This guide is for a counter-attack and AOE-focused build for the Empire Soldier using the Meteoric (Empire Herald) Set. This build excels at dealing consistent damage to mobs and surviving high-difficulty content (Chaos 4-5). It focuses on maximizing counter-attack damage, cooldown reduction, and block efficiency.

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1. Core Build Principles

• Counter-Attack Damage: Amplifies damage to nearby enemies.
• High Defense: Heavy block chance and damage mitigation.
• AOE Damage: Effective against large groups of enemies.
• Sustain: High block damage and potion cooldown reduction for survivability.

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2. Gear Setup

Armor Set: Meteoric (Empire Herald)

• Set Bonuses:
  • When an enemy takes counter-attack damage, all nearby enemies take a percentage of this damage.
  • Improves the Taunt skill (no longer requires skill points).
  • Counter-Attack Damage: ~444,000.
• Purpose: Spread damage efficiently among mobs and maintain taunt uptime.

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Weapons and Shield:

1. Sword: Grudge Settler
   • Effect: +200% damage to taunted enemies.
   • Purpose: Amplifies damage to enemies under taunt.
2. Shield: Meteoric Iron Shield
   • Effect: Grants an aura that slows enemies and deals AOE damage (~4444 per tick).
   • Purpose: Crowd control and passive AOE damage.

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Amulet: Enchanted Jade Medal

• Effect:
  • Reduces potion cooldown by 40%.
  • Reduces potion healing by 20%.
• Purpose: More frequent potion usage for sustain.
• Alternative: Amulet boosting skill damage or cooldown reduction.

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Rings: Stat Focus

• Purpose: Prioritize critical hit chance and flat damage over ring effects.
• Recommendation: Equip rings with +Crit Chance, Crit Damage, and Flat Damage.

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3. Blessings Setup

Armor Blessings: Critical Hit Chance and Flat Damage

• Linked Slots:
  • Red + Green → Linked = Critical Hit Chance
• Unlinked Slots:
  • Red or Yellow = Flat Damage
• Purpose: Maximize damage output with critical hits.

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How to Bless:

1. Critical Hit Chance:
   • Use Red + Green linked gems.
2. Flat Damage:
   • Use Red or Yellow unlinked gems.

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4. Skill Setup

Active Skills:

1. Incisive Breakthrough (Mastered):
   • Effect: Reduces damage taken by 10%.
   • Purpose: Safe damage and mobility.
2. Whirling Slash (Mastered):
   • Effect: Increases block chance and counter-attack damage.
   • Purpose: Main AOE damage skill for mobs.
3. Taunt (Heroic):
   • Effect: Grants +damage, +block chance, and energy gain.
   • Purpose: Maintain uptime for +200% sword damage.
4. Banner of the Empire (Mastered):
   • Effect: +25% damage, +100% counter-attack damage, -20% cooldown and energy cost.
   • Purpose: AOE damage boost and cooldown reduction.
5. Sigmar’s Wrath (Mastered):
   • Effect: AOE fiery aura with meteors, slows enemies.
   • Purpose: High AOE damage for mob clearing.
6. Breakthrough the Ranks:
   • Effect: Mobility skill to reposition or escape.
   • Purpose: Avoid getting surrounded and kite enemies.

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Passive Skills:

1. Bastion Against Corruption (Mastered):
   • Effect: Increases block chance and damage dealt to nearby enemies.
   • Purpose: Buffs damage and block chance for survivability.
2. Indestructible (Mastered):
   • Effect: Block chance boosts damage; increases block damage.
   • Purpose: Core for damage mitigation and output.
3. Scourge of Pestilence (Superior):
   • Effect: Slowed enemies take more counter-attack damage.
   • Purpose: Synergizes with shield aura for increased damage.
4. Wisdom of the Apothecary:
   • Effect: Reduces potion cooldown.
   • Purpose: More frequent healing via potions.
5. Master Blacksmith (Collector’s Guild Level 18):
   • Effect: Boosts overall damage.
   • Purpose: Enhances flat damage for consistent output.
6. Blessed Talisman:
   • Effect: +5% critical hit chance.
   • Purpose: Improves burst potential.

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5. God Skill Tree Path:

Path Breakdown:

1. Path to Sigmar’s Wrath (Top Path):
   • Focus on cooldown reduction and AOE damage.
2. Left Path: Block Damage Focus:
   • Prioritize block damage over block chance.
   • Key nodes:
     • +25% block damage nodes.
     • Health and armor boosts.
3. Critical Damage Path:
   • Pick nodes that provide critical hit damage and flat damage.
   • Focus on maximizing burst against taunted and stunned enemies.

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Key Stats from Skill Tree:

• Cooldown Reduction: ~13%.
• Critical Damage: +150%.
• Block Damage: +2000+.
• Block Chance: ~58%.

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6. Ability Rotation

1. Pre-Fight Setup:

• Activate Taunt and Banner of the Empire.

2. Engage:

• Use Whirling Slash to deal AOE and build block.
• Activate Sigmar’s Wrath for AOE damage.

3. Maintain:

• Spam Taunt for +200% sword damage to enemies.
• Use Incisive Breakthrough for safe movement and energy regen.

4. Emergency:

• Use Breakthrough the Ranks to escape if surrounded.
• Potion + Amulet: Heal and reduce cooldowns if overwhelmed.

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7. Recommended Content

• Best for:
  • Chaos 3-4 Relic Hunts and Expeditions.
  • Effective at clearing large groups of enemies.
• Not Ideal for:
  • Single-target bosses: Lower crit chance and crit damage hurt burst potential.

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8. Key Stats and Damage Output

• Critical Hit Chance: ~51%.
• Critical Damage: ~200%.
• Flat Damage: +88 per blessing.
• Counter-Attack Damage: ~444,000+.
• Typical Damage Numbers:
  • Consistent AOE procs with shield aura and Sigmar’s Wrath.
  • Counter-Attack damage scales with block damage and shield aura.

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Summary: Strengths and Weaknesses

✅ Strengths:

• High defense: Blocks ~58% of attacks with +2000 block damage.
• Consistent AOE damage: Effective against mobs.
• Sustain: Low potion cooldown and high block mitigate damage.

❌ Weaknesses:

• Single-target DPS struggles: Better suited for mob clearing.
• Cooldown reduction dependency: Needs optimized gear for Sigmar’s Wrath uptime.

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This build transforms the Empire Soldier into a counter-attacking AOE tank with excellent crowd control and survivability for high-level expeditions. 💥🛡️