Last Epoch: Best Shield Bash Forge Guard endgame build (Season 3)

The Shield Bash Forge Guard is one of the tankiest builds in Last Epoch Season 3: Beneath Ancient Skies. This powerhouse build thrives in high-corruption endgame content, using a shield as both offensive and defensive gear. The Shield Bash Forge Guard scales both offense and defense from the same core stat, turning survivability into its strength.

Shield Bash is the primary damage source; combined with sigils of Hope and Healing Hands for sustainability, the build creates a stunning harmony between strong offense and reliable survivability even in the harshest of the endgame content.

In this guide, we will break down the best skill setup, passive tree, itemization, and everything else you need to know to craft this build in Last Epoch Season 3.

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Pros and cons of the Shield Bash Forge Guard

Pros

• High damage scaling
• Easy gameplay loop
• Extremely tanky
• High survivability

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Cons

• Needs gear to perform optimally
• Limited AoE scaling without Uniques
• Low to mid clearing capability

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Skill setup for the Shield Bash Forge Guard in Last Epoch Season 3

The Shield Bash skill is the primary damage dealer for this Forge Guard build (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

This Forge Guard build revolves around the Shield Bash and Forge Strike skills, which are the primary damage skills, and Rings of Shield as the main defense skill. Healing Hands and Symbols of Hope are used to get some necessary buffs and healing. Here’s a breakdown of the skills:

1) Shield Bash

This is the core of this Forge Guard build in Last Epoch. It scales from Block Chance, Block Effectiveness, and Strength from nodes like Indomitable Force and Iron Arms. Shield Bash inherently has 1.5% more damage for every 1% block chance, up to 150% multiplicative with other modifiers.

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2) Ring of Shields

This is the primary defense skill, which also provides you with essential buffs and increases the overall survival chance. The Ring of Shield synergizes perfectly with the Mantle of the Pale Ox, which redirects additional damage towards your active shields.

Rings of Shields now shatter into shrapnel when they die from the Collateral Damage node and stun enemies from the Heavy Shrapnel passive node. Your Shrapnel’s physical damage is converted to fire damage, and there's a 50% chance to ignite them on hit from the Molten Shields passive node.

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3) Forge Strike

Forge Strike is used to deal massive amounts of damage, scaling with strength and physical damage. Forge Weapon now has a 30% chance to summon a Great Axe with the Forgemaster passive node that deals 20% damage and 100% area damage. Forge Strike deals 25% increased damage to rare and boss enemies (multiplicative with other modifiers).

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4) Healing Hands

This flexible healing skill doubles as a mobility skill, allowing you to dash to the target location using Rahyeh’s Chariot passive node and gives you Immunity to incoming damage while moving from the Sun Shroud node.

Healing Hands inflicts Fear on undead enemies from the Turn Undead passive node.

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5) Symbols of Hope

This is a powerful buffing tool that increases the overall damage output while dealing heals and wards. You get a 20% increased critical chance per active symbol with the Heavenly Justice node.

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How to play the Shield Bash Forge Guard in Last Epoch Season 3

In this Forge Guard build, the Shield Bash skill scales from Block chance and Block Effectiveness (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

The gameplay loop depends upon the amount of blocking chance and efficiency you have, since Shield Bash directly scales with it. The Shield Bash Forge Guard might not have a high AoE damage ceiling, but it uses its high survivability to outlast every encounter in Last Epo.

Mapping and bossing

• Cast Sigils of Hope and Rings of Shields to buff up before jumping into combat to maximize efficiency.
• Spam Shield Bash and Forge Strike in rotation to keep up the damage output.
• Use Healing Hands to get healing and deal moderate fire area damage.
• For bosses, utilize the Foot of the Mountain boots by standing still to stack one per second, which gives you reduced mana cost on skills.

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Best Passive setup for the Shield Bash Forge Guard

Sentinel Base

• Juggernaut: Each point of Strength increases armor by 4% and improves skills that scale with strength like Shield Bash, Ring of Shields, and Forge Strike.
• Fearless: Each point of Vitality grants 6 health and 1% Poison and Necrotic resistance per point.
• Stalwart: Hits that are blocked deal less damage depending on your block effectiveness and your current area level.
• Armour Clad: Adds armor and reduces the damage you take from nearby enemies (multiplicative with other modifiers).

