Overview
This is a Warrior league-start plan that runs a single skill from level 1 all the way into pinnacle content, built around Earthshatter on the Warbringer ascendancy. Earthshatter behaves like a shotgun — every extra spike planted in front of you adds another instance of damage — so the whole build is an exercise in planting as many spikes as possible and then detonating them in one motion.
What separates this version from a plain slam build is the detonation loop. Infernal Cry is assigned to the second weapon set, and because weapon swaps are instant, the swap-and-shout becomes an instant detonate that also feeds a large chunk of extra fire damage into the hit. Warbringer removes war cry cooldowns entirely, so the loop never stalls. Late in the progression the build stops detonating manually and simply spams Earthshatter, letting Aftershocks copy each slam for free.
Defence comes from block rather than raw life pools. Warbringer grants 35% block from a shield without needing block idols socketed, and stacking that with Svalinn pushes the setup to 94% block chance. Svalinn is optional — any shield works, you just land lower on the block curve. A lightning warp plus ball lightning combo is bolted on purely for movement, giving the build Mjolner-style teleport traversal and, as a side effect, free Herald of Thunder procs without any flat lightning on gear.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Playable from level 1 through pinnacle bosses with no build pivot — only better support gem levels
- 94% block chance with Svalinn makes it extremely durable, and Warbringer gives free shield block without idol investment
- Effectively a one-button endgame: spam Earthshatter and let Aftershocks do the second slam
- Very cheap entry — Sadist’s Mercy drops constantly from Maven and Delirium bosses, and none of the uniques are mandatory
- The lightning warp / ball lightning traversal combo makes a melee build feel like flicker strike in maps
Cons
- Reaching the advertised 94% block realistically wants Svalinn; without it you sit noticeably lower
- Earthshatter only unlocks at level 22, so the first act runs a different Rolling Slam plus Bone Shatter combo
- Constricting Command is close to mandatory for comfortable mana, and it is likely to be contested early in a fresh league
- Giant’s Blood is impractical here — the triple strength requirement is rough for maces, which constrains weapon choice
- Weapon-set swapping for the war cry detonate is extra mechanical overhead compared to a pure one-button slam
Key Skills
- Earthshatter — the core slam from level 22 onward; more spikes means more damage, run Branching Fissures for AoE
- Infernal Cry — the detonator, kept on weapon set two for an instant swap-and-shout, and worth up to 60% extra fire damage on single target
- Rolling Slam + Bone Shatter — the pre-22 leveling combo; Rolling Slam primes heavy stun, Bone Shatter explodes it
- Volcanic Fissure — dropped under a boss before the fight so Earthshatter has extra fissures to detonate
- Lightning Warp + Ball Lightning — traversal tech that also enables Herald of Thunder via ball lightning shocks
Gear & Anointments
The build wants a two-hand mace, or a one-hander with a shield once you commit to the block plan. Sadist’s Mercy is the cheap damage anchor and drops freely from Maven and Delirium bosses. Svalinn is the block enabler but is explicitly optional.
- Constricting Command — the first real target; the Defiance support means insufficient mana no longer blocks your skills while surrounded, making Earthshatter spammable at zero mana. Check that the roll reads four fewer enemies required so it also fires on single-target bosses.
- Support gems — Brutality first from act rewards to guarantee the Bone Shatter explosion, then Impact Shockwave for clear. Herald of Ash as the first spirit gem carries all of act 1.
- Fallbacks — without lineage supports, Close Combat plus Fire Attunement or Elemental Armament covers the same ground.
- Early on, a mana leech roll on a ring or gloves plus an actual mana flask solves sustain before Constricting Command arrives.
Endgame Notes
The endgame tree splits across two weapon sets: set one funnels everything into single-target damage and Aftershocks, set two grabs war cry speed nodes plus the life and mana sustain notable and the Debilitate debuff that reduces enemy damage. At that point Infernal Cry is no longer used to detonate — it is a pure damage buff — and Earthshatter alone clears maps and pinnacle bosses.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Ulfhednar. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: POE 2 0.5.5 WARBRINGER EARTHSHATTER | LEAGUE STARTER → 94% BLOCK ENDGAME.