Shield Shatter
Chieftain Build

Updated for Patch 3.27

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The new Unique Mace, The Monastery Bell, has a very unique property, which allows you to "block" on command. If you Hit an enemy with a Shield, it is as if you Blocked an Attack. It can be combined with Shattershard Shield, which triggers Shield Shatter on Block. This way, the Cooldown of this Triggered Spell does not apply (it's hard to say if it's intentional, but it hasn't been fixed). The Damage of Shield Shatter is of the Physical type and is tied to Shield's Quality. It can be supported only by 3 Gems, so building around it is difficult. The obvious upgrade is getting more Attack Speed for Shield Charge, but it won't be enough. We've decided to Convert all this Damage to Fire with Avatar of Fire, Fire Mastery, and Gloves' Implicit; then, add Fire Damage with Added Fire Damage Support and Herald of Ash. The main reason to specialise in Fire is the Enmity's Embrace Ring that grants up to 200% Fire Penetration. To get it, the character has to have 200% overcapped Fire Resistance, and the most efficient way to achieve it is on a Chieftain.

With Tasalio and Valako, we can focus on Fire Resistance with Maximum Fire Resistance, disregard all other Elemental Resistance types, and still reach the hard cap of 90%. The Enmity's Embrace Ring reduces Fire Resistance, but luckily, patch 3.27 introduced Foulborn Skin of the Lords/Loyal that increases back global Resistances, making this reduction inconsequential. That's the basis of the build. We can improve it with Onslaught, Adrenaline, Runegraft of the Sinistral, and various Support Gems for Shield Charge, as Attack Speed is the limiting factor for Trigger Rate of Shield Shatter. Foulborn The Red Dream plays a critical role - it causes Fire Damage to be Lucky, increasing overall damage by a third. The remaining Chieftain's point can be spent on Hinekora as there is nothing better here, and, for the 4th ascendancy, we can pick one of the Bloodline passives. Otherworldly Appendages for reduced Physical and Fire Damage is probably the best choice (the damage reduction applies to DoTs), but Farewell to Flesh or The Wild Bear combined with the Ravenous Passion Helmet.

1. Gameplay

Use Shield Charge to move and to slay all kinds of enemies. If you encounter a tough enemy, cast Flammability. The only other skill to actively use is Frostblink, to teleport occasionally over a short distance. Blood Rage, Approaching Flames, and Righteous Fire should stay on during mapping. Your passive skills are Vitality, Purity of Fire, Purity of Elements, Herald of Ash, Flesh and Stone, and Herald of Purity.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Start as Righteous Fire Chieftain. It's a well-established archetype that is somewhat similar to this build at the start, but diverges once you can get Enmity's Embrace to work, and that requires a high character level and most of the unique items.

Bandits:

An additional Passive Skill Point seems like the best option for this build.

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

101 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster or Unique Jewels)
120 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Tasalio
2. Valako
3. Otherworldy Appendages
4. Hinekora

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Arakaali: 10% reduced Damage taken from Damage Over Time; 20% increased Recovery rate of Life and Energy Shield if you've stopped taking Damage Over Time Recently; Debuffs on you expire 20% faster; +40% Chaos Resistance against Damage Over Time

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul: 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%; Enemies that have Hit you with an Attack Recently have 8% reduced Attack Speed

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Shield Shatter setup socketed in Shattershard
	Shield Shatter - A Triggered AoE Spell that deals Physical Damage, fully Converted to Fire in our case. Found only on Shattershard Shield.
	Increased Area of Effect Support - Increased AoE for Shield Shatter.
	Added Fire Damage Support - Adds Fire Damage sourced from the original Physical Damage.
	Controlled Destruction Support - Inability to Hit Critically in exchange for a lot more Spell Damage.

[UTILITY] Shield Charge setup
	Shield Charge - You should end up attacking around five to six times a second, each time shattering the shield.
	Faster Attacks Support - Increased Attack Speed for Shield Charge.
	Momentum Support - Gain stacks of Momentum on Skill use. Each stack grants Attack Speed, and it is consumed when you move.
	Lifetap Support - Linked Skill cost Life instead of Mana.

