Runemaster Mastery Leveling Build for Last Epoch (Patch 1.0)

The Mage Passive Tree is useful for two things; Arcanist, which provides a ton of Intelligence and Resistances, and the Ward Retention from Warden. Otherwise, the Cast Speed from Mage Flurry is taken to increase the cast rate of  Frost Claw.

Every other point at our disposal will be placed into the Runemaster Passive Tree during the leveling process. This Passive Tree is mainly used for nodes that increase Critical Hit Chance (Runeword: Cataclysm), Ward Gain (Arcane Focus), and nodes that synergize both of these aspects at the same time (Jagged Veil). Due to the limited amount of points in the leveling process, we're abuse the Point Bonus system on certain nodes, gaining the added modifiers and moving on to the next node.

 Frost Claw will be our spam skill in this build, and while it does decent damage on its own, the main purpose of this skill is to automate  Elemental Nova casts, filling your screen with giant, fiery explosions. Frost Claw also acts as a cleanse. Since this skill is used constantly, it ensures we are able to remove any negative ailment extremely fast.

While pathing  Frost Claw, path towards Lava Talon first to convert the damage into Fire, then head towards Celestial Conflux. Its important to note, Frozen Reign must be taken in order to activate the bonus effect on Unsealed Mana. This should happen around the time Frost Claw hits level 11.

 Elemental Nova is how we clear groups of mobs. Outside of very early levels (before gaining Celestial Conflux on the  Frost Claw tree), you will never manually cast this. It should be noted that Elemental Nova does consume Mana when automated, and it will not cast if your Mana is negative.

The pathing for Elemental Nova is meant to increase the area of the spell, as well as its overall damage output. Start by taking  Fire Nova, then path back up and take 4/5 nodes on Arcana Elementorum. The next priority should be Infernal Nova. The cooldown increase on this node can be completely ignored, as it does not apply to the automation of the spell. Melting Nova will boost Critical Hit Rate by a whopping 200% and should be capped before taking the final node, Fiery Destruction.

 Flame Ward does a lot of the heavy lifting in the background of this build. The main purpose of this spell is to act as a defensive layer, providing Ward and Damage Reduction, but it also provides Mana Regeneration, Fire Damage, and access to Fire Aura, dealing damage to all nearby enemies when active. Until you unlock  Frost Wall and specialize in it, you will need to manually active this skill to get it to work. It is perfect for running through low health mobs to quickly make your way around maps, as it will kill them on contact.

With all of that in mind, make sure to max Dilation for the Mana Reduction first, followed by grabbing  Fire Aura. From here, path the right side of the tree and cap the nodes Shrewd Shielding and Warmth before heading back to take Through Flames on the left.

For pathing, rush towards Prepared Wards to kick off the automation for Flame Ward. Once this is grabbed, head towards Pyroglass for the Fire conversion. From here, the choice is yours. There's two options; pathing towards Runic Conclusion will provide a bit of extra damage for the build, while pathing towards Shelter of the Chef will provide with a generous amount of extra Ward Gain, specifically when dealing with mobs of enemies. Brand the Invaders should be taken very close to last, as it is meant to synergize with Celestial Doom after you have placed 7 points into the node.

 Flame Rush should be the final skill you unlock. It may seem weird that we're taking the traversal skill last, but it requires set up from other aspects of the build to work properly. Prior to scaling Flame Rush, feel free to add unscaled  Teleport to your hotbar for quicker movement around maps as you do the campaign.

Gas Powered is the powerhouse of this skill, and ultimately the reason its taken. Prioritize that, then focus on quickly pathing to Lunar Protection. All other skill points are up to the discretion of the player and what they feel they need immediately.