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Forge Guard mastery

• Weapons Master: Additional Strength up to +10 and 5% increased melee damage with a mace.
• Steel Aegis: You have a higher chance to block hits and take less damage from hits that you block.
• Hammer and Anvil: 100% increased armor shred chance and minion armor shred chance.
• Champion of the Forge: You have increased critical strike chance while wielding a 2-handed weapon up to 80%.
• Forged Steel: Your Forged Weapons deal additional physical damage with their melee attacks. Additionally, Forged Weapons last longer.
• Forgemaster’s Might: You can equip a shield alongside a two-handed weapon (axe, spear, mace, or sword), but it lowers damage by 20% and cast speed by 10%.
• Shield Crafter: You have up to a 50% chance to cast a shield from Ring of Shields when you block a hit, and you have an additional +100 block effectiveness per shield from Ring of Shields.
• Walls of Solarum: You take less damage, and this effect is doubled if you have at least 50% block chance. You also get additional chances to block hits.

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Paladin passives

• Conviction: 32% increased fire, physical, and lightning damage. 16% additional physical, fire, and lightning penetration.
• Honor: Up to +200 Block Effectiveness and Stun Avoidance.

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Itemization guide for Shield Bash Forge Guard

The build required proper itemization to work optimally in the endgame, making it a difficult build to master (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

1) Event Horizon (Two-Handed Mace)

Implicits

• +126 Melee Damage
• (60% to 126%) Increased Melee Stun Chance

Modifiers

• (50 to 72)% Penetration against All Resistances with Melee Damage
• When you use a Melee Attack and hit at least one enemy, you gain a stack of Dilation up to 10
• 15% more Melee Damage per stack of Dilation
• 5% less Attack and Cast Speed per stack of Dilation
• 5% less Movement Speed per stack of Dilation
• All stacks of Dilation are lost when you use Evade
• (10% to 15%) More Damage to Slowed Enemies
• (10% to 15%) increased Movement Speed

Best Prefix

• T7 increased Physical Damage
• T7 Melee Critical Strike Chance
• T7 Chance to Shred Armor on Hit

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2) Mantle of the Pale Ox (Body Armor)

Implicits

• +74 Armor
• (5% to 60%) Increased Healing Effectiveness

Modifiers

• (16% to 24%) of Damage Redirected to your Highest Health Minion
• (12 to 18)% increased Health for you and your Minions
• (6% to 10%) increased Movement Speed
• +(12 to 16) Strength
• +(1 to 2) to Level of Minion Strength Skills

Best Prefix

• T7 Strength
• TZ Health
• T7 [x] to Forge Strike
• T7 increased Melee Damage

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3) Nihilis (Amulet)

Implicits

• (1% to 12%) increased Health
• (1% to 12%) increased Mana
• (-4% to 8%) increased Movement Speed

Modifiers

• +(1 to 2) to Level of All Skills
• (-20% to 50%) increased Mana Regen
• (-10% to 20%) more Armor
• (-5% to 15%) to All Resistances
• (10% to 20%) of Current Health and Ward lost when you use Evade
• (1.2 to 4) Seconds of Frenzy after you use Evade

Best Prefix

• T7 Critical Strike Multiplier
• T7 increased Critical Strike Chance
• T7 Chance to Shred Armor on Hit
• T7 Health

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4) Horns of Uhkeiros (Shield)

Implicits

• +26% Block Chance
• +(440 to 520) Block Effectiveness
• +(11% to 15%) Endurance

Modifiers

• (60% to 120%) increased Melee Damage
• 2 Mana Gain on Block
• 50% increased Mana Cost
• +(600 to 1000) Block Effectiveness
• +(10 to 16) Strength

Best Prefix

• T7 Block Chance
• T7 Block Effectiveness
• T7 Armor
• T7 reduced Bonus Damage Taken from Critical Strikes

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5) Oceareon (Ring)

Implicits

• +(10 to 20) Mana
• (6% to 12%) increased Mana Regen

Modifiers

• +(24% to 40%) Chance to apply Chill on Hit
• (10% to 20%) Increased Chill Duration
• 4% to 2% less Damage Taken from Chilled Enemies
• +(24% to 40%) Chance to apply Shock on Hit
• (10% to 20%) Increased Shock Duration
• 1% more Damage per stack of Shock

Best Prefix

• T7 Strength
• T7 increased Critical Strike Chance
• T7 Block Chance
• T7 Block Effectiveness
• T7 Health
• T7 Health Regen

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6) Shattered Chains (Belt)