[UTILITY] Flammability & Frostblink setup
	Flammability - A Curse that lowers Fire Resistance.
	Frostblink - A Movement Spell to teleport instantly and create Chilled Ground.
	Lifetap Support

[UTILITY] CwDT setup
	Molten Shell - A Guard Spell that absorbs some of the incoming Damage until it breaks.
	Wave of Conviction - Inflicts Fire Exposure. Fire Exposure can also be sourced from a Cluster Jewel (Master of Fire notable) or Eldritch Gloves.
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - Linked Spells are Triggered after you take enough Hit Damage.
	Lifetap Support

[UTILITY] Reservation setup
	Herald of Ash - The Buff adds Fire Damage sourced from Physical Damage. Other effects are of lesser importance.
	Herald of Purity - grants More Physical Damage for Shield Shatter.
	Purity of Fire - Fire Resistance and Maximum Fire Resistance that synergises with Tasalio and Valako. It also improves damage via Enmity's Embrace.
	Flesh and Stone - In Sand Stance, it reduces Damage Taken from nearby enemies. If you do not have enough Mana, replace it with Blood and Sand.
	Purity of Elements - Grants Elemental Ailment immunity and Elemental Resistances; it includes Fire Resistance. It can be replaced with Determination if you don't need it.
	Enlighten Support - Linked Spells Reserve less Mana.

[UTILITY] Vitality setup
	Vitality - Life Regeneration to balance out constant Life loss from Approaching Flames.
	Arrogance Support - Vitality Reserves Life instead of Mana.

[UTILITY] Righteous Fire
	Righteous Fire - More Spell Damage while it's active. It deals Burning Damage to the character, which should be manageable.

[UTILITY] Blood Rage
	Blood Rage - Attack Speed for Shield Charge and Frenzy Charges on Kill for more damage.

5. Gear Setup

As s Chieftain with Tasalio and Valako, stacking Fire Resistance is obvious. However, with Enmity's Embrace, we're encouraged to stack even more of it, up to 200% over the 90% cap that is expected. Reaching it is achievable. The second-best way to gain more DPS out of Shield Shatter is to have high Attack Speed. Prepare Silver Flask for Onslaught and Annihilation's Approach for Adrenaline. Runegraft of the Sinistral will grant 10% more Attack Speed; don't forget about it. For More Damage, we've prepared Ravenous Passion and any source of Rage on Hit. You can even allocate Battle Trance notable for +10 to Maximum Rage. The last Unique is Arn's Anguish, which, for a change, grants a lot of Fire Resistance, but changes Endurance Charges to be purely offensive bonuses, which we welcome. Then, with Rares, you want to get the required Resistances and Attributes, with preferably Maximum Life. Maximum Fire Resistance of 90% is reached with Jewels and Cluster Jewels. Don't forget to use Tattoos of Ngamahu Firewalker for Fire Resistance.

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - It must have Maximum Life and Fire Resistance. You can craft Fire and Chaos Resistance to reach over 55% Fire Resistance in total. Intelligence and Armour can be added too. For the Eldritch mods, get increased AoE and either Physical taken as #, Spell Damage, or Reservation Efficiency.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 45% Fire Resistance Optional affixes: Intelligence Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration

(Helmet) Ravenous Passion - It causes Rage to affect Spell Damage instead of Attack Damage. It's a late-game upgrade, once you have your Resistances and Attributes figured out.

+(30-50) to Strength (80-120)% increased Armour and Energy Shield Gain (7-10) Rage after Spending a total of 200 Mana Rage grants Spell Damage instead of Attack Damage

(Body Armour) Foulborn Skin of the Lords - There is a Foulborn Skin of the Lords or Skin of the Loyal with "increased Elemental and Chaos Resistance" instead of Global Defences. It will be instrumental in reaching 200% over-the-cap Fire Res.

