Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is extremely difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the absolutely devastating:Juggernaut. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Juggernaut - Warrior Build
TheJuggernautis aWarrior Buildthat uses a mix ofWarfare,GeomancerandPolymorph Skillsto flatten his/her enemies to a pulp or turn them to stone.Juggernautsfocus on pureStrength, but deal a mix of physical and earth damage to their enemies. At first glance this seems like a bad idea, because splitting damage types generally reduces your overall DPS. However, thisBuildtakes advantage ofGeomancer Skillsthat reward players who deal physical damage and aPolymorph Skillthat deals earth damage, but scales off ofStrength. The purpose of thisBuildis to deal punishing amounts of damage to theArmourof various enemies, while at the same time keeping themKnocked DownorPetrifiedand out of the fight. The reason why thisBuildis so good, is because it’s able to focus on the damage type that best fits the situation.
Stats on my Level 15 Juggernaut. I am not using a Shield, simply because I have a really good Two-Hander at the moment, but usually my Armour would be much higher and damage much lower.
Juggernaut Attributes and Equipment
Juggernautsare going to focus primarily inStrength, only putting some points intoWitsandConstitutionas necessary.Strengthwill not only increase the damage of yourWarfare Skillsif you use a weapon that scales withStrength, but it will increase the damage ofPolymorph Skills. Because you’ll be a front lines type ofBuild, it is recommended you put a few more points intoConstitutionthan your average character, but you want to use as little as possible.Witswill help give you neededInitiativeto get into combat early as well as bump yourCritical Chance.
Juggernautswill be usingStrength-basedArmourthat is skewed heavily towards physical protection, which is excellent for thisBuild.Juggernautswant to stackPhysical Armourup as high as they possibly can becauseReactive Armourincreases in damage in relation to your currentPhysical Armour.Reactive Armourdoes have very limited range, so it’s not the greatest skill for thisBuild, but it can deal wicked damage under the right circumstances.
A really good case for a Shield in this Build is the synergy with Reactive Armour. You can deal some incredible damage with the right setup (and Shield).
Juggernautsshould utilizeSingle-HandedandShieldfor very good reasons.ShieldusingJuggernautswill not only gain access toBouncing Shieldwhich does great AoE damage, but alsoDeflective Barrier, which increases yourArmoureven further as well as reflecting projectile attacks. Using aShieldwill also increase the effectiveness ofReactive Armour, and won’t reduce the damage you deal withPetrifying Visage, since it simply scales withStrengthandGeomancer, notWeapondamage. You will also gain moreMagic Armour, which you will be very low on otherwise. All said and done, you don’t have to use aShieldwith thisBuild, but I will absolutely recommend it.
Juggernaut Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aJuggernaut.
When playing as aJuggernautthere are almost no hard and fast rules on exactly how many points to put intoAbilities, but you will for sure want many points intoWarfarefor the increase to physical damage and many points intoGeomancerfor the increase inPhysical Armour, as well as increase in earth damage. Just exactly what balance you choose is up to you, but you will deal more physical damage than earth, so I suggest favoringWarfarein a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio. You’ll also need at least 2 points intoPolymorph, to be able to useMedusa Headand 3 if you wish to use theSkin Graftskill (which I highly recommend).
These 2 Skills really make this Build shine. Nothing like Petrifying everything around you, only to do it again next turn!
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Opportunist- A must haveTalentfor every melee character because it will proc 2 or 3 times in combat easily, nearly doubling your attacks. This one should be high on the list, if not first.
The Pawn- This requires 1 point intoScoundrel, but it will allow you to move 1 AP worth ofMovementfor free per turn, which is huge because positioning is key with thisBuildand you need all of your AP to attack with.
Picture of Health- This is another no brainerTalentfor anyBuildthat utilizesWarfare. You can hold off on this one until you have 6+ points intoWarfarethough, since it won’t be overly useful right away.
Savage Sortilege- Worth considering with thisBuildbecause ofPetrifying VisageandEarthquake. It’s certainly not a must have, but can increase your DPS if you have a highCrit Chance.
Far Out Man- This will increase the range of yourEarthquakeand yourPetrifying Visageskills. However, they both have extremely long range as it is so I suggest trying it out and seeing if you really need it. 2m is not a lot, but it may allow you to hit all targets on the screen while not being positioned perfectly.
Hothead- Since you will have so much Armour, it will be very hard for enemies to damage yourVitalitydirectly. Consider taking this one if you tookSavage Sortilege, as it will affect spells as well.
Juggernaut Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Juggernautswill use a mix ofWarfareandGeomancerandPolymorphSkillsto deal damage and stay alive. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Warfare Skills
Battering Ram- Not a skill I would normally recommend, however, thisBuildfocuses on disabling enemies and theKnockdownis useful once targets’Armourhas been stripped. Save this for when you’re able to get theStatus Effect.
