[1.1.8.0] Aetheros - 2H melee / 2H ranged aether Primal Strike Ritualist, easy SR 80+

INTRODUCTION

The idea behind this build is to make aether Primal Strike work both as melee and ranged. It even works as a switchable melee/ranged build. It requires some greens because of lower item support. I chose Ritualist because of aether and vitality damage support. Vitality damage is also converted to aether. As a melee weapon I chose Scion of the Screaming Veil and as a ranged weapon I chose Vortex of Souls (it can pierce targets – so great AoE with it). I have never tried so many different variations like with this build before it started to work. You need the right amount of life/lifesteal/phys res/CC res and it was hard to find the correct combination. Build has great lifesteal but it is necessary to have large enough health pool to absorb attacks. All versions (melee/ranged/switchable) can do SR 80 easily.

I have other Primal Strike builds here. I have other aether melee builds here. I have other ranged builds here. All my builds are here.

Here is a list comparing all my Primal Strike builds from best to worst. All are at least SR 65-66 capable.
  1. Dragonborn – great build, 2H melee physical PS, good offensively and very powerful defensively (best of my PS builds)

  2. Thor – great build, 2H melee lightning PS, offensively similar to Dragonborn, defensively noticably weaker than Dragonborn

  3. Aetheros Ranged – great build, 2H ranged aether PS, offensively a little weaker than Dragonborn, defensively a little weaker than Thor

  4. Aetheros – great build, 2H melee aether PS, offensively a little better than Aetheros Ranged (and a little weaker than Dragonborn), defensively a little weaker than Aetheros Ranged

  5. Colderos – great build, 2H melee cold PS, offensively noticably better than Dragonborn (best of my PS builds), defensively a little weaker than Aetheros

  6. Colderos Ranged – great build, 2H ranged cold PS, offensively a little weaker than Colderos, defensively a little weaker than Colderos (actually only when facetanking bosses otherwise you can take out enemies from distance)

  7. Aether Primate – great build, 2H melee aether PS, offensively similar to Aetheros Ranged, defensively a little weaker than Colderos Ranged

  8. Viteros – good build, 2H melee vitality PS, offensively a little weaker than Aetheros Ranged, defensively similar to Colderos Ranged

  9. Meme Striker – good build, 2H melee lightning PS, offensively similar to Colderos, defensively a little weaker than Viteros

  10. Chaotic Primate – good build, 2H melee chaos PS, offensively a little weaker than Viteros, defensively noticably weaker than Meme Striker

  11. Mental Primate Druid – good build, 2H melee elemental PS, offensively a little weaker than Chaotic Primate, defensively a little weaker than Chaotic Primate

  12. Storm Blitzer – OK build, 1H melee + shield lightning PS, offensively a little weaker than Mental Primate Druid, defensively a little better than Chaotic Primate

  13. Mental Primate Conjurer – OK build, 2H melee elemental PS, offensively a little better than Mental Primate Druid (but a little weaker than Chaotic Primate), defensively a little weaker than Mental Primate Druid

  14. Storm Knight – OK build, 1H melee + shield lightning PS, offensively similar to Storm Blitzer, defensively similar to Mental Primate Druid

  15. Savage Stormrender – weaker build, DW melee lightning PS on cooldown + Savagery, offensively noticably weaker than Storm Knight, defensively similar to Storm Knight

GRIMTOOLS

https://www.grimtools.com/calc/pZrwY7jN pure melee/switchable version

https://www.grimtools.com/calc/lNkwaX6N pure ranged version

Crafting bonuses on amulet, ring and pants are to stun (2x) and slow (1x) resistance. Ranged version has also crafting bonus on weapon to freeze resistance. You want affixes on greens to OA, DA and resistances. Most affixes are interchangable. Prefix bonus for Primal Strike on medal is not necessary on the melee version (I just chose it as the best option). If you want it outside of the medal, you can get it with a second ring. Because of bonuses to PS from medal and amulet you have to equip the amulet last always for aether color of PS. At each new session you have to do this because it defaults to medal and not to amulet.

