[1.1.8.1] Aether Primate - Lucius' Blade Arm 2H melee aether Primal Strike Druid, SR 80+

INTRODUCTION

I have already made an aether Primal Strike Ritualist and I noticed that its melee version can be easily redone as a Druid if you use as a weapon Lucius’ Blade Arm. It requires some greens because of lower item support. Build has no RR from masteries but it still works with RR from other sources. Lifesteal is decent but it is necessary to have large enough health pool to absorb attacks. I have not changed any item in this build from its Ritualist version except the weapon. Medal for vitality PS is still better here than any other medal if you have my affixes. My previous Ritualist version is a little better in both offense and defense. This version can do SR 80.

I have other Primal Strike builds here. I have other aether melee 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/bVAm1qwV

Bonus ranged version for SR 65-66 is here.

All crafting bonuses are to physique. You want affixes on greens to aether damage, 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

OFFENSE

nice DPS 230k

OK OA - around 3000 OA

up to 55 DA reduction to enemies from Annihilation

OK critical damage 36 %

OK aether resistance reduction from Arcane Bomb, ring, Ravager’s Deathgaze and Revenant - up to -79 % + Air Strike from weapon

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

DEFENSE

good life close to 15000 HP (above it with crafting bonuses)

OK DA - around 2900 DA (around 2950 with crafting bonuses)

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

good lifesteal 21 %

good CC resistances

capped disruption resistance from pants

reasonably overcapped resistances

good physical resistance 28 %

lower armor - around 1850

% damage absorption from Maiven’s Sphere

at least +3 to all max resistances

Serenity

Bat + Ghoul

Mirror of Ereoctes

Nullification

image from the game with passive buffs + Blood Pact

Aether%20Primate%201

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 easily. It can even do SR 80. No boss is particularily problematic but be careful with Reaper and it is also harder to heal from Valdaran sometimes. It is slower in SR 80.

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

Images from SR 80



6 Likes

Very cool. Nice weapon. Original imo overal.

1 Like

@Duchy Spectacular transmog too!

1 Like