Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppThe new Cleanse update impacts Mak more than anyone, adding more counterplay to the ever-popular Burn and Poison archetypes. While they are far from gone, it has opened up more space for other builds to have their time in the sun.
Refractor is one such build. As a rather unconventional Weapon it's never been at the forefront, but its scaling certainly gives it potential, provided you can create a reliable engine.
Check out Kripp's run to see how the build was pieced together from the start!
Refractor is a Weapon with built-in scaling and a decent Cooldown, allowing it to become an ever-growing threat throughout a fight. While it was often overshadowed by other builds, one great point in its favor is its reliability.
A big advantage to playing a Refractor build is that it can be assembled very early. As a Bronze Medium Weapon it's an incredibly common find, plus a multitude of items can support it, allowing for a very flexible board. You essentially just look for Small items that trigger Slow/Freeze/Burn/Poison.
In order to get the best results, you'll want to find 
Catalyst generators so you can start Transforming Reagents (ideally 
Mothmeal or 
Hemlock) . This lets you stack multiple effects on the same item, getting the best value per board slot.
Be sure to prioritize upgrading Refractor to improve its scaling potential and ensure it keeps up throughout the later stages of the game.
Kripp's Refractor was enchanted with Radiant, but considering it needs time to scale (and isn't the sole active item), this isn't a particularly impactful enchantment. You'll get much better mileage out of Fiery/Toxic/Obsidian.
Lifesteal is incredibly important for Weapon builds, and especially so for Refractor because it inherently needs more time to scale. While you can manage without sustain for a little while, it's definitely a vital component that can't be overlooked.
Mortar & Pestle is the most common pickup early on, and while it's far from optimal it will do the job well enough. Additionally, it'll provide daily Catalysts to help roll those Reagents into better items. Later on, 
Runic Potion will be the go-to item for support, but ideally you'll find a Lifesteal skill to replace it.
Library seems counterintuitive to the build considering it actually increases Refractor's Cooldown. However, it's far more important to accelerate your other items even at the cost of slowing down your win condition.
By improving the rate of everything else, Refractor scales much faster, making it hit for far more Damage despite the mild delay. Just make sure you're not including other Weapons, and also avoid Obsidian enchantments as it effectively nerfs the item.
The Shielded enchant added a bit of extra defenses, but ultimately is pretty irrelevant since the build already has Regen and Lifesteal.
Pendulum is a popular inclusion for its Charging capabilities and alongside Library it really sets the build in motion. However, it's important that both items get upgraded to Diamond ASAP, as the speeds vary greatly between tiers.
While you could use Pendulum to Charge the Refractor directly, it's better placed between your two fastest items that provide multiple triggers to scale Refractor's Damage.
Incense is the perfect item for stacking multiple triggers, as each individual Slow scales the Refractor. This is a ton of scaling for a single Small slot on board, and also has the potential to be very disruptive if you find ways to increase its Slow duration.
The only real drawback is this item also requires upgrades to be effective, since each tier improves the number of items it Slows. Considering how many other items need upgrades, try to upgrade Incense organically, or even Transform Gold/Diamond items to get one that way.
The Toxic enchant is a great fit for scaling the Refractor, but Fiery and Icy would also work just as well.
Philosopher's Stone fits well as a supporting item, seeing as you'll be routinely Transforming items. With Library and Pendulum this can amount to a substantial amount of Regen during the right, increasing the build's survivability overall.
Kripp had a Toxic Philosopher's Stone which gave the build some extra offense while also providing another Refractor trigger.
Smelling Salts tops off the build by providing indefinite Haste on the Incense.
Circle of Life is a rare fantastic skill that directly provides Lifesteal, without having the usual One-Weapon requirement. However, 
Quality over Quantity is effectively the same thing (and even slightly better with its Crit) for this build. As mentioned before, it's not mandatory, but it does free up precious board space.
Hardly Workin' has incredible synergy with this setup, allowing the Incense to rapidly Charge the Philosopher's Stone, which in turn Charges the Incense thanks to the Pendulum. It won't work in every setup, but it's amazing when you piece it all together.
Paralytic Poison is a great form of disruption, allowing you to buy time for Refractor to scale. Any Freeze skill will generally work, though Freeze-on-Poison and Freeze-on-Slow (
Creeping Chill) naturally fit the build very well.
