Build:Catalyst - Quickness Support 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 and Support

Designed for: Raids

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Hard

This build was last updated on March 03, 2025 and is up to date for the June 24, 2025 patch.

Overview

A quickness-providing catalyst build. In addition to offering strong DPS, it provides 16-25 Might, permanent Fury, 85-100% Resolution, 85-100% Protection and 70-85% Vigor. It will also occasionally provide Swiftness when it blasts its lightning field. The Arcane version of the Hammer build provides permament uptimes of all these boons.

The use of Sphere Specialist removes one of the major weaknesses of Catalyst, allowing the build to be very flexible with weapon and rotation choice. It can be played identically to the DPS build, and the frequent application of Quickness makes it fairly reliable.

While it can provide Aegis from Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth), you must plan ahead to ensure that Earth Attunement will be available when you need it.

Skill Bar

Scepter/Dagger

Utility

Weapon Variants

There are multiple weapons that could work. Sword and Scepter deal similar damage and provide similar boon uptimes, but Scepter has the advantage of range as well as being the slightly higher DPS option.

Either of these builds could replace the offhand Dagger with a Warhorn for higher boon uptimes, though it is a significant DPS loss.

Hammer can also be taken, using either the Fire or Arcane traitlines. Arcane is particularly notable as it has the best boon generation of all options and does as much damage as Fire. Fire has the worst boon generation of all the options so isn't recommended.

As Scepter/Dagger deals significantly more damage than Hammer (along with having better ranged capabilities and a simpler rotation), it is chosen as the default. But you can run whatever you prefer.

If you play Scepter/Warhorn and add Heat Sync and Sand Squall, you deal very similar damage to the Hammer build while also providing similar boon generation.

Be aware that Hammer builds need different gear (see below).

Skill Variants

• Any heal skill can be used.
• Arcane Blast or Shattering Ice should replace Signet of Fire when using Hammer.
• Conjure Fiery Greatsword is the strongest option when using Hammer, but Glyph of Elementals still works fine.
• Elemental Celerity can be taken if using Warhorn.

Template Code

[&DQYfHSkvQz4nDycP+Br4GssAywC+AVABJgD3GgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADWgAvADMAAA==]

Copy Template Code

Specializations

• Bolt to the Heart should be used with the Hammer build and Arcane specialization below.

Specialization Variants

Hammer should run the Arcane traitline for better boon generation.

• Final Shielding could add a small amount of damage if you can block three attacks with the shield.

Equipment

Due to the lack of crit chance from Crescent Wind, builds that don't use hammer should run the following:

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Scepter
Berserker

Dagger
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Warhorn
Berserker

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x13

Infusion
x5

Relic

• Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar is a tiny DPS loss.
• If you don't have stat infusions, use an Assassin stats backpiece.

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

Consumables

Food:

• or ascended versions

Utility:

Usage

Rotation fundamentals

Jade Sphere use
During the loop, you want to deploy your Jade Sphere once in each element. Each one provides Quickness and one other boon upon activation, then pulses additional boons for the duration. Unlike the DPS build, you can gain the energy while one is active, so there is some flexibility with when you use them. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire) generates stacks of Persisting Flames, and Relentless Fire and Shattering Ice will last longer if used while standing in Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire) and Deploy Jade Sphere (Water) respectively, so these spheres are best to use as early as possible.

Glyph of Storms use
Glyph of Storms should be used either in Fire or Air attunement. Optimal use will depend on phase timings as well as hitbox size - Fire favouring small hitboxes and Air favouring large. Given the damage and cooldown, Fire should be the more efficient option, but the rotation can line up somewhat awkwardly compared to using it in Air, so consider the following:

• A rule of thumb for elementalist is that your last Glyph of Storms in each phase should be used in Air, so try to keep an idea of how long you have left when deciding where to use it.
• As the more powerful option, if you can line Air up with your target gaining Exposed this will be greatly beneficial - particularly useful in fractals.
• You may be better off just casting Glyph of Storms at the earliest possible opportunity, whether you are in Fire or Air.

Scepter/Dagger Rotation

The Scepter/Dagger loop is shorter than the cooldown of Relentless Fire, so this skill will drift in your rotation. Try to use it when your Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire) is active, though you don't have to be in Fire Attunement.

Although there are three different Air sections detailed, they all boil down to using Lightning Strike once, Ride the Lightning and Deploy Jade Sphere (Air) if they're available and otherwise autoattacking until you can swap to the next attunement.

