S-TIER | BUILD GUERRIER WHIRLING ASSAULT TITAN (@Phalanx) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

Phalanx’s Titan notable Whirling Assault is designed to be a fearsomely efficient Season 0.5 league starter. Its strength? Massive area-of-effect screen clear right out of the campaign, with no unique items, no expensive gear, and no complex interactions. All the equipment comes from vendors and ground loot, with minimal SSF crafting.

The core mechanic relies on notable Whirling Assault (Whirling Assault), a melee attack with a gigantic area that sweeps the entire screen. The skill unlocks at level 41, which requires a leveling phase with other skills (Rolling Slam, Boneshatter then Shield Wall). Once the transition is done, the build amplifies its damage with Mantra of Destruction and Infernal Cry, which respectively add chaos and fire damage to each empowered attack.

The result is a character able to clear progression from level 1 to Tier 15 maps in under eight hours, while tanking stacked quadruple Breach, Delirium and Abyss without flinching. A robust, accessible build that is perfect for starting a new league.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 5 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding skill gem setup.

Act 1 Act 2 – Level 21 Level 22 – 44 Level 45 Cartes Début (T15) T15 ( Midgame ) NOT READY DO NOT FOLLOW

Act 1

6 skills • 12 gemmes

Intervalle stratégique IWindow of Opportunity I

Cri infernalSet 2Infernal Cry

Fracas déferlantRolling Slam

Brise-osBoneshatter

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

Héraut de la cendreHerald of Ash

Acte 2 – Level 21

6 skills • 12 gemmes

Intervalle stratégique IWindow of Opportunity I

Cri infernalSet 2Infernal Cry

Fracas déferlantRolling Slam

Brise-osBoneshatter

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

Héraut de la cendreHerald of Ash

Level 22 – 44

7 skills • 15 gemmes

Mur de boucliersShield Wall

Cri infernalSet 2Infernal Cry

Cri fortifiantSet 2Fortifying Cry

Rugissement féroceFerocious Roar

Charge au bouclierShield Charge

Totem sismiqueShockwave Totem

Héraut de la cendreHerald of Ash

Level 45 – Cartes Début (T15)

8 skills • 24 gemmes

Assaut tourbillonnantWhirling Assault

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Mantra de destructionMantra of Destruction

Cri infernalSet 2Infernal Cry

Rugissement féroceFerocious Roar

Héraut de la cendreHerald of Ash

Attrition

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

T15 ( Midgame ) NOT READY DO NOT FOLLOW

7 skills • 22 gemmes

Assaut tourbillonnantWhirling Assault

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Mantra de destructionMantra of Destruction

Cri infernalSet 2Infernal Cry

Héraut de la cendreHerald of Ash

Attrition

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Recommended Equipment

The great strength of this build is that it doesn’t rely on any unique item. Here are the equipment priorities by phase:

• Weapon (endgame): a base level 45 Quarterstaff (Hefty Quarterstaff) with a minimum tier 7 « increased physical damage » prefix. This is the ONLY truly mandatory modifier — no need for item level or attack speed. Craft it with an Essence, then an Iron Rune and a bit of quality (~200-268 DPS).
• Shield (leveling): from level 14 onward, a shield with a raw armour prefix. The higher the armour, the more damage Shield Wall deals. A good Act 2 shield can carry you all the way to Act 4 without swapping.
• Ruby ring: with life leech for sustain during the endgame.
• Gloves: with mana leech (Mana Leech) to free up a support gem slot on notable Whirling Assault.
• Amulet: maximise stats (Dexterity and Intelligence) to meet the requirements of notable Whirling Assault (63 Dex on the weapon, 41 Int on the skill).
• Rest of the gear: at the start of mapping, prioritise defence — maximise your resistances and armour before looking for damage.

Gameplay Tips

• Act 1 Combo: chain Rolling Slam then cancel the second slam with Boneshatter — you get a two-button combo that clears packs efficiently.
• Leveling bossing: use Frost Bomb and Infernal Cry to significantly increase your damage against bosses.
• Endgame combo (clear): build your combo, cast Mantra of Destruction then attack with notable Whirling Assault boosted by Infernal Cry. Killing an enemy under Mantra generates stacks of Chayula’s purple flame (additional chaos damage).
• Endgame combo (boss): build your combo until you can cast both your spell and Mantra of Destruction, then chain spell + Mantra + Infernal Cry before striking.
• Tribal Fury first: this node makes your hits deal splash damage (AoE), it’s the key element to take before investing in pure area of effect.
• Prerequisite order before the switch: do NOT switch to notable Whirling Assault at level 41 without first having your T7 physical weapon and the necessary stats — otherwise the transition will be frustrating.
• Mapping: maximise your resistances and armour first, then look for a weapon with a higher item level once you reach Tier 11 maps.

Transitioning to Whirling Assault: Preparing the Level 41 Switch

This is the most important point of the build. Even though notable Whirling Assault unlocks at level 41, you absolutely must not switch skills immediately: without preparation, the transition would feel catastrophic.

Two prerequisites are essential. The first is the weapon: you need a level 45 Quarterstaff base (Hefty Quarterstaff) with an increased physical damage prefix of at least tier 7. This is the only truly mandatory modifier. In SSF, you’ll first need to find the right Essence; on the trade league, you can simply buy it for one or two Exalted. Once the weapon is crafted and socketed with an Iron Rune, you get a weapon of roughly 200 to 268 DPS that can carry you all the way to Tier 15 maps.

The second prerequisite concerns your stats. During the Shield Wall phase, you build Strength, but notable Whirling Assault requires Dexterity and Intelligence (63 Dex on the quarterstaff itself and 41 Int on the skill). It is therefore crucial to have as many stats as possible on your amulet to meet these requirements before the switch.

Amplifying Damage: Mantra of Destruction and Infernal Cry

The core of notable Whirling Assault‘s scaling relies on layering several sources of amplification. Mantra of Destruction is used after building up enough combo: your next attack becomes empowered and gains additional damage as chaos. If, during this window, you kill an enemy, you gain stacks of the purple flame of Chayula, meaning even more chaos damage.

Infernal Cry also empowers your skill and adds fire damage to it. By combining these two skills with the Empowered passive node, notable Whirling Assault ends up literally wiping everything off the screen. For bossing, the principle stays simple: build up your combo until you can cast both your spell and Mantra of Destruction, then chain them together before striking.

Switching Ascendancy: From Warbringer to Titan

The build uses two successive ascendancies. You start with Warbringer to benefit from infinite War Cries, which are extremely handy during leveling: you can shout without worrying about the cooldown, which keeps Shield Wall empowered permanently.

Later, after switching to notable Whirling Assault, you move to Titan. The procedure is precise: unallocate all your Warbringer points, complete your level 38 Trial of Chaos, click on the altar and switch your ascendancy to Titan. You then choose the Hulking Form, which grants 30% increased damage. This is why you must carefully keep the Ultimatum token obtained after the Chimera rather than using it right away.

Growing Your Area of Effect: From Tribal Fury to Full Screen

As long as you’re still in Act 4, stay focused on damage and the Empowered Attack Damage nodes. The node you absolutely must take before investing in area of effect is Tribal Fury, which makes your strikes deal splash damage.

It’s only once you’ve acquired a decent amount of empowered damage and raw attack damage that the real fun begins, usually around the Interlude. From there, by picking up area of effect points, your attacks get wider and wider until they cover the entire screen. Just a few AoE nodes are already enough to turn every whirl into a full screen clear.

Skill Tree