Get ready to unlock the full potential of Shatter Strike with this Last Epoch endgame build guide. Unlike some builds that require acquiring specific gear late in the game, with this Spellblade Shatter Strike build, you already have access to cold damage once you switch to Shatter Strike.
This makes it easier and more seamless to scale into this build from the start, which serves as a beginner's guide focusing on true endgame gear. Let's dive in!
Skills
Here’s a breakdown of skills in the Spellblade Shatter Strike build:
Mana Strike: We prioritize acquiring an extra Ward on strike and the global increased damage on Rage Sap. Additionally, we aim for more Mana gain to aid in resource management.
Shatter Strike: In this skill, we opt to change Ignite into Frostbite. This adjustment allows us to inflict more damage over time during prolonged boss fights and provides cold penetration. We also focus on enhancing Cold Steel, increasing Critical Strike Multiplier per sword, and improving the recast of Shatter Strike along with extra area and damage with increased global cold damage.
Frost Ward: It grants an additional 600 armor. We also prioritize mana efficiency in Dilation, along with the free cast on stun and extra charge from Dual Aegis.
Enchant Weapon: In this skill, we incorporate cold damage added melee cold damage. We aim for a slight boost in melee cold damage, active duration, and the recast on Kindling Blade. We also focus on Melee Elemental Damage per missing Mana, considering the timing of the cast, especially during moments of Desperation as it is cast automatically. Then we have Melee Attack Speed +50%, that’s going to give us an insane amount of more damage as we’re using, Enchant Weapon and attack speed.
Surge: It grants 150 Ward upon hitting a target, making it an excellent skill for stacking and rotating Wards or reinforcing your Ward threshold. It offers increased travel distance and slightly higher Ward Gain. While it’s possible to fully invest in Ward with Surge, this option yields fewer Ward compared to Storm Aegis.
Surge provides shock chance and increased stun chance on Jolt, but I’ve opted to change Shock into Frostbite and Cold. Paired with Tidal Wave for a 100% chill freeze multiplier, this alteration enhances damage and chill effects when using Power Surge against enemies. It can also be utilized as a Pull skill to draw in distant targets.
Passive Skills
Moving on to passives, Firstly, as an Elementalist, we need to prioritize Reactive Ward and Mage Flurry. While we could allocate more points into Critical Strike Multiplier, it's not a significant concern given my already high crit rate.
Focus on acquiring major cold nodes such as Frozen Steel, alongside investing in Mana Reaver and Essence Duel. Essence Duel grants us increased attack speed and Ward Gain, while Mana Reaver provides extra health and Mana upon melee hits, synergizing well with Arcane Shielding for additional armor stacking and Ward Gain.
Shatter Strike benefits from Icy Flow, enhancing its efficiency. In addition, we can also choose the Gemini for dual-wielding Crystal Sword, and the Blade Weaver, which doubles the damage every time it transitions from Mana Strike to Ice Shatter, maximizing damage output through weaving skills.
The passive talents like Runemaster provide essential benefits for performance in Last Epoch. These include increased health, reduced damage from ignited or chilled enemies, which are prevalent in most encounters, and additional Ward generation per second from Transcendence, crucial for maintaining Ward Retention and optimizing Ward Gain on hit.
Gear
As for the gear and resistances, let's take a closer look. The resistances are nearly capped, although not exactly yet. A significant boost to my resistances comes from a unique item - Transient Rest, essential until obtaining Omnis, which aren't available until higher corrupted levels. Currently, these unique boots are indispensable to elevate my resistances without Omnis. Consider gathering some Last Epoch Gold to enhance your gear.
Additionally, we can utilize a resistance amulet for physical and neutronic resistance. While the arctic resistance is slightly high, we prioritize increasing the poison and void resistance. Cold Resistance remains crucial due to its significant impact in battles.
The gear contributes to most of our resistances, with a particular emphasis on Shatter Strike provided by Diothaen's Bloody Nib relic and the Celestial Raiment chest piece. This unique item not only grants cold penetration but also presents intriguing interactions with bleeding, potentially due to health regeneration. Moreover, it enhances mana regeneration and Critical Strike Multiplier, alongside providing elemental resistance.
When it comes to elemental resistances, belt, boots, and amulet are the primary contributors, providing the bulk of my resistance stats, which are crucial for survivability. Mana regeneration primarily comes from relic and belt - the Plated Belt, ensuring I have ample resources for sustained combat.
While I possess considerable necrotic resistance, I would prefer to diversify with other resistances like void if possible. However, elemental resistance remains a top priority due to its effectiveness in combat situations, making it a placeholder until further optimizations are made.
The legendary gold ring - Font of the Ereased offers a variety of beneficial stats, serving as an excellent temporary solution until I acquire the ideal exalted ring with all the desired attributes. Meanwhile, The Opal Ring focuses on cooldown recovery, essential for maintaining the Ward with Surge. Both rings ideally should offer resistance stats, although having resistance on at least one is beneficial.
The Crystal Swords undergo a transformation, with one converting Ignite into Frostbite. This enables various effects upon hit, including bleeding, shocking, and enhancing melee cold damage and crit chance. While seeking improved stats such as increased melee attack speed, we can settle for placeholder attributes like chance to shock and bleed. Ideally, legendary potential would further enhance the capabilities of swords, with a focus on Enchant Weapon or increased melee elemental damage.
Idols & Blessings
Moving to the idols, I recommend use the Humble Eterran Idol. We predominantly prioritize all resistances, acting as placeholders until acquiring Omnis and achieving optimal resistance values on gear. Once sufficient resistances are attained, I'll transition to Ornate Glass Idol emphasizing damage, particularly seeking melee elemental damage.
Regarding blessings, while we've just started pursuing greater blessings, we can choose the Grand Rage of Winter blessing for Sherd Cold Resistance. Moving forward, we can to upgrade other blessings, focusing on fire resistance, critical strike avoidance, and health regeneration, among other bonuses, tailored to complement this build effectively.
