[1.3] Fury of Zeus (Storm Call+Vaal Storm Call+Herald of Thunder)
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** Currently Theory Crafting / Leveling This Character **
Fury of Zeus: A Build Guide " Overview
The Concept
Spoiler
Lightning Bolts. ...Storm Call ...Vaal Storm Call ...Herald of Thunder That is - more or less - the entire build. The great thing about these three skills is that they can all be active at the same time. That means your screen is full of lightning bolts striking everything around you. Another bonus is that all of these things can scale off most of the same stats - cast speed, increased lightning/elemental damage and increased area of effect, mainly. A staff is used so that Herald of Thunder and Storm Call can both be run in a 5/6L. The goal is to super-charge these two abilities. The rest of it is all about supporting our lightning bolts and defending our character:
Passive Tree
Spoiler
105 Point Tree: http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUBBAcEswhnCPQMfRBYEH8RDxSwFbgWbxg8GjgabBvxHwIkqiTYJy8o-iycLX0yNDaJNsU26TpYPAU9X0PIRZ1G10wtTLNPBE-vUlNTUlXGW6BfKme9aPJqQ20ZcYV2EXwOfq9-x4IegpuCx4PbhW2LjI0ZkFWTOpYyl5WX9Jo7muCdrp_fogCnCKdVrJixQrWFuJO86r0nwBrAVMBmwbTGnshbzLfVddWB1abYJNlf2rnbC92M4BLjauQi5Ozli-vk6-7sOO0871DvfPAf9On53fno
Progression
These are just some basic guidelines for anyone who wants an idea of how I would go about spending passive points while leveling. There are few bad choices with the tree I've planned and nothing you need to rush. That said, aim to get the AoE nodes fast. Path towards them, stopping to pick up key notables and things like life/mana/damage as you feel you need it. You don't need much damage to level effectively with a spell like Storm Call, but the AoE nodes will improve your quality of play to a large degree. Gear
Spoiler
I've planned this build with three uniques in mind. Agnerod East/North * Previously, I had planned to use a Pledge of Hands. I've instead opted to use an Agnerod East (though North is also a very good choice). There are a few reasons that I believe set the Agnerod above Pledge for this build. Firstly, the 20% lightning penetration affects Storm Call, Vaal Storm Call and Herald of Thunder (plus Ball Lightning and Lightning warp, though these are not for damage). This is effectivly an extra link on all three of my main attack skills. Also, the 30-50% lightning damage, while lower than the large spell damage bonus on Pledge, will also increase my Herald damage, where as spell damage will not. The final reason is that it is dirt cheap when compared to Pledge. Cloak of Defiance * Pathing to MoM is not an option for this build, so this makes up for that. The large mana/regen bonuses are also very helpful. A Carcass Jack is an option as well and would be extremely useful, though I'd hesitate to use it on any higher level or tough maps. Ideally, I would have both chests to swap around when I feel the damage outweighs the survivability. Doryani's Invitation * A lot of really tasty stats for us! Even the strength helps us shed a +30 node off the tree. The life leech and chance to shock during flask are both extremely useful. Rares should be fairly standard. Life, resists, mana/regen. Cast Speed bonuses where possible are a very nice perk! A Topaz Flask will be important for reflect. Skills
Spoiler
5/6L Storm Call + Lightning Pen + Spell Echo + Faster Casting + Added Lightning [6th: Inc AoE] * My bread and butter spell. I want it to be big and I want it to cast fast. A conc effect gem will be carried around in an weapon-swap socket for tough bosses (swapping out Added Lightning for it). With 52% AoE off the passive tree and no inc/conc gem, the size of the spell feels just right; though a luxury 6th socket for Inc AoE wouldn't hurt! 5/6L Herald of Thunder + Reduced Mana + Lightning Pen + Increased Area + Faster Casting [6th: Added Lightning] * This gives my Herald a lot more range and powers up the damage. The Faster Casting may be swapped out for Added Lightning on a 5L; will test both. 4L Vaal Storm Call + Increased Duration + Lightning Pen + Spell Echo * I am not set on these links. I feel the duration might not be needed; will test. 4L Ball Lightning + GMP + Curse on Hit + Conductivity * Fairly simple. Easy way to spread a curse and potentially pre-shock something 4L Reduced Mana + Clarity + Arctic Armor + Lightning Warp * Everything else is thrown onto this last 4L. If you get an unset ring, AA can be swapped out for Herald of Ice (depending on how you feel with your mana pool) or a gem to support Lightning Warp. Bandit Choices
Spoiler
Extras
Build Progress
Dec 30th
Dec 28nd
Dec 23nd
Dec 22nd
Last edited by Yordle on Dec 30, 2014, 6:12:47 PM
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The build is going really well so far for me. I'm excited to get into maps and record some gameplay videos with my new graphics card!
