Last Epoch: Best Tornado Shaman endgame build (Season 3)

The Tornado Shaman stands out as one of the most versatile Primalist builds in Last Epoch Season 3: Beneath Ancient Skies. The build creates a fantastic combination of powerful lightning damage with tremendous tankiness. Its synergy between survivability and offensive scaling makes it perfect for running high Corruption Monoliths.

In this guide, we will break down everything that you need to know about building the Tornado Shaman, from skill setup to blessings.

---

Pros and cons of the Tornado Shaman build in Last Epoch Season 3

Pros

• Extreme tankiness makes it great for Hardcore.
• Strong sustain and mana recovery.
• Excellent scaling with rare and Unique items.
• High AoE coverage with Tornados.
• Capable of tackling endgame content efficiently.

---

Cons

• Heavy visual clutter makes it harder to track.
• Spriggan companion dies often, requiring resummons.
• Optimal DPS requires standing still.

---

Skill setup for the Tornado Shaman build in Last Epoch Season 3

The build revolvs around the Tornado Skill, which procs Storm Bolts in extremely short intervals (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

The Tornado Shaman build revolves around casting Storm Bolts with Charged Storm. This can be quite mana draining, so it needs to be paired with strong defensive uniques and mana-sustaining tools. Once built properly, this build can easily melt down bosses and mobs in high Corruption Monoliths.

Core skill loadout

1) Tornado

This is the primary damage source of this build. With passive nodes like Charged Storm, Frequent Lightning, and Hurricane, each of your Tornadoes becomes a turret that can cast over 10 Storm Bolts per cast, dealing massive amounts of Lightning damage.

2) Summon Spriggan

The Spriggan summon uses both offensive and healing effects, allowing for much better sustainability in the endgame. The Aura of Life improves the healing capability of the Spriggan’s Healing Aura and Rejuvenating Wind. The Creeping Roots node allows the Spriggan to cast Ensnaring Roots, which traps enemies and deals damage over time.

3) Maelstrom

The Maelstrom skill allows you to deal cold damage over time to nearby enemies. At six stacks of Maelstrom, you gain Haste from the Windswept node and Frenzy from the Windfury node.

Maelstrom can be further improved by the Power of the Storm passive node, which allows Maelstrom to cast Storm Bolts at nearby enemies.

4) Gathering Storm

This allows you to strike down enemies with a powerful lightning storm. You gain a stack of Storm when Gathering Storm hits an enemy, and every second you expend a Storm Stack causes a Storm Bolt to hit nearby enemies.

With the Lightning Strikes Twice node, bosses and rare enemies have a chance to receive an additional Storm Bolt when they are hit with one in combat. Spending Storm Stack has a chance to cast Maelstrom thanks to the In the Eye of the Storm passive node.

5) Warcry

Using Jormun’s Wrath, Warcry now freezes enemies instead of stunning them, and it no longer knocks them back. The Whirlpool passive allows Maelstrom to be cast whenever you cast Warcry and costs less mana.

---

How to play the Tornado Shaman in Last Epoch Season 3

The Tornado Shaman combines survivability and lightning damage to melt through bosses and mobs (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

Gameplay loop:

• Cast Warcry before entering combat and cast Maelstrom as soon as you engage enemies.
• Spam Tornado to fill up the battlefield with Storm Bolts.
• Summon Spriggan to lock enemies in position and get constant healing.
• Use Gathering Storm to cast additional Storm Bolts and deal Lightning Damage.

---

Bossing:

• Stand still to regenerate mana with Foot of the Mountain God.
• Position carefully to avoid getting hit.

Make sure to avoid getting hit by incoming damage from bosses; the build is built to tank hits, but it isn’t invincible.

---

Best Passive setup for the Tornado Shaman in Last Epoch Season 3

Primalist base

• Harmony of Blades - You can dual-wield melee weapons by equipping an axe or sword in your offhand. While dual wielding, you have increased attack and cast speed, but you take more damage.
• Hunter’s Restoration - Every three seconds, your next hit (doesn't include DoT and minion damage) restores your health. This can only proc if you don't have full health.
• Cornered Beast - While you are on low health, you take less damage and deal more melee damage. At low health you gain up to 20% less incoming damage and deal up to 75% more melee damage for five seconds.

