Blazing Scream Warlock

Overview

Blazing Scream throws a burning skull that tears through everything in its path. With Orbital Scream the skull circles you and keeps you in Demonform. Sigil of Chaos gives you Volatility, which makes every Hellfire skill hit much harder, and Metamorphosis keeps you transformed for even more damage. Rampage gets you around the map, and Sigil of Summons brings in a Greater Demon for tough fights.

In our view it's the strongest Warlock build this season, and it looks fantastic too. It needs Lord of Hatred, and staying alive is its weak spot. Take your time building up your Life before you push high.

Strengths

• Huge area damage
• Very strong in the Pit and against elites
• Rampage gives great mobility and Wrath
• Looks amazing

Weaknesses

• Fragile until your gear comes together
• Takes a moment to get going at the start of a fight
• Several uniques only drop from specific bosses

Gear for Endgame

• Helm: Leoric's Crown. Affixes: Attack Speed (greater affix), Willpower, Maximum Life, Armor. Sockets: Abyssal Splinter of Anguish, Abyssal Splinter of the Black Soulstone.
• Chest: Sadistic Aspect. Affixes: Willpower, Maximum Life (greater affix), Wrath Regeneration, Fire Resistance. Sockets: Nagu, Prid.
• Gloves: Aspect of Calamity. Affixes: Critical Strike Damage Multiplier (greater affix), Willpower, Ranks to Blazing Scream, Vulnerable Damage Multiplier.
• Pants: Temerity. Affixes: Willpower, Maximum Life (greater affix), Armor, Healing Received. Sockets: Poc, Que.
• Boots: Aspect of Immolation. Affixes: Movement Speed (greater affix), Willpower, Maximum Life, Ranks to Hellfire Skills.
• Amulet: Moloch's Beating Flame. Affixes: Critical Strike Damage Multiplier (greater affix), Willpower, Vulnerable Damage Multiplier, Ranks to Hellfire Skills. Sockets: Abyssal Splinter of Pain.
• Ring 1: The Eightfold Idol. Affixes: Attack Speed (greater affix), Critical Strike Damage Multiplier, Vulnerable Damage Multiplier, Willpower. Sockets: Abyssal Splinter of Sin.
• Ring 2: Ring of Starless Skies. Affixes: Critical Strike Chance (greater affix), Attack Speed. Sockets: Diamond.
• Main hand: Elegy. Affixes: Critical Strike Damage Multiplier (greater affix), Weapon Damage, Willpower, Ranks to Blazing Scream. Sockets: Ruby.
• Off hand: Infernal Homunculus. Affixes: Willpower (greater affix), Weapon Damage, Life on Hit, Ranks to Demonology Skills. Sockets: Ruby.

Paragon boards

1. Start - Hellforge
2. Pyrosis - Entropy
3. Ritualism - Wrath
4. Demonic Spicules - Vanguard
5. Fathomless - Unbound

How to play

Rotation

• Cast Sigil of Chaos first. It gives Volatility to your Hellfire skills.
• Go into Metamorphosis and stay in it as much as you can. Destruction Demon burns you, so step out and back in when it's ready again.
• Use Sigil of Summons on tough elite packs, bosses and high Pit tiers. It takes a moment to start working.
• Cast Blazing Scream over and over. This is where your damage comes from.
• Use Rampage to get around and to refill Wrath. Aim near the edge of the screen for the longest leap.
• Use Command Abodian from the Vanguard Shard to pull elites together.

Getting started

• Put Aspect of Peril on your weapon and Demonic Aspect on your off-hand until the uniques drop.
• Elegy drops from Lord Zir, Infernal Homunculus from Urivar, Moloch's Beating Flame from the Bloody Butcher, The Eightfold Idol from the Beast in the Ice and Temerity from the Harbinger of Hatred.
• Leoric's Crown can drop from any boss, and Ring of Starless Skies is a Mythic.

Stats to look for

• On weapons and the amulet, look for Critical Strike Damage, Willpower and Vulnerable Damage.
• On gloves, look for Critical Strike Damage, Willpower and Ranks to Blazing Scream.
• On armour, take Willpower and Maximum Life everywhere, Wrath Regeneration on the chest and Movement Speed on the boots.
• On rings, look for Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance and Resource Cost Reduction.

Paragon

• Start with Hellforge for Hellfire damage, then go to Pyrosis. It makes Hellfire skills hit much harder against Healthy enemies.
• Ritualism rewards casting your Sigils, and Demonic Spicules adds damage from Demonology skills.
• Finish on Fathomless.
• Get every glyph to level 50 first, then to 51 to unlock its extra bonus.

Talisman

• Use a Legendary Horadric Seal with +1 Charm Slot, ideally one with Critical Strike Damage, and all five pieces of Flesh of Abaddon.
• Put Anathema of the Primes in the last slot. The best charm rolls are Ranks to Demonology or Hellfire Skills.

Season 15

• We bind the Splinter of Terror first, since you'll spend most of your early time in Helltide.
• Leoric's Crown counts as jewellery, so it holds two splinters. We put Anguish and Black Soulstone there, Pain in the amulet and Sin in a ring.
• Nagu with Prid in the chest is the runeword this build is built around, since your summons stay up and keep feeding Offering. Poc with Que sits in the pants.
• Hire Raheir, and bring Aldkin to cast Field of Languish whenever you use Blazing Scream.

War Plans

• In the Pit, start with Choron's Haste and Choron's Blessing for extra glyph upgrades, then work down to Choron's Soul. We take Choron's Shortcut over Heart of Stone, because this build moves too fast to carry the Heart safely.
• In Helltide, we like Hellmouth into Writhe and Rot and Bursting Brood for Lair Keys and Boss Trophies. Fall of the Fell doubles your Cinders.
• For Lair Bosses, Two by Two into Greater and Ultimate Nemesis is the best line for mythics in our view. Lair of Plenty adds a hoard chest to every kill, and Children of Zir lets Lord Zir's uniques drop in the Pit. That's also a second way to find Elegy.
• In the Undercity, Jade Epiphany and Endless Swarm give the most experience. Add Finely Tuned for extra Tuning Prisms.
• In Nightmare Dungeons, Branching Pathways keeps your runs chaining and Waking Spoils adds a chest at the end.
• In the Infernal Hordes, Infernal Hoard and Forged in Flame bring gear and Obducite. Take Flawless Find instead if you need gems.
• In the Tree of Whispers, take Corrupted Roots first, then Wisdom of Whispers for experience and Resplendent Favor for Sparks.