Just picked this up and six socketed it in three jewlers: Getting it linked and all blue sockets, though, might take a while. | |
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I'm interested on the build, Mind making progression trees?
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Hi, just wondering whether you have problems with storm call missing targets. I wanted to create a storm call build but kind of difficult to target enemies, especially fast moving ones, which is pretty common at end game.
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@Sammun
Sure! I'll post some progression trees in a spoiler within the passive tree spoiler for ya. @solidghost I have zero issues with missing regular targets. The large AoE on my Storm Call means I just hold down the mouse button and draw circles roughly around where the mobs are and they all get hit :) It's fun! I should also add that the 5L Herald of Thunder with nearly 100% uptime does a fantastic job of killing stragglers I miss with Storm Call. Two exceptions: Leaping/Charging units and Tormented Spirits. With the former two, I just place all my Storm Calls above myself, since that's where they are all going to end up anyways. For spirits, I still have not found a great way of killing them, so I focus on chasing them through units instead. Last edited by Yordle on Dec 27, 2014, 1:06:28 AM
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Another question: Did you level with storm call from the beggining or used somethign else to level?
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I leveled with Flameblast to 24 and then switched to Storm Call when I got the new unique wand:
Though I kept switching between Flameblast / Storm Call before level 24 to compare them. Not so much of a difference that I'd say "don't level with Storm Call" (it would be fine) but enough of a difference that I'd still recommend using Flameblast unless you want to keep it thematic or in-character. Once you can psuedo-4L in that wand (I used Added Light and Light Pen) it's worth it to switch. | |
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Do you think the 12% increased radius from the scion start is vital for the build? I'm considering not getting those nodes and instead getting more elemental dmg.
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I'm planning to not run Inc AoE in my 5L set-up for Storm Call, so I feel that yes, that extra 12% is important. Honestly, I think another 12% or so would hit the sweet spot, but +52% gives it *just* enough area, imo, to make life a lot easier. (edit: also remember, AoE is important for HoT and Vaal SC)
Vital? No, you can play with 0% extra AoE if you want. None of this is "vital"; it's a guide, not a rulebook. If you want to drop the Scion AoE nodes, drop the entire Scion section with it. If you go all the way to the Scion mana, there is no reason to not pick up the AoE for three points. Because of the life/mana regen cluster, cast speed cluster, inner fire cluster and the mana/mana regen Scion start, I feel that all those points are very useful - especially for a MoM/AA build! If you drop that area, MoM/AA might be hard to sustain. You can try using a Carcass Jack instead, then, to make up for the lost AoE and not worry about needing mana regen to make MoM effective. This would be quite a squishy build, though, so lvl 80+ might be tricky. Last edited by Yordle on Dec 28, 2014, 4:52:31 PM
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I'm not 100% sure now if I'm going to stick with a 5L Herald of Thunder.
I've been thinking, I might switch my CoH set-up to the 5L and drop Faster Casting on HoT. Light Pen + Inc AoE on HoT is enough, I think, to give it some extra oomph. If I get a +1 curse item and run Ball Lightning + GMP + CoH + Conduc + Ele Weak, then roll with 5% light pen on the tree, 20% light pen off staff, and light pen gem in all my attacks, I'll be in a very good place when it comes to enemy resistances. |