Battle Stomp- This skill has a nice synergy with thisBuildbecause of the AoEKnockdownwith decent range. As with above, attempt to save this until you know you may get theStatus Effectapplied.
Bouncing Shield- Deals more damage then just about any otherWarfare Skillthat doesn’t use Source, and hits multiple targets. This skill is one of the best ways to deal physical damage with thisBuildand is a big reason I recommend aShield.
Whirlwind- A great AoE for a melee typeBuildand since you’ll be right in the center of the action it’s a natural fit here. Ironically you probably won’t use this AoE later in game, but it’s great early on when your skill selection is limited.
Deflective Barrier- A great way to increase yourPhysical Armourand also reflects projectiles. Requires aShield, however, is currently bugged and can be used without one (I don’t know for how long). Use this before usingReactive Armourif you may.
Challenge– As of February 1st, 2018 this Skill now only costs 1 AP, making it viable for nearly every Warfare oriented Build. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 15% for 1 turn.
Thick of the Fight- A great way to buff your damage based on total characters around you (10% increase per character). This skill also buffsEarthquakeandPetrifying Visage. Works fantastically with AoEs, which thisBuildis chalked full of.
Geomancer Skills
Fortify- Another great way to buff yourPhysical Armourwhile removing negativeStatus Effects. Ideally you’d use this paired withDeflective Barrierand then follow up withReactive Armour. Can be cast on a teammate as well if needed.
Oily Carpace- This skill can generate a crazy amount ofPhysical Armourfor 1 AP. However, there aren’t too many circumstances where you can pull that off. Keep on your bar just in case you find yourself covered in oil.
Earthquake- SinceKnockdownis resisted byPhysical Armour, it works here because you will be doing a ton of physical damage with thisBuild. Follow up aWhirlwindorReactive Armourwith this skill for best results.
Reactive Armour- This skill deals damage based on yourPhysical Armourin an AoE. If you use aShield, stack upFortifyandDeflective Barrierbefore using this skill will outperform any other AoE you possess. Is also buffed byThick of the Fight.
Venom Coating- Since you’ll have a high amount of points intoGeomancerthis skill is a nice addition to thisBuild.It’s one of the fewBuildsthat can use it effectively.
Polymorph Skills
Tentacle Lash- One of the most powerful single-target attacks in the game. Get this one early and use it near the beginning of the game when your skill selection is limited, or when an AoE would be less effective than single-target damage.
Chicken Claw- This skill is here because there’s really no reason not to have it. Good for when you really need to prevent a fearsome enemy from dealing damage. I recommend slotting this skill on almost any melee character for this reason.
Medusa Head- Grants the skillPetrifying Visagewhich deals earth damage in a massive AoE (only to hostile targets) andPetrifiesthem. Scales withStrength, which is pefect. Use this against targets with weakMagic Armourto Petrify them.
Skin Graft- For 2AP and 1 SP you’re able to reset ALL of your cooldowns once per combat. So your enemies are just getting up from yourEarthquake? Just pop this skill and then level them again, or re-petrify them withPetrifying Visage…
Final Tips
Because you will have lessMagic ArmourthanPhysicalby a good margin, it’s a good idea to have someone buff you withArmour of Frostat the beginning of each fight. Or simply place one 1 point intoHydrosophistand take it yourself. You can probably get 1 point from gear anyhow, so this shouldn’t take away damage from yourBuild.
Spider Legsis another great skill that you can utilize in thisBuild, but you’ll probably get much more use out of it early on. It might be a good idea to get it when you reach Level 4 and then drop it when you get to higher levels where you have more access toSkills. One great thing about it is that if you run through the web you cast, you will gainHaste, which will grant an extra AP next turn.
This is really good for preventing enemy Movement, and can’t be resisted. It doesn’t cost very much, so keep it in mind early on in the game.
It isn’t recommended that you splitAttributesbetweenIntelligenceandStrengthbecause then your physical damage would suffer greatly, which is the bulk of damage you will do. One of the reasons you can get away with a physical damage type and magical damage type in thisBuildis because the primary magic damage skill (Petrifying Visage) scales withStrength, making the loss in damage to the skill much less than if it scaled withIntelligence(witnessEarthquake). The other reason is thatGeomancerin particular increases yourPhysical ArmourfromSkills, andReactive Armour(which is aGeomancerskill) deals physical damage.
Lastly, I highly recommend you place 1Masterwork Runeinto yourChest Armourand 1 into yourShield, increasing yourPhysical Armourby good portion if you use Giant ones. This will push yourReactive Armourskill to even higher damage, making it just OP as hell. You can always removeRuneslater, so place whatever you’ve got in there and remove it and replace it later.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
