Intro & build description
Recently added warcry skills have significantly buffed certain melee builds and this one is not an exception. Not only does this Earthquake build has high damage and good clear speed, it also has exceptional survivability due to max block and spell block, decent chance to evade attacks and high armour.
Build Pros
- Very tanky, has multiple layers of defense
- Fast clear due to high AoE of Earthquake skill
- Can clear maps well with minimal currency investment
- Good single target damage for a build this tanky
Build Cons
- Unique items this build uses will probably be quite expensive early on
Passive tree(s) and Path of Building
[3.12] Skill Tree Path of BuildingBandits
Bandits Quest Choice |
Kill all bandits |
Ascendancy skill points
Labyrinths | Skill point choice |
---|---|
Labyrinth 1 | Blood in The Eyes |
Labyrinth 2 | Gratuitous Violence |
Labyrinth 3 | Painforged |
Endgame Labyrinth | Versatile Combatant |

Skill gem setup
Helm
Blood Rage
Seismic Cry
Enhance
Herald of Purity (Unlinked)
Body Armor
Vaal Earthquake (Use regular version as your main skill)
Melee Physical Damage Support
Chance to Bleed Support
Deadly Ailments Support
Fist of War Support
Brutality Support
Gloves
Vaal Molten Shell (LVL 15)
Summon Flame Golem (LVL 14)
Cast When Damage Taken Support (LVL 12)
Tempest Shield (LVL 5)
Boots
Pride
Enlighten Support (LVL 3)
Maim Support
Flesh and Stone
2h Weapon
None
1h Weapon
Leap Slam
Culling Strike Support
Faster Attacks Support
Offhand weapon / shield
Chance To Bleed Support
Melee Physical Damage Support
Brutality Support
Build uniques / Example rare gear
Tip: Click on the item to view it on PoE Wiki or to view similar rare items in poe.tradeHelmet
Rare Armour + Evasion HelmetLook for rare armour + evasion helmet with at least 70 life, some intelligence and resistances. Try to get one with at least 300 armour and 300 evasion.
Body Armour
Rare Astal PlateLook for 6-linked Astral Plate, good idea is to use Celestial Justicar divination cards.
Craft it using Pristine + Serrated and optionally Prismatic fossils.
Main mods to look for is at least 90 life, Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 1 Maim and
Socketed Attacks have -15 to Total Mana Cost.
If you get resistances on top of these 3 mods, it’s ideal.
Gloves
Rare Spiked GlovesLook for rare Spiked gloves.
Mods to look for:
at least 80 to maximum life, some physical damage to attacks and as high elemental resistances as you can get.
You could also go with gloves that has Vulnerability on Hit corruption, giving your more versatility in terms of ring choice, since good ring with Vulnerability on hit will be really expensive.
Boots
Rare Armour + Evasion bootsLook for rare armour + evasion boots with at least 70 life, 30% increased movement speed and resistances.
Left Ring
Circle of GuiltLook for Circle of Guilt with Herald of Purity has x% increased Buff effect and Herald of Purity has x% reduced Mana Reservation. Look for a ring with as high rolls as possible.
Right Ring
Rare Ring with Vulnerability on HitOn our rare ring, we need Curse enemies with level 5 vulnerability on hit mod. Rings with this mod only drop in Azurite mine, so a good ring with this mod, life and resistance can be expensive.
Alternatively, you can try getting gloves with Vulnerability on hit corruption. Then you can get a regular Steel Ring with high life, physical damage to attacks and resistances.
Amulet
Rare Amulet with Elder InfluenceLook for rare amulet with Elder Influence.
The main mod we are looking for is Physical damage over time multiplier, the higher the better.
Other good mods would be #-# physical damage to attacks, life and resistances.
Belt
Ryslatha's CoilReally good belt for bleed builds.
Not only it gives us huge damage boost, it also has high life and 50 life recovery when we stun, which we do often.
1Hand Weapon
Rare 1-Handed Siege Axe with Elder InfluenceThis build needs axe with “60% chance for Bleeding inflicted with this Weapon to deal 100% more Damage” mod, which you can only get on Elder items.
To get an axe like that, your best bet would be to craft one yourself. Use 2 socket resonators with Jagged and Corroded fossils – you are looking for the previously mentioned 100% more damage bleed mod together with high physical damage mod.
Offhand
The SurrenderThis is an excellent shield for the build, although it’s pretty expensive. Since we block very often, it gives us tons of survivability in terms of life recovery on block. Reckoning also gives some extra damage.
Since you probably won’t be able to get The Surrender right off the bat, Lioneye’s Remorse is a good cheap shield to use until then.
Jewel
Jewel SetupOn jewels look for following mods:
1.) Increased maximum life
2.) Increased global phsyical damage, damage with bleeding, damage over time
3.) Resistances or attributes if you are lacking them
Flask
Flask Setup1.) Divine Life flask with instant recovery and bleed removal
2.) Quicksilver flask of Adrenaline
3.) Silver Flask with freeze removal
4.) Quartz Flask with curse removal
5.) Rumi’s Concoction
This build is based on Kogaras EQ Gladiator – his twitch stream.