Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover theLone WolfBuild:Elemental Champion. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Elemental Champion - Warrior Build
TheElemental Championis aWarrior Buildthat focuses on its use of Staves to deal incredible elemental damage to enemies.Elemental Championsdon’t focus on one elemental damage type, but can switch between what they need on the fly. This is made possible by the different Staves they carry and the fact that they are only doing melee attacks, allowing them to pump upTwo-Handedto not only increase their damage, but also their Critical Multiplier. Add inEnrage, and all of a sudden you are dealing insane elemental damage via melee attacks.
Elemental Champion Attributes and Equipment
Elemental Championsfocus primarily onIntelligenceto increase their damage with all elements, only putting points intoWitslater in the game after Intelligence is maxed, andMemoryto gain someInitiativeand to be able to use the requiredSkills. The reason that we crankWitsa bit later on is because of the changes to the Definitive Edition, which prevent us from stacking Intelligence as high as we used to. Because of this Enrage will be much more useful earlier in the game, and will become less useful later in the game.
Elemental ChampionsuseIntelligence-based Armour, which isn’t ideal for thisBuildbecause you’ll be in close proximity to melee units. We’ll supplement this withFortify, but you’ll still be on the line between too little and just enough. You’ll wantArmourthat has eitherIntelligenceorTwo-Handedif possible, only looking for gear withScoundrelafter you’ve acquiredEnrage. Despite the lack of focus onCritical Chance, I would still place aFire Rune of Powerinto your Necklace simply because it is the best of what you can choose from. Place aFrost or Fire Rune of Powerinto your Chest Armour to increaseIntelligence.
Weapon-wise this is a toughBuildto acquire the right gear for.Elemental Championschange their damage type by switching Staves on the fly, which means you will need one of each type: Fire, Water, Poison and Air. The tough part about this is that it’s hard to find a good Staff of each type, let alone just a good one in general. Ideally your Staff would haveIntelligence,Initiative, SetBlinded, SetSilencedand at least 1Rune Slot(the more the better). This will allow you to increase the damage of your attacks viaIntelligenceandRunes, keep your turn order high and allow you toMuteandBlindyour opponents, reducing the amount of damage you may take.
Elemental Champion Talents and Abilities
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aElemental Champion.
Elemental Championstake a little bit to get off the ground because they do need to spread some points around early on to get the neededSkills. In Act 1 they will need 2 points intoWarfare, 1 point inHydrosophist, 1 point inGeomancerand 2 points intoScoundrel. Some of these can be achieved via Armour and Jewelry, which should help, but once these points have been distributedElemental Championswill need to start dumping all points they can intoTwo-Handed. In act 2 you’ll getWarfareto 3 and then continue to maxTwo-Handedand then proceed to dump points intoScoundrelto increase your Critical Multiplier. The idea here is that when you useEnrageyou deal a shit ton of damage, with every attack!
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Lone Wolf– This is the obviousTalenthere, and what makes theLone WolfBuild possible. Take this one whenever you are ready to make the jump toLone Wolf.
Opportunist– As with all meleeBuilds, this oneTalentdrastically increases your damage output, so take this one immediately afterLone Wolf.
Executioner– ThisTalentis pretty much a must forLone Wolfso take it as early as you may. If you’ve already takenOpportunistandLone Wolfthis will be near the end of Act 1.
Hothead– ThisTalentis listed here because really there aren’t too many otherTalentsthat work well with thisBuildand having some extraCritical ChanceandAccuracydon’t hurt (particularly theAccuracyin this case).
Elemental Champion Skills
Warfare Skills
Battle Stomp– A great AoE with aKnockdown. You won’t be able to take advantage of theKnockdownin thisBuild, but the AoE is still very useful. Deals 90% damage to each target, which isn’t terrible.
Crippling Blow- Although you won’t be able toCrippletargets with this skill, it still deals 115% damage vs a basic attack. Add in that it hits enemies adjacent to your target and it is a no brainer.