You can precast Rock Barrier in Earth Attunement.

Start in Fire Attunement. Summon Glyph of Elementals just before the encounter starts.

Throughout the rotation, cast Lightning Strike and Flame Barrage off cooldown.

Opener

1. Firestorm (Glyph of Storms)
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
3. Relentless Fire
4. Fire Grab
5. Ring of Fire (elementalist)
6. Phoenix, and Air Attunement during the cast

Air 1

1. Ride the Lightning
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Air)
3. Earth Attunement

Earth

1. Rock Barrier - use Hurl as soon as you can (it has no cast time)
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth)
3. Dust Devil
4. Earthquake
5. Churning Earth (if available)
6. Air Attunement

Air 2

1. Autoattack, and swap to Water Attunement as soon as you can - you want to swap to Air during the cast of the last skill in Earth to minimise the time spent autoattacking.

Water

1. Water Trident
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
3. Shatterstone
4. Water Trident - stay in Water long enough for a second cast if you have two charges
5. Air Attunement

Air 3

1. Ride the Lightning
2. Fire Attunement

Fire

1. Dragon's Tooth
2. Phoenix
3. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
4. Ring of Fire (elementalist)
5. Fire Grab
6. Dragon's Tooth
7. Air Attunement
8. Return to start of Air 1 section

Hammmer Fundamentals

Catalyst's rotation can be varied quite a lot, so an outline is provided rather than a strict skill usage. The fundamental goal is to cycle through all four elements, activating the Circular Projectile in each element before releasing them all with Grand Finale and starting the loop again. Jade Sphere is also used in each element for boons. Downtime can be minimised by using the skills with the longest cast times last in each attunement and immediately swapping.

Fiery Greatsword use
Summon after swapping to Fire Attunement and use Firestorm, then drop the weapon and continue your rotation. The next time you reach Fire Attunement, pick the second Greatsword up and repeat. Cast Relentless Fire (make sure your Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire) is already down) as soon as you can, and it will buff the ticking damage.

Fire
In Fire you want to use:

• Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
• Surging Flames
• Flame Wheel
• Triple Sear
• Molten End
• Relentless Fire

Water
In Water you want to use:

• Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
• Rain of Blows
• Icy Coil
• Crashing Font
• Cleansing Typhoon - use if available, but don't delay your attunement swap for it
• Shattering Ice

Air
In Air you want to use:

• Deploy Jade Sphere (Air)
• Hurricane of Pain
• Crescent Wind
• Shock Blast.

Earth
In Earth you want to use:

• Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth)
• Whirling Stones - as Stonestrike is a powerful autoattack, it is a good idea to delay this until your attunement swap is available, then use Whirling Stones and immediately swap (this will not interrupt the cast)
• Rocky Loop
• Ground Pound

Arcane Adjustments
If running Arcane, the cooldowns of your attunements and Jade Spheres are reduced. This means that you arrive back in your starting attunement before your Circular Projectile is available. Rather than wait, it is better to do another quick loop through all the available attunements. Performed quickly enough, you can get back to your starting attunement before Grand Finale expires. As you can get a whole extra set of Jade Spheres off, this substantially increases your boon generation (though the full loop itself takes ~35% longer), albeit with a notable difficulty increase.

During this shorter loop, only your 2-skills will be off cooldown (Surging Flames, Rain of Blows, Hurricane of Pain and Whirling Stones). However as the full loop is longer, you can use Cleansing Typhoon once every full loop, making it optimal to "shift" Crashing Font to the shorter loop instead. See below for an example.

Rotation example

While you have opportunities to adjust the element order as needed, you want your first two attunements to be Fire and Air (for Glyph of Storms and the potent Circular Projectile buffs), followed by Water and lastly Earth. Your choice of starting attunement is largely up to you, but it might be best to base it upon which Glyph of Storms you wish to open with.

Be aware that many of the longer skills will interrupt each other rather than queue, so be careful to let such skills finish.

