Build Here
So when untamed came out, like many of us, I started experimenting with dmg builds and quickly found that the hammer was somewhat lacking in that department. This was disappointing as I found myself trying to do things that Soulbeast would probably do better. But then I shifted my mindset to more of a sustain build and it’s given me the most consistent performance so far in this wild west meta we’re in.
The build gets its sustain from a mix of Healing Spring, Restorative Strikes, and Nature’s Shield. Since conquest naturally forces people to gather on the point, Untamed (and the hammer) really get a chance to shine in the ensuing team fights. There is also a lot of combo synergy between the water and smoke fields you create, as you’ve got a blast finisher on the hammer, and leap & whirl finishers on the sword/axe.
Even as a sustain-centric build, there is some decent damage potential from Axe5, and the hammer dmg bonuses from disabled opponents. I usually combine Nature’s Binding with Exploding Spores for a more reliable knockdown, then pop Relentless Whirl or axe5 while they’re held in place. At that point they have to use CDs to escape, which lets you chase down more easily with Sword2 or Hammer5. The build can run into some trouble against more careful opponents that keep their distance, but ideally you’ve capped/decapped and are racking up points while they try to kite you.
Wilderness Survival is sort of required here for the protection healing. Skirmishing is a bit more flexible, as it’s taken for Quickdraw, in lieu of not having Fervent Force. But if you can go without the strike dmg heals, Skirmishing can probably be subbed for Marksmanship or Beastmastery.
Scrapper runes help further increase your dmg reduction (though there are probably some better choices here), while energy and stagnation sigils keep you stick to your targets and keep your dodges (which apply protection) topped off.
For pets, Smokescale does a really good job of sticking to targets between Venomous Outburst and Smoke Assault, and you can do a lot of shenanigans with its Smoke Cloud. Until the EoD pets are fixed, I would ‘t recommend Siege Turtle unless you like a challenge, but the utility of its protection dome will make it a great choice once they are fixed. In the meantime, I’m fiddling with the Blue Moa protection screech, but ultimately the second pet is pretty flexible. A more CC heavy pet like Blue Wyvern will help increase your hammer damage.
Overall there’s been a lot of dps going around since EoD launched, so I think it gives sustain builds like this some room to breathe; I’ve been seeing druid make somewhat of a comeback as well, so hopefully there’s a nice little niche for Untamed too!