Has no Attribute Requirements or Energy Shield (Hidden) Sockets cannot be modified +2 to Level of Socketed Gems 50% increased Elemental and Chaos Resistances You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item Has 6 Linked Sockets (Hidden) <Random Keystone>

(Weapon) The Monastery Bell - On hitting an enemy with a skill like Shield Charge, you "Block", meaning you fulfill the condition for Retaliation Skills and other such things, but what's important here, you Trigger Shield Shatter.

10% reduced Enemy Stun Threshold (50-75)% increased Physical Damage Adds (5-9) to (13-18) Physical Damage (6-10)% increased Attack Speed Chance to Block is Unlucky Count as Blocking Attack Damage from the first target Hit with each Shield Attack

(Off-hand) Shattershard - A Heist Shield with a built-in Shield Shatter Spell that deals Physical Damage tied to Shield's Quality (it's capped at 20%). It has never been used in any build because, up to this point, its 4-second Cooldown could not be bypassed.

Trigger Level 20 Shield Shatter when you Block (120-150)% increased Armour and Evasion +(80-100) to maximum Life +(8-12)% Chance to Block

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - On Gloves, we recommend getting Dexterity and Fire Resistance with Chaos Resistance and maybe Armour and Life Regeneration. For the Eldritch mods, get 10% of Physical Damage Converted to Fire to make it 100%, and increase the Herald of Purity Buff Effect. There is also Rage on Hit and Fire Exposure, but we have that covered.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 45% Fire Resistance Optional affixes: Dexteirty Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration

(Boots) Annihilation's Approach - Adrenaline grants 100% increased Damage, 25% increased Attack and Movement Speed, and 10% additional Physical Damage Reduction. You have to take the heat.

Grants Level 20 Approaching Flames Skill (60-100)% increased Armour and Evasion 30% increased Movement Speed Cannot be Chilled Cannot be Frozen Take 6000 Fire Damage per Second while Flame-Touched Gain Adrenaline when you become Flame-Touched Lose Adrenaline when you cease to be Flame-Touched

(Belt) Rare Belt - On A Belt, get Maximum Life with Fire Resistance, and mix it with either Flask mods to sustain Ruby Flask for longer, or get one of the Conqueror mods listed below.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 45% Fire Resistance Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration Strength Flask modifiers increased maximum Life (Hunter Prefix) increased Fire Damage (Warlord Prefix) increased Life Recovery rate (Warlord Suffix)

(Belt) Arn's Anguish - We can store up to 5 Endurance Charges. That's 6 Brutal Charges for an 18% chance for Triple Damage with this Belt. To generate them, use Enduring Cry or anoint Deflection. It also has Fire Resistance. The only downside is the inability to get Endurance Charges.

+(600-700) to Armour (12-15)% increased maximum Life +(40-60)% to Fire Resistance +1 to Maximum Endurance Charges Modifiers to Minimum Endurance Charges instead apply to Minimum Brutal Charges Maximum Brutal Charges is equal to Maximum Endurance Charges Gain Brutal Charges instead of Endurance Charges

(Amulet) Xoph's Blood - Some Fire Resistance, additional Penetration, Maximum Life, Avatar of Fire, which saves you a point, and Covered in Ash debuff for even more Fire Damage. The Foulborn variant may be desirable, one that shifts Physical Damage to be taken as Fire.

+(20-30) to Strength 10% increased maximum Life +(20-40)% to Fire Resistance 10% increased Strength Damage Penetrates 10% Fire Resistance Cover Enemies in Ash when they Hit you Avatar of Fire

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - A Turquoise Amulet with some Intelligence and Dexterity. Again, Fire Resistance and Maximum Life are high on the priority list. A Warlord Amulet could be especially fitting if you happen to roll modifiers listed below (many others are also great).

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 45% Fire Resistance Dexterity and Intelligence Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration Purity of Fire has #% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency (Warlord Suffix) Gain #% of Physical Damage as Extra Fire Damage (Warlord Prefix) #% of Fire Damage Leeched as Life (Warlord Suffix)

Recommended Anointments: Deflection Infused Flesh

(Ring) Rare Rings - Rings offer only the most basic Attributes, Resistances, and Life. They're not as good as Uniques can be, but they may be required nonetheless.

