Bruiser Soulbeast

September 2024

Introduction

Bruiser Soulbeast is a flexible build, capable of team fighting and duelling, as it has decent sustain and good damage.

Build Fundamentals

Soulbeast is a modifier-based damage dealer, meaning most of their damage is going to be concentrated in certain spikes. As an example, your longbow burst combines Twice as Vicious (5%), Furious Strength (7%), Vicious Quarry (300 Ferocity), Loud Whistle (10%), Hunter's Tactics (10%), and Sigil of Exploitation (5%) for a massive boost to your damage.

On your maces you have access to Force of Nature once you reach 5 stacks of Nature's Strength.

Build Specifics

Mainhand Sword hits extremely hard, both Serpent's Strike and Pounce can crit for up to 10k+ damage on squishy targets; they’re also both mobility skills with leap finishers attached for extra utility. An easy way to use sword is to combo Serpent's Strike onto a disabled target to lock them down with and hit them with Pounce.

Mace / Mace has great damage and sustain, use Oaken Cudgel to blast fields, chain Thistleguard into a CC and Wild Strikes has also a daze at the end of the cast.

Sustain

Soulbeast trades most of its sustain for extra damage but you still have access to some good defensive tools.

• Bear Stance is an extremely strong healing skill and excellent condi removal. It can be used either defensively for the cleanse or offensively to remove movement-impairing conditions and secure a kill.
• Dolyak Stance is your only stunbreak, but it gives you 6 stacks of and a flat 33% incoming damage reduction (condi and power) .
• Griffon Stance is a great defensive since it provides a free evade while giving you tons of endurance regeneration for extra dodges and stacking . Your three utility stances are all flexible and can be used offensively or defensively, just be mindful that you aren’t wasting important CDs and overextending or you’ll end up dead.

Pets

Soulbeast can swap merged pets in combat, rotate between Smokescale and Polar Bear while engaged. Make sure you’re swapping regularly to take advantage of Zephyr's Speed and the utility in each pet. Smokescale gives you a smoke field with Smoke Cloud that can be combined with Call of the Wild and Worldly Impact to blast for your team and Pounce, Serpent's Strike, and Swoop for personal uptime.

Tip: Keep track of your Smokescale when not in Beastmode. Smoke Cloud activates on the pet, not on you, so you need to be nearby to get .

While merged with Polar Bear you have access to Defy Pain which makes you invulnerabile to physical damage. Additionally, when unmerged, Icy Roar is a .

Alternatives

• If you’re struggling into impairing conditions, consider taking Superior Rune of the Revenant for uptime.
• Swap in a Sigil of Stagnation on sword to ensure you have when you swap and can land Serpent's Strike.
• Replace "Protect Me!" with "Sic 'Em!" for an additional damage modifier, movement speed and reveal a target, preventing them from stealthing. Always equip Rune of Vampirism if you swap out "Protect Me!".
• Storm Spirit is another option over "Protect Me!", and remember to equip Rune of Vampirism.