---

Shaman tree mastery

• Lagonian Wrath - You have up to a 25% chance to cast Storm Bolt when hit.
• Tempest Form - You and your minions have additional health and a chance to Shock and Chill on hit.
• Swirling Maelstrom - You have additional health and mana and have a 30% chance to cast Maelstrom when hit. This effect has a three second cooldown.
• Conflux - Your area skills have a 24% increased area, and you take 8% less damage from shock-inflicted enemies. Your indirect Storm Bolt casts have a 20% chance to cast again after 0.25 seconds.
• Rhythm of Thunder - Every three seconds, your next melee attack deals additional lightning damage.

---

Druid tree

• Chitinous Plating - Minions have additional armor.
• Wild in the Leaves - Increases attack and cast speed of you and your minions by 15%. Increases Spriggan movement speed by 10%.
• Bush Stalker - You leech critical hit damage as health up to 4%.

---

Itemization guide for the Tornado Shaman build in Last Epoch Season 3

The Tornado Shaman requires some specific items to perform optimally in the endgame of Last Epoch Season 3 (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

1) The Butcher's Crown (Primordial helmet)

Implicits:

• +130 Armor

Modifiers:

• You have Frenzy (Frenzy is a buff that grants 20% increased attack and cast speed. It cannot stack.)
• You do not Regenerate Mana
• (6% to 12%) of Current Health Lost per second
• 12 Health and 1 Mana gained on Hit per 12% increased mana regen (up to 4 times per 2 seconds)
• (60% to 112%) increased Effect of Frenzy on You
• (112% to 144%) increased Damage

Best Prefix:

• T7 [x] to Summon Spriggan
• T7 increased Minion Damage
• T7 Attunement
• T7 Health Regen

---

2) Eye of Storms (Amulet)

Implicits:

• (5% to 15%) increased Cast Speed

Modifiers:

• Cast Maelstrom every 3 seconds (This consumes Maelstrom's mana cost)
• +(33% to 45%) Cold Resistance
• +(33% to 45%) Lightning Resistance
• (6% to 15%) Increased Lightning Damage per Active Maelstrom
• +(10 to 18) Lightning Melee Damage

Best Prefix:

• T7 increased Critical Strike Chance
• T7 increased Lightning Damage
• T7 Chance to Shock on Hit

---

3) Mad Alchemist's Ladle (Wand)

Implicits:

• +(12 to 16) Spell Damage
• +(20 to 30) Mana
• -3 Mana Cost for Spell Skills

Modifiers:

• +(8% to 48%) Chance to apply Slow on Spell Hit
• +(8% to 48%) Chance to apply Frailty on Spell Hit
• +(8% to 48%) Chance to apply Shred Armor on Spell Hit
• +(8% to 48%) Chance to apply Electrify on Spell Hit
• +(8% to 48%) Chance to apply Poison on Spell Hit
• 6% more Spell Damage per Negative Ailment on the Target (up to 8)
• +1% increased Cast Speed per 2 Intelligence
• 1 Mana Gained on Potion Use per 4 Intelligence

Best Prefix:

• T7 Mana
• T7 increased Mana Regen
• T7 Lightning Penetration
• T7 Minion Lightning Penetration

---

4) 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 [x] to Tornado
• T7 increased Spell Damage
• T7 [x] to Gathering Storm
• T7 increased Area for Area Skills

---

5) Tempest Maw (One-Handed Axe)

Implicits:

• +28 Melee Damage
• +(14 to 28) Lightning Melee Damage
• +(7% to 14%) Lightning Penetration

Modifiers:

• +(17 to 21) Lightning Melee Damage
• +(17 to 21) Lightning Spell Damage
• (-6 to -3) Mana Cost for Totems
• +(3 to 6) Strength and Attunement
• When you summon a totem you also summon 4 Storm Sprites around the totem (6 second cooldown)

Best Prefix:

