My Dissertation about Avalanche | THREE Build Guides for Patch 1.1

[@FrozenSentinel]

When you mentioned this on your stream I didn't think you meant a literal hour long video about avalanche lol! Gonna need to block off some time for this one :) update: great job putting this huge compilation of ideas and tests together, this will be extremely helpful for anyone looking to make their own avalanche build. I can't help but feel there is a super specific combination of things just waiting to be discovered that really turns this into a giga op skill

[@colden4610]

Good ideas man! It's been driving me crazy to try and put together a decent avalanche build. The wall of nothing was the thing I needed to make sense of using branch of hallows.

[@PerrythePig]

we spent a good amount of time discussing Branch as well. I'd be surprised if I didn't see someone cook up a build with it this patch.

[@HulkHoganMeatShoes]

ive been playing avalanche with the vessel/urzils double regen route and it has been really enjoyable. this video gave me some ideas on how to get off of using summon spriggan which i appreciate. even with a couple minion life/regen affixes and like all the survivability in his tree that dude still just dies too much.

[@jean-philippea.1751]

33:00 @Perry, I got a functioning (and strong-ish) build to show you that uses those nodes. :P What's the best way to send you the info ?

[@PerrythePig]

ooo I'd take a build planner here, or you can DM on Discord.

[@dodang_9147]

Here's a question, In the gahering of the storm tree, it says that "Rending Vortex grants 1% critical chance for GATHERING OF THE STORM per Maelstorm". This implies that critical chance ONLY affects gathering of the storm and does not grant global critical chance. This differs from wording in Harvest tree for Acolyte where Harvest has a node called "Learning weakness" which in fact states that increases GLOBAL critical chance. I think channelling tree is not suppose to be used as channeling skill. there is a node in that tree called Unyielding storm which makes you channel avalanche without channeling avalanche. the issue with this skill is that it only works for 3 seconds and you have to channel the full 3 second to get an extra 3 seconds. So I think gameplay is suppose to be that you press channel button and then let go. unfortunately the Node is SEVERELY under-tuned. it doesn't last long enough and the fact that it is not fixed amount like channel for 1 second = 7-8 seconds makes not worth it. I think it is suppose to work like old avalanche where you press button and then it goes on cooldown firing avalanche. They just made a channelling skill with 0 cooldown with terrible node that will likely be buffed. Avalanche isn't overpowered because they nerfed avalanche boulder rate. If you noticed, the creeps that use Avalanche no longer throw boulders as frequently as before. they used pile boulders on you and it did crazy high damage. Now to get same boulder frequency as last patch, you have spec into bottom nodes to get boulder frequency as high as it was last patch. Previously, these nodes were a lot closer to the center of the tree.

[@sen0ca_]

Its impressive how long perry can talk without pause lol

[@TheExophile]

Hi Perry, first off great video! I love all your content, especially the insights into WHY you make choices in builds. Thank you! I have two questions... one, going by the build planner once you have avalanche you don't have gathering storm manually cast anymore and its off your bar. Is it getting auto procced from somewhere? Second, you mention at the end you are going to go play something more OP/satisfying... what is your favorite build in 1.1 currently? Thanks!

[@maxhay9911]

Hey Perry, have you messed around with trying to do an Avalanche boulder proccing Earthquake/aftershock, into proccing Avalanche boulder loop? I'm currently cooking for the new patch and wondered if you had any insights/ran into any roadblocks that I should be aware of. Obviously mana is the main issue but there are some ways you can get crazy mana regen in shaman. Cheers!

[@dodang_9147]

it doesn't work. if you try to do it with tempest, you don't get enough mana. Swipe doesn't have enough attackspeed and is also poor choice. Gathering of the storm has most opportunity because it's mana regains almost infinity but issue is that expanding stacks is near impossible because if you put 4 aftershock idols and attempt proc aftershock to proc avalanche boulder from avalanche tree, the problem you end up having is that earthquake proc happens only on LARGE boulders, not small boulders and this is huge issue because only way to increase odds of dropping large boulders is critical chance from one tree nodes. you need drop large boulders to activate earthquake from top-left tree and than earthquake expands bolts. so conclusion problem is, you can't build enough crit chance on shaman to make it work and aside from gathering of the storm, you don't have enough mana to physically do it. there is also no clear durability path on shaman either. Attunement is main scaler of damage and if you were to optimize damage you'd pick physical avalanche so that % physical would add more damage but there is virtually nothing you can scale as shaman to survive as melee. your best bet is health for endurence threshold from maelstorm but your gear would need to be like perfectly rolled everywhere on something that isn't very good in first place.

[@Limrasson]

Thinking about would give flat physical spell damage scaling with attunement...but maybe wouldn't worth it, as it's 1 dmg / 3 attunement.

[@Goldoexperiencu]

Form swapping seems kinda clunky especially without the Druid buff. But there seems to be a lot of potential synergies Branch of Hollows Unique staff could be really good here with the massive Ward retention buff and the existing Spriggan form ward gen + Twisted heart of Uhkeiros. You can also get cooldown on Primalist body armor implicit(although this slot is heavily contested) and the prefix cooldown recovery while transformed on helmet should help reduce time in Spriggan form. Bringing the cooldown down to 3 secs should be possible(with dual opal rings, implicit gloves and a few exalted affixes) but idk if it's worth the investment.

[@Thorkou]

If avalanche had a lightning conversion, and had a way for it to synergies/proc with tempest strike, tornado, sworm blade or wear bear, it would be fun imo. The way it is now is boring imo.

[@Boeatheist]

This guy just casually has a self farmed 3lp nihilis

[@PerrythePig]

if only. That was from a Nemesis egg

[@Boeatheist]

@@PerrythePig that explains the fire damage. Still though... Pretty sick nihilis

[@karzel-q9v]

Hey, why did you not like the frostbite approach? It's stacks it to slowly?

[@PerrythePig]

the effectiveness of added damage is so big, and you have pretty easy access to crit. I'd rather just blow things up than wait to stack frostbite. I'd be interested in seeing it in action, though

[@Psykrom]

Gathering Storm mechanic is not being covered, or did I somehow miss it?

[@PerrythePig]

what did i forget to explain?

[@Psykrom]

@@PerrythePig How is it being triggered, not on your skill bar.

[@PerrythePig]

stom bolts, proc'ed via Avalanche. we never use the actual skil "gathering storm"

[@PerrythePig]

@@Psykrom some skills dont need to be on your bar in order to be triggered, like Gathering Storm.

[@Psykrom]

@@PerrythePig Ok, thanks!

[@Phytotox]

I tried the upheaval combination. Wonderful visuals but: FPS drop, low damage, crazy mana cost, which make it unsustainable :(.

[@DaLastSaiyan]

Interesting

[@PerrythePig]

Indeed.

[@tonyverdechi9157]

Too bad EH haven't fixed the totems bug.