Lightning melee is unplayable in endgame now.
Not in “go make your glass builds sturdier and stop complaining”. Before all the generic lightning nerfs all lightning melee have passed endgame by a hair.
There are two major reasons for that:
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Very unreliable RR skills. For instance you have to maniacally spam “pet attack” throughout a run to make Wind Devils actually apply RR to your target; Thermite Mines apply RR with a delay and AoE is very small. And the devo RR is by far the worst among elements. Also among the elements: fire and cold have aura RR, lightning doesn’t.
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Reliable lightning flat doesn’t exist in the game. All sources look like 1-XX and your WD often looks like 1X - 2X. Bad sequence of dmg rolls punishes you both with dmg and sustain because reasonably obtainable adcth sources are limited for lightning.
To give some perspective. This situation with flat is so bad, my only half-playable lightning DW build looks like this: https://www.grimtools.com/calc/JVlazgMZ
And yes, you see it right. A lightning build with Occultist exclusive instead of Shaman exclusive. Because with Shaman exclusive it cannot survive, not enough flat and tankiness.
The pillar of lightning melee was always Ultos set. I’ve tested Conjurer and Druid Ultos extensively. First one is completely unplayable, second one requires good reflexes, perfect timing and vast endgame experience.
The only viable lightning melee build left in the game is probably Ultos Vindicator.
I suggest: instead of juggling stats of specific skills give lightning a GOOD RR skill from the devotion map, just like cold and fire have. And give some flat to Shaman exclusive and Flame Touched. Casters won’t benefit much from it, but it might just save melee.
I want to play lightning melee but i can’t. Halp.
