Best Runemaster leveling build in Last Epoch

The Runemaster in Last Epoch boasts 39 unique invocations within his Mastery skill, Runic Invocation. For an efficient leveling build that can smoothly navigate both the campaign and the initial phases of endgame content, you only need to master a strategic combination of two abilities.

Lightning and Cold Runemaster leveling build

Here’s the best leveling build to use on your Runemaster in Last Epoch:

Spells

• Lightning Blast
• Flame Ward
• Teleport
• Glaciate to switch later for Frost Wall
• Rune Invocation to switch later for Static Orb

Gear stats and affixes

• Cast Speed
• Lightning and/or Elemental Damage
• Intelligence
• Ward per Second
• Mana
• Physical and Elemental Resistances

Key passives

• Mage tree: Arcanist, Reactive Ward, Warden
• Sorcerer tree: Arcane Momentum, Essence of Celerity, Calculate Destruction
• Runemaster tree: Unsealed Mana, Arcane Focus, Transcendence, Ancient Inscriptions, Runeword: Hurricane

Key skill specializations nodes

• Lightning Blast: Arcing Power, Positive Protection, Shattershock
• Teleport: Elemental Affinity, Ether Barrier, Stable Bubble
• Flame Ward: Stalwart Defense, Lightning Ward, Through Flames
• Frost Wall: Amplified Currents, Prepared Wards, Crackling Barrier
• Static Orb: Storm Burst, Fusionblast, Insidious Focus

The main goal of this build is to use Lightning Blast as your primary attack for the whole game. By using a Wand that lowers your spell costs by three, Lightning Blast becomes free to cast. This setup emphasizes Cast Speed because with no mana cost, you can cast Lightning Blast as often as you like, making speed important since you’re not limited by mana.

Every other skill in this setup works well with Lightning Blast to increase damage. Flame Ward turns into a Lightning spell with the addition of Lightning Ward, similar to how Frost Wall deals Lightning damage with Crackling Barrier. Static Orb is excellent for dealing high damage at a high mana cost, but it’s only available after gaining a few levels in Runemaster. Until then, I suggest using Glaciate or another area damage skill. After trying out various elemental skills, Glaciate proved to offer the best damage as you wait for Static Orb, though you won’t need it a lot.

This build enhances your survivability significantly through Flame Ward and Ward generation from Lightning Blast, courtesy of Positive Protection. That’s why it emphasizes selecting nodes that preserve Ward, enabling your Runemaster to navigate maps quickly and with minimal risk.

Regarding mobility, Teleport is an invaluable skill that not only speeds up map traversal and leveling but also amplifies your Lightning Blast damage. This dual-purpose use allows for faster movement across maps and a boost in damage output, making it easier to take down enemies.

As for affixes and passives, the focus is on boosting your damage with Lightning spells while also maintaining your health through Ward and various resistances. This strategic combination ensures both powerful offensive capabilities and robust defense.

Although this build is excellent for leveling, you may need to switch to Runebolt and Flamerush builds for farming Monoliths in the endgame. These builds are generally more dependable for clearing Echoes. You can also respec your Mastery points if you already have a different build and want to use this one in your Runemaster.