S-TIER | BUILD SORCIÈRE WARD STACKING INFERNALIST (@Phalanx) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

This Ward stacking Infernalist Witch build is built on a simple but radical idea: casting spells that cost absolutely nothing. Thanks to the Pyromantic Pact, maximum mana is replaced by Infernal Flame, and every spell consumes that resource instead of mana. The result: Comet, Spark and the entire trigger chain (Cast on Elemental Ailment, Cast on Block) can be spammed continuously, including dozens of Comets in a row, without ever having to watch the resource bar.

The problem is that the Infernalist ascendancy normally punishes this free-cast playstyle: when Infernal Flame reaches its maximum, the player takes damage equal to their maximum life and energy shield as fire damage. This build completely bypasses that downside by taking keystone Chaos Inoculation (fixed 1 life point, immunity to chaos damage) and keeping zero energy shield: the percentages of life/ES lost become negligible. Survival then relies entirely on Ward, the new defensive layer introduced in 0.5, which absorbs damage but can never be recovered with a flask since life is always full.

On the clear side, the combo Cast on Elemental Ailment triggers Comets on loop on every elemental ailment applied, while Spark, boosted by Frost Bomb and its near-permanent Cold Infusion, sprays the screen with projectiles. In the video, the author announces having just obtained Mageblood through a ritual quest and plans a dedicated video about that acquisition: the character profile linked to the build confirms the unique belt has indeed been equipped since then, replacing a rare belt, further boosting the survivability of a character able to tank 200% density maps without dying to a single pack.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 1 progression step from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding gem setup.

Endgame

Endgame

13 skills • 53 gemmes

Déclenchement lors d'Altérations élémentairesCast on Elemental Ailment

ÉtincelleSpark

Déclenchement lors d'Altérations élémentairesCast on Elemental Ailment

Sensibilité aux élémentsElemental Weakness

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

Déclenchement en BloquantCast on Block

Armure arctiqueArctic Armour

Siphonnage des élémentsSiphon Elements

Remnants of KalguurRemnants of Kalguur

TransfertBlink

The Stars AnswerThe Stars Answer

Levée de bouclierRaise Shield

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Recommended Equipment

The grid above reflects the actual equipment of the character linked to the build. Some pieces have changed since the video was recorded — see the section dedicated to Mageblood above.

• Weapon (main hand): Runeseeker’s Call — unique weapon with 6 rune sockets, the build’s biggest contributor of Rune Ward
• Weapon (off-hand): Svalinn — unique shield that unlocks the Raise Shield skill
• Helmet: Alpha’s Howl — massive cold resistance and extra spirit to fuel the build’s spirit-hungry gems
• Body Armour: The Brass Dome — defensive unique built for a zero energy shield profile under Chaos Inoculation
• Gloves: rare (Agony Fist) socketed with runes dedicated to non-damage ailment magnitude
• Boots: rare (Miracle Dash) with movement speed and resistances
• Belt: Mageblood — obtained at the end of the video, replaces a rare belt and closes the mid-game fragility gap
• Amulet: rare (Gale Torc) crafted to generate permanent power charges in synergy with Cast on Elemental Ailment
• Ring 1: rare (Foe Eye) with rarity, elemental resistance and dexterity
• Ring 2: Kalandra’s Touch — unique ring
• Flasks: Olroth’s Resolve (life) and Lavianga’s Spirits (mana), mostly for their passive effects — the build barely needs to use them actively
• Charms: Nascent Hope, Rite of Passage and The Fall of the Axe, covering freeze and slow protection
• Key Jewels: Voices, Megalomaniac, From Nothing, Heart of the Well and Prism of Belief, plus two rare Sinister Jewels with spell critical damage

Gameplay Tips

• Never go out without Arctic Armour active: it’s the only real protection against the sprint + knockdown duo, the build’s structural weakness
• Ward doesn’t recover from flasks: life always stays full with keystone Chaos Inoculation, all recovery comes from Ward’s natural regeneration
• Prioritize Sinister Jewels with spell critical damage if budget allows — these are the upgrades that yield the most raw damage (20,000+ each)
• Don’t rush into Cast on Critical: the author himself hasn’t fully tested the conversion yet, and the cost (300+ divines) and risk of losing reliability are real
• Be careful with the +3 spell levels craft: very costly and random, it’s better to buy an already-rolled amulet while waiting for a comfortable budget
• Check the community Kami Labs Score before copying this build as-is — some choices (Voices worth several mirrors) remain out of budget for most players

How Ward Stacking Works on This Witch Build

The core of the build relies on the Infernalist ascendancy’s Pyromantic Pact: maximum mana is replaced by double the maximum Infernal Flame, and every skill consumes Infernal Flame instead of mana. In practice, a skill that normally costs 576 mana becomes free since the player no longer has any mana at all. This is what allows spamming Comet, Spark, and the entire trigger chain without any resource limit whatsoever.

The downside is that exceeding maximum Infernal Flame normally deals fire damage equal to 100% of maximum life and energy shield. By taking keystone Chaos Inoculation, with a fixed 1 life and zero energy shield, these percentages become virtually nil. Survival then relies entirely on the Ward introduced in patch 0.5: a separate defensive resource that absorbs damage without ever touching life, and which can climb to around 4,000 thanks to remnants generated by killing enemies.

Neutralizing the Infernalist Ascendancy Drawbacks

Two ascendancy points are normally risky on this type of build: the one that grants a 50% bonus to critical damage in exchange for an ignite on every critical hit (dealing 50% of maximum life and energy shield per second in fire damage), and the one that converts 20% of physical damage taken into chaos damage. Both are nullified by the same mechanic: since maximum life is fixed at 1 and energy shield at 0 with keystone Chaos Inoculation, the percentages applied to these values are negligible, while CI’s immunity to chaos damage directly neutralizes the conversion. The net result is a pure 20% reduction in physical damage taken, with no downside whatsoever.

Arctic Armour: The Key to Surviving Knockdown

The biggest weakness of this type of ward stacking build is the sprint-then-knockdown mechanic: with no quick portal available, the player has to sprint between packs, and a hit taken while sprinting can knock the character down. Since all recovery comes from Ward (impossible to restore with a flask since life is always full), a knockdown in the middle of several monsters can be fatal without protection. Arctic Armour, pushed to around 500,000 damage at its maximum stage, solves this problem: the monster that triggers the knockdown dies instantly from the cold damage area, freezes the surrounding enemies, and chain-triggers Cast on Elemental Ailment to clear the screen, even while the player is on the ground.

Switching to Cast on Critical: A Work in Progress

Some viewers suggested that the author fully switch to Cast on Critical rather than keeping Cast on Elemental Ailment as the main trigger. The conversion requires a specific amulet estimated at around 300 divines, a budget the author considers too committing for now without prior testing. He also mentions his own frustrating crafting experience: around 200 divines spent attempting to get a +3 spell levels affix with fractured spirit, without success. This change therefore still needs to be validated before being recommended as-is.

Skill Tree