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Tempest - Power DPS

Part of the current metagame

Our curator decided this build is in the current metagame regardless of rating. The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Direct damage

Designed for: Raids

Expansions required: Heart of Thorns buildsSecrets of the Obscure builds

Difficulty:
Normal
This build was last updated on March 28, 2025 and is up to date for the April 15, 2025 patch.

Overview

Fresh Air Tempest relies on spamming Overload Air and resetting its cooldown with Fresh Air. This, combined with its high damage AoE skills, makes it excel at killing adds and trash mobs. In addition, Tempest provides a lot of Vulnerability Vulnerability, deals excellent burst damage on large hitboxes, and provides a unique damage buff to its party through Overload Air's Static Discharge.


Skill Bar

Hammer
Utility


Weapon Variants

Players that own Janthir Wilds can use Spear. This is similar long-term DPS, but the burst is lower and the weapon is incredibly visually noisy, making it difficult to see mechanics.

Sword/Dagger can also be used by players that own Secrets of the Obscure.

Scepter/Dagger is the best choice for players that don't own Secrets of the Obscure or Janthir Wilds, and also has the benefit of doing good damage at range.


Skill Variants

Healing

  • Signet of Restoration provides good healing in low damage fights (i.e. fights where you never press your healing skill).
  • "Wash the Pain Away!" for a strong group heal.
  • Ether Renewal if extra condition cleanse is needed.


Utility

  • On non-hammer builds, Signet of Fire should replace Arcane Blast or "Feel the Burn!":
    • "Feel the Burn!" can be swapped to Arcane Blast for higher burst.
  • Conjure Lightning Hammer can be pre-cast in fractals then swapped to another skill for extra damage.


Elite

  • Conjure Fiery Greatsword can be pre-cast in fractals then swapped to another skill for extra damage.


Template Code

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Copy Template Code


Specializations


Equipment

Hammer Equipment

Head
Berserker
Shoulders
Berserker
Chest
Berserker
Hands
Berserker
Legs
Berserker
Feet
Berserker
Backpiece
Berserker
Accessory
Berserker
Accessory
Berserker
Amulet
Berserker
Ring
Berserker
Ring
Berserker
Hammer
Berserker
Sigil
Sigil
Rune
x6
Infusion
x18
Relic
  • Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar is practically identical damage.
  • Sigil of Superior Sigil of Impact instead of Sigil of Superior Sigil of Force on targets that can be stunned.


Other Equipment

Head
Berserker
Shoulders
Berserker
Chest
Berserker
Hands
Berserker
Legs
Berserker
Feet
Berserker
Backpiece
Berserker
Accessory
Assassin
Accessory
Berserker
Amulet
Berserker
Ring
Assassin
Ring
Berserker
Sword
Berserker
Dagger
Berserker
Sigil
Sigil
Scepter
Berserker
Sigil
Rune
x6
Infusion
x18
Relic
  • This setup has 2218 precision.
  • Sigil of Superior Sigil of Impact instead of Sigil of Superior Sigil of Force on targets that can be stunned.
  • Using full Berserker stats Berserker stats gear with would be a miniscule DPS gain.
    • With this setup, it is optimal to use 17 Mighty infusions and 1 Precise infusion.


Consumables

Food

  • or ascended versions


Utility


Usage

Hammer Rotation

Summon Glyph of Elementals in Fire Attunement before the encounter starts, and swap to Air Attunement.

Throughout the rotation, cast Arcane Blast, "Feel the Burn!", Glyph of Storms and Flame Barrage off cooldown, but only when in Air Attunement.


Opening Burst

  1. Crescent Wind
  2. Overload Air
  3. Shock Blast
  4. Fire Attunement


Fire

  1. Flame Wheel
  2. Triple Sear
  3. Molten End - skip on the very first loop for faster burst
  4. Air Attunement


Air 1

  1. Hurricane of Pain
  2. Overload Air
  3. Earth Attunement


Earth

  1. Rocky Loop
  2. Whirling Stones, and Air Attunement during the cast


Air 2

  1. Autoattack until Overload Air is ready
  2. Overload Air
  3. Hurricane of Pain, and Water Attunement during the cast


Water

  1. Icy Coil, and Air Attunement immediately


Air 3

  1. Shock Blast
  2. Grand Finale
  3. Overload Air, and Crescent Wind during the cast
  4. Fire Attunement
  5. Return to start of Fire section


Video example


Sword/Dagger Rotation

Summon Glyph of Elementals in Fire Attunement before the encounter starts, and swap to Air Attunement.

Throughout the rotation, cast "Feel the Burn!", Glyph of Storms and Flame Barrage off cooldown, but only when in Air Attunement.