Opener in Fire

1. Glyph of Storms (optional)
2. Flame Wheel
3. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
4. Relentless Fire
5. Molten End
6. Triple Sear
7. Surging Flames
8. Air Attunement

Air

1. Crescent Wind
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Air)
3. Shock Blast
4. Hurricane of Pain - swap to Water Attunement once the cast begins

Water

1. Icy Coil
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
3. Shattering Ice
4. Crashing Font
5. Cleansing Typhoon (if available)
6. Rain of Blows - swap to Earth Attunement once the cast begins
7. Earth Attunement

Earth

1. Rocky Loop
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth)
3. Ground Pound
4. Whirling Stones - swap to Fire Attunement once the cast begins

Fire

1. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
2. Conjure Fiery Greatsword (if available, or pick up a previously placed one)
   1. Firestorm - drop Fiery Greastword immediately after the cast
3. Relentless Fire
4. Grand Finale
5. Molten End
6. Triple Sear
7. Flame Wheel
8. Surging Flames
9. Air Attunement
10. Return to the start of the Air Section

Keep looping between the four elements, following the advice in the Rotation fundamentals section and adjusting as necessary.

Arcane Loop
If running Arcane, replace the Fire section above with the one below. Speed is crucial, so you want to be swapping attunements during skill casts.

1. Surging Flames
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
3. Conjure Fiery Greatsword (if available, or pick up a previously placed one)
   1. Firestorm - drop Fiery Greastword immediately after the cast
4. Air Attunement
5. Deploy Jade Sphere (Air)
6. Hurricane of Pain
7. Water Attunement
8. Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
9. Crashing Font - it is optimal, but not essential to use this here instead of in the Water section above.
10. Rain of Blows
11. Earth Attunement
12. Stonestrike until Fire Attunement is available
13. Whirling Stones
14. Fire Attunement
15. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
16. Relentless Fire
17. Grand Finale
18. Molten End
19. Triple Sear
20. Flame Wheel
21. Surging Flames
22. Air Attunement
23. Return to the start of the Air Section

Video example

Sword/Warhorn Rotation

Click to view

The quickness rotation is almost identical to the DPS one, with the exception that you use Water Attunement every loop. You can add Heat Sync, Cyclone or Sand Squall into the relevant attunements if you want more boon generation.

Opener in Air

1. Glyph of Storms
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Air)
3. Lightning Orb
4. Polaric Leap
5. Quantum Strike
6. Fire Attunement

Fire

1. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
2. Relentless Fire
3. Flame Uprising
4. Cauterizing Strike
5. Wildfire when ready
6. Elemental Celerity (if available), followed by
   1. Wildfire
   2. Cauterizing Strike
   3. Otherwise, autoattack until Flame Uprising is available
7. Flame Uprising
8. Earth Attunement

Earth

1. Dust Storm (if available)
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth)
3. Rust Frenzy
4. Water Attunement

Water

1. Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
2. Shattering Ice
3. Tidal Surge if available, otherwise autoattack until Air Attunement is ready
4. Air Attunement

Air

1. Autoattack and use Polaric Leap, Quantum Strike and Deploy Jade Sphere (Air) as they come off cooldown
2. Lightning Orb
3. Fire Attunement
4. Return to the start of the Fire Section

Video example

Scepter/Warhorn Rotation

Click to View

You can add Heat Sync, Cyclone or Sand Squall into the relevant attunements if you want more boon generation.

Opener in Fire

1. Firestorm (Glyph of Storms)
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire)
3. Relentless Fire
4. Phoenix
5. Air Attunement

Air

1. Autoattack and use Lightning Strike, Cyclone Lightning Orb and Deploy Jade Sphere (Air) as they come off cooldown
2. If Elemental Celerity is available, use it immediately after Lightning Orb, then cast it again
3. Water Attunement

Water

1. Shatterstone
2. Deploy Jade Sphere (Water)
3. Water Trident
4. Tidal Surge (if available)
5. Water Trident (if available)
6. Shatterstone
7. Air Attunement
8. Repeat Air section as above, but switch to Earth Attunement at the end

Earth

1. Use Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth) and whichever of Rock Barrier ⇒ Hurl, Dust Devil and Dust Storm are available
2. Air Attunement
3. Repeat Air section as above, but switch to Fire Attunement at the end

Fire
The Scepter/Warhorn loop is shorter than the cooldown of Relentless Fire, so this skill will drift in your rotation. Try to use it when your Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire) is active, though you don't have to be in Fire Attunement.

1. Use Deploy Jade Sphere (Fire), Dragon's Tooth, Phoenix and Wildfire (if available)
2. Air Attunement after using Dragon's Tooth
3. Return to start of the Air section and repeat the loop

Video example