LizardIRL has been playing Last Epoch at a high level for years. He has invested a huge amount of time learning the game, theory crafting builds and making educational content. By the time LE Multiplayer launched, he already had thousands of hours driven by his competitive nature and desire to improve. His builds and min/maxing rules have shaped the meta, establishing him as a top build maker and theory crafter. LizardIRL livestreams his Rank 1 Arena pushes and has dominated both SC and HC ladders. Learn about the Skills, Gameplay and Passives for the Ignite Shield Rush Forge Guard Build.
Skills
Shield Rush
Shield Rush is your main Damage. Dark Rush is needed as the build does not use a Shield. Combine the interactions between Desynchronous Charge, Mana Memory and The Rush of Sacrifice and the Damage from Consuming Path, Splintering Impact and Warrior's Entrance to weaponize it.
Sigils Of Hope
Sigils Of Hope provides incredibly valuable buffs that stack, but with a high Mana cost. Spec into Burning Sign for additional Ignite Chance and Empowering Sigils for the Damage increase. This setup also grants Endurance Threshold with Iron Sigils. Grab Last Wish for a chance to cast a Sigil on kill.
Lunge
Lunge is your main Movement Skill. The Double Strike Node is great for the extra charge and mobility. Grab Torchbearer to gain Fire Penetration from the Crusader's Fury buff. Invest the rest of the Points into Dawn Charge for the Heal it provides, which is really helpful after casting Shield Rush.
Volatile Reversal
Volatile Reversal is key to recover your Mana after rapidly casting 4 Sigils Of Hope. Use the Time Rifts and Harbinger of Dust Nodes to apply a powerful debuff on your enemies that makes them take additional Damage. It can be used for extra mobility and animation canceling. Master its mechanics!
Abyssal Echoes
Abyssal Echoes helps to further increase the single target DPS the build is capable of dishing out. Crumbling applies another great debuff on your enemies and Embrace the Darkness grants a substantial increased Damage Over Time buff. The Freedom of Movement Node is helpful while mapping.
Alternative Skills & Tips
- Shield Rush consumes Health when it's used. Make sure you have enough Leech to sustain.
- Put more Points into Sigils Of Hope's Iron Sigils Node over Burning Sign Node if you survivability and have enough Damage early on.
- If you have enough Mana Regeneration and you don't need to use Volatile Reversal for mana after casting Sigils Of Hope, drop 1 Point from the Time Sap Node and grab the Timelost Wisdom Node to lower Volatile Reversal's Cooldown so it can be used purely offensively.
- Consider investing into Abyssal Echoes's Deep Expanse Node over the Corrupting Harness if you are struggling to apply it to isolated objectives.
Passives
Passives provide powerful effects that dictate the playstyle of a Class and its Masteries. Remember that you can allocate Passives on the first half of all Masteries regardless of the one you chose.
- Take all the Strength, Ignite Chance and Health related Nodes.
- Armour Clad grants Damage Reduction and is crucial for any Sentinel's survivability.
- Juggernaut, Abyssal Endurance and Holy Symbol provide tons of Resistances.
- Smelter's Might, Phoenix Strike and Molded by the Forge are a big part of the build's Damage, especially when you get Maehlin's Hubris.
- Divine Bolt helps apply even more DoTs.
- Infinite Bulwark and Liquid Iron provide powerful defensive buffs on Potion use.
- Crushing Blows has great synergy with this Shield Rush setup.
Make sure to complete the Campaign to get all your Passive Points.
Gameplay
This Forge Guard uses Shield Rush to rapidly apply deadly Ignites and burn enemies alive. Make sure you are familiar with enemy mechanics to know when to use your Support Skills to stay alive. Pay attention to their telegraphed attacks!
Skill Usage/Rotation
- Cast 4 Sigils Of Hope for their buffs.
- Use Volatile Reversal to get the mana consumed by casting Sigils Of Hope back.
- Lunge into battle, hit as many enemies as possible to stack the Crusader's Fury buff.
- Spam Shield Rush at your enemies.
- Use Abyssal Echoes and Volatile Reversal on top of enemies for extra Damage. Make sure you do this without any overlap with Sigils Of Hope's Mana cost.
- Maintain 4 Sigils Of Hope up at all times.
Mapping
- Rush to the objective with Lunge.
- Shield Rush when you are close to enemies.
- Be careful not to backtrack when using Volatile Reversal.
- Group mobs before using Abyssal Echoes to maximize its AoE and chains.
- If enemies slow you, use Abyssal Echoes on them so the Freedom of Movement Node triggers.
Bossing
- Take advantage of all your defensive buffs and keep them active.
- Spam Shield Rush at Bosses to build up Ignite stacks and then Abyssal Echoes + Volatile Reversal on top of them to rapidly ramp your DPS.
- Keep a charge of Lunge for emergency situations or telegraphed Boss attacks.
Advanced Skill Tips
- Shield Rush consumes Health when it's used. Don't use it indiscriminately if you are not Leeching.
- Use Volatile Reversal to cancel out animations. This can be used to interrupt Shield Rush or Lunge mid animation in dangerous situations. This mechanic can be pushed to the extreme by skilful players, creating a choreography of blinks and dashes that the enemy AI struggles to keep up with. At the same time, using this at the wrong time could end up with you in the wrong spot, so be extremely careful while learning how to use this Skill.
- Line up trash enemies before using Lunge to get as many stacks of Crusader's Fury as possible.
- Use the Damage Reduction granted by the Protective Speed Node and Wings of Argentus while using Shield Rush efficiently! Sometimes it is better to stay in the fight than retreat.
Learn more about how to maximize your gameplay in the Build Scaling section of this guide.