Opening Burst

  1. Overload Air
  2. Quantum Strike
  3. Fire Attunement


Fire

  1. Cauterizing Strike
  2. Ring of Fire (elementalist)
  3. Fire Grab
  4. Flame Uprising
  5. Air Attunement


Air 1

  1. Ride the Lightning
  2. Autotattack until Overload Air is available
  3. Overload Air
  4. Earth Attunement


Earth

  1. Earthquake
  2. Churning Earth (if available)
  3. Air Attunement


Air 2

  1. Ride the Lightning
  2. Autotattack and use Quantum Strike until Overload Air is available
  3. Overload Air
  4. Fire Attunement
  5. Return to start of Fire section


Video example


Scepter/Dagger Rotation

Summon Glyph of Elementals in Fire Attunement before the encounter starts, and swap to Air Attunement.

Throughout the rotation, cast Lightning Strike, "Feel the Burn!", Glyph of Storms and Flame Barrage off cooldown, but only when in Air Attunement.


Opening Burst

  1. Overload Air
  2. Lightning Strike and Flame Barrage during the cast of Air Overload
  3. Fire Attunement


Fire

  1. Phoenix
  2. Ring of Fire (elementalist)
  3. Fire Grab
  4. Air Attunement


Air

  1. Ride the Lightning
  2. Autoattack until Overload Air is available
  3. Overload Air
  4. Earth Attunement


Earth

  1. Earthquake
  2. Churning Earth, or Dust Devil if it's not available
  3. Air Attunement


After this, you repeat the Air section, then return to the start of the Fire section.

The complete loop after the opener therefore goes Fire ⇒ Air ⇒ Earth ⇒ Air ⇒ Repeat


Video example


Spear Rotation

Click to view Toggle

Spear's unique mechanic is its Etchings. The five-skill in each attunement places a large symbol on the ground. This can be immediately reactivated to launch an AoE attack, but a more powerful version can be charged up by using three skills while inside the symbol. As such, the general principle will be to quickly activate the Etching, followed by at least three skills, then the enhanced attack from the Etching.

It is worth noting that while you need to remain in the Etching symbol to charge it up, the damage can be aimed up to 1200 units away.

In order for Etching: Volcano to be available each loop, the Fire traitline is required.


Autoattacks will not be listed in general.


Opener

  1. Summon Glyph of Elementals in Fire Attunement before the encounter starts, and swap to Air Attunement.
  2. Overload Air
  3. Fulgor and swap to Fire Attunement during the cast


Fire

It is very important that Volcano is used immediately after Seethe as the entire attack will benefit from the damage buff.

  1. Etching: Volcano
  2. Blazing Barrage
  3. Meteor
  4. Seethe ⇒ Volcano and Air Attunement during the cast


Air 1

  1. Etching: Derecho
  2. Twister
  3. Energize - this is instant cast so can be used during other skills
  4. Autoattack, and use Fulgor when it comes off cooldown
  5. Derecho as soon as you see it fully charged (the icon changes)
  6. Overload Air - make sure the skill has finished casting before swapping attunement
  7. Earth Attunement


Earth

  1. Earthen Spear
  2. Air Attunement


Air 2

  1. Fulgor
  2. Lightning Javelin until Overload Air is available
  3. Overload Air
  4. Fulgor and swap to Fire Attunement during the cast
  5. Return to start of Fire


  • Use Flame Barrage off cooldown.
  • Use "Feel the Burn!" whenever it's available and you're in Air Attunement.
  • Use Lightning Storm whenever it's available, and you're in the Air 2 section.


Video example


Staff Rotation

Video example

Retrieved from "https://metabattle.com/wiki/index.php?title=Build:Tempest_-_Power_DPS&oldid=20810"


Ratings

This build has a rating of 5 stars based on 3 votes.
Log in or register to rate this build.
5 stars
MechaOG gave this build 5 stars • October 2024
This build is top-tier at the moment. Damage is excellent and rotation is very simple. Go water, and air on traits.
4 stars
Dauphin gave this build 4 stars • October 2018
I used this build raiding with my guild today, and it performed spectacularly. Great damage output, and it can react to mechanics with minimal disruption to the rotation. It is somewhat lacking in survivability. If you're in a good raiding guild your healer should be able to keep you alive anyway, but in an average group a substitution might be a good idea. I ended up substituting Lightning Flash for Conjure Lightning Hammer just so I could blink out of damage zones in an emergency, but Arcane Shield would also work if mobility isn't required or feasible for a fight. Another weakness obviously is CC, but that's more a weakness of the class than the build. Even though it's possible to be carried by a CC-heavy raid, in a fight where hard CC is vital (such as Samarog) it might be a good idea to switch to a different class if your raid is consistently failing CC phases. The build has no active stun breaks, but if you're good at avoiding telegraphed attacks the auto-break from Gale Song is enough. Overall though I'd definitely recommend this build. Lots of fun and very viable.
5 stars
Chinkeeyong gave this build 5 stars • September 2018
One of the best power DPS builds at the moment, with unparalleled large hitbox burst as well as high raid utility. Best in slot on Keep Construct and a solid option for power DPS anywhere.

Comments

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