzhan's Trap
5. The Fourth Teaching
6. Sacred Rituals

Leveling

This guide is endgame focused, but here's a rough idea of how to level:

• Run Essence Drain, Contagion, and Volcano up until your first Lab Trial. Add Raging Spirits at level 10
• Once you unlock Kelari, the Tainted Sands, drop all spell damage nodes and go full minion
• The most important nodes in campaign:
• • Growing Swarm
  • The entire At your Command wheel
  • Lord of Horrors
  • Gigantic Following, Grip of Evil, and Necrotic Touch are also solid

Damage Scaling

• Minion Levels — this also increases minion survivability!
• • +4 Sceptre
  • +3 Amulet
  • +2 Helmet
  • +2 Focus (abyss desecrate mod, can't be targeted)
• Increased Minion Critical Hit Chance and Critical Damage Bonus
• • Jewels and Sceptre are the best source of crit mods
• Increased minion damage
• Cast Speed is nice quality of life as it speeds up the cast time of Command Skills

Annoints

• Earlygame: Long Distance Relationship
• Lategame: Warlord Leader
• Alternatives:
• • Gigantic Following, drop Hulking Minions
  • Spiral into Depression

Lategame Adjustments

• Add Tecrod's Revenge to Skeletal Reaver, drop Immolate
• Add Brutus' Brain to Skeletal Cleric
• • Drop Meat Shield II & Last Gasp, add Magnified Area II (?)

Varashta's Blessing appears to currently be bugged on Djinn and doesn't work, if it gets fixed this is worth using!

Dec 16: Added loot filters at the top