Creating a devastating build

Trim the reward pool, pick your amplifier, and chain elements wisely.

Trim the pool: Settings → Content

The most underrated tool in the game isn't in the run: it's in Settings → Content. There you can set Infusions, Passive items, and Artifacts to Inactive so they never show up during the run — not on level-ups, not in chests, not at the merchant. Runes can't be disabled.

Less active content means less noise in every choice: if you disable everything that doesn't fit your plan, every card you see will be one you want. There's a floor: the game requires keeping at least 10 passives, 10 artifacts, and 3 infusions active; below that, it rejects the change.

The four amplifiers

Four passives don't raise your numbers — they multiply what you're already doing. They're the centerpiece of almost any devastating build. Pick the one that amplifies YOUR playstyle:

Soul Lantern

Your artifacts repeat each discharge a second time at 30% of its damage (+5% per stack, up to 50%).

The echo. Every discharge from your artifacts repeats itself 0.35s later, at 30%–50% of the damage depending on stacks. If your build lives off artifacts, this doubles almost everything.

Arcane Echo Orb

Artifacts that create projectiles, strikes or zones create +1 extra.

The projectile-artifact multiplier: each stack adds +1 ray, nova, zone, jet, soul, vortex, or blade to the discharge.

Special Quiver

Attacks and abilities that fire projectiles create +1 extra (basic attack, power attack, Mithril forks, etc.). Requires a projectile weapon.

Your weapon's multiplier: +1 projectile per stack on the basic attack and the heavy attack, and on Forge abilities that fire (turrets, Mithril forks). Requires a projectile weapon.

Runic Hourglass

+15% duration of abilities, zones and status effects (includes turrets, auras, DOTs).

The time stretcher: more duration for your statuses (Burn, Poison…), zones, turrets, and auras. With effects that last longer, everything else pays off more.

What does each one apply to?

The full matrix. Read it by column: the Lantern and the Orb are for artifact builds; the Quiver, for weapon and Forge builds; the Hourglass, for status and zone builds:

Content	Soul Lantern	Arcane Echo Orb	Special Quiver	Runic Hourglass
Alchemist's Flask	✓	✓	—	✓³
Blade Rain	✓	✓	—	—
Boots of Embers	—	—	—	✓³
Crown of Aegis	—	—	—	—
Dragon's Breath	✓	✓	—	✓³
Storm Core	✓	✓	—	✓³
Warden's Relic	✓	—	—	—
Winter Crystal	✓	✓	—	✓³
Fallen King's Crown	—	—	—	—
Custodian's Relic	✓	—	—	—
Gravity Orb	✓	—	—	—
Soul Reaper	✓	✓	—	—
Cursed Effigy	✓	✓²	—	—
Black Hole Rune	✓	✓	—	—
Dawn Barrier	✓¹	—	—	—
Boots of Frost	—	—	—	✓³
Judgment of the Firmament	✓	✓	—	—
Attacks and Forge abilities
Basic and heavy attack (projectile weapons)	—	—	✓	—
Spinning Sword Throw · Greatsword	—	—	✓	—
Brutal Whirlwind · Greatsword	—	—	—	✓
War Saw · Greatsword	—	—	—	✓
Deep Crater · Axe	—	—	—	✓
Crossbow Turret · Crossbow	—	—	✓	✓
Repeating Crossbow · Crossbow	—	—	✓	—
Arrow Rain · Bow	—	—	✓	✓
Fire Aura · Fire Branch	—	—	—	✓
Meteor Shower · Fire Branch	—	—	✓	✓
Blizzard · Ice Branch	—	—	—	✓
Frost Nova · Ice Branch	—	—	—	✓
Polarity Field · Lightning Branch	—	—	—	✓
Storm Orb · Lightning Branch	—	—	✓	✓
Stone Bastion · Earth Branch	—	—	—	✓
Gravity Monolith · Earth Branch	—	—	—	✓
Seismic Fissure · Earth Branch	—	—	—	✓

✓ applies · — doesn't apply · ¹ only repeats the push (no damage) · ² hits more targets per pulse · ³ only extends the status it applies

Chain elements — carefully

The elemental wheel looks at the statuses the enemy is currently carrying: Earth beats Electricity, Electricity beats Ice, and Ice beats Fire. Every elemental hit of yours is compared against those statuses — ×1.3 if yours beats one of them, ×0.7 if it loses. And if the enemy is carrying several statuses, the bonus wins.

That turns every infusion, artifact, and ability into a piece that fits… or gets in the way. Real examples:

• Ice Infusion + the Mage's Fire abilities = a bad pair. Your own ice marks the enemy, and fire loses against ice: your fire abilities hit at ×0.7.
• Fire Infusion + Ice magic = a combo. The first hit applies Burn, and from the second hit on, your ice beats fire: ×1.3.
• Boots of Embers + Ice abilities. The trail burns anyone who steps on it by itself — your ice hits at ×1.3 almost every time, without spending a single hit marking the enemy.

The Resonance Seal deserves a special mention: it makes your abilities and heavy attacks also apply your equipped infusions — more marks, more often. Just remember that the mark you apply is what your next hit gets compared against.

Guide checked against game v0.8.4.