• T7 Mana
• T7 increased Mana Regen
• T7 Melee Lightning Damage
• T7 Lightning Penetration
• T7 Minion Lightning Penetration

---

6) Julra's Stardial (Ring)

Implicits:

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

Modifiers:

• (12% to 36%) of Mana Spent Gained as Ward
• (36% to 72%) increased Spell Damage
• When you use a movement or time travel skill all stats on this item are tripled for 4 seconds (12 second cooldown)

Best Prefix:

• T7 Attunement
• T7 increased Spell Damage
• T7 Health

---

7) Legacy of the Quiet Forest (Belt)

Implicits:

• +5 Potion Slots

Modifiers:

• +(90 to 245) Armor
• +(30% to 45%) Void Resistance
• +(30% to 45%) Poison Resistance
• +(30% to 45%) Poison Resistance while Transformed
• +(15 to 20) Rage gained every 3 seconds while in Spriggan Form

Best Prefix:

• T7 increased Spell Damage
• T7 Elemental Resistance
• T7 Health

---

8) Arcane Bracers (Gloves)

Implicits:

• +36 Armor
• +36 Mana
• 24% increased Mana Regen

Best Prefix:

• T7 increased Cast Speed
• T7 Attunement
• T7 Chance to Shred Armor on Hit

---

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)
• All stacks are lost when you move
• -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 Attunement
• T7 Increased Cooldown Recovery Speed
• T7 increased Armor

---

10) Stormcarved Testament (Relic)

Implicits:

• +(36% to 44%) Physical Resistance

Modifiers:

• +6 Spell Lightning Damage for you and your Totems
• +12% Lightning Penetration for you and your Totems
• +(60 to 94)% Shock Chance for you and your Totems
• Grants a chance to Shock on Hit
• +(36 to 44)% Lightning Resistance for You and Your Totems
• +(60 to 94) Mana
• 12% Chance to summon a Storm Totem on hit (8 second cooldown)
• +6 Attunement

Best Prefix:

• T7 [x] to Warcry
• T7 Endurance Threshold
• T7 Critical Strike Multiplier

---

Best Blessings and Idols for the Tornado Shaman build in Last Epoch Season 3

Blessings

• Grand Thirst of the Sun (The Black Sun) - 50% Increased Leech Rate
• Grand Mysteries of the Deep (Ending the Storm) - +50% Chance to Shred Lightning Resistance on Hit
• Grand Allure of Apathy (Reign of Dragons) - +100% Chance to Slow on Hit
• Grand Curse of Sulphur (Spirits of Fire) - +60% Chance to apply Frailty on Hit
• Grand Bulwark of the Tundra (The Age of Winter) - 55% increased Armor

---

Idols

1) Small Weaver Idol

• 10% increased Damage Over Time
• +12% Physical Resistance
• +12% Minion Physical Resistance

2) Heretical Ornate Heorot Idol

• +28% Chance for an Avalanche Boulder to drop at a nearby enemy on melee attack (up to 3 times per second)
• 48% increased Cold Damage
• 48% increased Lightning Damage
• +6 Melee Damage
• +6 Spell Damage
• 2% Increased Cooldown Recovery Speed
• 5% increased Mana Regen

3) Heretical Large Nomad Idol

• +16 Endurance Threshold
• 9% increased Health
• 32% increased Spell Damage
• 32% increased Minion Spell Damage
• 18% increased Critical Strike Chance
• +9% Critical Strike Multiplier
• +8 Melee Damage
• +8 Spell Damage

The Tornado Shaman build in Last Epoch Season 3 combines survivability with extremely high Lightning Damage. With auto-casting Storm Bolts and Maelstrom, this build can easily go through the toughest endgame content in Last Epoch.

---

Check out our other articles related to the game:

• Last Epoch: All Champion Item Affixes
• Why is Last Epoch getting review-bombed on Steam?
• Is Last Epoch worth playing in 2025?
• Campaign Speedrunning guide (All Acts covered)
• Best Weaver Faction tree for Circle of Fortune (Season 2)
• Last Epoch 2025 roadmap: What to expect from the game this year