Hello, Exiles! Today, we’re diving into a fun and electrifying build that clears maps effortlessly—the Herald of Thunderbuild. This build excels at screen-clearing thanks to its powerful lightning abilities, making it ideal for farming and mapping. However, it’s worth noting that while it shines in general content, it can struggle a bit against high-tier bosses.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the build: skills, gear, passive tree, budget options, and tips for maximizing its potential. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly option or want to push this build to its limits, we’ve got you covered.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

• Excellent for clearing maps quickly.
• Can reach high rarity without sacrificing damage.
• Budget-friendly to start with, scalable with investment.

Weaknesses:

• Lacks single-target damage for high-tier bosses.
• Requires specific items for optimal performance.

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Core Mechanics: Herald of Thunder

The heart of this build is Herald of Thunder, which calls down lightning strikes on enemies after killing a shocked enemy. To maximize its effectiveness, we use Ashes of the Stars for increased quality, allowing the Herald to trigger more frequently and deal significantly more damage.

Key items for the build:

• Storm Secret rings to boost lightning damage.
• Nebulis for scaling lightning damage.
• Ashes of the Stars for increased Herald trigger rate.
• Replica Heat Shiver for a balance of offense and defense.

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Gearing for Damage and Defense

Weapons:

• Nebulis or a rare wand with +2 to lightning skills.
• Choose attack speed for clearing or flat damage for bossing.

Shield:

• Sublime Vision for added defense and energy shield.
• Alternatives include rare shields with high resistances and life.

Helmet:

• Replica Heat Shiver for budget-friendly tankiness.
• Rare helmets can also work if you need more resistances.

Belt:

• Mageblood for the ultimate setup if budget allows.
• A rare belt with life, resistances, and energy shield otherwise.

Rings:

• Storm Secret for increased lightning damage.
• Candor’s Touch as an alternative.

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Skill and Support Gems

Main Skill:

• Herald of Thunder with support gems:
  • Cold Penetration
  • Glaciation
  • Ice Bite
  • Conduction

Other Abilities:

• Orb of Storms for bosses.
• Arcane Cloak for survivability.

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Passive Tree and Ascendancy

Focus on lightning damage, elemental penetration, and energy shield recovery:

• Take Elemental Overload and Divine Fury for more damage.
• Use Thread of Hope to efficiently pick up key nodes.

For the Ascendancy, prioritize:

1. Shaper of Storms for consistent shocks.
2. Bastion of Elements for defensive layers.

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Budget and Scaling

Starting Budget: 20 Divines or less. High Budget: Mageblood setup with optimized rares and multiple clusters.

For lower budgets, focus on:

• Affordable uniques like Impulsa’s Broken Heart.
• Prioritize lightning damage and resistances.

For higher budgets:

• Invest in Mageblood for flask sustain and massive DPS boosts.
• Optimize with well-rolled clusters and high energy shield items.

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Conclusion

The Herald of Thunder build offers an exciting and fast-paced playstyle, ideal for those who love clearing maps quickly. While it requires careful investment for bossing potential, it remains a top-tier choice for general content.

Whether you’re on a tight budget or ready to go all-in, this build promises plenty of lightning-fueled fun. Best of luck, Exile, and may your maps be ever bright with thunderous bolts!