Mastering the Season 1 Hydra Conjuration Endgame Build

The Season 1 Hydra Conjuration build has been taking the gaming world by storm, and for good reason. This powerful build combines the deadly effects of The Barber, Tal’Rasha, and Tempting Fate to create a devastating burst damage playstyle. In this guide, we will dive deep into the mechanics of the build, discuss the key components, and provide some essential tips to dominate the battlefield.

Unleashing the Wrathful Hydra

The core of this build lies in three key items: The Barber, Tal’Rasha, and Tempting Fate. The Barber is a Wrathful type weapon that absorbs all subsequent damage dealt within 2.0-4.0 seconds by your target and then erupts onto surrounding enemies. Tal’Rasha, on the other hand, provides increased damage for each unique element you deal damage with. Finally, Tempting Fate grants a significant boost to Critical Strike Damage, although it does slightly reduce the damage of non-critical strikes.

Gems: Emeralds and Rubies

To further enhance the devastating effects of this build, we recommend slotting in Emeralds for additional Critical Strike Damage to vulnerable enemies. Frost Nova, found in both your enchantments and active skill bar, allows you to consistently apply the Vulnerable effect to all types of enemies. Additionally, Rubies are of great value to Sorcerers due to their relatively low health. The Protection Skill Passive also scales with Maximum Life, providing a tougher barrier.

Malignant Hearts: Tal’Rasha and The Barber

Among Sorcerer builds, Tal’Rasha is almost a staple when it comes to damage-boosting hearts. The combination of easy access to Fire, Ice, and Lightning Elements makes it a natural fit. Pairing it with The Barber provides a significant increase in burst damage. Moreover, The Barber procs are considered Shadow Damage, granting you an additional 4th stack of Tal’Rasha. Lastly, slotting in Tempting Fate complements The Barber by adding even more Critical Strike Damage, resulting in devastating bursts.

The Creeping Death Debate

Creeping Death, a great Wrathful Heart that boosts Damage over Time effects, might seem like a viable option for this build due to its synergy with burning damage. However, The Barber’s Malignant Heart, especially with lower seconds, allows you to dispatch enemies quicker. Waiting for Damage over Time effects to deplete enemies’ health bars can be time-consuming and negatively impact your survival. Furthermore, The Barber procs synergize with the Esu’s Ferocity Key Passive, triggering the Aspect of Ancient Flame effect, which boosts Hydra’s damage and attack speed. The Creeping Death heart might be considered in the upcoming Patch 1.1.1 with the Combustion Key Passive buff.

Mastering the Paragon Board Setup

To optimize your build further, it’s crucial to configure your Paragon board correctly. Here’s a breakdown of the essential nodes:

1. Starting Board:

   • Elementalist (Glyph)
   • Elementalist (Rare)
   • Elemental Balance (Rare)

2. Frigid Fate:

   • Conjurer (Glyph)
   • Oppressive (Rare)
   • Chilling (Rare)
   • Weakness (Rare)
   • Guarded (Rare)

3. Burning Instinct:

   • Burning Instinct (Legendary)
   • Destruction (Glyph)
   • Cinders (Rare)
   • Smoldering Embers (Rare)
   • Safeguard (Rare)
   • Keeper of Flames (Rare)

4. Elemental Summoner:

   • Elemental Summoner (Legendary)
   • Control (Glyph)
   • Swift Conjurer (Rare)
   • Conjurer (Rare)

5. Static Surge:

   • Exploit (Glyph)
   • Incapacitate (Rare)

6. Searing Heat:

   • Flamefeeder (Glyph)
   • Flame-Touched (Rare)
   • Ashes (Rare)

Mastering the Hydra Conjuration Playstyle

Now that we’ve covered the core components of the build let’s dive into the playstyle and rotations that will help you maximize your damage output while staying alive.

Recommended Openers and Rotations

Trash Mob Opener and Skill Rotation

1. Start by casting both of your Hydras to begin damaging enemies from a distance.
2. Follow up by casting your other Conjuration Skills, such as Lightning Spear and Ice Blades, to provide extra crowd control and damage, as well as to benefit from related skill passives.
3. Utilize Teleport to group up and stun enemies using the Raiment of the Infinite Unique passive.
4. If the Frost Nova Enchantment hasn’t proc’d yet, cast Frost Nova from your active skill bar to freeze enemies and make them Vulnerable.
5. Use Flame Shield as needed for sustain and survival.

Boss Opener

1. Enter the Boss area and immediately cast both of your Hydras.
2. Cycle through your cooldowns to try and deplete the Boss’ stagger bar quickly.
3. Focus on dodging the Boss’ attacks and let Hydra deal the damage for you.
4. Save your Flame Shield for surviving heavy attacks.

Continuously Cast Hydra

To maximize the effectiveness of your Hydras, it’s crucial to continuously recast them, even when there are already two sets of them active. This allows for repositioning and targeting specific enemies. For example, if an Elite is targeting you directly, it’s better to back away and recast the Hydras next to you, rather than circling back around your initial cast. Additionally, continuous recasting helps activate the Mana Shield Skill Passive, providing a significant 21% Damage Reduction for 5 seconds. Be cautious, though, as using too much mana may cause you to lose additional damage from the Edgemaster’s Aspect.

Utilize Other Conjuration Skills

While Hydra is the primary source of damage in this build, it’s important not to overlook Lightning Spear and Ice Blades. These skills come with valuable benefits that should not be ignored. Lightning Spear guarantees consistent stun to enemies through the combination of its passives, Enhanced Lightning Spear, and Invoked Lightning Spear. Ice Blades, on the other hand, greatly reduces skill cooldowns through Enhanced Ice Blades and Summoned Ice Blades. Keeping all your Conjuration Skills active on the field will also grant you the Conjuration Mastery Skill Passive, providing a notable 12% multiplicative bonus to your damage dealt.

Focus on Dodging Enemy Attacks

One of the strengths of this build lies in its ease of use. All of your Conjuration Skills will automatically seek out and attack enemies nearby, eliminating the need for precise targeting. This allows you to focus more on dodging enemy attacks, significantly increasing your overall survivability.

Conclusion

The Season 1 Hydra Conjuration build is a force to be reckoned with. With its deadly combination of The Barber, Tal’Rasha, and Tempting Fate, it delivers devastating burst damage, making it a formidable choice for endgame content. By mastering the playstyle, optimizing your Paragon board, and utilizing the right rotations, you’ll become an unstoppable force on the battlefield. So gear up, embrace the power of Hydra, and dominate the world of Diablo 4!

Related Guides:

• Best Character Builds for PvE and PvP
• All Class Builds: Barbarian, Druid, Sorcerer, Rogue, Necromancer, Uber Lilith Builds
• All Sorcerer Builds: Arc Lash (PVE), Chain Lightning (PVE), Charged Bolts (PVE), Blizzard Ice Shards (PVE), Burning Ice Shards (PVE), Crackling Chain Lightning (PVE), Fireball Barber (PVE), Fireball Meteor (PVE), Firewall Meteor (PVE), Firewall Warmth (PVE), Hydra Conjuration (PVE), Ice Spikes Blizzard (PVE), Omnipower Chain Lightning (PVE), Sorcerer Leveling (Leveling)

Now go forth, Sorcerer, and claim your rightful place as the master of destruction in Diablo 4!