Implicits

• +(35 to 65) Armor
• +3 Potion Slots

Modifiers

• (50% to 70%) increased Armor
• +(5 to 10) Void Melee Damage
• (50% to 70%) increased Melee Damage
• 5% more Melee Damage per stack of Doom
• Using a Potion Cleanses Stun and Freeze
• Stun Immunity for 4 seconds when you use a Potion

Best Prefix

• T7 Ward Gained on Potion Use
• T7 chance to Cleanse All Ailments on Potion Use
• T7 increased Mana Regen
• T7 Armor
• T7 reduced Bonus Damage Taken from Critical Strikes

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7) Siphon Of Anguish

Implicits

• +(5% to 18%) Elemental Resistance

Modifiers

• (1% to 3%) of Melee Damage Leeched as Health
• (1% to 3%) of Void Damage Leeched as Health
• (10% to 30%) Increased Leech Rate
• (3% to 8%) increased Movement Speed
• +(10% to 30%) Chance to apply Doom on Hit
• (10% to 30%) Void Penetration with Doom

Best Prefix

• T7 increased Physical Damage
• T7 Strength
• T7 Block Chance
• T7 Block Effectiveness

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8) Immortal Vise

Implicits

• +211 Armor
• 11% to 24% of Armor Mitigation also applies to Damage over Time

Modifiers

• (25% to 30%) of Hit Damage Taken from Bosses and Rare enemies is dealt over 4 seconds instead
• While you have more than 10% of your maximum health as delayed damage, damage to health below your endurance threshold is reduced by 30%
• (10% to 26%) increased Melee Attack Speed
• (1% to 2%) of Melee Damage Leeched as Health
• +(60 to 90) Health
• +(6 to 9) Strength

Best Prefix

• T7 Strength
• T7 increased Cast Speed
• T7 Health
• T7 Block Chance
• T7 Block Effectiveness

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9) Foot of the Mountain (Boots)

Implicits

• +35 Armor
• (8% to 10%) increased Movement Speed

Modifiers

• +(14% to 28%) Endurance
• +(6 to 12) to All Attributes
• Gain 1 stack of Mountain's Endurance each second while not moving (up to 3)
• -2 Mana Cost per stack of Mountain's Endurance
• 100% of Dodge Rating converted to Endurance Threshold while you have at least 1 stack of Mountain's Endurance

Best Prefix

• T7 increased Movement Speed
• T7 Strength

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10) Code of an Erased Sentinel (Relic)

Implicits

• +(10 to 30) Mana
• -3 Mana Cost for Melee Skills

Modifiers

• +1 to Level of Sentinel Skills
• 20% to 30% increased Armor
• 20% to 30% of Armor Mitigation also applies to Damage over Time

Best Prefix

• T7 [x] to Shield Bash
• T7 increased Melee Damage
• T7 Strength
• T7 Health

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11) Leonine Greathelm (Helmet)

Implicits

• +550 Armor
• 50% to 85% reduced Bonus Damage Taken from Critical Strikes

Best Prefix

• T7 increased Physical Damage
• T7 increased Armor
• T7 increased Health

Sealed Affix

• T7 [x] to Healing Hands
• T7 Increased Healing Effectiveness

Primordial Affix

• T8 Strength

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Best Blessings and Idols setup for the Shield Bash Forge Guard

Blessings

• Grand Emptiness of Ash (The Black Sun) - +40% Critical Strike Multiplier
• Grand Crash of the Waves (Ending the Storm) - 160% Increased Stun Chance
• Grand Cruelty of Strength (Reign of Dragons) - 100% increased Physical Damage
• Grand Bones of Eternity (The Age of Winter) - +8% Block Chance and +240 Block Effectiveness
• Grand Body of Obsidian (Spirits of Fire) - +320 Armor

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Idols

• Physical damage penetration - Small Weaver Idol
• Mana and Mana Regen - Minor Weaver Idol
• Block Effectiveness - Stout Weaver Idol
• Critical strike chance, block effectiveness, and movement speed - Heretical Huge Rahyeh Idol

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The Shield Bash Forge Guard is a tanky defensive build that can outlast anything thrown at it while dealing a significant amount of damage. Utilizing the Primordial stats of Last Epoch Season 3, it now stands at a higher tier than in the last season. While it can be difficult to play in the early game, once built with proper uniques, the Shield Bash Forge Guard can become one of the most resilient builds.

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