Warbringer Totems Leveling Build

Build Introduction

[IMPORTANT UPDATE] Ancestral Spirits from the first Ascendancy are bugged (Minions do not spawn). GGG is aware of this bug. You can read more HERE

For the campaign leveling progression, I’ve had to tweak the build in a new way. Shockwave Totem will now be used to trigger Fissures for extra bonus damage. We will pair up Shockwave Totems with Volcanic Fissure (Scroll down to see the full rotation).

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This is a concise Guide on how to league-start with a Warrior and transition into my TOTEM MASTER build in Patch 0.3.0 – The Third Edict (You can find the build HERE). Just like before, we will transition into totems during the campaign phase.

In Patch 0.3.0, the build received a couple of important changes. For the moment, we will no longer use Ancestral Warrior Totems, since they now require 3 Endurance Charges to be summoned. Instead, we’ll be using Shockwave Totems.

There were also major changes to totem damage scaling. Starting in Patch 0.3.0, most of our damage will scale from the physical damage of the mace. This means that we might have problems with totem damage scaling during the campaign phase. Totem gem levels are no longer as impactful as they were in Patch 0.2.0.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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VIDEO GUIDE

In this video, I also explain and visually demonstrate how Act 1 should be completed. Act 1 tends to be the most challenging for many new players.

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Ascendancy

Warbringer Ascendancy

The first Ascendancy point, “Answered Call,” is very important. It will give us +1 extra Totem and summon minions for us. Take your first Ascendancy around level 26 in Act 2 (complete the Trial of the Sekhemas).

The second Ascendancy point, “Wooden Wall,” will also provide us with some extra damage mitigation. Take it towards the end of Act 3 (complete the Trial of Chaos).

For the third and fourth Ascendancy points, you don’t need to worry. You can complete the campaign easily without them.

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General Leveling Advice

For Patch 0.3.0, the most important thing in the campaign is to consistently upgrade your gear as you progress through the Acts, especially your weapon! Remember, in Patch 0.3.0, our damage will depend heavily on the physical damage of your weapon (we use a mace).

In the first Act, we will use a two-handed mace. Later, after our first Ascendancy, we can swap to a one-handed mace and a shield (Scroll down for the gem setups).

In addition to your weapon, look for rings and gloves with added physical damage whenever possible. For the other items, focus on Life and Elemental Resistances.

Always upgrade your flasks as you progress.

Do not skip the essential side-quests that grant Skill Points, Maximum Life & Resistances.

Make sure that you do not have negative elemental resistances

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Leveling Passive Tree

Patch 0.3.0 leveling Skill Tree:

You can cycle through the points to see the order in which you need to allocate the Skill Nodes!

Skill Gems

Listed below are all the Skill Gems you should be using during the leveling process.

For Act 1 & Act 2:

[READ!] In Acts 1, 2, and early Act 3, you’ll want to use a two-handed weapon with high physical damage. Make sure to upgrade your weapon every 7–12 levels, and remember that you can buy powerful weapons cheaply from the trade website.

Enter the town, and you will receive an Uncut Skill Gem as a quest reward. You will pick Boneshatter. You will want to use a two-handed weapon for this Act.

Use Rolling Slam until enemies get highlighted, then use Boneshatter to trigger an AOE explosion.

Once you reach Level 6, you will want to pick Shockwave Totem.

The rotation for Act 1 will become as follows:

SINGLE TARGET: Shockwave Totem + Bleed I + Brutality / followed up by:

Mace Strike + Rage + Rapid Attacks I

MONSTER PACK CLEAR: Shockwave Totem + Bleed I + Brutality / followed up by: Boneshatter once the enemies get highlighted.

Spirit Gems: Herald of Ash ( Helps with the monster pack clears )

Remember, I explained this rotation visually HERE.

You can also add to the mix Earthquake + Rage + Rapid Attacks (Will give us “Jagged Ground” that will greatly boost the damage of our Shockwave Totem)

For Act 3 – until the end of the campaign:

Shockwave Totem will now be used to trigger Fissures for extra bonus damage. We will pair up Shockwave Totems with Volcanic Fissure (Scroll down to see the full rotation).

Skill Gems	Support 1	Support 2	Support 3	Support 4	Support 5
Shockwave Totem	Rapid Attacks II	Overabundance II	Prolonged Duration II
Volcanic Fissure	Rage	Fire Attunement	Elemental Armament	Fire Penetration II
Leap Slam		–	–	–	–
Shield Charge (Optional)			–	–	–
Ancestral Spirits	Culling Strike	Blind			–

Since Fire Penetration II Support ignores enemy Fire Resistance, we won’t allocate any Fire Penetration nodes in the Skill Tree.

In the Interlude acts, you will want to use the following setup for Shockwave Totem

Skill Gems	Support 1	Support 2	Support 3	Support 4	Support 5
Shockwave Totem	Rapid Attacks III	Overabundance II	Urgent Totems III		–

Spirit Gems

Skill Gems	Support 1	Support 2	Support 3	Support 4	Support 5
Magma Barrier	Vitality I				–

Once you have 100 Spirit you will want to use the following aura setup:

Skill Gems	Support 1	Support 2	Support 3	Support 4	Support 5
Magma Barrier	Vitality II				–
Time of Need	Compressed Duration

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Rotation

Drop Shockwave Totems and spam Volcanic Fissure

The more totems you have and the faster they attack, the more damage you will deal. Make sure to always level up your gems as you progress through the campaign.

Make sure to upgrade your weapon every 7-12 levels or so. You want Maces with a lot of physical damage!

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Gearing Progression

The most important thing in the early campaign is to consistently upgrade your gear as you progress through the acts, especially your weapon (we use a mace)! Remember, in Patch 0.3.0, totem damage scales heavily with the physical damage of your weapon.

In addition to your weapon(we use a mace), look for rings and gloves with added physical damage whenever possible. For the other items, focus on Life and Elemental Resistances.

Always upgrade your flasks as you progress.

CHARMS:

Thawing Charm & Grounding Charm

Uniques to look for

Try to get a Rise of the Phoenix shield. (It gives a lot of life regeneration!)

Idol of Uldurn is another great unique item that will grant you one additional totem ( and one extra Ancestral Spirit )

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Campaign Buffs

During the acts, there are some quests that activate additional bonuses for your character:

• Valley of the Titans Altar (Act 2)
  1. 30% increased charm charges gained
• Venom Draught (Act 3)
  1. Stun Threshold

For more details, check the guide on Campaign Difficulties and Permanent Stat Bonuses.

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Changelog

• August 30th, 2025: Added 0.3 Skill Tree & Swapped out Earthquake for Volcanic Fissure (with Shockwave Totem).
• August 28th, 2025: Guide created for Patch 0.3.0, The Third Edict