Skip To...
Last Epoch gives players tons of opportunities to create the ideal character for their playstyle. For those craving battlemage skills like in other RPGs, this Spellblade build can be shockingly effective in Last Epoch. While it’s certainly smart to prioritize your preferred Skills, you’ll also want to maximize your defenses when going up close and personal with the enemy.
Best Shock Ward Spellblade Build in Last Epoch
The best Spellblade build in Last Epoch prioritizes the Mage’s sudden shift to a magic-empowered melee arsenal. Given the radical difference from the usual glass cannon status of Mage base class characters, you need abilities giving robust defenses and a spread of killer melee skills. It replenishes any Mana it consumes, making Attunement or Mana Regen less crucial.
With lightning-oriented attacks as your focus on the base Mana Strike attack, skill upgrades, and Passives focused on building and sustaining Ward, you’ll be unstoppable. Below are our recommendations for specialized Skills and Passives for the best Spellblade build in the game. This will help if you want to give enemies a shock to the core well before you hit the level cap.
Related:
Last Epoch: Starter GuideBest Spellblade Build Skills in Last Epoch
Our recommended Skills, along with ideal Skill Tree investments for this Spellblade build in Last Epoch are the following:
Spellblade Skill Specialization | Nodes |
---|---|
Mana Strike | Mana Spark |
Spark Charges | |
Arcanist’s Blade | |
Ward Strike | |
Mana Storm | |
Explosive Flurry | |
Essence of Control | |
Static | Reverberation |
Overload | |
Overcharge | |
Reach | |
Momentum | |
Arc Blast | |
Insulation | |
Enchant Weapon | Celerity |
Fulminate | |
Conduit | |
Capacitance | |
Thundering | |
Concentration | |
Efficacy | |
Flame Ward | Dilation |
Infusion | |
Lightning Ward | |
Energize | |
Recollection | |
Retribution | |
Blast Field | |
Surge | Jolt |
Expanse | |
Stagnant | |
Charged Movement | |
Crackling Blades | |
Storm Aegis | |
Shocking Blows |
You should experiment with these Skills, as they’re best for a sufficiently supercharged lightning Spellblade build in Last Epoch. The idea is to empower you at close quarters with a ferocious pace thanks to Mana Strike nodes.
Static and Flame Ward allow you to stay in the thick of battle while racking up charges without taking damage. Enchant Weapon is a workhorse, boosting melee attack speed, enhancing your Ward, and zapping the opposition into oblivion. Surge fits the theme while also giving you an option for a tactical retreat while restoring Ward.
This allows you to attack with blinding speed, stunning and undermining enemies’ attempts for a counterattack and decimating enemies. To further empower this, however, you’ll want a strong supply of Mana, Ward Retention, and more, so check the Passives options for ideas as well!
Passive Recommendations for Spellblade in Last Epoch
Passive recommendations are largely what you might expect for any magic-oriented character, but also account for protection at close quarters. You’ll want Ward retention mixed into your Passive investments, such as the following recommendations:
- Infused Weapon
- Elemental Strikes
- Arcane Warden
- Arcane Shielding
- Storm Blade
- Gemini
- Defender of Welryn
- Awe Strike
- Prodigy
- Arcanist
- Elementalist
- Scholar
- Arcane Current
These run the common thread of the base Intelligence upgrades from the Mage class, mixed with elemental or lightning attack boosts, focusing on melee attacks and keeping Ward heavy. Intelligence is still the Mage’s bread and butter for dishing out damage but with a nice healthy mix of dexterity.
This Mastery also requires a lot more Respeccing than other Mage Masteries due to the shift towards melee. However, you’ll feel the difference when these Skills and Passives begin to click.
With Prodigy, you can tweak how many Ward-oriented skills you have, given its Intelligence-based Ward generation over time. Add Gemini into the mix for some dual-wielding, along with attack speed boosts for a lethal combo. With Gemini, you can stack your Ward generation and turn the enemies ahead of you into a smoking crater. The only thing standing between you and obscene electrical abilities is finding a pool of electric eels to fall into.
Generally, you’ll come across recommended builds with a prevailing theme like the above when it comes to ARPGs. It’s tempting to focus on elemental damage with Spellblades, but you must account for Ward. The Spellblade role takes the already vulnerable Mage base class and thrusts them into the frontlines, so Ward is how you can fight with impunity. If you find you’re not using potions as often, you’re generating enough Ward, and you can never be too certain.