Min. requirements: +100 to Maximum Life 45% Fire Resistance Dexterity and Intelligence Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Life Regeneration

(Ring) Enmity's Embrace - This Ring is a core element of the build - it grants 200% Fire Penetration, once you fuel it with Fire Resistance. Such a high number is unachievable otherwise.

(5-7)% increased maximum Life +(30-50) to Strength (10-20)% increased Fire Damage (75-65)% reduced Fire Resistance Take (300-500) Fire Damage when you Use a Skill Damage Penetrates Fire Resistance equal to your Overcapped Fire Resistance, up to a maximum of 200%

(Ring) Foulborn Mokou's Embrace - Foulborn Mokou's Embrace can get you "+3% to maximum Fire Resistance" instead of Cold Resistance. It's a very efficient way to get Maximum Fire Res. It also grants other bonuses that can be beneficial.

+(20-30)% to Fire Resistance +3% to maximum Fire Resistance (25-40)% increased Attack Speed while Ignited (25-40)% increased Cast Speed while Ignited +25% chance to be Ignited All Damage Taken from Hits can Ignite you

(Jewel) Foulbron The Red Dream - You want the Foulborn Red Dream that increases your Maximum Life socketed near Stamina so that it affects the Diamond Skin and barbarism notables. Use Tattoos for Fire Resistance near it. You also want the other Foulborn line that causes your Damage to be Lucky. This is a major damage increase, since Shield Shatter has a wide damage range.

Passives granting Fire Resistance or all Elemental Resistances in Radius also grant increased Maximum Life at 75% of its value Fire Damage with Hits is Lucky if you've Blocked an Attack Recently

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Rare Jewels are good for fixing your Maximum Fire Resistance or Reservation Efficiency.

Recommended affixes: increased Maximum Life Fire Resistance Maximum Fire Resistance Attributes increased Mana Reservation Efficiency

(Jewel) The Light of Meaning - The build lacks a good source of "increases" to damage. The Light of Meaning, with increased Fire Damage socketed near Endurance, may be helpful.

Passive Skills in Radius also grant 6% increased Fire Damage

(Jewel) Elegant Hubris - There are two good reasons to use the Elegant Hubris. One is Supreme Ostentation (Caspiro variant); ignore all the Attribute Requirements (you can Tattoo Fire Res over all the Strength nodes). Another reason is to score notables like Crematorium Worker for 50% Fire Res or Gemling Inquisition for 80% increased Spell Damage. The downside is the inability to benefit from Magmatic Strikes (if it's socketed near the Eternal Youth Keystone).

Commissioned (2000-160000) coins to commemorate (Cadiro-Caspiro-Victario) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Eternal Empire Historic

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - Purity of Fire and Purity of Elements. Chaos Resistance from Purity of Elements may be the only good modifier on a Watcher's Eye.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers>

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - 8-node Fire Damage Cluster Jewel with notables that increase Fire Damage, grant Fire Resistance, or Fire Exposure will be good. You may even go for a 12-passive one if each node provides a lot of Fire Resistance.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Master of Fire 1 Added Passive Skill is Doryani's Lesson 1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart 1 Added Passive Skill is Cremator 1 Added Passive Skill is Smoking Remains

(Jewel) Small Cluster Jewel - Small Cluster Jewels should grant you Fire Resistance and Maximum Fire Resistance if you haven't fixed it by now.

Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Non-Flammable 1 Added Passive Skill is Molten One's Mark

Other suggested Flasks and Tinctures: Silver Flask with reduced Effect of Curses on you Granite Flask with increased Armour Basalt Flask with increased Movement Speed Ruby or Sulphur Flask with additional Elemental Resistances or crafted life regen Life Flask with immunity to Corrupted Blood

If you have any other build requests, please leave that in the comments below.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.