Stats of the build for pure melee

OFFENSE

nice DPS 180k - 210k

OK OA - above 2900 OA

up to 55 DA reduction to enemies from Annihilation

lower critical damage 20 %

good aether resistance reduction from Spectral Wrath, Arcane Bomb, ring, Ravager’s Deathgaze and Revenant - up to -111 %

damage from devotions – Spear of the Heavens, Arcane Bomb, Twin Fangs and Revenant

DEFENSE

good life above 15500 HP

OK DA - around 2950 DA

up to 150 OA reduction to enemies from Arcane Bomb and Annihilation

great lifesteal 33 %

good CC resistances with crafting bonuses to stun and slow

capped disruption resistance from pants

reasonably overcapped resistances

good physical resistance 28 %

lower armor - around 1850

% reduced damage to enemies from Ill Omen

at least +3 to all max resistances

Serenity

Bat + Ghoul

Stats of the build for pure ranged

OFFENSE

nice DPS 150k - 180k

lower OA - above 2850 OA

up to 55 DA reduction to enemies from Annihilation

lower critical damage 20 %

good aether resistance reduction from Spectral Wrath, Arcane Bomb, ring, Ravager’s Deathgaze and Revenant - up to -111 %

damage from devotions – Spear of the Heavens, Arcane Bomb, Twin Fangs and Revenant

DEFENSE

good life around 16000 HP

OK DA - above 2900 DA

up to 150 OA reduction to enemies from Arcane Bomb and Annihilation

great lifesteal 34 %

good CC resistances with crafting bonuses to stun, freeze and slow

capped disruption resistance from pants

reasonably overcapped resistances

nice physical resistance 36 %

lower armor - around 1850

% reduced damage to enemies from Ill Omen

at least +3 to all max resistances

Serenity

Bat + Ghoul

image from the game for melee version with passive buffs only

Aetheros%201

image from the game for melee version with passive buffs + Soul Harvest and Blood Pact

Aetheros%202

image from the game for ranged version with passive buffs only

Aetheros%20Ranged%201

image from the game for ranged version with passive buffs + Soul Harvest and Blood Pact

Aetheros%20Ranged%202

SR, CRUCIBLE

I play SR with camera pointed away from enemies and I try my builds only in SR 65-66 and SR 80. I play around 10 SR runs per character.

This build does SR 65-66 very easily. All versions can even do SR 80 easily. No boss is a problem. Ranged version is a little safer in SR but slower against single target. Killing Kuba is slower with it. I don’t push my characters higher but it can go higher if you are a skilled player.

I don’t play Crucible so I don’t have a time number for it.

Images from SR 80

3 images for melee version



3 images for ranged version



7 Likes

You’re losing a lot more damage than you’re gaining with the parasite conversion of the medal :thinking:

2 Likes

No, I am not. Equipping amulet last takes precedence or at least I think it does.

That’s only for the effect, the conversion still goes 50/50

1 Like

Thanks only works for visual effect I think

  • red lightning if you equip the medal last
  • cyan lightning if you equip the amulet last

Well and even with that it crushes SR 80 :smiley: I will look into it but build is solid this way.
Medal equipped
1
Medal unequipped
2

The + skill bonus to PS does a lot more for DPS. This damage on image is with passive buffs only.

It is just a bit of lightning damage. I think that it is OK as it is. I get some flat vitality on the medal to convert to aether to mitigate it as well.

With all buffs
Medal equipped
3
Medal unequipped
4

It looks to me OK as it is.

Have you thought about comparing that medal to another medal with +5 primal strike instead of an empty slot? Comparing it to an empty slot proves nothing, when the medal gives +5 to the main skill…

Try with a MI medal with base aether damage and the +2 PS affix to see if it’s better, we’ll be sure then

It might be a bit better damagewise but don’t forget other bonuses - OA and DA.

This medal

With all buffs
Original medal equipped
6
New medal equipped
7

Not worthy of change to me.

The OA is from the of attack suffix, rylok medal does have some nice DA though.

I was pondering over the mark of nacrathan aswell, as this build doesn’t have many good medal options. The main reason why it’s not better or only as good as the rylok medal is that the build would miss +3PS. So for the items you use, rylok medal with those affixes is really solid. However if you got +3 PS on another itemslot, nacrathan’s or maybe some legendary medal seems better.

Edit: just get +5 primal strike badge of mastery /s

1 Like

Oh well I thought it would make a difference, wise medal choice then :+1:
What about a totally realistic +5 PS badge of mastery ? :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

That could be an option. My guess is ± the same.

So a 5k more DPS with Badge of Mastery but 150 less OA and 60 DA. Therefore not worth it.

1 Like

4k DPS more with no buffs. 2k DPS more with all buffs.
Damage breakdown for Badge of Mastery with all buffs.
8

But the loss of OA and DA is too much.

Yea BoM just has not enough stats compared to lvl94 affixes.

Since 50% of brute force’s damage is lost to vitality, you could try only one pointing it and maybe pull some points from blood pact and mogdrogen’s pact to max bone harvest and get its transmuter. BH is sick dmg with a 2hander.

Healing from totem is too good from both nods. Totem is absolutely necessary for healing in this version of the build. I also convert 100 % of vitality to aether on melee version.

One thing I am not sure about is if on the belt I can have two yellow affixes. If not then of the dranghoul should be there for suffix.