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[3.10] Purge the Unclean! Wave of Conviction / Herald of Purity Guardian - High dps, fast map clear

7 years I've been playing this game, and this is my first ever build guide. Go me!


PURGE THE UNCLEAN!

Wave of Conviction / Herald of Purity Guardian


What does this build do?

Basically, the idea is to spray everything with a triple Wave of Conviction and then let the Herald of Purity minions mop up the survivors. In practice of course it's a little more messy than that, but it seems to work pretty well nonetheless!

Why Wave of Conviction?

Because it's pretty! Also it hits like a tank, but seems to have received little love - I can't find any guides using it since around 3.6. So I decided to have a go. WoC is a slow-casting but high damage skill that does a massive chunk of AOE damage in a wave in front of the player, converting much of the physical damage to elemental damage in the process. It doesn't lend itself so well to standing there and spamming it - instead I went for a more mobile build, running around to position for best impact and then using the Unleash support to hurl off three waves at once.

Why Herald of Purity?

Because I like minions, but I find pure herald builds a little dull. I like to feel like my character is contributing something to the fight as well, hence the combined build. Obviously, the minions aren't nearly as insane as they are in a pure herald build, but they still do a whopping big chunk of damage.

Why Guardian?

As well as majorly buffing our minions, we also get all three kinds of charges, and Onslaught.

Video:

Spoiler
(Not only is this my first guide, it's also the first time I have ever made a video. I have had to learn all kinds of new skills today!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUnmh_TfU8M


Pros

Spoiler
High damage
Cheap - very few uniques needed.
Fast clear-speed
Particularly effective in narrow areas like Delve.
It's pretty!


Cons
Spoiler
Bit of a glass cannon - not super high on life.
Both physical and elemental reflect maps are troublesome.
Mana-management was a bit fiddly to balance and needed some nodes on the tree in addition to mana regen on items.
Non-herald minions need resummoning regularly


Hardcore-friendly?
Spoiler
I don't play Hardcore so I can't say for certain, but I would think that in the current form, it's probably not suitable - too low on life. But with some adjusting to put more focus on life and defences, then maybe?


SSF-friendly?
Spoiler
I'd say yes - we don't need anything particularly rare or special. The Circle of Anguish and Circle of Guilt add a lot but they are not essential, and they can be obtained with lucky Zana missions.


Map Mods
Spoiler
Elemental Reflect: Hahahahahahahahahahaha... nope.
Physical Reflect: Can just about be handled if you are insanely careful and don't blast whole groups at a time. But it's supremely easier to just reroll.
No Life/Mana Regen: Pump those flasks baby! Actually, the best way I've found to handle it is to swap out Added Fire Damage for Blood Magic, and then just remembering to hit life flasks from time to time.
Everything else: fine.


Passive Tree


Bandits
Spoiler
Kill! Kill them all! Leave none standing!


Pantheon
Spoiler
Lunaris and Gruthkul


Skills
Spoiler
Wave of Conviction + Concentrated Effort + Elemental Focus + Controlled Destruction + Added Fire Damage + Unleash

Unleash stores up charges so that you can fire off two or three waves in one go without additional mana cost. As it's a slow-casting skill, this works quite effectively. But if you prefer to be more spammy with it, you can go for Faster Casting or Intensify instead.

Herald of Purity + Minion Damage + Feeding Frenzy + Brutality
I also had a gloves with Level 18 Poison, so I threw that in as well for good measure, but it's a purely optional extra.

Summon Stone Golem + Summon Carrion Golem + Summon Holy Relic + Minion Life
Second golem comes from Golem Commander blight oil recipe. There are numerous other options to this - something with life is a good choice.

Molten Shell + Convocation + Spirit Offering + Cast When Damage Taken
Summons all the minions to surround me and gives them a buff.

Raise Zombie + Meatshield + Minion Life
Does what it says on the tin. They are there to be meatshields.

Herald of Ash / Flame Dash / Portal
Herald of Ash makes a hug contribution to DPS especially with the Ring of Anguish, but it doesn't really lend itself to support gems. Flame Dash is my movement skill of choice, and Portal is just pure quality of life!


Current Gear
Spoiler
There are definitely improvements still to be made. Will update as they come.



Flasks
Spoiler
Nothing special. Just the usual anti-freeze, anti-bleed etc. I can't be fussed with flasks at the best of times (hey, I never claimed to be a great player!), so I just have a bunch of health ones. More flask-orientated players could undoubtedly make far better selections.
Last bumped on Apr 5, 2020, 9:10:11 AM

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