Blitz Attack– A great gap closer and can often 1 shot two targets at once. Use after you’ve usedEnragefor best results. Only deals 70% damage to each target though, so keep that in mind.
Whirlwind– A tremendous AoE that deals full damage to each target struck. Try to make sure you hit at least 3 targets when using this or save it for a moment when you can.
Phoenix Dive– If you aren’t already in range of an enemy or you can’t get to one withBlitz Attack, use this to get where you need to go. Also sets burning on targets with noMagic Armouron their turn.
Enrage- This skill makes thisBuildwork, plain and simple.Elemental Championsare able to make use of this skill when otherBuildslikeBattlemageandElementalistcannot, becauseMutedoes not affectMelee Skills.
Challenge– As of the Definitive Edition this Skill now only costs 0 AP, making it viable for this Build if you put 3 points into Warfare. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 20% for 2 turns.
Thick of the Fight- A great skill that buffs ANY type of damage for 2 turns dependent upon the number of enemies around you. Between this skill andEnrageyou should be dealing punishing amounts of damage.
Onslaught- This skill does insane damage, especially after beingEnraged. Deals 250% damage vs a single target, all but ensuring their death. Save this for the hardest targets in a fight to eliminate them quickly.
Miscellaneous Skills
Armour of Frost- A great way to buff yourMagical Armourfor a few turns. You will need to do this from time to time, especially in mage-heavy fights. Only needs on point into Hydrosophist.
Fortify- Pretty much the same as above, except that you have much less Physical ArmourthanMagic, so you’ll absolutely need this if you aren’t buffed by a teammate. Be sure to use this turn 1.
Venom Coating- A good way to add some decent damage to your attacks for 1 AP. Isn’t a must for thisBuild, but doesn’t hurt to have it just in case either. Use this turn 1.
Adrenaline- You’ll have points inScoundrelanyway so why not take this very good utility skill. Use this when you need to a couple more AP to finish a deadly target. Try to avoid using when you know you’ll beEnragedthe following turn.
Cloak and Dagger- Not truly needed for thisBuild, but can help with mobility if you find you are lacking. Only takes up 1Memoryslot and you’ll have points inScoundrelanyway.
Final Tips
When approaching a battle it’s a good idea to save, if you can, just before and head in and thenInspecteach enemy and then restart. This will give you an idea which Staff you should use for the upcoming fight and will allow you to have it equipped before entering combat when you reload. You can always change when combat starts, of course, but this will save you 1 AP. Keep in mind thatUndeadare immune to Poison damage so you’ll have to change Staves mid combat to kill them if you have one equipped.
Much like theFrost PaladinBuild, I like to spend turn 1 buffing up. I usually castFortify,Armour of Frost,Venom Coatingand any other buff you decided to go with like:Uncanny EvasionorMedusa Head. It’s a really good idea to leave 2 AP at the end of the turn if you can, but if you need to prioritize positioning so you don’t just get lit up by the enemy do so.
Turn 2 if there are no enemies in range ofBlitz AttackorBattle StompI usePhoenix Diveto get in position and then useEnrage(if there are enemies already in range at the beginning of my turn I useEnragestraight away). This should allow you 6 AP to attack this turn, if you saved 2 AP from last turn, and then next turn you can get 6 AP to attack whileEnragedagain (or 8 if you useAdrenaline). This will help you maximize the effectiveness ofEnrage.Note that later in the game, you will not need to use Enrage, as your Critical Chance will be well over 50% and it isn’t worth being Muted.
Lastly, because you don’t have very many attack skills (6), and some do less damage than a normal attack, consider putting 3 points intoPolymorphto unlockSkin Graft. This will allow you to refresh yourSkills, includingEnrage, which can really help you out if the fight doesn’t end quickly. This will also grant you access toMedusa Head, whichPetrifiesenemies near you with noMagic Armour.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
